When she woke up, it was dark, and the faint moonlight shimmering through the curtains was the only light source in the room. She stayed lying on the bed, refusing to budge. As if, if she hadn’t moved, then all that had happened would be a dream, something that would dissolve with the first rays of the sun.

  Thuraya…

  Daliya felt her chest seize as if a hand was tightly gripping her struggling heart.

  Thuraya was gone. The ice had killed her. It had turned her into a frozen statue. Or worse, maybe she had shattered into dust, with nothing remaining behind. Not even a corpse for her family to bury.

  No. It wasn’t the ice. Daliya did. Daliya had killed her.

  Murderer.

  She was a murderer.

  Dlaiya blinked the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She huddled against the covers, hiding her face under the pillow. She gritted her teeth, fighting against the nausea that brewed in her stomach, a futile attempt, as she struggled out of her hiding place and heaved her stomach’s acid on the floor. She retched and retched till it was nothing but dry heaving.

  It was a mistake; all of this was. She wasn’t supposed to be here. She only brought death and disaster to this world. She felt deep resentment for the princess. Why did she bring her here? Why?

  She pushed her face against the soft cloth that now felt anything but soft. The once feathery soft bed felt more rigid than the hardest, stony floor. She squeezed her eyes shut, a kaleidoscope of color appearing behind her eyelids. She pushed her fists against her eyes hard. She wished the darkness would swallow her whole, would drown her, and deliver her from this deep-seated agony that was eating away at her chest.

  She sat, leaning on the bed’s headboard, eyes staring at nothing. She didn’t know how much time had passed, nor did she care. Then she heard something shift outside, just beyond the window. She stilled.

  Where was Haitham? Was he another of her victims?

  She slowly and sluggishly got out of bed and neared the closed window. She heard his hushed voice outside, arguing with someone. A woman? Daliya had never heard her voice before. Who could she be?

  “Who ordered it, then?” Haitham’s voice was sharp, like the dagger hidden under his shirt.

  “I don’t know.” The woman’s voice sounded guarded.

  “I was clear with my orders. No one is to get near her.”

  “When you said she was yours, I had thought you meant you’d be the one to kill her, not protect her.”

  Haitham paused briefly. “Things have changed. I can’t tell you anything now. But my orders still stand.”

  Daliya felt the strength leave her legs. She leaned on the wall, closing her eyes as she listened. Betrayal reared its ugly head inside her chest. Did he know them? Was he aware of their presence?

  Mazin’s words echoed in her mind. ‘Someone like him is loyal as long as it benefits him.’

  Daliya closed her eyes. No. Since the start, she had never asked for his loyalty. It was a transaction, a deal. He would teach her to control her powers—something she desperately needed now more than never—and she would grant him a favor. Trust and loyalty were never part of their deal.

  Yet, why did she feel like she was being suffocated? Like the world had betrayed her? Like he had betrayed her?

  “Why? She’s here! She’s defenseless! We can be rid of her!”

  Daliya sighed softly.

  If they attacked her now, she wouldn’t lift a finger to stop them. She might even make it easier for them and get in the way of the sword.

  She almost wished they did.

  “Do not touch her.” Haitham’s voice sent a chill down Daliya’s spine.

  “Since when have you played guard dog to the crown princess of the empire?” the woman hissed. Daliya could sense the deep anger and betrayal in her voice.

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  “That’s not it. This is different.”

  “How so?” the woman shrieked. “Have you forgotten what she did? What we’ve lost because of her?”

  “It wasn’t her. She didn’t destroy Siraj. It was the emperor.”

  “She’s no different than him! Can’t you see that?” There was a brief silence before the woman continued, disbelief lacing her words. “You still won’t do it, will you? She must have bewitched you! The last time we spoke, you were heading north to cut her throat, and now… now you’re killing your own people to protect her. How dare you?” the woman hissed. “How could you?”

  Haitham was so quiet that Daliya thought he had left. Then she heard his deep sigh.

  “What’s more important to you, Siraj or her?” the woman asked.

  Not wanting to hear his answer, Daliya left them to their argument, exited her room, and silently closed the door behind her.

