Page 42 of The Ninth Element

Oh, this is rich. I almost laugh. “Last I checked, he’s an Ahira. And in Firelands, we don’t care about bloodlines. Or titles. Or,” I add, with a pointed look at Helmira, “stolen heirs.”

Helmira’s face turns an interesting shade of purple. “He’s a Zareen!” she sputters as if that single word explains everything. “Our true leader, stolen from us by sorcerers like you! You should be bowing to him, not insulting him!”

“And even by Firelands standards, he’s your senior,” Roshana adds. “You weren’t raised in a barn, were you?”

I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Don’t lecture me. You know nothing about me or my past.”

Helmira’s nostrils flare. “We know you’re anorphan,” she voices the word as a deliberate insult. “A lowly orphan with no manners and no right to speak to a Zareen that way.”

“And you,” I retort, my voice rising, “have no right to tell me what to do. I’m not your servant. And I’m certainly not going to grovel at the feet of some entitled prince just because of his name.”

“Ladies, ladies,” a voice drawls, cutting through the escalating tension like a cool breeze.

We all turn. Lila stands there, a few paces away, arms crossed, with a look of bored amusement on her face. “Is this really how you want to spend your precious time? Squabbling like children?”

Roshana and Helmira fall silent, but the air they exude promises of future vengeance.

“We’ll settle this later,” Helmira hisses, her eyes narrowed at me. With a dramatic swirl of her hair, she stalks off, her flock of perfectly coiffed swans following in her wake.

I watch them go with a strange blend of pride and apprehension. I had just faced down both an untouchable Zareen and a gaggle of Aramisi mean girls and lived to tell the tale! My newfound inner rebel is bouncing withjoy.

When they’re gone, Lila looks at me with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. “Didn’t count you for a feisty one. You barely speak two words during our fireside chats with the Izadeonians.”

“They started it,” I say, feeling the need to defend my outburst.

“Indeed,” she says with a sly smile. “I heard your little exchange with the Aramisi princeling, too. Always thought you Ahiras were docile. Respectful of rank and all that. You keep surprising me.”

I only offer a sheepish shrug.

Lila’s smile widens. “You certainly seem to have a knack for choosing formidable adversaries. The Ahiras, the southern Myrans, and now the Aramisi women. Be careful. All these proud peacocks won’t take kindly to being challenged. Especially Zanyar Zareen… he doesn’t seem like someone you want as an adversary.”

She is right. I have been poking the hornet’s nest, I realize. Quickly, the joy I felt is replaced by a sinking feeling that those hornets are about to come buzzing. And whatever happens, when they do, it won’t be pleasant.

Chapter Fourteen

“We’re heading to Shemiran today,” Faelas announces casually over breakfast as if suggesting a stroll through the gardens instead of a highly questionable escape from a fortress guarded more fiercely than a Nohvan’s hoard.

My head snaps up, my fork clattering against my plate. “Wait. We can just… leave? Walk out of Jahanwatch whenever we want?”

Bahador grunts. “Of course we can. Did you think they’d chain us to our beds at night?”

“But what if a trial starts while we’re out there?” Lila, who has joined us for breakfast, asks, voicing the very question that’s screaming in my own head.

“It’s a risk,” Faelas admits with a shrug. “We’ve explored every nook and cranny of this fortress. If the next trial is outside, we need to familiarize ourselves with the terrain. And if it’s in Shemiran itself, we need to know the lay of the city.”

Lila purses her lips slightly. “But sneaking out when a trial could happen at any moment is risky. The odds may be in our favor, but the consequences of missing the trial are brutal.”

Bahador slams his fist on the table, rattling our breakfast bowls. “I’m in! Fortune favors the bold, and I’m tired of staring at these same walls. Besides, a little fresh air and a change of scenery never hurt anyone. Whoknows, we might even come across some charming company in Shemiran.”

Faelas sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s not a brothel crawl. We’re going for information, not other services.”

Bahador grins impishly. “A civilized chat with the fairer sex, that’s all I’m seeking.”

Lila, however, remains unconvinced. “They told us about the day of the last trial. But this time, we’ve heard nothing for more than amoon. It feels ominous. Like they’re planning something particularly nasty. And that climb, it took us half a day. We can’t just walk down to Shemiran for an afternoon retreat.”

“Who said walk? We’ll ride, of course! A turn of an hourglass on horseback. If we leave soon, we will be back by nightfall,” Bahador says.

Faelas, seeing Lila’s continued hesitation, offers, “Fine. Three of us will go. You two stay here, keep watch. We’ll report back on anything we find.”

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