pride would not allow her to do either, so instead she offered him a gift in return.
“She’s not just a div,” Soraya said. “She called herself a ‘parik.’” She told Sorush what Parvaneh had told her about the different kinds of divs, and that pariks were more human in appearance in order to work as spies. It wasn’t the answer Sorush was looking for, but he listened raptly, any knowledge better than none.
“In a week’s time, come to the fire temple at dawn,” he told her. “We’ll be alone, and you can tell me anything you’ve learned between now and then. And thank you, Soraya.”
Soraya wondered if she was supposed to return the thanks, or to somehow acknowledge the friendship they had shared in childhood. But her throat closed up whenever she prepared to speak, and so instead she said, “The soldier who accompanied me to the dungeon—you won’t punish him, will you?”
Sorush smiled. “Of course not.” The smile grew strained as he added, “You will be careful, though, won’t you?”
Soraya almost relished the question. It was easier to feel resentment than gratitude toward him. “I’m always careful,” she said.
They stared at each other, the sun and his jealous shadow returning to their natural trajectory before Sorush quickly looked away.
* * *
The cell appeared empty, but Soraya knew better. She searched the shadows, looking for those hawk’s eyes, or a flash of a smile.
Instead, she heard a voice: “I thought you’d be back.”
Soraya had waited a few restless days before returning, enough time for Sorush to inform the guards to look the other way if they heard voices coming from the cavern. Now, Parvaneh stepped forward, her black hair and the patterns on her skin making her look like she’d been formed from the shadows themselves. “Do you still think I’m lying to you?”
The image of her mother’s stricken face flashed through her mind, and Soraya said, “No, I believe you.”
“Go on, then,” Parvaneh said, her fingers wrapping around the bars. “Ask me.”
Soraya swallowed, her heartbeat echoing through her body. Somehow—from the intensity of Parvaneh’s stare, or from the feel of blood and poison rushing through her veins—she knew that if she asked the question, she would get an answer this time.
“How do I lift my curse?”
Parvaneh stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before she said, “What did your mother say, when you asked her if she was lying? Did she admit it?”
Soraya tensed. She felt like she was about to come apart. “Will you tell me or won’t you?”
“If you want me to be honest with you, then you need to be honest with me. Did your mother admit it, or didn’t she?”
“No,” Soraya spat out.
“But you still knew she was lying. Interesting.” Parvaneh leaned closer. “And I have a feeling you didn’t tell her about our little talk. I thought humans were supposed to be the honest ones.”
“Please,” Soraya choked out, the last remains of her composure falling away. “Please, tell me what you know.” She tried to breathe, to stop the spread of green she knew must be webbing across her skin, but she was so tired of secrets—tired of being one. If she had to hand over her dignity in exchange for the answers she wanted, then so be it.
Something hardened in Parvaneh’s eyes, her voice grave as she said, “I’m trying to spare you. Once I tell you the answer, you won’t know another moment’s peace.”
“I’ve never known a moment’s peace. Tell me.”
Parvaneh opened her mouth to speak, but then she turned away, walking the length of her cell along the bars. “What will you give me, if I tell you?”
Ah, there it was. Soraya should have expected this, but in her desperation she had forgotten that the div would likely want something in return. “What do you want?” she asked.
Parvaneh paused, one eyebrow raised as she looked at Soraya. “Would you grant me my freedom?”
“I could speak to my brother on your behalf,” Soraya said quickly. “I could ask him—”
Parvaneh waved the offer away. “You and I both know that means nothing. You could free me right now if you wanted.”
Soraya shook her head. “I don’t have that power.”
“No?” Parvaneh stretched one arm through the bars, her finger pointing at the lit brazier, still emitting its constant smoke. “All you would have to do is put out that brazier. I could do the rest myself.”
Soraya looked from the brazier to Parvaneh and back again. Would she let the div go free