Winnie’s face, beside him, was shocked. Madame Nasirah was the Gamekeeper. She was the only person who, besides their adversaries, could see and interact with them—and, more importantly than that, actually cared. “What are we supposed to do now?”

Ahmad doubled over, panting and trying to stop his spiral. His brain wouldn’t stop whirring with worry. This was too much. He couldn’t take it. He just wanted to sit down, shut up, give up. Let them win. What chance did they have anyway, especially when the other side wouldn’t play fair at all.

And, behind them, after an entire day of waiting, they heard the telltale firecracker spark of the Minaret. For real this time. Hearts pounding, Ahmad and Winnie turned their heads up to the sky and read the words etched there.

FINAL TRIAL: BALANCE BOTH SIDES OF THE SCALE. BE SURE NOT TO GET DISTRACTED BY MONKEY BUSINESS!

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

WAIT, NOW?” AHMAD GASPED in despair as the fireworks faded away. “How are we supposed to do this now? We have to find Madame Nasirah. And—”

“Ahmad!” a strong voice called in the distance, and Ahmad whirled around, hoping to see the Gamekeeper draped in her shawls. But the face he saw was also a welcome one.

“It’s your uncle!” Winnie gasped happily. “Where have you been?”

Vijay Bhai jogged up to them.

“Sorry,” he huffed. “I meant to be here sooner, but goodness, the time I’ve had trying to find anything in this new city.”

“Vijay Bhai,” Ahmad blurted out. “Madame Nasirah is missing. And we just heard a new challenge being announced but we need to find her and I—”

Vijay Bhai grasped him by the shoulders. “Whoa. Ahmad, breathe.”

Ahmad tried, but he couldn’t seem to. To his embarrassment, tears prickled the corners of his eyes.

“We thought we had the right challenge and we wasted so much time.” And nearly died, but he didn’t tell Vijay Bhai that. “It was all my fault. I believed it was the right challenge and it was all my fault.”

“Ahmad, listen.” Vijay Bhai tipped up Ahmad’s chin with his finger. “These are the games played in Paheli. If you were tricked, it is not your fault. It happens. A lot. But I need you to take a breath and listen to me.”

Ahmad stared into his uncle’s eyes and took a deep breath.

“Good.” Vijay Bhai smiled at him, clasping Ahmad’s shoulders with his hands. “Now listen. You are a Mirza. There is no one who knows how to play—and win—a game better than a Mirza. There is no one who can be trusted more by their friends than a Mirza. The MasterMind and the Architect can play with you all that you want, but the only one who can stop you from losing is you. Do you understand?” Ahmad nodded. “Don’t lose your faith now.”