Gifting Fire by Alina Boyden (read my book .TXT) 📕

whether that was a good sign or a bad one, but I supposed it showed that he still felt something for me. He’d shown that in our negotiations. Of course, he’d also admitted to letting Karim rape me in the hopes of curing me of my deviancy. How could I possibly reconcile myself with that?

“Sikander!” my father bellowed as he stood up from his place beneath the banyan tree. “You are needed! Leave Bilal in charge and join us.”

Sikander shouted his assent and rushed over to us, leaving his junior officer in command of the musket-armed men who were still staring down their Zindhi counterparts. If only they’d had an ounce of loyalty to me, I could have prevented all of this, but I knew that they didn’t, especially not with my father here.

I returned to my bedchamber so that if the negotiation soured, the men wouldn’t see it and take action. I had to keep my sisters safe above all.

We all took our seats, my father, Karim, and Sikander on one side of the room, Arjun and me on the other. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the coming discussions, not sure whether I could win even a single concession from my father. But I had to try. Everything depended on it.

“I will have my forces stand down, Father, and I will accept this engagement,” I gasped, nearly choking on the words in spite of my best efforts to the contrary. “But I have conditions.”

He motioned for me to get on with it. That was a good sign. He wasn’t demanding an unconditional surrender, and neither was Karim, in spite of the harsh words we’d exchanged earlier.

“First, Arjun and Arvind and the men of Bikampur must be permitted to return home safely,” I said.

“No argument,” my father replied.

Karim nodded. “We want no war with Registan.”

I took a deep breath, because the next ask was going to be harder. “I would like my sisters to be permitted to return to Bikampur with Arjun. They were happy there, and safe.”

“No.” Karim spoke before my father had a chance. “They will remain with you.”

“As what?” I demanded. “Hostages? Is that what you think a marriage should look like?”

“If you intend to marry me as you claim, then why send your sisters away?” Karim retorted. “If you intend to make your home with me, why would you not bring them with you?”

“Because I’m afraid you’ll hurt them, to punish me,” I replied.

“Punish you for what?” he asked.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “have you already forgotten how angry you are with me for trying to convince my father to kill you?”

He scowled. “Your sisters will not be harmed, but neither will they be left behind.”

I bit my lip, annoyed, but not surprised. It would be easier if they were safe in Bikampur, but I supposed I was going to have to find some way to keep them safe here. Part of that would be with zahhaks. I looked to my father. “I wish to be permitted to keep my zahhaks, at least Sultana and the two my sisters use as their mounts.”

“You are a princess of Nizam, you will keep your zahhaks,” my father declared, without so much as glancing in Karim’s direction.

Karim gave his opinion on the matter all the same. “You may keep them, but the three of you may not fly together. I do not trust you not to run away from me, Razia, and until I do, I will have one of your sisters left behind at all times as a guarantee of your return.”

I had expected that much, and didn’t complain. I needed to seem reasonable. “I’m sorry you find that necessary, your highness, but I do not blame you, and I will agree to your terms.”

Karim’s expression softened ever so slightly, which was just what I’d been praying for. I continued, “I have made a promise to Hina that she would be safe with me, that no harm would come to her, and I must ask that you all agree to honor it.”

“As long as she lives she is a threat to our rule in Zindh,” Karim declared.

“She wishes to serve me as my handmaiden, your highness,” I said. “Surely having her as a hostage will do more to ensure Zindh’s stability than executing her.”

My father was nodding along, seeing the wisdom in that. Karim was pursing his lips, though, like he suspected a trap. I let him mull it over, let him analyze it, try to work out how it might hurt him. In truth, I wasn’t sure that it did. Sending Hina to Bikampur or letting her go free would have raised the specter of revolt, but letting Karim keep her under his thumb would make it far more difficult for a Zindhi army to move against Mahisagar without the threat of execution hanging over their queen’s head.

“Fine,” Karim said at length. “Hina and her celas may serve as your unarmed handmaidens.”

I’d expected that much, and I nodded to show that I agreed to it. “But they must be permitted to keep their zahhaks. They’re only river zahhaks, after all . . .”

Karim waved away my concerns. “Yes, yes. That’s acceptable. But they will not fly them without my express approval. And when they do fly them, they will explain in detail where they are going and when they will return. I will not have you using them as an army of spies against me.”

“It will be as you say, your highness,” I replied.

If I’d thought that would win Karim over, I was wrong. He scowled. “You’re plotting something. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll find out.”

I shook my head. “You said it from the beginning, your highness. You have outmaneuvered me. I am surrendering. That’s all.”

“I may not be as clever as you are, Razia, but I’m not stupid,” Karim warned me. “You are plotting something, and rest assured I will find out what it is and ensure that it fails.”

My heart leapt in my