Two

Alizeh, numbed by fear, realizes she rides an invisible dragon on a small carpet. As she steadies herself, Cyrus appears, claiming the dragon and announcing they are headed to Tulan. He reveals Iblees demanded that he help Alizeh rule—by marrying her. Shocked, Alizeh tumbles from the sky before the dragon and Cyrus rescue her.

Cold and despondent, Alizeh fixates on Kamran’s peril and Ardunia’s chaos, then refuses Cyrus’s proposal. They spar verbally as he warns escape is futile and complains about delays. Despite her hostility, he offers his coat; she first refuses but finally accepts, revealing the depth of her constant frost-borne suffering.

They speak of her lineage: Alizeh confirms the frost marks her as heir to a lost Jinn empire. Cyrus, bound to Iblees by oath, admits limited magical range for travel and hints the devil covets Alizeh. The nosta helps her test his statements, reminding her Hazan acted separately and will likely hang.

Noticing blood on Cyrus’s coat, Alizeh worries for Kamran and probes how Kamran knew Cyrus’s name. Cyrus presses for Alizeh’s connection to the crown prince; their conflict intensifies as he claims coercion, denies romantic motive, and threatens ruthlessly when he believes she might manipulate him. The nosta reacts, and Alizeh declares her hatred.

As tension ebbs, Cyrus steadies himself while Alizeh withholds compassion. At last, he alerts her to the approaching sight, and Tulan emerges ahead, fixing their course toward a forced betrothal and deeper entanglement in Iblees’s scheme.