BINTA I spent the entire day at my father's compound. Nana and Kawu were worried about my mother and Aisha's journey. I tried to calm them down and assured them that they would return. My brothers' condition had not improved, and that was a serious cause for concern. Gogo was glad to see me and asked if she could pay me a visit at the palace. They had questioned me about my upcoming wedding. They wanted to know when Adam and his family would come to ask for my hand officially. I hadn't really thought about it until they asked. It was something I was looking forward to discussing with Adam. I wasn't an orphan after all. Adam needed to ask for my hand from Kawu. When I arrived at the palace, the atmosphere was different. Most of the maidens looked like they were afraid of something. They all seemed like something had happened. I needed to know what was going on. I decided I wouldn't ask anyone; instead, I would ask Adam. "Come in," I called out. Someone had knocked on my door. I had

LEILA I had less than two days to come up with a plan to free Zuwaira and two more days to leave this godforsaken, backward Island. I have always wondered how an Island can have so much power and influence over an entire country. It just didn't make sense. I had begun to hate Adam. He was the reason why we were in this mess. Even though he had requested that we should not be punished but sent packing, I still held on to the fact that there wouldn't have been a problem to deal with in the first place if he hadn't gotten nosey and let fate determine the rest. Instead, he had to meddle and investigate. I wondered what he saw in that dirty village girl. No matter how he tried to present her, she would always be an uneducated, unexposed literate that took advantage of a situation and dug for gold. She was nothing but a gold digger. I had to make sure I hurt them both, Binta most especially. What they did to me in Buchum village, on Rayuwa Island, will not go unpunished. ADAM The whole

LEILA. It was dark and cold. Adam had ordered three more glasses from the time I started watching him. I knew where the wine gourd was, and I had drugged the wine, but he hadn't requested another drink since I drugged the wine. I began to worry my stress for the day was all for nothing. When I saw him call a maiden to bring him another glass, I breathed a sigh of relief. I hung around to make sure she had taken wine from the gourd I drugged. I retired to the living area when she delivered the wine to him. I knew Adam would have to pass through there to get to his room. There were no guards in sight, and the maidens were not allowed anywhere near the prince's quarters. The evening had gone well for me. Binta wasn't around, so he would be retiring to bed alone. ADAM The whole evening became a blur. I had had too much to drink. I only took four glasses; I wondered when our local wine became so strong. Usually, one would need to consume two to three gourds of wine to get drunk. I hadn't

BINTA I found it difficult to sleep. I hadn't told Adam I would spend the night in my father's compound, so I was worried. Primarily because of his countenance lately. I wondered what was troubling his soul. I wondered what was so bad that he couldn't tell me. I decided to demand it from him when I returned in the morning. If we were going to spend the rest of our lives together, it was only fair we had no secrets between us. Secrets killed trust and ruined lives; building our relationship on secrets was not a good start. Adam needed to trust me and tell me what was troubling him. I might be able to help him or find a way to make it go away. I just hoped he would trust me enough to open up to me. I heard a cry outside, and I froze out of fear. It was deep in the night. The voice I heard was that of a child. I could not go out to investigate. Instead, I remained frozen in bed. With all the evil magic going on, staying indoors in times like this was best. Whatever it was, I did not wan

SAFIA I woke up and found myself still in the forest. Ruhun Daji sat beside me. When I looked up at her, she smiled. "I am afraid we will be in this forest longer than I hoped." She said to me with sadness in her eyes. "Aljanan Daji is stronger than I thought. Restoring me has drained you. You will need to rest and recuperate for us to try the escape again." She said, and my heart sank. I did not want to remain in this forest any longer. I missed my life back home. I missed my daughter. I was sure Binta had already begun to accomplish great things by now. I needed to be with my daughter. I needed to be by her side, supporting her and guiding her. I regretted everything. I had thrown away what I had for something I lost long ago. Why did I come on this journey, to begin with? I had always seen how people threw away what they had for something they had lost, and I had always believed it would never happen to me. Why did I abandon Binta to search for Danladi? I was speechless; all I c