Page 49 of Every Spiral of Fate (This Woven Kingdom #4)

Forty-Eight

ALIZEH WATCHED, HARDLY brEATHING, AS Cyrus looked sharply at the prince. The king appeared, for the length of an infinitesimal moment, almost impressed.

“It’s true,” he said, “that I am allotted a limited window of time to achieve the tasks set before me by the devil. And I did build— contingencies —into my plans, in the case that I was unable to find the magic within the prescribed timeframe. I’d hoped to provoke an opportunity to search the mountains with impunity. ” Then: “Just in case.”

Kamran laughed in anger, looking at him then with cold revulsion. “You were willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of your own soldiers in a pointless war to achieve your own ends?”

“It was only a contingency,” said Cyrus.

“For what, pray tell?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what is it all for?” Kamran demanded. “It’s beginning to strike me as absurd that the devil commanded you to fulfill such a bizarre list of tasks. What is your end goal? What need does the devil have of all these various missions?”

Cyrus blinked. “He hopes to bring the Jinn queen into power.”

“ Why? ”

“I do not know. I can only surmise that he sees her ascent to power as a twisted revenge against the Clay people he holds responsible for his downfall.”

“You can only surmise?” Kamran laughed, the bleak sound echoing. “You can only cobble together flimsy guesses at his intent, yet you do as he says? Why are you so beholden to the devil? What has he done for you in return? Wait”—he held up a hand—“I nearly forgot. You can’t say.”

“No.” Cyrus swallowed. “I cannot.”

“Kamran,” said Alizeh patiently. She wasn’t sure she could stomach much more of this.

“I appreciate your concerns, which are both compelling and well-reasoned, and all the more worrisome as a result. But I think we have proof enough of Cyrus’s intentions.

He’s made bonds and vows as collateral against exactly such accusations—”

“Yet over and over,” he said to her, “we are faced with proof of his deception—his duplicity . He freely confesses to his crimes before our eyes, and yet the more he speaks, the less any of it makes sense—”

“Enough,” said Hazan in warning.

“Tell me, truly,” said the prince, looking at Hazan.

“Does it make any sense to you? For I cannot fathom why the devil would order him to undertake a series of peculiar tasks all tailored, specifically, to Alizeh. Why must he marry her? Why must he find her magic? Why must he keep her safe? Why? ” he said thunderously.

“Why are none of us asking this question? What strange devil’s bargain is this that revolves entirely around a single person and her uncommonly specific needs? ”

When Cyrus said nothing, offering no explanation, there fell a tense, textured silence as the group lapsed into various states of reflection.

“I don’t fully understand,” said Huda finally. “Your argument is that Cyrus might be evil because he’s been trying to keep Alizeh safe and help her find her magic?”

“That’s not what I—”

“But if he were not bound by the devil,” said Deen, “why would he enter into such a brutal blood oath that demands, in the end, his life as sacrifice?”

Again, the room was cast into silence.

Alizeh couldn’t help but look at Cyrus, who stood stonily nearby, staring into the infinite distance. Once more, he was doing nothing to defend himself, and it made her furious.

For the first time, Kamran appeared to falter. “I don’t—I don’t know,” he said to Deen. “The trouble is, I don’t know what his aims are. Perhaps he has to keep her alive long enough to reach this moment—after which he might dispose of her—”

“You think he wants to kill her?” said Omid, aghast.

“At this point, I think anything is possible—”

“Bloody hell, he doesn’t want to kill her,” said Hazan with a long-suffering sigh. He shook his head at the prince, tension releasing from his shoulders. “You nearly had me there for a moment, Kamran. What is the matter with you?”

But Kamran had lost none of his pique.

“Admit it,” he said angrily. “Something I said resonated with you, and you know it—”

“I will allow that much is true, but—”

“How long have we known each other?” Kamran said, his voice rising dangerously. “Our whole lives, practically, wouldn’t you agree?”

Again, Hazan sighed.

“You know me better than anyone,” said the prince.

“You know I would not say it if it weren’t true.

You know I’ve always trusted my instincts, and I’m telling you now: something is wrong.

Something is wrong, and I swear it has nothing to do with the fact that I’d like nothing more than to see Cyrus dead. ”

Huda laughed.

Kamran glared at her.

“What would you have me do about it?” said Hazan finally, looking tired. “We’re stuck with him.”

“I want him gone. Whatever happens next—wherever it might take us—I don’t think he should be party to it.”

“ No ,” said Alizeh sharply. “You cannot make that decision.”

“How will we get home if he leaves?” asked Huda. “Do you expect us to descend ten thousand feet from the mountain without freezing to death? I hardly survived the short hike—my boots were all but ruined—”

“Tell me, are you even under the order of the devil?” said Kamran suddenly, rounding on Cyrus. “Or is this merely a diabolical plan you’ve concocted in an attempt to steal her magic?”

Now, Alizeh gasped.

“Steal her magic?” said Hazan, a flash of alarm flaring in his eyes. “Kamran, be reasonable.”

“What other motivation could he possibly have?” the prince cried. “Why else would he need to stay close to her? Why else would he need to marry her, tethering himself to her just long enough to get her to open the door—”

“He took a blood oath,” said Hazan, shaking his head. “His vows are fatal. What good does this do him if he’s only to die at the end of it all?”

“That’s a good point,” said Omid.

Kamran briefly closed his eyes. “For heaven’s sake, we don’t even know what her magic is! Maybe it’s powerful enough to release him from the blood oath. I don’t know that I understand it entirely. I only know that it’s suspicious—”

“Kamran—” Alizeh tried to say.

“And why does he know so much about her magic if no one is supposed to know anything about her magic? You once told me there were no surviving documents to help provide much-needed parameters for the attainment of her powers, yet he seems to know”—he pointed at Cyrus—“exactly how things work with regard to her direct line into the mountains—”

“Kamran, please,” said Alizeh again, this time struggling to remain patient. “It makes sense that Cyrus is able to provide insight the rest of us might lack, for he was nearly a Diviner—”

“Hells, but I’m desperately tired of this refrain,” he said, throwing up his hands. “ Nearly a Diviner does not a Diviner make—when it is the fact of his dismissal from the temple that should concern us most!”

“What are you saying?” said Huda.

“I’m saying he’s a failed Diviner. He’s learned just enough to cast powerful spells without being beholden to the limits that might bind a Diviner to scruples.

He’s an immoral deviant—he’s proven this over and over—and I’m beginning to think he’s snaked his way into Alizeh’s life only to steal her power once she’s found it. ”

“But that’s impossible,” said Alizeh. “The magic cannot be accessed by anyone else.” Then, breathlessly, “Can it?”

“No,” said Hazan firmly. “Absolutely not. It’s yours by birth, by order of the earth—”

“Well,” said Deen, looking suddenly apprehensive. “That might be true, but it doesn’t mean she can’t be manipulated.”