The Sultan and the Storyteller by Lichelle Slater

Six

“You mean you told him a story he was going to fall asleep and it actually worked?” Kiara asked as we walked down a hallway after finishing breakfast, though I had no idea where we were going.

I nodded.

“What’s he like?”

I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t understand him at all. One moment he’s as hard as stone, the next he’s considerate and sending for you to spend the day with me. He was surprised to find me alive this morning, but wouldn’t answer any questions when I asked why. He looks at me like he is interested in me and might even find me beautiful and then tells Captain Nadeem that I’m nothing but a commoner, even if Father is his vizier.”

Kiara frowned. “Maybe he doesn’t understand how he feels about you either?”

We stepped into the courtyard I had spotted from the balcony the night before and sank onto a bench near the fountain.

I looked around to make sure we were alone before whispering, “I didn’t bring this up with Sultan Zayne yet, but I felt something in the room last night. It was like the presence of a dark shadow. But I saw nothing.”

Kiara leaned close. “What do you think that means?”

I shook my head. “It could have been nothing, just my mind trying to make sense of my fears.”

“Or a jinni.”

I tilted my chin down at her. “In the palace?”

Kiara shrugged. “Anything is possible, especially where so many have died. Perhaps the jinn are drawn to the sultan because of it.”

“That seems a likely explanation, actually.”

“If he’s surprised you’re alive, why isn’t he spending the day with you?” Kiara looked around the small courtyard, taking in the trees and flowers. “I would want to get to know you.”

“I was thinking of asking him to do something with me. If I’m to be his bride for years to come, perhaps we should go swimming or ride horses or anything that would require us to get to know each other. We can barely answer one another’s questions.” I sighed.

Kiara frowned. “You’re not taking him to that cliff where I almost died, are you?”

I blinked. “What?”

“Remember when I was really little and you went diving with your friends and you told me to stay home, but I followed anyway? I jumped in after you and that boy saved me.”

I hadn’t remembered anything like that happening, but as soon as Kiara mentioned it, the memory appeared vivid in my mind, as vivid as if it had happened that day.

“Ulley,” I said breathlessly.

“Yes! That was his name! Strange name. You remember?”

“I’d forgotten. What ever became of him?” I stared at the falling water, not really asking Kiara.

Still, Kiara answered. “Who knows?” She leaned against my side and wrapped her arms around my right arm and hugged it. “What sort of story will you tell tonight? I think you should tell one where he answers your questions.”

I set my cheek on her head. “Kiara, I’m uncomfortable as it is telling these stories and using magic in his presence. What if he finds out?”

She snorted. “What’s he going to do? Kill you?” She flinched as soon as the words tumbled out and sat up. “That was inappropriate. Sorry.”

I smiled, not offended in the least. “I know. I’m just afraid to try anything more than what I did last night.”

“We’re in the palace. I bet it has a library. Surely, there is a book that might have some stories that could be less risky to tell.” Kiara shrugged.

“I could try. I also want to convince him to let me come visit you during the day. If he wants me to just sit in the palace walls and stare at”—I gestured to the fountain—“water fountains all day, I’m going to lose my mind.”

Kiara burst out laughing. “You’re a queen now. I’m not sure you should leave the safety of the palace. What if someone wants to kidnap you?” She twitched her brows, then jumped to her feet and walked to the fountain. She stretched her hand into the falling water and let it splash against her fingertips. “Now that would be a dangerous story.”

I frowned. “Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? It couldn’t be more dangerous than being in the palace with him. Besides, what else am I to do all day?”

She grinned over her shoulder at me. “Learn how to weave enchanted rugs?”

I couldn’t hold back a laugh. Kiara pushed all the fear and dark thoughts away.

Kiara returned to me and grabbed both of my hands. “Let’s explore the palace together! Every girl dreams of seeing the grandeur of the palace, and we get to see it ourselves!”

Her excitement was infectious and I found myself smiling. “Then we shall. And you can tell those little girls in Zunbar what it looks like.”

We explored the entire eastern side of the palace—which was nothing but hallways and empty bedrooms. Perhaps, in the past, they had been for guests. Or even built for children.

Several hours later, we found ourselves on a balcony, sitting under a canopy of fabric.

Kiara sipped from her glass of water one of the servants had brought out. “I have an idea for your story tonight.”

“Oh?” I asked.

“Do you remember stories of Telama that Mother used to tell us?”

I drank a mouthful of water and set it down. “The traveling sorceress that appears when she is needed most?”

Kiara set her feet on the ground. “If you use a story with her and the magic makes her appear tomorrow, then she could help you figure out how to keep the sultan from killing you.” Kiara said.

“You know why I don’t tell big stories anymore, Kiara,” I said firmly.

My sister shook her head and heaved a sigh. “Sooner or later you’re going to have to realize Mother’s death wasn’t your fault.”

Pain washed over me and I looked away from her.

Six years before, when I was thirteen and Kiara just seven, I’d told her a story about two little girls who were mischievous, full of life and excitement, and described them using every detail about us and our family.

At the time, the Sorceresses of the Sand had been at the forefront of everyone’s attention in the land, during Sultan Hashem’s rule. There had been suspicions about the Sorceresses for many years. In Sheblom, only women could summon and manipulate magic. Men could manipulate magic only through the possession of an artifact or enchanted object, like my father’s staff that helped him know truths and lies. But men couldn’t summon magic.

Our mother had been one of the Sorceresses when we were children. They were once a large sisterhood, but had fallen into secrecy because of superstitions and speculations of dark magic. All thanks to Zayne’s father.

