Page 158 of Heir

“I am who you need me to be.” The creature pulled its hair to one side and began to braid it.

“But you’re nother.” Aiz struggled to draw breath. “You don’t know anything about my people. You don’t care about us.”

She thought of Tiral’s last words.I wish I could live, just to watch it eat you alive.

“Tiral knew,” Aiz said. “That’s why he didn’t hunt me. Did you— Did you talk to him, too—”

“Tiral is weak. Tiral is dead.” The creature finished the braid and laid a light hand on Aiz’s shoulder. “You are strong and so I helped you. I found that which you desired most—Loha.”

“You found a reason to torture children.”

“Because you needed aid.” The creature squeezed Aiz’s shoulder a touch too hard. “And you are wrong. I do care about your people. Because I care about you. Let that be enough.”

It wasn’t a request. It was a warning, and Aiz saw two paths before her. One in which she delved more deeply into exactly what she had awoken that cursed night in the Tribal Desert. And one in which she took what Div had to offer and gave her people a chance at life without pain and poverty and hunger clawing them to death from the inside.

Aiz swung her legs out of the bed and pulled on her boots. Her body throbbed, but Div—for that was who Aiz needed her to be—fed power into her steadily until the pain had faded.

A knock at the door. Cero.

“I’m fine.” She stood. “Better than fine. We captured one of the generals, yes? Let us see if he knows—”

“You received a letter.” Cero hardly spared her a glance, as if any wounds she had were no concern of his. He held up a scroll. “It came via one of our messengers in Ankana. From the High Seer himself.” He handed it over, watching Aiz as she read it.

“A change of plans,” she said. “We’re going to Ankana.”

Part IV

The Empty

46

Quil

Ankanese prisons were, on the whole, not quite as awful as Martial ones. After the pompous soldier placed Quil and the others in a row of cells, the prince had seen only one rat. Tas even had a small window that looked out onto Burku’s coast.

The questioning took hours—probably because Quil confessed to everything and the others denied the theft. But packs and weapons were confiscated, orders whispered, paperwork inked, and by late evening, the five of them were locked up behind iron bars. Sufiyan with Quil. Arelia with Sirsha across from him, and Tas beside them, alone. The other six cells were empty.

Just as Quil had requested.

Still, his friends weren’t thrilled at the accommodations. After the guards left, Tas turned on Quil.

“I realize thisfeltlike a good plan,” Tas said through the cell bars, “but the Ankanese do not take theft lightly—”

“Ugh, there’s an enormous spider in here,” Sufiyan muttered from behind him.

“He must have a reason,” Arelia called. “Why don’t you explain, Quil?”

“He can’t.” Sirsha spoke up, and Quil smiled when he saw she’d discovered what he’d placed in her pocket—a hairpin. Her manacles dropped to the ground with a clank. “If you think about it, you’ll figure out why. Though I’d suggest thinking about anything else. Div picked my mother’s image from my mind. Who knows what else she can do?” She massaged her wrists and moved to Arelia. “Tas, check your pockets.”

As Tas dealt with his own manacles, Quil unlocked Sufiyan’s.

“I have a question for you,” Sufiyan said, and at Quil’s head shake, he spoke quickly. “Not about your plan. It’s about after.” He glanced up to make sure no one else was listening. “If—if we kill the Tel Ilessi and root out the Kegari, will you go back with me to where Ruh died? Will you tell me the truth about what happened to him?”

Quil went still. The cell roof was suddenly too low, the light too scarce. He’d spent the past year trying to forget that night, as the Bani al-Mauth had ordered him to. Now the images rose in his head. The blood. The violence. The eerie space in the center of the room that looked as if an otherworldly claw would emerge from it and snatch anyone who came near.

Dash that thought from your head, boy. You know better. You know the cost.

“Yes,” Quil said. “I’ll go there with you.”

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