“What about mediocre intelligence, can we rush that?”

A guffaw from Sefu.

“You are not as funny as you think you are,” Zareen replied haughtily. “Where is the general? She should be here by now.”

General? It really was an army.

“Zareen!” Faran called as he, Hassan, and Khepri emerged into the main chamber. There were roughly two dozen people in the room, all talking in small clusters, only some of whom Hassan recognized. But his gaze zeroed in on Zareen, sitting on the edge of a table with her legs dangling off the side. The alchemist was diminutive next to the towering forms of Chike and Sefu, who both turned toward the sound of Faran’s voice.

Hassan watched as they caught sight of him and Khepri and froze.

“Faran,” Zareen said sedately. “You’ve brought guests.”

Everyone else in the chamber had gone silent, staring. There were a few low murmured whispers, and Hassan thought he caught his name on more than one person’s lips. He could not read the expression on Zareen’s face, and his stomach churned with trepidation.

“Khepri!” Sefu thundered, breaking the silence. “Prince Hassan! You’re alive!”

He strode toward them, Chike at his heels, and when he reached Khepri he stopped for a moment, looking at her, before he curled his hand into a fist and punched her arm.

“Ow!” Khepri gasped, and immediately punched him back. “Sweet Endarra, that hurt!”

“Four months,” Zareen said to Hassan as Khepri and her brothers bickered loudly behind them, the rest of the room filling up again with chatter. “Four months. You’ve been gone, and we had no idea what had happened to you. Is Arash—”

“Arash is…” Hassan began, and then hesitated. The animosity between him and Arash had been no secret, and Hassan feared what Zareen would think. “He’s dead. I’m sorry, Zareen. I know you were close with him.”

She straightened her shoulders, swallowing hard, and nodded. “What happened?”

“We were captured by the Hierophant. Taken to Behezda.”

Zareen’s eyes widened in understanding. Hassan didn’t need to go on.

“There’s much we need to catch you up on,” Hassan said.

Zareen nodded. “A full debrief would be wise. But there’s something I should probably tell you first.”

She looked nervous, uncertain, and Hassan steeled himself for the worst. But before she went on, her eyes widened as she caught sight of something over Hassan’s shoulder.

“General!” Zareen exclaimed.

Hassan turned, heart thudding with desperate curiosity.