These Infinite Threads (This Woven Kingdom, #2)

by Tahereh Mafi

Oh, she had never feared death. No, it was life that scared her, life that scarred her. It was the slow torture of consciousness that had done its utmost to crush her. Alizeh was meant to be the salvation of her people—destined to save the Jinn of this world from the horrors they’d endured for centuries. How could she not carry the weight of this failure with her always? The burden had been hers to bear and she’d borne it badly. Now she was trapped between a deranged king and the devil himself, and she feared, for a terrible moment, that she might fail to overcome this, too. A wave of panic seized her body. Alizeh’s legs shook, her knees suddenly giving out; she staggered back a step, the heels of her bare feet striking the trunk of the nearest tree. She braced herself against its heft, her head filling with the scent of pine. She’d grown used to the sound of the rushing water now—experiencing it more as a comforting hum than a distracting noise—and as her heart steadied, she was better able to discern the sounds of leaves fluttering, a charm of birds chirping melodies into the sunrise. Alizeh drew a deep, steadying breath.