Dawn of Cobalt Shadows (Burning Empire Book 2) by Emma Hamm (best e ink reader for manga .txt) 📕

“I’m glad that hasn’t changed.”

“Since when?” Nadir focused on the words that rang with some kind of truth he couldn’t understand. Had this man been in the palace before? He looked so very much like Nadir. Not a single fiber of his being wanted to acknowledge this man might be some kind of relation. A cousin, perhaps? Certainly not someone he would have come across before.

“We’re wasting time. If you want to do this, then we need to do it now. There’s much to prepare for,” Solomon urged.

“You’re throwing a knife at my face. I don’t think there’s a lot to plan for.”

“Then you agree?”

If the man pushed one more time… but there really wasn’t anything else for him to think about. Nadir already knew he was going to do this. No matter whether it put the kingdom in danger, he had to know who he was. Where he came from.

Who his mother truly was.

He lifted a finger and pointed at the other man. “You don’t touch my concubines.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

“You change nothing about this kingdom. I’ve spent enough time trying to put it back together. There are a lot of good people in good places working to change the way this kingdom is run. If you throw a pebble into the wheel, everything will fall out of place. I won’t pick up any pieces you destroy.”

Solomon smirked. “I hadn’t intended upon that, Sultan of Bymere.”

“Don’t forget that. This is my kingdom, my people. I will return and shred you. Assassin or no, you won’t be able to fight a dragon in close quarters.”

“Thank you for the warning.” Solomon bowed low and deep. “Now go back to your pretty, golden throne. I have a blade waiting to taste your blood.”

Nadir turned and left the room. He didn’t need the torch, his eyes adjusted in the dark hallway easily enough. Regardless, he wasn’t interested in letting anyone know where he was.

His footsteps thundered in tune to his heartbeat. Was he really going through with this? Was he going to let someone else sit in his rightful place, the place he’d earned through blood only?

The door to the throne room creaked when he opened it, and eyes from beyond stared at him with interest. They wanted to know what the Sultan was doing sulking in the hallways. Another rumor would fly from the mouths of nobles throughout the kingdoms saying they had never thought him normal.

He wanted to walk away and have no one recognize him. Just for a few moments in his life.

Heart pounding a rhythm in his chest, Nadir made his way back to the throne and sat down upon it.

Abdul leaned over and hissed, “Where have you been? People were talking.”

“Let them talk.”

“Everyone here is waiting for you to pass judgement. When you waste their time, you waste the time of the kingdom. Or have you forgotten all that I taught you?”

“I haven’t forgotten, advisor,” he snapped. Waving an imperious hand, he gestured to the guard holding back a teeming line of people who were already trying to push forward. “Let them through. Who would like to hear the sultan’s words?”

A man stepped forward, but he couldn’t focus on what his subject said. His palms were sweaty. Waiting for pain was almost as bad as the moment when he would feel it.

They hadn’t talked about where this wound would fall. His pride couldn’t have something that would scar him for the rest of his life. And yet, it had to be convincing enough for him to cover his face for a prolonged period.

Nadir realized in that moment he’d been a fool. No matter what, he was about to change his own features forever. The wound must be believable. Which meant, it had to be bad.

A whistling sound was the only precursor to the blinding pain that sliced across his face. Nadir couldn’t guess what the Qatal assassin had done to him. All he could focus on was the white hot ache that spread from his forehead, slashed diagonally down his right eye, and onto his cheek.

Gods, what had he agreed to?

Everyone burst into motion. Abdul shouted for the guards to find the person who had attacked the sultan, that they needed to have the person beheaded immediately. Four of his personal guards raced forward to circle him, their swords raised toward the crowd as if the peasants were the ones who had done this.

The screams of his concubines rang in the halls like the shouts of precious birds. They were ushered out of the room by the rest of his advisors, and someone grabbed his arm.

“Sultan, we need to move.”

He let the guard lift him by the elbow and forced his legs to move. He pressed his other hand against his face.

Nadir drew his hand away when they left the throne room and stared down in horror at the amount of blood coating his fingers and running down his wrist. Was there supposed to be that much blood?

He could only see out of one eye. There was too much blood dripping into it. Or maybe the damned assassin had taken the eye entirely.

“In here, Sultan,” the guard at his elbow said. He was steered into another room, set roughly down onto a cushioned seat, and then pushed down onto his elbow. “There’s water in front of you. Splash your face so I can see the damage.”

“There’s koi fish in the ponds. I’ll get an infection.”

“Just do it.”

Who dared—? Ah. The thought sparked in his mind. How in the hell had the assassin managed so quickly to not only find a guard’s uniform and armor, but also be the one to get him out of the room? Were his soldiers so poorly trained?

“You?” Nadir grunted, leaning down and cupping the crystal clear water with one hand. “How did you manage that?”

“You’re really underestimating the Alqatara. Splash, now. I want to make sure I didn’t do too much damage.”

“Where