This Woven Kingdom, #2
These Infinite Threads
by Tahereh Mafi
Contents
Twenty-Two
Overview
Omid’s bungled summons delivers Deen and Mrs. Amina to the palace, igniting a chaotic confrontation. Deen verifies Alizeh’s injuries and unusual healing, prompting Kamran to reconsider Cyrus’s magical protections. With unrest outside, Kamran’s doubts deepen. Zahhak arrives with Diviners, forcing an imminent reckoning with palace power.
Summary
In the palace, Omid and Miss Huda argue with footmen while Deen the apothecarist and Mrs. Amina look on. Kamran intervenes, dismisses the guards, and demands an explanation. Deen recounts being coerced by Omid and Miss Huda, and Mrs. Amina boasts that she suspected and punished Alizeh, calling her evil.
Miss Huda and Mrs. Amina clash over whether Alizeh’s blurred appearance at the ball was devilry or enchantment. Deen defends Alizeh, noting the severe labor damage to her hands and rejects the notion of dark magic. When pressed, Deen confirms Alizeh’s injuries were real, not illusion, and that her body healed unnaturally fast. Omid quietly admits responsibility for the cut on Alizeh’s throat.
Kamran reevaluates events: Cyrus could have imbued Alizeh’s gown with protective magic, explaining her obscured identity and why Kamran could intermittently see her. This softens some suspicions yet highlights Alizeh’s concealed alliance with Cyrus and deepens Kamran’s inner conflict and self-reproach after Zaal’s death.
As tensions peak, Deen begs to leave and the group descends into bickering. Kamran moves to silence them when Zahhak, the defense minister, enters with a thinly veiled challenge. Three Diviners drift in behind him, signaling a looming confrontation that may upend Kamran’s plans.
Who Appears
- KamranPrince of Ardunia; quells a chaotic scene, reconsiders Alizeh’s actions, suspects Cyrus’s enchantments, and faces Zahhak and Diviners.
- DeenApothecarist; confirms Alizeh’s injuries were real and her rapid healing, defends her against accusations, seeks dismissal.
- Mrs. AminaBaz House housekeeper; defends her abuse of Alizeh, claims devilry, inadvertently reveals past mistreatment.
- OmidBoy tasked by Kamran; drags witnesses to the palace, explains riots, admits causing Alizeh’s throat cut.
- Miss HudaSocialite; argues with guards and Mrs. Amina, posits enchanted garments as the cause of Alizeh’s blurriness.
- ZahhakDefense minister; arrives uninvited and demands to speak, bringing pressure and signaling confrontation.
- DivinersThree royal seers; appear with Zahhak, heightening the threat to Kamran.