The Forbidden Wish(94)

The queen kept her old rooms. Whatever Malek’s chambers are now used for, I don’t know. Perhaps she auctioned them off to the clamoring nobles. Perhaps they were sealed off, as Sulifer’s rooms were. A search of the former vizier’s chambers brought to light many secrets into his dark magic, including various symbols of power carved into the walls and floor. He was greedy for magic, exploring dangerous arts that should never be touched, even attempting to summon jinn. Caspida, after a brief look, had ordered the entire set of rooms walled off completely. Darian’s rooms were spared and given to a new occupant, since the prince left the city weeks ago, after choosing exile over imprisonment. Where he went, no one knows, but few regretted his departure.

Khavar steps out again after I am inside the queen’s chamber. A single lantern burns by the bed, but the queen is nowhere to be seen. I walk through the rooms until I come to the courtyard, and she is where I expected her to be: on the grassy island at the center of the shallow pool, standing beside your statue, Habiba, where we first talked weeks ago.

Leaving my shoes behind, I wade through the water and onto the grass. The queen watches me approach, one hand resting on the base of the statue. When I stand in front of it, one stone wing blocks the full moon, making the sculpture seem to glow around the edges.

“Your Majesty.” I bow. “What can I do for you?”

“Good evening, Zahra.” Caspida looks up at the statue and runs a finger down your stone foot. “You know, Aladdin told me who you were, before you were turned into a jinni.” She turns and regards me with a hint of fascination in her eyes. “You ruled one of the greatest cities in history. A queen in your own right.”

I meet her gaze steadily and say nothing; that part of my past will always hold a measure of pain.

“I will be brief. I know the hour is late, but I won’t put this off any longer.” She looks at me directly. “I’ve asked you here because I want to invite you to join the Watchmaidens. I want you at my side. I want your counsel as you counseled Roshana. You have seen so much of the world, lived through so much history—I need you.”

“No,” I reply. “You don’t.”

She blinks. “What?”

“Caspida, you don’t need me. You were ready to marry Aladdin to secure your throne. You probably would have married Darian for the same reason. All your life, people have told you that you can’t do it on your own, that you need this person or that person to support you. But I have seen you rule. I have seen you battle for your people and rebuild their homes.” I take her hands in mine and look her in the eye. “You don’t need anyone to give you permission. Stop thinking like a princess and be a queen.”

She stares for a long moment, and even without my sixth sense, I can see something giving way in her eyes.

“Thank you, Zahra,” she whispers, embracing me. “You are truly a friend.” She pulls away and clears her throat. “Well, I’m glad we understand one another. But you will be one of my Watchmaidens? I talked it over with the other girls, and they all want you. Even Khavar.”

“Even Khavar?” I suppress a laugh. “Thank you, Caspida, but no. For four thousand years, my existence has revolved around granting the wishes of my masters. My identity has always been built on the desires of others.”

She smiles and accedes with a nod. “And now you want to grant your own wishes.”

I shrug. “I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“Then I will not try to persuade you further. You’ve earned it, Habiba.”

Startled, I suck in air sharply. “What did you call me?”

Her brow wrinkles. “Habiba. It’s an old word that means dear friend.”

“I—I know. Sorry, I just . . . Anyway. Yes, I’d like to make a few wishes of my own.”

“Starting with?” She leans in curiously.

“I want . . . it’s silly.”

“I promise I won’t laugh.”

I sigh. “I want to go to the vineyards in Ashori and eat grapes.”

“Oh.” She squints a bit. “Well, that sounds nice.”

“There’s nothing in the world sweeter than an Ashori grape. If the vineyards are still there. If Ashori is still there. It might have sunk into the sea or been burned by pirates or—”

“Zahra.” Caspida puts her hands on my shoulders and smiles. “Go to Ashori. Take Aladdin with you. Gods know he hates being a bureaucrat. He’s been getting twitchy in the meetings, making everyone edgy.”

I nod slowly. “I will.”

“I’ll give you everything you need for your journey. You have my blessing and my thanks. Oh, and I nearly forgot.” She fishes in her pocket a moment, then pulls something out. “We found this when we cleaned out Sulifer’s rooms. I think you should have it.”

It’s the ring, the one Aladdin used to find me in the cave. I take it and gaze silently at the scorch marks on the surface, and the symbols blurred by time and fire. A ring forged with love and Ambadyan flame, impressed with symbols forever uniting two souls, no matter what centuries came between them. I wonder who found it on that mountaintop, lying beside your cold body, and placed it in the Watchmaidens’ vault, where it sat five hundred years, waiting for a certain thief.

“Nardukha told Sulifer that the ring would lead to me,” I say. “But how did the Shaitan know?”