Kingdom in The Sand

The Ending and The Cliffhanger (14)

 "What do you mean? Why not?" Zaydan asked, staring blankly at her and Marie-Fey marched away.

"Ladies! Gather everyone together! Now!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the halls as she walked through the grand back doors. The women around her stared, startled. "Hurry up!" she snarled, and women scattered. "I want everyone! From department heads to the lowest slave! Now!"

"What are you doing?" Zaafira seethed as they followed her through the halls to the grand entrance hall.

"I'm planning," Marie-Fey replied.

"What do you mean you can't tell me what you're planning? What is happening?" Zaydan asked, shaking his head.

Marie-Fey just turned to him. "You are your brother's eyes. What is he doing?"

Zaydan frowned, then his gaze unfocused for a moment, before he blinked in confusion. "He's... overseeing the preparations of a caravan. I don't know where he is going though."

"I do, he's coming here," Marie-Fey replied.

"What? Why? How do you know?"

Marie-Fey folded the letter so it only show the postscript then turned it to him and pointed.

"I don't know who wrote this. The rest of the letter was written by Beldon but not this line. I don't know who is warning me, but it doesn't matter right now because it is correct. Zahir isn't going to wait for me to figure out how I might kill him. Zaydan, I need you to go away."

"What?"

"You're his eyes but he is also yours. It's safer for you not to know more than what you've already heard."

"No, I can't help you if I don't know what's happening."

"Zaydan," Marie-Fey said, gripping his hand. "This isn't about actively helping me. This is about shielding me for long enough that I can set a plan in motion and he is unaware of it. You already saw the arrow, if he's aware of that, that's already an advantage to him, he can't know more. So please. Walk away."

Zaydan stared at her and she released his hand. He stood still for a moment, staring at the others who stepped away from him to wait beside Marie-Fey as the palace ladies began to filter in, then took a breath, a step back then turned on his heel and walked away, striding down the length of the grand entrance hall, throwing the doors open and vanishing into the sunlight, the doors closing on his retreating back.

Marie-Fey drew in her own breath, then unfolded the letter.

"So what is this plan you cannot let him know of?" Zaafira muttered, her eyes still on the doors.

"I'm sending you away."

"What?" she snapped, a glare flashing to her. "Where? The capitol?"

"No. I'm sending you all away. Every woman in this palace."

Zaafira's eyes narrowed. "How? Where? Where do you think you can put us?"

"I'm sending you to Zaydan's palace," Marie-Fey replied and Zaafira gaped at her. "He has his own state he commands, and he has a compound of his own. It is unused and absent of women, unlike here. Most importantly, Zaydan says Zahir wields power over his women within these walls, but not beyond them. You can stand within Zaydan's palace and Zahir will psychically have to go there to harm you. If he does, well then I failed but I'm hoping that my brother has sent me something beneficial rather than just pretty."

"How could your brother help against a supernatural being?" Zaafira asked, frowning.

"Beldon is an acquaintance of gods," Marie-Fey said simply then stepped away as the last of the women filtered in. The entrance hall was now cramped and buzzing with low, nervous voices as they watched Marie-Fey.