This Woven Kingdom, #2
These Infinite Threads
by Tahereh Mafi
Contents
Twenty-Four
Overview
Kamran confronts Zahhak amid mounting pressure from Diviners to verify his right to rule after his magical markings mutate. When Kamran resists, Zahhak exposes his ambitions and orders the Diviners to act. The priests paralyze and abduct Kamran, cementing a public betrayal that endangers his escape and authority.
Summary
Kamran, adjusting to his disfigured face and mismatched eyes, recognizes his pain has vanished since the transformation, recalling Alizeh’s suspicion that gold aggravated him and that his discomfort began the morning they met. He notes his garments still contain gold thread, forming a new hypothesis about his condition.
Zahhak arrives with three Diviners and, in front of onlookers Deen, Miss Huda, and Mrs. Amina, insists Kamran meet the priests immediately for a critical ceremony to confirm the true sovereign. Kamran, focused on escaping the palace, tries to postpone until morning.
As Zahhak presses, Kamran accuses him of long scheming to undermine him, hoping to rule as regent if Kamran had ascended as a child. Zahhak counters by scorning inheritance, praising the late king yet condemning his final alliance, and deriding Kamran as unfit to rule. The exchange escalates, each revealing motives: Kamran’s defense of his grandfather and crown, Zahhak’s hunger for control cloaked as civic duty.
When Kamran warns of consequences should he remain king, Zahhak orders the Diviners to seize him. The priests immobilize Kamran—sealing his mouth, binding his limbs—and levitate him from the room. Kamran registers the deep betrayal of the clergy he trusted as he is carried away, his escape plans shattered.
Who Appears
- KamranHeir apparent with altered markings; resists Zahhak and Diviners, is magically bound and abducted, derailing his escape.
- ZahhakAmbitious minister; confronts Kamran, argues he’s unfit, and orders Diviners to seize him for a confirming ceremony.
- DivinersThree priests who swiftly bind and levitate Kamran, executing Zahhak’s command to secure him.
- DeenApothecarist and onlooker; protests about leaving but witnesses Zahhak’s public power play.
- Miss HudaIllegitimate noblewoman; complains about walking home and observes the confrontation.
- Mrs. AminaChaperone; fears mobs outside and witnesses Kamran’s capture.