In my story, the mother had discovered a deadly secret. A man was trying to gain his own magical powers. To prevent her from revealing his secret, the mysterious man killed her. That day, I went to fetch our mother from her afternoon nap. I walked around the side of the bed and stepped in something wet at her side. In the dimness of the room, I didn’t see what it was. I shook her shoulder and called for her to wake. She didn’t. Thinking she was merely in a deep slumber, I went to the window and pulled back the curtains. When I looked at my foot, I discovered the sides were stained red. I looked at my mother’s form and saw her arm drooped over the edge with a trickle of ruby blood dripping into the smeared pool I’d stepped in.

I screamed.

That was the last time I told such an elaborate or powerful story. I couldn’t risk harming the ones I loved.

“Pardon me for the interruption, Your Majesty, but dinner is ready and your sister must be escorted home,” a servant said.

Kiara wrapped her arms around me. “I love you. And I plan on seeing you again tomorrow. Even if you don’t tell of Telama, I don’t know if it even matters how powerful your stories are as long as you keep him asleep.” She held on to my arms as she pulled back, giving me a firm look that softened as she winked before turning away and following the servant.

I let out my breath and pulled my hair over my shoulder. Kiara was wiser than her years and could have been on to something—as long as I told Zayne a story and put him to sleep each night, he couldn’t kill me.

After an uneventful dinner—with Zayne poring over parchments and barely even acknowledging me—we entered our bedchamber. A young man waited inside with his eyes downcast. Zayne stepped up to him without speaking and waited for the young man to undress him.

I rolled my eyes and turned away, barely catching a glimpse of Zayne’s muscled torso. Zayne couldn’t even get himself ready for bed on his own? I was glad I'd been raised outside the palace and learned to do things for myself.

“Since you won’t tell me about your day, why don’t I tell you a story?” I asked.

Mazzy entered just then, but I waved her away. She hesitated and held out my nightgown, which I accepted and draped over my arm.

When I faced Zayne, I caught him eyeing me—completely shirtless and with the servant pulling his pants up to his waist. “A story? I’m not a child.”

I looked away again. “Have you heard of Telama?”

“No.” He accepted the shirt from the servant and pulled it over his head then motioned the man to leave, which he did.

I walked behind the wooden dressing screen before disrobing. “Telama is an old sorceress trained in the ways of goodness and light. She uses what the earth provides and travels far and wide seeking out those she can help. Many claim she is the one who organized the Sorceresses of the Sand ages ago.”

“What would motivate an old woman to wander the desert? Surely she could establish a home and people could travel to her instead.” I saw Zayne’s hand gripping the top of the screen.

I hummed in thought. “Maybe she has a wanderer’s heart. I have always longed to travel across the seas to lands of green. Have you never felt the desire to see beyond our islands?”

“Yes, but I can’t imagine living like that. I don’t think I’ve even traveled beyond Zunbar since before my father died.”

I walked out, only to bump into Zayne. He’d been leaning against the screen.

He quickly dropped his hand, straightened, and said, “How would Telama support herself? And how does she help others?”

I crossed to the bed, giving him a playful smile. “If you’ll let me finish the story, I will tell you.”

Zayne said, “Itifi!” and the lamps in the room went out, save the candles on either side of the bed. He climbed onto his side of the bed. “Continue.”

“How did you just use magic?” I asked, my mouth agape.

“The lamps are enchanted. All of the lamps in the palace are.”

I nodded in understanding and then continued, “Telama sells magical artifacts, crystals, and herbs. She appears only where she is most needed. She knows things no one else does.” I drew a breath. “One day, Telama journeyed to Zunbar. She heard people praying for help.”

Zayne’s attention was locked on me. “So she is a goddess?”

I shook my head and sat beside him on the bed. “No. This particular day, she sat on a street corner when the sultan and his new bride saw her. Telama gave the sultan a gift, something meaningful only to him. Something to let him know he wasn’t alone and that relief from the darkness was coming.”

Zayne lay on his back. “What was the item?”

Knowing I had to make this work, I reached out and traced the vein on the inside of Zayne’s wrist. “I don’t know.”

Although I didn’t know what she would give him, I knew I was essentially summoning her forth and had to leave it open-ended enough to allow Telama to do whatever she did. But because I hadn’t been trained how to use my magic, I didn’t know how it worked. Was Telama already on her way? Or did my story summon her to Zunbar? However it worked, I had to have faith that it would happen, because I needed someone’s help.

Zayne turned my hand over and reciprocated my gesture by tracing a line in my palm and following it all the way to the tip of my finger. “How could the sultan meet her?”

“The sultan and his queen went to Zunbar to see the people. That is when they met her. The night before, the sultan fell into a deep sleep. A sleep so deep nothing could wake him.”

Zayne’s eyelids fell closed and magic tingled on the tips of my fingers and into his hand. He let out a sigh before he completely relaxed.

I leaned over him to blow out his candle, only to feel the darkness like I had the night before. I looked over at the door before I sucked in a deep breath and stood. “Who are you? I command you to answer me!”

A shadow shifted in the corner. Or did it?

I spun around.

The feeling had a form—a shadow barely distinguishable from the darkness around me. I held on to my breath as I had the night before and watched as the figure loomed over Zayne. It appeared to be touching him as though to try and wake him. It leaned over him.

Unable to hold my breath any longer, I let it out only to gasp when the figure suddenly flew over to me. It chuckled in my ear.

And then it was gone.