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

“I want for you what I’ve always wanted for you, your highness. I want for you to be safe and happy. The things I did to you when you were a child were wrong, but I did them because I believed they would be for the best. It was never my intention to harm you.”

“I know,” I said, surprising myself by how thick with emotion my voice was. “That’s what hurt the most.”

Sikander hung his head like a chastened child, and I realized that Asma had actually done me a favor by provoking Karim into beating me. I hadn’t yet involved Sikander in my plans, because I knew he was my father’s man, and I knew he’d be honor-bound to support this marriage. But after today, I thought it would be different. Now that he’d seen who Karim was, I might be able to get him to join me in fighting back when the time came. At the very least, I didn’t think he would fight against me. If I could add his zahhak, and those of the other Nizamis, to my forces, then I’d have a better chance in the battles to come.

I was startled by how quickly Ahmed Shah came striding into the room. I’d expected a surgeon, not the sultan, not so soon. My alarm turned to terror when I saw the dozen guardsmen he’d brought with him, to say nothing of his wife, who was smirking like she’d won some great victory. Karim was there too, and one glance at his face told me that he wasn’t happy with the result.

I stood and bowed respectfully. “Your majesty.”

“I have heard what took place here today,” Ahmed said, his voice thick with anger. “I have heard about these shoes of yours, and your excuses for them. My son believes you. I do not.”

“Then we will return to Nizam,” Sikander declared, before he could continue. “You have no authority to punish her.”

“You are lucky you are still alive,” Ahmed replied. “If not for my son’s intercession on your behalf, I’d have had you executed for daring to place your hands on him.”

“Your son beat the princess of Nizam,” Sikander reminded him.

“My son chastised his fiancée as any man might,” Ahmed said. “But we will forget about your transgressions. We will not, however, forget about hers.” He looked me right in the eyes. “You are dangerous, girl. I underestimated you when I first met you in Rajkot, but I will not make the same mistake again, not when you are living under my roof. You will be moved to an interior apartment without windows. You will be guarded whenever you leave it, and you will be attended by loyal women whose integrity my wife can vouch for. And you will not set foot near a zahhak again.”

“Her highness is not a prisoner here, and she is not to be treated as such,” Sikander said.

“Really?” Ahmed asked. “Because I was told that she had agreed to submit herself to whatever punishment I deemed fit.”

“You were misinformed, your majesty,” I said, enjoying the way his face darkened, though I knew I shouldn’t have been taking pleasure in antagonizing him. “I agreed to submit myself to whatever punishment my fiancé deemed fit, as it was his right to chastise me for my actions, and it is to him I must answer.”

“And he answers to me,” Ahmed said, but the anger had gone out of him.

“He does, your majesty, but the punishment must be his decision, taken in consultation with you.” I wanted Karim to have to set the terms. I didn’t think he had it in him to be as thorough as his father in treating me like a prisoner here, not after the way he’d beat me.

“Which is precisely what we did,” Asma snapped.

“Then I await my husband-to-be’s decree,” I told her, bowing my head and looking contrite.

“You have just heard it, girl!” she growled.

I said nothing, and for once Sikander seemed smart enough to keep his mouth shut too. I waited for Karim to speak.

He sighed. “Father, I’ll handle this.”

“You will not countermand my orders, boy,” Ahmed replied.

“Razia, you will remain in your chambers here,” Karim said, drawing his father’s ire, “but everything else my father says stands.” He looked to Ahmed. “She can’t climb the walls of the palace while Mother’s handmaidens are watching her, can she?”

“No, I suppose not,” Ahmed allowed.

I noted that he hadn’t countermanded his father’s orders about my zahhak. I didn’t need Sultana to carry out my plans, but not being able to ride my zahhak also showed that Karim had no faith in me. I couldn’t have that, not if I wanted to have some freedom of action when the time came to take the palace. But I thought I could spin it to my advantage.

“How long will I be banned from seeing Sultana, your highness?” I asked, keeping my voice soft and quiet, without a hint of challenge in it, just sadness.

“Just for a little while,” he said. “Until things calm down.”

“Thank you for your kindness, your highness,” I said, maintaining my posture of total submission, knowing that it would make it that much harder for Karim to really believe I’d been swimming across the lagoon, delivering messages.

“I’ll have the surgeon brought in,” he assured me, his voice unnaturally quiet.

Asma turned on her heel and stormed off, though three of her handmaidens remained behind. The Mahisagari guards positioned themselves around my balcony and at the entrance to my chambers. Once that was seen to, Ahmed left me without another word.

With so many strangers in the room, there was no way to discuss the implications of all these guards for my plans, so I just sat on my bed and waited for the surgeon to arrive, all the while wondering just how I was supposed to clear the towers of guards for Sanghar Soomro and his men now.

CHAPTER 19