“That’s rich coming from you.” I coughed the words out, my voice wet, my tongue tasting metallic.
Suddenly Noor’s face snapped into focus, her features sharpening, her concerned gaze flooding my view. I blinked a few times and scowled at her.
She released a startled gasp and clasped her hands to her face. “It worked!”
I coughed and sat up. Noor helped me, pressing her hand to my stomach as if she were trying to feel for something. Belatedly, I realized there was nothing there.
Darbaran’s scimitar was gone.
Why isn’t it there?
Warmth trickled through my stomach, the feeling of djinn magic being usedonme, instead of me using it myself.
I snapped my gaze to hers.
“You consumed zoraat? But what about your vow?”
Noor pursed her lips, her hands shaking against my stomach. “I couldn’t just leave you to die in the courtyard, could I?” I didn’t miss the catch in her voice.
I stared at her, an unfamiliar lightness filling my chest. “Yeah,” I scratched out. “You could have.”
She shook her head. “Well, I didn’t. And you should be grateful.”
I touched my stomach, prodding at the area that had just been a gaping hole. Now the skin was unbroken, not even a scar to speak of.
“It’s completely gone,” I said, my voice filled with wonder. I had seen djinn magic change the bones of my face, the skin on my body, but this seemed somehow bigger than that.
“I don’t even feel pain anymore.” I poked at my abdomen.
“Well, I can’t promise you won’t still get cramps on a monthly basis, but at least you aren’t dying of a stomach wound anymore.”
“All the djinn power in the world and it can’t even get rid of cramps?” I propped myself up on my elbows feeling as if I’d aged a hundred years.
She smiled, but it faded just as quickly.
“I thought you were dead,” she said finally, sitting back on her heels.
“Ithought I was dead. And I thought you were about to die. You shouldn’t have gotten involved. I was handling him.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure you were. Darbaran was about two seconds away from stabbing youandme. At least he only got one of us.”
“You’re welcome.” I glanced over to his lifeless body on the courtyard, surrounded by a dark pool of blood. “How long was I out?”
“Not long, a couple minutes. I checked the guards too. He killed two of them, the other two were just knocked out.”
I exhaled, a familiar pain lancing through my heart at the additional lives on my conscience. “Darbaran should have never gotten in.”
“We’ll double security.” Noor thought for a minute. “And I’ll dump his body in the fields outside of the city.”
I snorted. “It’s what he deserves.” I stood up, my legs so shaky that Noor had to support me.
“You showed him your face.” Her words were quiet. I lifted my hands to my face, touching features and skin and hair I hadn’t felt in weeks. It felt good to be in my own body again.
“I wanted him to see who was responsible for his downfall.”
Noor bit her lip.
I narrowed my eyes. “What is it?”
