The princess’s voice had grown thinner, and she seemed to sway, the stallion’s blood still staining her hands.

Princess Karina continued, “Now that the era of Sun has come to an end, let us see what the Great Mother has in store for the next. During her quest to free the patron deities, Grandmother Bahia traversed every corner of Sonande, from the snowiest peaks of the Eshran Mountains to the delta bogs of Kissi-Mokou. In honor of her tenacity, this First Challenge shall be one of endurance. Hidden throughout Ziran are five items, all bearing the symbol of my family. Only the five Champions who find the items and return them to this stage by sunrise will move to the next round. The two who do not will be removed from the competition.”

The two who failed would also be kicked out of the Azure Garden. If Malik lost his only connection to the princess this early in the competition, he’d never get another chance to be near her.

He stared at Princess Karina, taking in what he could see of her from his lower position. She was so close yet cocooned in a world far beyond any Malik had ever known. He could hardly fathom killing her when he didn’t even feel worthy enough to look at her.

“Champions, I offer you this clue: ‘Five of us we are, as different as we are alike. You hide behind my siblings and me, yet we are always in plain sight. We are found in storied places all through the day and night.’ Do you understand the rules?”

All seven Champions straightened up, their left palms displaying their emblems and their right hands moving from lips to heart. “We understand the rules!”

“And has the Great Mother deemed you worthy?”

“Our Great Mother has deemed us worthy!” they shouted, the lie burning hot in Malik’s throat.

“Then let the First Challenge commence!” Princess Karina clapped her hands, and a priestess blew a horn. “Go!”

Trilling cries and loud whoops from the crowd filled the air as the Champions dispersed, and through the commotion Malik almost missed several of the guards rushing Princess Karina off the stage with her head clutched in her hands.

Within minutes, Malik was the only Champion left on the platform, and the remaining crowd that hadn’t chased after the other Champions were screaming at him, words of support from his fellow Life-Aligned and taunts from every other Alignment. The sun was fully set now, with Jehiza Square transformed back into the nighttime carnival he had encountered during the chipekwe’s stampede.

Icy tendrils of panic wound through Malik’s mind as he watched Princess Karina’s team load her into her carriage. Should he try to intercept it while the city was distracted by the Champions? But what about the First Challenge? Would it make more sense to focus on that instead and wait to form a more solid plan even if he lost a whole day?

Neither option felt particularly good. A voice in Malik’s head screamed at him to do something, anything, but the fear of doing the wrong thing had taken hold of his body. His eyes swung around until they landed on a familiar face fighting her way to the front of the crowd and elbowing several annoyed elders in the process.

“Champion Adil! Over here, Champion Adil!”

Malik nearly cried in relief as he ran over to Leila, who had pressed her body as close to the railing surrounding the stage as the guards would allow. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed his older sister’s solid presence until she had her arms around him. Her body glowing orange from the light of the bonfire, Leila took one look at Malik and her mouth tightened in a determined line.

To the guard who stood protectively nearby, she ordered, “Champion Adil wishes to go to Life Temple so that he may pray to his goddess for guidance!”

The guard looked to Malik for confirmation, and he nodded along in what he hoped was an authoritative manner even as his stomach twisted with nerves. The soldier then called for his team to clear a path for the Champion, and within minutes Malik and Leila were on their way to the Life Temple.

Leila didn’t stop until she’d reached a room on one of the upper floors, smaller than the suite Malik had been given at the Azure Garden but still grander than any of the homes back in Oboure. Only when the door locked behind them did Leila finally let go of Malik’s hands and throw him an accusatory look.

“You’re wearing a cape.”

Malik gathered his cape in his hands, suddenly feeling defensive. He’d thought it looked kind of cool, like something an ancient warrior might wear.

“And you’re wearing purple,” he shot back. The only part of Leila’s Opening Ceremony ensemble that wasn’t in Life-Aligned purple was her old blue headscarf, and it wrapped around her face in its familiar teardrop shape. Their lives had changed so much in a single day, but it seemed some things never would.

“One of the facts of living at the Life Temple: everything they give you is purple.” Malik waited for a thank-you for arranging her lodgings, but instead she asked, “What progress have you made on your mission?”

There were no obvious signs of anyone eavesdropping on them, but Malik still kept his voice low. “I haven’t been alone since the Choosing Ceremony. I haven’t even had a chance to explore the Azure Garden or practice this . . . thing I can do.”

Leila’s eyes narrowed. “This ‘thing you can do’—how long have you been able to do it?”

“I think I knew how to when I was younger, before Nana Titi passed away, but I only just remembered now.” Here was where Leila should have apologized, or at least acknowledged that she was one of the people who had helped convince him not to trust his own senses. Uncomfortable silence fell between them, broken moments later by booming drumbeats and excited cries from Jehiza Square. Leila swore. “I think the first item’s been found.”

Malik’s mouth went dry. Only four remained now. How much time had his indecision cost him?

“Don’t panic,” Leila said sharply, a phrase that had only ever caused Malik to panic more. “Focus on passing the First Challenge. Once you do, there will be two more days until the next one, and in that time we can decide the quickest way to get you near the princess.”

Malik nodded. “And what will you do?”

“Life Temple has its own library, and apparently some of the records date back to the founding of Ziran. I’m going to see if I can find some information about this Idir. He’s the source of this whole mess.”

For the first time in a long time, Leila sounded like the ever-curious girl she had been before Papa’s desertion had forced her to grow up faster than any child should. A sudden rush of affection flooded through Malik.

His older sister was right, as usual. They both had their parts to play, and his part meant he had until sunrise to win this challenge. Malik took a deep breath and forced his thoughts back to the clue.

Five of us we are, as different as we are alike.

So there were five items, but he knew that already. Different as they were alike . . . the same kind of object, but all different shapes perhaps?

You hide behind my siblings and me, yet we are always in plain sight.

What did people hide behind? Walls? Words?

The sounds of shrieking children running through the temple wafted through the air, and they sounded so much like Nadia that Malik’s eyes burned. What if she was cold in the spirit realm? What if Idir hadn’t fed her? Nadia hadn’t eaten in days, and Malik doubted that there was anything to eat in that abandoned house covered in . . .

“Masks!” exclaimed Malik, bolting upright. “The hidden items, they’re masks!”

His excitement quickly turned to dread. There were millions of places to hide five masks in Ziran, and he didn’t have time to search every corner of the city even if he had known its layout. But what other choice did he have?

Leila glanced out the window at the sprawling nightscape below them, the city a dark creature teeming with secrets it would fight to keep hidden. “You’d better leave now if you’re going to find a mask before sunrise. I’ll come to the Azure Garden tomorrow afternoon, and we can regroup then.”

Malik nodded and turned to go, but Leila grabbed his shoulder before he could. Squeezing softly, she added, “We’re going to be all right.”

Malik gave a small smile. “We always are.”

They had to be. Nadia was counting on it.

With that, Malik bolted from the room, ignoring the feeling of his heart blocking his throat.

All he needed to do to pass the First Challenge was find a single mask. That couldn’t be impossible, right?

This was impossible.

The souk that surrounded Jehiza Square was a labyrinthine maze of branching paths that sometimes became so small nothing larger than a rat could squeeze through. The markets were arranged by trade, with cobblers near cobblers, jewelers near jewelers, and so on, and because of the circular nature of the roads, in theory one would eventually end up at Jehiza Square no matter which path they took. It was a smart design that left potential customers with a nearly unlimited selection of goods.