Page 38 of The Shrouded Queen
I dipped the bread in the cheese milk and used every trick I knew to keep my disgust from showing. Sour. Chewy. The meager crumbs Jasim and I had been living off for the last week were preferable to this. Still, I swallowed it and smiled. “Thank you.”
Nasir’s smile was crooked. “I know it cannot compete with the palace’s cooks, but hopefully it is tolerable.”
The bread scraped along my throat all the way down. “It’s great. In fact, I’d like to pack some of this with me.”
Nasir’s brows rose. “Leaving already, my queen?”
“I’d like to make a sacrifice at my father’s temple before the Igniting.”
“But… the temple is in the Wastelands,” he stated. As if I were an idiot who did not know the location of my own father’s temple.
The burn at my neck intensified. It took everything in me not to scratch. “Yes. My father wishes for a personal visit.”
“Goodness,” Nasir mumbled as he lifted a bite to his mouth, a dollop of that cheese milk landing on his shirt. He didn’t notice. “A demanding father, the God of the Underworld, eh?”
I smiled stiffly. “I’d like to take a small contingent with me. In addition to supplies. The temple is not too far into the Wastelands, but I would like to err on the side of caution. That is, if you find that amenable,” I added begrudgingly. Oh, so very civilized and behaved.
“I would love to help you, Gods-Chosen. It would be my greatest privilege. But…” Nasir winced apologetically. “Sending my people to the temple puts them at risk. A hefty one, if I correctly recall King Zaid’s time in the Wastelands. And as you can probablysee, we don’t have much to spare, in supplies or warriors. Not to mention that housing you for even a night brings the danger of the Kaldfolk’s return.” Nasir pressed a hand to his heart and peered at me with those owl eyes. “I’m afraid I cannot, in good conscience, order my warriors into the Wastelands. It would have to be their choice.”
It took far too long to remind myself that queens did not lunge across tables. “Do you not have control of your own people, Nasir?”
“He’s not a dictator,” the female soldier bit out, accusation shining in her eyes.
“They could be convinced,” he said quickly. “Couldn’t you, Sara?”
The female soldier crossed her arms and sat back in her chair.
I nearly ordered Jasim to slice her hands off. Better yet, slice the back of my neck to stop this fuckingitch. “What do you want, Nasir?”
Excitement lit up his face, and he leaned forward, hands clasped loosely on the table, looking me in the eye. A disconcerting look, with the bits of golden magic floating in his irises. “I want my land back,” he said. “Along the Lotus River.”
I nearly laughed. The last time I’d been to Reeda, the prince had been nothing but strictly cordial and agreeable. Everything I’d said had been met with aYes, my princess. But he’d always been cunning, despite his lack of hand-eye coordination. It was why he’d never revolted, even after the king had kicked his family off their land and his father had been slaughtered by the Khada Guard. Why he’d allowed me to enter his home at all when he knew I’d yet to be officially crowned queen and the throne was empty. Fighting would not help his people.
But this. This would.
“Fine,” I said. “The Miqaf Estate in exchange for my safe journey to—andfrom—Shaya’s temple.”
Nasir smiled, bits of gold alight in his eyes. “You truly are sent by the gods, my queen.”
My smile was thin. I couldn’t bask in the victory; it was taking every ounce of concentration not to just scratch, scratch, scratch. And those claws on glass were doing more than just tapping; they were scraping. A shudder slithered down my spine.
Nasir pushed back from the table and stood, causing minimal damage this time. “Allow me to show you where you’ll be staying for the night. Tomorrow, your escort will be ready.”
Nasir took me up a flight of stairs, Jasim just a step behind. The prince opened the door to a modest room—though, compared to the rest of the house, it was large. Windows along the right wall let in the humid air, ruffling the linen sheets on the bed in the center. Faded paintings decorated the walls, mostly landscapes of the Lotus River and the Miqafs’ old home.
“I hope it’s to your liking, my queen.”
I offered Nasir my most winning smile. “Yes, thank you.”
The moment he was gone, my eyes locked on the wall sconce. I chucked my wig aside and yanked the candle out, the flame flickering precariously.
“What are you doing?” Jasim asked.
“I have to try again.”
“Try what?”
“I should’ve tried before.” I dropped to my knees, eyes closed, and clutched the candle tightly between my hands.
