Under cover of a cloud-darkened sky, it appeared black. Its west-facing expanse was sheared flat, as though a giant sword had cleaved down one side of it. Soon, Shesha swerved to the left, toward a snowcapped peak in the distance. His whiskers were whimsical in their bent, and his eyes were unnerving, for they glittered with the bloodred menace of the finest Hindustani ruby. In the starlight, Shesha’s long silver whiskers trailed on either side of his pointed snout, like slender ribbons streaming in a soft breeze. Though she’d heard tell of such things, Shahrzad had always considered them as one might consider a faraway star. She’d never seen such an odd creature before. Shahrzad had commanded the carpet to follow the winged serpent, but she still felt strange watching the slithering beast cavort through the clouds. A smile curved across her face as she settled in to his chest and traced an idle fingertip along his palm, all while surveying the mountains silhouetted in the distance. The chill had not seeped through Shahrzad’s skin-it never did, thanks to the warmth of the magic in her veins-but she was not one to shy away from the chance to feel Khalid’s body against hers. Without a word, Khalid draped one of the fur-lined cloaks around them and held her close. Then, when an expanse of mountains-far higher and far more imposing than those in Khorasan-appeared on the horizon, the carpet began to rise.
The carpet soared eastward for more than two hours. This time, she had not the slightest notion. True, she’d traveled faster than she’d ever believed possible-the ground had blurred beneath her, and the stars had stretched thin on either side-but she’d always had a vague sense of where she was going. T HIS WAS THE FARTHEST SHAHRZAD HAD EVER FLOWN on the magic carpet.īefore, her journeys had taken no more than an hour.