Fifteen

Kamran and Hazan examine the blank book from Alizeh’s bag. Hazan finds an ancient embossing on the spine—interlocked triangles over a wavy line—and identifies it as the Arya sigil, tied to legends of a powerful magic in the northern mountains accessible only to the land’s true sovereign.

Kamran reevaluates recent Tulanian provocations: the border’s magical barrier, the surge of captured spies, and King Zaal’s assassination. He concludes Tulan wants Ardunia to invade, fracturing its defenses so Tulan can freely search Arya for the rumored power. Hazan links the spike in espionage to Cyrus’s eight-month reign.

They consider that the spies’ captures were intentional, with other crises as decoys, and that Cyrus may have sought Arya’s recognition himself. Kamran reveals Alizeh told him she is the lost queen of Arya. Hazan, alarmed, confronts Kamran about his feelings; Kamran admits he would have married Alizeh.

Hazan then reads the book’s inscription—“Braid the thrones”—and interprets it as a directive to the chosen sovereign to unite clay and fire rather than form a Jinn-only realm. Kamran counters that Alizeh is betrothed to Cyrus, but Hazan rejects any notion she would ally with Iblees or betray her people.

With unanswered questions and rising stakes, Hazan concludes the only way to verify the truth is direct action. He proposes, and Kamran agrees, that they go to Tulan.