“I can already see the difference.” Noor’s quiet voice cut through my connection. I looked up, seeing the plants had already blanched, their life burned away.
A pit formed in my stomach, the certainty that soon the entire field would be turned to ash.
The guilt continued as tendrils of discoloration began to spread to the other nearby fields, the green leaching of color like someone bleeding out after they’ve been stabbed. Noor’s gasp echoed across the now pale field.
I followed her gaze and watched as the blight traveled farther, to the fields beyond. As if I had poisoned the entire earth.
A bead of sweat formed at my temple, and I pressed my hands to my sides to still their shaking.
I had done this. I had taken away a food source for an entire city and done it all to foster a revolt against an emperor.
My mouth tasted like ash.
“They’ll blame Vahid for this blight. They’ll have to. No one has entire crops die on them overnight.”
Noor sucked in a breath. “They’ll say he’s no longer favored by the djinn, but cursed.”
I looked out over the fields, now a wasteland of shriveled plants.
“I’m counting on it.” My voice was low, a promise.
“What are you doing?” A gruff voice cut between us, and we both whirled at the sound.
A large guard was heading our way, his uniform worn but tidy, his forehead creased in concern.
Noor leapt forward, her head bent in deference. “Saab, we were just out for a walk and got a little lost.”
I bowed as well, skirting to the side of him, my hand on the hilt of my sword at my side.
The guard frowned, his eyes flicking between our dark cloaks and placid faces. I knew what he was seeing—we were in clothing too fine to be thieves and had manners too polite to be vandals.
He scratched the back of his head, his eyes narrowing on us. “I’m going to have to report this—”
The butt of my sword smacked the side of his head so hard he fell to the earth like a stone.
“I’m impressed, you didn’t try to kill him.” Noor put her hands on her hips as she surveyed the guard lying prone on the ground.
“Why get my hands bloody when we can make him look like a drunk instead?” I rifled through the pack that hung from his belt and pulled out a flask of beer. I doused him in it, throwing it on the ground beside him.
I crossed my arms over my chest and looked over the guard. “I’ll spread the news that the emperor’s fields have gone fallow. Then the panic will come.”
Noor watched me with a grim face.
She didn’t look like a woman who was getting revenge, more likeone who had lost everything and was trying desperately to hold on. But then, maybe I did too.
I wasn’t sure what either of us would be once this was all over.
Happy? Satisfied?
I couldn’t fathom ever feeling either of those things right now, not with this dark hole in my chest where my heart once was.
But the only thing that kept me going was this drive, this physical need in my gut that couldn’t leave them alone, that couldn’t let them get away with what they’d done.
“Noor, let’s burn his city down.”
Thirty-three
Darbaran was cloaked in darkness, waiting by the edge of the wide river that wound itself through Basral. He was alone, without any city guards with him.
