TEN
When Anahita lifted her gaze to survey the open city gates, she nearly wept for joy. Never had she seen anything so beautiful as that dusty portal. And yet...a princess did not weep before her people, so her tears died the dry death that befell all who did not know the ways of the desert.
"Stop," she commanded, and Asad and Haidar did. More than that, they stared at her in surprise. She summoned the same courage that had driven her to seize the knife that set her free, and said, "This is my father's city. The people must make way for his daughter. One of you must go before me, and the other behind, as befits a princess." She moistened her lips. "All the way to the Sultan's palace. My home."
Haidar coughed, but Asad laughed outright. "Do you truly expect us to believe that? The Sult
