Girl, Serpent, Thorn(93)

Laleh was still waiting for Soraya to speak, and so Soraya took Laleh’s hands and spoke the words that suddenly filled her heart: “I’m so happy we’re sisters.”

The awkwardness that had built up between them for the last several years melted away in an instant as Laleh threw her arms around Soraya’s shoulders and held her close, with no fear of Soraya’s thorns. “So am I,” she whispered.



* * *



As she waited for her brother, Soraya walked through the garden with the vines from the golestan trailing behind her. She had coaxed most of the vines back down from the palace walls and clipped a few of them so they could follow her everywhere, often wrapped around her arm or waist.

It was still a luxury for her to be in such a public space without fear. Some of the nobility continued to eye her with suspicion, but Sorush and Laleh’s support of her was enough for most of them to accept that the shahzadeh with poisonous thorns growing out of her skin was on their side.

“Soraya!”

She turned back to see Sorush hurrying toward her, and the sight of it felt so impossible to her that she thought she was dreaming. But she brushed her thumb along the edge of one of the thorns on her finger, and she knew it was real.

They hadn’t spent much time together over the past weeks. Sorush had been busy reclaiming his throne—with the simorgh’s return and the divs no longer a threat, he could finally take steps toward the reforms their father had once hoped for—and Soraya had worked with the pariks to help repair some of the damage the divs had done to the city. But she hadn’t forgotten the gesture he had made the night of the battle, and so she smiled warmly when he approached her.

“I’ve been meaning to speak to you,” he said, “but I haven’t had the time until today—I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” she said, though they both knew what he was actually apologizing for. “But I’m sorry, too.”

They began to walk side by side, sharing an uncertain silence before Sorush said, “It will be summer soon. The court is preparing to leave Golvahar … and I’d like for you to come with us.”

Soraya laughed. “I would make an interesting addition to your court, wouldn’t I?”

Sorush stopped walking, his expression serious. “I mean it. You would be welcome at my court.”

Soraya considered his offer, wondering how she would have reacted a year ago, if she would have been grateful or anxious. But whatever longing she had once had to be a part of court life had shriveled away. “I appreciate the offer, truly, but I don’t think I’ll join you. I love my people—and I will keep my promise to protect them—but I’ve found somewhere else that feels more like home.”

“Where will you go?”

“With us,” came a voice from above.

They both turned their heads up to see Parvaneh settled on a tree branch, her legs dangling below.

Soraya couldn’t help smiling at the sight of her. “When did you get back?”

“Just now,” she said, floating gracefully down from the branch with a small flutter of her wings. “But you both looked so serious, I didn’t want to interrupt.” Parvaneh walked over to Soraya and kissed her cheek. “We’re nearly done, I think,” she said. “A few days more, and you’ll never know that a horde of demons rampaged through the city.”

Sorush cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. “Thank you—all of you—for what you’ve done for us. The pariks have truly shown themselves to be allies.”

“Thank your mother for that,” Parvaneh said. “She and Parisa have become good friends, and we pariks always help our friends.” Soraya hid a smile, noticing the renewed pride in Parvaneh’s voice when she spoke of her sisters, who had fully accepted her back into their ranks. Soraya had wondered why Parvaneh would still be willing to join them again after they had meted out such harsh punishment—but then she supposed that for ageless creatures, their punishment had been a relatively brief one.

“Will they let me come with you, do you think?” Soraya asked her.

“Of course,” Parvaneh said. “I told you a long time ago that you would be welcome among us.”

To Sorush, she explained, “The pariks live in a forest north of the mountains, and that’s where I want to go. I can keep a closer watch on the divs from there, and in the spring, I’ll return to Golvahar when the court does.”

Sorush nodded his agreement, and Parvaneh excused herself, returning to help the other pariks.

As they watched her fly away, Sorush said, “Isn’t she the one who tried to kill me?”

Soraya laughed. “I promise you, it wasn’t personal.”



* * *



The procession leaving Golvahar was much the same as the one that had arrived at the beginning of spring. If anything, it was even grander, in order to show the people that the shah had emerged strong and triumphant from his ordeal. Sorush led the procession beside his general, with Ramin among the azatan, riding stiffly because of his wound, and the people’s cheers were surely celebrating their own victory in addition to the shah’s. But from the roof where Soraya was watching, it was almost as if nothing had changed.

“So much trouble just to go from one place to another,” Parvaneh muttered beside her.