The magic rose from the blade into the air, filling the chamber with an eerie rubicund light.
Finally, he touched the dagger to his palm.
Power flowed into the open wound, raw and frightening. It seared as it pummeled through his body, heating him to his very bones. His eyes flashed once, and the dark blade fell to the floor.
When his vision cleared, everything around him appeared sharper than before. The fatigue of only a moment ago was but a distant memory. He stood taller. Breathed deeper.
Felt invincible.
He bent to the floor and retrieved the dagger, wiping its surface on the bundle of linen next to the motionless body of the tiny hare.
Jahandar paused in thought.
Then he waved his hand over the bloody carcass.
And it disappeared in a burst of cool light.
A BRUTAL TRUTH
SHAHRZAD DID NOT SLEEP WELL THAT NIGHT.
Her dreams were filled with visions of Shiva’s smiling face and the sound of doors slamming shut in a black void. Voices filled with pain and betrayal echoed in her ears.
Once she pried open her eyes to the morning light, she rolled over and shoved her face into a cushion, feeling the bitter exhaustion settle between her shoulders.
Despina’s merry laughter lilted around her, clear as a bell and just as annoying.
Shahrzad groaned.
“Do you want to sleep more?”
“No,” Shahrzad said into her pillow. “That won’t help.”
“Are you sure? Because it looks as though you had a rather . . . unrestrained evening.”
“What?” Shahrzad lifted her head from the silk in confusion.
Despina’s highly amused gaze was fixed on the gossamer veil torn from its mooring, lying in a forgotten pile beside the platform.
A flush bloomed on Shahrzad’s cheeks.
“Well done,” Despina teased.
“It’s not what it looks like.”
“Are you quite certain? Because if the qamis on your bed belongs to another man, you have just become even more interesting than you already were.”
“That’s enough, Despina.” Shahrzad’s voice was filled with warning.
Despina stood akimbo, her perfect eyebrows high on her forehead. “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“I’m sorry, but this situation and that response do not follow.” Collecting the folds of her skirt in one hand, Despina marched to the platform and plopped onto the edge of the bed. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”
Shahrzad sighed at her handmaiden’s cursed persistence. “Everything.”
“Can you be more specific? After all, secrets are infinitely more useful when they’re shared,” Despina said in a teasing tone.
“Tell that to Khalid,” Shahrzad grumbled. “As his supposed spy, he might actually listen to you.”
Despina’s expression softened in understanding. “The Caliph of Khorasan hasn’t listened to anyone for a very long time.”
“Nor will he be likely to. Not after last night.”
Despina kicked off her sandals and sat cross-legged on the bed. “We women are a sad lot, aren’t we?”
“What do you mean?”
“Strong enough to take on the world with our bare hands, yet we permit ridiculous boys to make fools of us.”
“I am not a fool.”
“No, you’re not. Not yet.” Despina grinned. “But it’s inevitable. When you meet the one who makes you smile as you’ve never smiled before, cry as you’ve never cried before . . . there is nothing to do but fall.”
“I—” Shahrzad chewed on her lower lip.
“You can speak freely, Shahrzad. What you say will not pass these walls.”
Shahrzad remained silent.
Despina edged closer. “When I was a little girl in Thebes, I remember asking my mother what heaven was. She replied, ‘A heart where love dwells.’ Of course, I then demanded to know what constituted hell. She looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘A heart absent love.’” Despina studied Shahrzad as she spoke.
Shahrzad returned Despina’s scrutiny while toying with the silver laces of her shamla. “Your mother sounds quite wise.”
“She was.”
Shahrzad chose her next words with care. “May I ask what happened to her?”
“She fell in love with the wrong man. He promised her the world and then left her with nothing but the child in her belly.”
“I’m truly sorry, Despina.”
“I’m not. She died young, but she died happy, and a man like that is incapable of making a woman happy. Rich men don’t know how to sacrifice for love, because they’ve never had to.” Despina’s last statement was marked in its harshness.
“Is that it?” Shahrzad said gently. “Are you worried Jalal will do the same?”
“I don’t know. He’s unfailingly loyal to his family, but I have yet to see him espouse such loyalty to the many young women who’ve lost their hearts to him.” Despina’s blue eyes tightened at the corners. “I’ve always believed a man is what he does, not what others say. But Jalal al-Khoury does very little to refute what others say.”
“Such behavior appears to be a family trait.”
“Yes. It does.”
“I don’t—” Shahrzad caught herself before turning a pleading eye to her handmaiden. “Do you know, Despina? If you do, please tell me. Why is Khalid killing all of his brides?”