This book is a sequel to Khalifa and cannot be read as a standalone. To avoid spoilers, description and excerpt are added inside the book.
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Started: May 2, 2022.
Completed: December 3, 2022.
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cover by @xniftykayx
"We wait, Daud. We devise a careful plan before taking to our next course of action. With Noura at the palace, I'll have to be extra vigilant now. I cannot take any risks with her."
The tea starts brewing in the kettle. Daud removes it from the fire and pours him a cup before filling his own.
"Send a messenger to Dimashq to Yusuf. I need to know what he's up to."
"And about Daryush?"
He looks up at the sky. The dawn has begun to break. Another day at hand. It will be over sooner than he can catch it. Like always. Time is running out. He needs to act fast.
"Daryush." He hums, flicking his tongue between his lips as they twist into a smirk. "Every man has a weakness, Daud. He must have one too."
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Her
It is past midday when they arrive at the palace. The sun has begun to drift down the sky from its peak. A stable keeper hurries to take their horses from them. A number of guards and servants line the pathway from the gates to the entrance of the palace in their welcome.
She sticks to Adam's side as he leads her down the pathway and chorus of greetings to inside of the palace. Roya and Azar follow closely behind her with Daud behind Adam. Around them stand tall palm trees amidst others in the gardens and the sound of water rushing through the fountains mingled with chirping of the birds.
The scenery is beautiful, pleasing to the eye, quiet and serene despite the many people around them. Inside, it's pristine and elegant, decorated with expensive rugs and ornaments but not overdone, making it spacious and much less crowded.
A guard greets them at the entrance and guides them to the throne room where they're informed the officials are waiting for them-- or her husband, to be precise. They're taken through a series of hallways before arriving at the required destination. The doors are opened and he places a hand on her back, taking her inside with him.
Multiple pairs of eyes fall on them, then lower to the ground out of respect. Noura feels a little overwhelmed, the realization that she's finally here sinking in, at Qahira, with her husband at his palace. That even though he's no more a caliph, he's still the governor of this region and rules this land. And that he exudes the same authority she had last witnessed when he was still a Khalifa. It brings a strange feeling to her chest, one that she has no name for.
Adam walks towards the end of the line of men standing at attention with her accompanying him, keeping her close by all along, then turns towards his officials.
