Page 26 of The Jasad Crown

“Dozens of guests means dozens of suspects. They won’t know where to start searching for the Sultana’s killer.”

Sefa went still. They were talking about assassinating Sultana Vaida. Tonight.Right now.

“Do you remember where her chambers are?”

“I turn right here and walk to the end of the hall.”

“Good. Don’t get lost.”

Sefa was directly in their path. There was no scenario where they let her live after eavesdropping on a plot to kill the Sultana.

“The guards will be drawn away. You will have minutes before they return. Do not waste them.”

“What if she isn’t there?”

Sefa crawled backward until they fell out of earshot and climbedto her feet. Hurrying in the opposite direction of the assassins’ voices, panic replacing her sugary euphoria, Sefa didn’t slow at the bend of the hall.

A corridor came into view, lined with guards dressed in the elaborate uniforms marking them as the Sultana’s highest guard. At the end of the short corridor, twin drapes covered the doors leading into the Sultana’s chambers.

If she could tell the guards in time, maybe they could—

A scream rang from behind her. “Someone help! Help!”

The front set of guards glanced over, attention bypassing Sefa entirely. They made no move toward the voice.

Sefa started to relax. These guards were likely instructed not to deviate from the Sultana’s doors under any circumstances. The assassins would never be able to get past them.

An explosion shook the ground beneath her. Sefa slammed into the wall as rocks cascaded from the ceiling, tearing through a tapestry. The statue of Baira at the end of the hall tipped over, crashing beside Sefa. The Awala of Lukub’s severed head rolled.

Dust formed a gray haze throughout the hall. The guards ran toward the source of the scream—and presumably, the explosion. There was no other point of entry to the Sultana’s chambers, and she wondered how the assassin would evade the sudden rush of guards.

Sefa took tentative steps to the Sultana’s unprotected door. Her pulse rioted, sensing the danger on the other side. What did Sefa care if someone killed the Sultana? Vaida was no ruler of hers. She had orchestrated the death of her Champion and threatened the lives of everyone in Mahair. Half-Lukubi or not, Sefa owed the Sultana no loyalty.

Yet it was her hand that found the door handle and pushed it down.

CHAPTER EIGHT

SEFA

The door opened easily. Sefa entered and slammed it shut behind her.

A bedroom twice the size of Raya’s keep and decorated with more color than Sefa had previously known existed assaulted her senses. The chaotic explosion of craft wasn’t what Sefa would have expected. One would think a ruler who tossed her enemies in open graves and let the world watch them starve wouldn’t sleep on bright yellow blankets.

“Hello there.”

A woman in a silk shift sat across a vanity heaped with creams, fragrances, and ornate bottles. White-lined eyes nearly as dark as Sylvia’s met Sefa’s in the mirror, remarkably collected given the circumstances. Gold cream smeared one of her eyelids, the other light brown. Powder glittered over her high cheekbones, stars shining on her dark skin.

Vaida arched a brow. “I don’t imagine you’re lost.”

Not lost, but certainly speechless. Sefa hadn’t laid eyes on the Sultana in person before. Well, she had seen slivers while hiding in Vaida’s wardrobe, but she had been preoccupied with the possibility of being caught and executed at the time. The beauty of the Sultana was legend throughout the kingdoms, and Sefa could finally confirm it had not been exaggerated. Sefa must have caught her in the middle of experimenting with her cosmetics.

Another commotion outside unstuck Sefa. “You are in grave danger, my lady.”

“I’m always in grave danger.” Sultana Vaida turned on the bench, facing Sefa. Dozens of braids cascaded over shoulders like sharply honed blades. “Areyouthe grave danger? If your aim is to kill me, don’t dawdle. I loathe trite conversation.”

Sefa’s mouth opened. She thought Sefa wanted to kill her? Sefa wasn’t even armed. Crumbs clung to the front of her dress, which Sefa hadn’t taken off in days. She would be the world’s most slovenly assassin. “Sultana, I can assure you I was not dispatched to kill you. I am, however, stupid enough to barge into your chambers to beg you to hide before—”

A scratch came from the door. Sefa’s eyes widened. Uncertainty flickered over Vaida. She glanced at the door and back at Sefa.

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