the urge to vomit.
“Sitt al-Tujjar! Welcome.”
A deep voice boomed in greeting before the beast sank to the ground again.
“Marzuq, I greet you in peace,” the Sitt al-Tujjar said. “Your master collects rare and beautiful treasures. I bring him riches beyond measure.”
“My master’s moods are fickle, of late, but I shall summon him. You honor his house by granting us first choice and I recognize the value of that esteem.”
Fatima bit her lip as she was lifted and lowered in the sack. Cold marble seeped through the hemp fibers.
“Marzuq, what is this?”
When the sack opened, Fatima gasped the first lungful of fresh air.
Faraj stood beside the fountain in his inner courtyard. The first rays of sunlight twinkled off the burnished copper roof and cast a halo around his dark, straight hair, which curled slightly at the nape. In the sunlight, his dark olive skin glowed like bronze. His jaw dropped and showed even, white teeth behind his thin lips.
“By the Prophet’s beard…Fatima.”
She stumbled slightly and Niranjan righted her. Shrugging off his hold, she swayed on her feet. She glared at Niranjan as he hovered beside her, his hands at the ready.
She asked, “Where is my father?”
Faraj gestured to the yellow-haired man beside him. “Marzuq.”
“At once, my prince.” The steward rushed from the house.
The Sitt al-Tujjar bowed before Faraj. “My task is completed. God be with your house.”
She withdrew without looking at Fatima, who still staggered, as shards of pain knifed her legs.
Niranjan’s fingers closed on her wrist. “Give yourself a little time. The ordeal has weakened you.”
She snapped. “I’m not weak!”
Tiredness weighed down her limbs. It seemed like forever that she had feared she might never see her father or family again. The hated tears welled up and spilled.
Niranjan’s gentle touch glided across her wet cheek. She pulled away and whispered. “It was you.”
He raised his brows.
She continued. “In my room that night, it was you. She sent you to take me away. You said ‘take her’ to the other man who tried to keep me from warning my brother and sisters. I remember your voice.”
“Princess, I was your mother’s guard, the only one she relied upon. I have never left her side, until now.”
“I have heard your voice before. I didn’t remember where until you touched my cheek. Now I know you.”
“I once served your mother in the palace. I do not doubt you may have heard my voice there.”
“You’re lying, I know you’re lying.” She licked away the salty years, as Faraj approached, eyeing both of them.
He asked, “What happened to you, Fatima?”
Before she could think of an answer, her name floated on the wind. Her father dashed from the entryway and across the cobblestone square. He lifted her from the ground and held her as if he would never let go.
“Oh, my dearest one, how I feared I would never see you again.”
She hid her tears in his shoulder. In his embrace, she threaded her fingers in his dark reddish-brown hair and inhaled the familiar scent of him.
Later, she returned to the harem with her father, via an underground passageway from the citadel. She had never seen it before, but her father assured her, it was necessary to keep her absence and return a secret from everyone outside the family. She looked over her shoulder, wondering why he had allowed Prince Faraj to join them.
She waited with Niranjan and his sisters in the harem’s garden courtyard. Overhead, the sun rose on another Gharnati day. Birds chirped in the trees and scented flowers filled the space. Water bubbled from the pomegranate-shaped fountain and surged along the channels that lined the walls. Everything looked the same. Yet, it would never be the same for her again.
Her brother appeared first, rubbing his eyes. He seemed indifferent to her presence, yawning loudly. While her sisters were also bleary-eyed, they were happy to see her.
Muna hugged
Alexis Abbott, Alex Abbott