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CHAPTER 1

Darkness surged in his veins It exhaled wisps frolance And when he thought too hard too fast, it bled up his arms in streams of black

Fear becomes you

The high sun drew Nasir Ghameq’s shadow across the planks of Jinan’s ship as he slid, for what felt to be the thousandth time since they’d left Sharr, the crate’s lid back in place A steady pulse thru froed to Arawiya’s founding Sisters of Old, sourcing the kingdoic from the five caliphates’ royal ic to the ood as gone—as it had been for the past ninety years

Yet ic continued to exist in hihosting his presence

“The fifth heart isn’t going to materialize the harder you look Neither is he, for thatdown the crow’s nest The cuff on her upper arraved crossed spears a reuarded Pelusia’s calipha With a pang, Nasir realized he aiting for a certain golden-haired general’s response to her lightning-quick words So One of Nine

The silence that echoed was as loud and unsettling as the Baransea’s crashing waves

Nasir , courtesy of an ifrit on the island of Sharr, forced him to limp about the ship

“We’ve been at sea for two days What’s taking so long?”

The Zarairl squinted at him from the helm Unruly dark curls slipped fro her brown eyes in a reddish glow “‘Anqa is the fastest ship there is, your highness”

“Not that there are any other ships, kid,” Kifah pointed out

Nasir tucked the crate with the hearts safely into a nook near her as Jinan frowned “I’m not a kid ‘Anqa means ‘phoenix’ You know, like the immortal bird made of fire? Named after my favorite star My father—”

“No one cares,” Nasir said, gripping the rough wood as the ship rocked

Jinan gave an exaggerated sigh

“How er?”

“Five days,” she pronounced, but her pride deflated at Nasir’s withering stare “What, his highness’s ship took six days, at ht at my back”

“My ship,” he said slowly, “took less than two days to reach Sharr, even with the dandan we defeated along the way”

Jinan whistled “I’et to the fancy palace, then What’s the rush?”