  She couldn’t understand why they wanted to prevent her from attending Thuraya’s funeral. She was her friend, not just a maid.

  She died because of her. The least she could do was ask her family for forgiveness. She would crawl on ice to get there.

  No one wanted to tell her where her house was. They all asked whether it was an imperial order. She nearly did. But the fear she saw etched on their faces at the sight of her, their furtive eyes that glanced at her hands as if waiting for her to freeze them, was enough to snap her mouth shut and make her look for Mazin instead. Surely, he would understand. He would take her there.

  “I’m sorry, Your Highness. I don’t believe it is a good idea to head to the village now. Maybe in a few days—”

  She huffed, walking away before he finished speaking.

  Fine. She would get there alone.

  She marched out the gates. No one stopped her. She was the princess, after all. No one dared get in her path. Mazin’s steps halted with a mere glare from her.

  She might have also lifted her hand towards him.

  She reached the village without an incident. But not a step in, a hand took hold of her arm, stopping her.

  “Let go,” she said.

  “This is no place for you to be. Not now. Not when there might still be others on the loose.” Haitham stepped in front of her, not letting go of her arm.

  “You would want that, wouldn’t you?” she hissed.

  He raised a confused eyebrow at her words, which only stoked the fire burning in her chest. She pulled at her hand, cursing at him when he refused to let her go. What else did he want?

  “She was my friend.”

  “I know.”

  “No, you don’t,” she hissed. “What are you doing here? Are you done with your little meeting?”

  Haitham stilled, an unreadable expression passed over his face.

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t tell Mazin that you knew the attackers. He would be ecstatic to find out he was right about you.”

  He sighed.

  “Do you regret letting me live back in the cavern? Don’t worry. You still have another chance. Heck, I might even thank you. I would rather not go around freezing people to death. A life in exchange for many is not such a bad thing.”

  His grip tightened. He leaned forward, his frame concealing the curious villagers who had stopped to watch them.

  “No. I don’t regret it.”

  “Well, that makes one of us.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, sighing. Daliya watched him like a viper, ready to strike. But his next words deflated the fight out of her.

  “She was injured in the line of duty. Don’t beat yourself up over this. All the castle servants knew what they signed up for.”

  “But she wasn’t. If I hadn’t lost control, if I had stopped it before it reached her—”

  “You’re not of this world. Losing control was inevitable. You couldn’t have stopped it. It wasn’t your fault.”

  “It was,” she insisted. She didn’t want him to cuddle her feelings. She didn’t want him to absolve her of her responsibility in Thuraya’s death.

  He stayed silent before he said, “Listen, I know you feel guilty. Believe me, I do. But this is the wrong way to go about it. I won’t let you walk in there when there might be other assassins ready to strike. I won’t let you endanger yourself.”

  She bit into her lower lip till she tasted blood. His lips pressed into a thin line. He let go of her hand and used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe at the blood that started dripping down her lip.

  “Aren’t you afraid of me?”

  He smiled. “Your ice is no match for my fire.”

  She let out a choked breath, allowing a sad smile to pull at her lips.

  “Now I want you back to the castle. I promise I’ll take you there myself when this all blows over.”.” He said, softening his voice.

  She let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagging. “Not before I attend her funeral.”

  He paused, his brows knitting in confusion. “What funeral?”

  Was he really going to make her say it?

  “Thuraya’s.”

  “Did no one tell you?” He cursed under his breath, glancing at the castle towers. “No wonder.” He looked back at her. “She’s not dead. She was injured, but Adyl saved her before any substantial harm befell her. It would be some time till she’s back to active duty. But she’s far from being dead.”

  Daliya couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Was she dreaming? She must be. She had seen the ice wall surge before Thuraya. “What?” The word got swallowed by the wind.

  Haitham’s eyes bored into hers. “She’s not dead. It might take her a bit of time, but she’ll heal eventually.”

  “But—”

  “She’s not dead,” he repeated.

  Daliya’s next exhale tore through her chest like a drowning man spotting land after days lost at sea. She looked at him, small tendrils of hope spreading through her chest and lodging into her throat.

  “Really?” she asked, her voice small and fragile.

  He nodded. “Yes.”