A Crook In The Sand

CHAPTER FIVE

SHE WAS RESTLESS BY THE time the moon rose high, its light illuminating through the windows in her room. So restless indeed that Mazeeda had to tell the twins to leave. She felt horrible for doing so, but she had a reason why.

Mazeeda was going to die tonight, she knew it.

She was brushing her long obsidian hair when she heard the click of the door, making her jump. The Malika was never afraid of that noise until now.

Even with her hands wavering, she continued to comb her hair to perfection. If she were to die tonight, she'd make sure she'll die beautiful.

Tonight, the Caliph wore brown tonight; a strange color for a man who strived for elegance. He made his way to her bed and sat at the edge. “Love-”

And before she could stop her maladroit mouth, out spilled the story that may save her life to another morning. “Sharik thought about Leila through his days and nights no matter how hard he tried to stop such a thought. Surely she wouldn't be thinking of-”

She stopped when she saw Khai in the mirror as he looked at her. He brought his refined hand to her silky hair and ran it through. Not once did it get caught.

Mazeeda clamped her eyes shut and suppressed a whimper. She put down the comb.

This was how she was going to die; with his hand against her throat squeezing, squeezing, squeezing until no air got into her body. No, she would die by her own hair.

“What is it, love of my heart?” His voice was cold and edged in the whisper.

“You are to kill me tonight, I know it.” She finally allowed herself to open her eyes and look at him.

He put a warm finger on her pulsing neck. “How can you be so sure?”

“No,” she shook her head and got up. She backed away and touched the spot where he touched. “I know it, I know it, I know it.”

“My love, what if I want to keep you alive?”

Mazeeda wrapped herself in her own arms. “You only prolong my torture here as your prisoner.”

He walked back to the bed and sat down, smiling. “Tell me about Shazerade.”

What he asked of her brought astonishment to her face. “What?”

A soft chuckle erupted from his lips. “Come, my love.” He patted to the spot next to him. “I will not kill you tonight. You've proven that today.”

His words were as deceiving as a mirage in the sand, and yet she made her way to Khai. She sat as far as she could.

“Now, tell me about your friend, Shazerade. Surely you have a reason to why her life was spared.”

She did not pull at the stories floating through the air this time. This story was real. “She is like a sister to me through and through. She is strong willed and ambitious and I wouldn't allow a ruthless blood king get in her way.”

Khai raised a perfectly thick eyebrow her way. “Oh, but I could. You're the only person in my way and once I kill you, I'll ride like a madman and bring grief to even her family.”

“You wouldn't dare,” she growled out like a lioness in a pride, “because there is a fire in her that burns so bright it'll bring you to ashes. You will not be able to tame it or match it.”

And for the first time that Mazeeda has stayed in this qasr, she found a frown plastered on the Caliph’s copper face. He lurched at her and she tried to move away but she only found herself under his tight grip.

His strong hunger hands around her neck.

Khai saw fear dancing in her chocolate eyes. He tightened his grip on her warm brown neck, shades darker than his. Pigments of her skin was going to end up in his nails.

“Then I will blow it out,” he heaved out. “If I cannot be the equilibrium to her flame, I will extinguish it for good until she's nothing but a smoke.”

“No,” she gasped out as she wrapped her slim fingers around his, “you will not. Because her fire is already claimed by my brother. They are madly in love and believe me when I say they will wed by the time you're done with me.”

He clicked his tongue and continued to watch as her fearful and flushed face began to sink into the bed. “A pity, really my love, to see such a selfless act be wasted.” He laughed brutally at, his cheekbones being seen at the angle his head was in. “I'll kill your brother and anyone who gets in the way. My hands demand the blood of useless and weak girls. Even yours, Malika.”

Mazeeda couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Caliph in front of her was indeed a psychotic, pitiless boy out for blood. Her story was a waste after all. Her efforts in this qasr was useless.

Even as she clawed and scorched his muscular arms until it was red, his grip did not loosen.

The storyteller should have known that in the end, everyone she loved and everyone she had yet to meet would suffer at Khai's hand. Because what he said to her was true, no one could stop him once she was dead and her stories gone.

Mazeeda didn't realized she was crying until she felt a tear fall from her own eyes. Hadn't realized it until she was trying to suppress the hiccups being formed from deep inside her throat.

She cursed herself for being so weak.

“What…” Khai had never made a woman cry because of him. “No. No, no don't do that. Don't -wait there's no need for that.” He couldn't form the correct sentence.

He removed his hands from her throat and straightened himself up, clenching his hands in a fist.

The queen gasped for that sweet air she took for granted; and she grabbed at it greedily like a baby sucking at its mother's breast. She brought her trembling hand to her neck, massaging it.

A proud bruise was going to form.

She looked at him through the slits of her eyes, lethal and deadly and fearful. Her facade was breaking piece by piece, a flood was going to come if she didn't fix it up in haste.

“Get out,” Mazeeda whispered to her husband in a hoarse voice. “Get out, get out, get out.”

She didn't expect this powerful man in front of her to obey her commands, but he did. He pivoted and made his way out of the room without a single word.

When she heard the click of the door, she sighed in relief. Never had a sound be both frightening and comforting.

Mazeeda couldn't bring herself to fall asleep on the bed, so she made her way across the room and laid down on her cushioned seat.

She cried herself to sleep.

|AUTHOR'S NOTE|

i actually loved writing this chapter even though it was kinda intense?

as being said, a new side of Khai was shown. thoughts on it?