All This Twisted Glory

Inside the library, Cyrus cuts a striking figure with his austere black robes and bright hair. As always, Alizeh finds his proximity dizzying but controls herself. Cyrus asks Alizeh if she has told the group the purpose of their meeting. Alizeh tells him she did not want the snodas to overhear. Cyrus informs the Ardunians that he is performing the blood oath tonight. Hazan erupts in anger, accusing Cyrus of forcing the oath on Alizeh when she has barely recovered. Though the oath is said to be infinitely more dangerous for the debtor, Cyrus, than the creditor, Alizeh, she may be harmed in the process.

Alizeh tells Hazan she has consented to the oath freely. Hazan beseeches her not to go through with it; the oath’s consequences are enormous. It will physically bind Cyrus to Alizeh so he cannot be apart from her until his death. Alizeh will be constantly burdened with Cyrus’s presence until she ends his life. Kamran interjects to say that the oath may not be a bad idea, as its conditions will spur Alizeh to kill Cyrus. Kamran says he advised Alizeh to marry Cyrus so she could win his kingdom and share the prize with Kamran later. Kamran touches Alizeh in a proprietary way, which she does not like. She tells Cyrus that she has not agreed to Kamran’s plan. Cyrus cuts everyone short, saying that they are wasting time and must leave to perform the oath. The library cannot be the site of the oath, he says, announcing that he does not want blood around the books.

As Cyrus leads the group to an old cottage, he feels hatred for everyone except Alizeh. He knows Kamran has not yet been crowned king of Ardunia. Factions are rising against him in Ardunia because his high-handed manner has kept Kamran from winning the hearts of his people. Cyrus would have killed Kamran, if not for Alizeh, whom he loves overwhelmingly. Ironically, he thinks, soon she will be his wife, but despite his consuming desire for her, he will be unable to touch her, making his life agony. Still, Cyrus cannot back away from his path.

Meanwhile, Hazan tells Cyrus angrily that the long walk in the cold is getting to Alizeh, whose blood is already frosty. Cyrus realizes he has been thoughtless and puts his coat around Alizeh’s shoulders. Alizeh asks Cyrus how he will “survive what’s yet to come” (362). Cyrus tells her she must ensure he does not survive.

The group approaches a cottage—the one in which Cyrus once trained as a Diviner. Before entering it, he tells the others to brace themselves; they will be experiencing magic in its raw power. When Alizeh enters the large space, where a fire burns in the hearth, she feels the air heavy with magic, almost resisting her movements. Jars, implements, books, and desiccated inkwells fill the shelves. Crystals of all colors and sizes are piled everywhere. Cyrus tells the group these are husks whose magic was extracted long ago.

Cyrus explains the magical keep, and Alizeh realizes that his magic comes not just from Iblees; he has trained as a Diviner all his life. Alizeh remarks that it is unusual for a king to choose a life of magical pursuits, since it involves giving up material possessions, and the others start asking Cyrus questions. Hazan tells Alizeh that Cyrus has an older brother, who was supposed to be the king of Tulan. However, no one in Tulan now wants to discuss the brother. Cyrus grows uncomfortable with the speculations about his life and yells at everyone to leave him alone. Alizeh senses Cyrus’s anguish and apologizes. She sees great grief behind his anger.

Cyrus abruptly moves away from the group, rolls up his shirtsleeves, and holds out his hands, palms up. An ominous sound of chittering insects fills the cottage. A web of darkness gathers on the ceiling. Cyrus makes a motion with his arm as if physically dragging the web toward him. The skin of darkness falls at their feet, and Cyrus screams.

The darkness rises to envelop the group, and Alizeh cannot see for a few moments. When it withdraws, Alizeh sees an unclothed Cyrus suspended in the air, the dark skin wrapped around him like a serpent. A terrified Huda wonders aloud if this is black magic. Hazan responds that what they are witnessing is far worse than black magic, but something “simply barbaric.” Alizeh must prepare herself for the next gory steps. The blood oath is so wrenching that only the most desperate participate in it. Again, Alizeh wonders what drove Cyrus to make a deal with Iblees and perform the blood oath, as he is not desperate for wealth or power. She vows to find out his secrets.

Cyrus cries out in pain. The horror-struck group watches as the skin of black tightens around him. Blood draws to the surface of Cyrus’s skin and begins to leak out of his body. Soon, he is covered in a cloak of his blood. The slippery cloak falls to the floor, leaving him limp and exhausted, still bound with the black skin. Hazan tells Alizeh that after Cyrus says his promises aloud, she must wear the blood-cloak. When Alizeh puts on the cloak, she will absorb Cyrus’s blood; thus, he will be bound to her until his debt is repaid.

A wrecked-looking Cyrus rasps out that he is freely binding himself to Alizeh. Cyrus grants Alizeh the right to kill him after he pays his debt to Iblees. If Alizeh accepts, she should put on the cloak and speak Cyrus’s name. After Cyrus falls silent, Alizeh tells Hazan that she is nervous at the prospect of putting on the cloak. She had not realized the ritual would be so terrible. Hazan says that she can still back out, but Alizeh finds her courage, lifts the heaving mass of the cloak, and puts it around her shoulders. She whispers out Cyrus’s name. The cloak melts into Alizeh’s body, suffusing her with warmth and power. However, Cyrus is racked by spasms of pain. A deafening crack echoes through the room, and Cyrus crashes to the floor. Alizeh rushes to him. Hazan tells her that the night’s pain has only begun for Cyrus.

Cyrus wakes in an unfamiliar room, naked under his bedcovers. This shocks him, as it implies that he was carried like a baby to these quarters. After the blood oath, Cyrus had planned to magic himself back to a private room his mother reserved for him, ensuring no one else had to witness the terrible effects of his separation from Alizeh. Cyrus had expected to be retching and convulsing, but he feels calm, though drained of energy.

Wanting to explore his surroundings, Cyrus moves from the bedroom and into the hall of the suite. However, a jolt of pain strikes him like electricity, bringing him to his knees. The pain strikes Cyrus because he has moved away from Alizeh, who tended to him all night. Alizeh comes out of the bedroom and helps him up. Cyrus cannot tell if Alizeh is real or a dream. Alizeh settles Cyrus on the bed. Cyrus does not know what to believe: If they are in reality, Alizeh should be wearing the same royal gown she had on in the cottage. Instead, she wears a nightdress. As Alizeh and Cyrus caress each other, Cyrus admits that he afraid to close his eyes, telling Alizeh that it is because she is never there when he wakes up. She assures him that this is not a dream she will be there when he wakes up. Alizeh promises that she is not going anywhere. She will find out the truth about Cyrus and Iblees, and she will make Iblees regret the day he was born.