Page 27 of The Jasad Crown

The options presented themselves to Sefa in the endless stretch of the next minute. She could scurry somewhere and hide, leaving the Sultana like a sitting duck for whoever burst through the door. It was what Sylvia would do. Sylvia wouldn’t have entered the room to begin with. She might have even tossed the assassins an extra knife for good luck. Her friend didn’t indulge indecision over whether to save the life of someone guaranteed to make hers more difficult.

But Sefa had always believed that most decisions, no matter how complicated they might seem, could be clearly categorized as right or wrong. The decision to leave a weaponless woman to die in her own chambers was not the exception.

Another rattle of the door had Sefa darting forward and catching the Sultana’s wrist. The fearsome leader of Lukub proved surprisingly easy to manhandle. Sefa threw open the doors to one of the many wardrobes tucked around the chamber and shoved Vaida behind a rack of coats bigger than the animals they were skinned from, hopping in after her. As soon as she closed them inside the wardrobe, she heard the creak of the bedroom doors.

Vaida, too deep in the wardrobe to hear the sound, opened her mouth. Frustration bubbled through Sefa. For someone obsessed with preserving her safety, Sultana Vaida appeared determined to resist Sefa’s efforts to keep her alive.

Sefa slapped her hand over the Sultana’s mouth. They were squeezed behind the coats, close enough that Sefa saw the exact moment Vaida registered the sounds of a person rummaging through her chambers.

They held themselves still as the assailant drew closer. Angry mumbling filtered into the wardrobe. “Told him she wouldn’t be here. He’s put me in a bind this time, damn him.”

Something slammed to their right. The assassin was opening the other wardrobes. Vaida’s panicked eyes swung to Sefa and held.

She was afraid.

Sefa wasn’t sure why the revelation came as a shock. Perhaps she’d spent too much time with Sylvia, who seemed to believe she feared death until she encountered an opportunity to run toward it like a bull with a branch up its rump. Or Arin of Nizahl, who unflinchingly stood toe-to-toe with Sylvia even at her worst—a decision that would have seen a normal man slain ten times over.

Thanks to the company Sefa had kept in the tunnels, she’d forgotten what the normal response to an impending possibility of murder looked like.

Another slam, closer this time. Their wardrobe would be opened next. Sefa released a silent exhale. She and Marek had been in similar situations in the past and escaped unscathed. Granted, the last time they were in such a position, Sefa was nearly beaten to death, but she doubted the assassin would have time to get more than a couple of punches in. Sefa moved much faster than they expected.

She spoke directly in Vaida’s ear. “Stay here. Do not move.”

Red-tipped fingernails caught Sefa’s sleeve. Sefa patted the Sultana’s hand before gently prizing it off.

With as much stealth as she could manage in the cramped space, Sefa slid the most expensive-looking of the furs over her stained dress. If this didn’t work, at least she would die in luxury.

Sefa reared her leg back and kicked the wardrobe doors open. Sultana Vaida was still obscured behind the other coats, and Sefa avoided rustling the rack when she careened out of the wardrobe.

The assassin jumped a foot in the air. His knife swung toward her. “You aren’t the Sultana.”

Sefa quickly shed the coat, glancing around guiltily. “Are you one of the new guards? I’m so sorry. Sultana Vaida went for her bath, and I—her clothes are so beautiful, and I only wanted to try—you won’t tell anyone, will you? Oh please, please don’t. I just started working in the kitchen. My mama won’t take me back if I’m dismissed.” Tears slid down Sefa’s cheeks. She gazed at the assassin from under wet eyelashes. With her ratty gown and generally unkempt appearance, Sefa certainly looked the part of lowly staff.

His confusion grew while she babbled, but she was handing him an excuse with a bow and a scented rose. Was this the caliber of assassin being sent after one of the most powerful people in the kingdoms? Sefa was almost offended on the Sultana’s behalf.

“Yes, I’m a guard.” He puffed up his chest and lowered the knife. “There was a noise.”

“I heard it! From down the hall, I believe. I got so scared, I hid in the wardrobe. Would you like me to fetch the other guards to accompany you? It can’t be safe traveling alone with the assailant still wandering.”

“No!” The assassin pursed his lips. “No, you stay here. Don’t leave this room. Understand? It isn’t safe.”

Too, too easy. Sefa squeezed out another tear. “As you see fit.”

“Where did you say the Sultana’s baths were?”

“Walk down the hall and take two rights. The door is covered with rose petals.” Sefa had no idea where the hall led. Into the clutches of an armed guard, hopefully.

He pulled open the door a crack and glanced out. After checking Sefa hadn’t moved from her spot, he slid outside, pulling the door shut behind him.

Sefa immediately dragged the velvet bench in front of the door. The odds of him returning were slim, but she never underestimated the brainlessness of some men. He’d broken the lock, but she turned it anyway.

In the middle of assessing whether she could topple one of the wardrobes to block the door, Sefa jumped a foot in the air when a hand settled on her shoulder. Sefa whirled around to find the Sultana directly behind her, dark eyes regarding her with no trace of the fear Sefa had seen in the wardrobe.

Sefa could almost convince herself she had hallucinated it.

“He won’t return. The palace gates close during an attack. There is no escape for him.” She removed her hand and walked to an overstuffed emerald chair by the window. “You are quite a capable performer. I am impressed.”

Sefa swallowed. Without the imminent threat of harm, her nerves failed her. What if Sultana Vaida recognized her? Sefa did not harbor a shadow of a doubt that the Nizahl Heir had guards searching for her and Marek. They had proven themselves the best leverage against Sylvia during the Alcalah. If the Sultana knew who Sefa was, she’d either order her killed or use her as a bargaining chip with Arin.

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