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

Karim was still smiling, evidently not having taken my sudden movement for an insult. I supposed my big smile and my girlish exclamation had sufficed to dispel any suspicions he might have had as to my feelings about having his hands on my body. How I had managed to suppress so many shudders over the last few weeks was a mystery even to me.

We had started to sink to our respective cushions when a trumpet blast made the both of us freeze and turn our eyes skyward, searching for the source of the sound. I looked west by instinct, and spotted the onrushing acid zahhak first, pointing at it. “Your highness, look!”

Karim stared after my finger, stopping on the zahhak a second later. Ahmed was standing and searching for it too as the trumpet blasts continued to ring out. It was an alarm call of some kind, though I hadn’t been privy to the trumpet calls of Mahisagar, as they were a closely guarded secret lest their enemies use them against them. Whatever the call, it changed the mood immediately. Karim and Ahmed looked at one another with worry, and I noted from Asma’s narrowed eyes that she understood the call too.

“Your highness, is that an alarm call?” I asked.

“Something’s wrong,” Karim said, rubbing my shoulders absentmindedly as he watched the rider’s approach. Squinting, he stared at the zahhak’s feathers, at the pattern of scales on its belly. “Father, I think that’s Faris’s animal.”

“If it is, then it can only mean one thing,” Ahmed replied. “Safavia has attacked Ahura.”

CHAPTER 21

My heart was in my throat as the emerald, turquoise, and sapphire wing feathers of the acid zahhak fluttered over our heads, the rider making a tight turn to bleed off speed before settling down on the paving stones of one of the garden’s wide paths. Haider had answered my call. He’d attacked Ahura. That must have meant that Tamara had agreed to do her part too. And Arjun would be coming. Tonight. God, I hadn’t let myself think of it, but tonight we would be reunited at long last, and I would be free.

It was all I could do to struggle to look confused and concerned rather than triumphant as the messenger climbed down from his zahhak to approach the sultan. Already I could see the signs of exhaustion on his face, the sweat soaking his hair, and his wrinkled clothes. He’d been flying all night, there was no question of that. Haider must have attacked at dusk. It was so hard not to smile as I imagined Safavian thunder zahhaks sweeping out of the graying twilight sky, raining lightning on my enemies. I’d never realized just how sweet revenge could feel.

“Forgive me, your majesty,” the messenger said as Asma rushed to cover herself with her dupatta, like anybody really wanted to get a better look at her. She glared at me, hissing, “Daughter-in-law, you will show a little modesty!”

I rolled my eyes, but wrapped my dupatta around my head and let it fall across my face, because it helped to hide my expression, and I was having a very hard time not grinning in triumph.

The messenger cleared his throat again and bowed to Ahmed. “Your majesty, Ahura was attacked last night by thunder zahhaks. We don’t know how many, but a number of men were killed, and some fires were set. The fortifications are holding, but if this is a prelude to a Safavian invasion, we won’t last long without assistance.”

“Did you see what kingdom these thunder zahhaks came from?” Ahmed asked.

The man shook his head. “No, your majesty, it was too dark to see the riders, and one thunder zahhak looks much like another. We think they must be Safavians, as the Tarkivans wouldn’t risk venturing out so far when rumors say they’re embroiled in their own civil war. And the Nizamis are the only other thunder zahhak riders, but they are our allies, are they not?” His eyes flickered over to me as he asked the question.

“We are,” I declared, before anyone could suggest otherwise.

“So far as we know,” Asma muttered.

“If my father wanted to break our alliance, he would not attack Ahura, he would attack Kadiro,” I replied.

“Enough,” said Ahmed, motioning for both of us to shut up. “I don’t need women’s prattle distracting me at a time like this. It is the Safavians; we’ve expected their attack for some time. And now we must meet it.”

He looked to Karim’s cousin Rais, and asked, “Is your father ready to join us in Ahura as promised?”

“He will be, Uncle,” Rais replied. “I can fly straight to Jesera and we can be in Ahura by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Good, then go with God, boy,” Ahmed told him.

“Yes, Uncle.” Rais was grinning as he got to his feet. He walked over to Karim and the two clasped arms before hugging and pounding each other on the back. “Tomorrow we’ll show Shah Ismail what our family is made of, cousin.”

“Tomorrow,” Karim agreed.

I frowned. I hadn’t expected for Jesera to be prepared to join Ahmed Shah in battle. That meant we might be facing an aerial assault of not only a dozen acid zahhaks, but potentially a large number of fire zahhaks besides. I wondered how many Jesera might bring to the battle. If it was more than Arjun brought from Registan, then we would likely be outnumbered, unless Haider had brought a fair number of thunder zahhaks from Safavia. I supposed I would soon find out the answer.

Once Rais was gone, Ahmed said to Karim, “We’ll leave immediately for Ahura with all of our zahhak riders. We can’t risk leaving a single man behind.”

“You should leave at least two to serve as messengers, my husband, just to be safe,” Asma suggested.

“If we’re going to make a show of force, we need as many men as possible, dear,” Ahmed answered.

“Shall I