The helicopter's roar split the desert night.Blinding light swept across the dunes like the gaze of a god.
Lin Wei threw her arm over her eyes, sand whipping against her face. The air burned with heat and dust. Beside her, Leila cursed in Arabic, yanking Lin Wei down behind a half-collapsed dune.
"Are they yours?" Lin Wei shouted over the noise.
Leila's eyes narrowed. "No. Those aren't my people."
The beam of light swept closer. For a heartbeat, Lin Wei saw the insignia on the helicopter's tail—the royal crest. Her breath caught. "It's the palace!"
Leila turned sharply toward her, realization flashing across her features. "He actually came…"
The next second, bullets tore into the sand around them. The helicopter wasn't firing, but someone on the ground was—black-clad men emerging from the shadows, rifles gleaming under the searchlight.
"Move!" Leila dragged Lin Wei up and sprinted toward the rocks. The two women ran, stumbling through the shifting dunes, each breath searing their lungs. The desert became a blur of noise, wind, and gunfire.
Then—a shout.
"Lin Wei!"
That voice—raw, desperate, unmistakable.
She turned just in time to see a figure drop from the hovering helicopter, landing hard in the sand. The spotlight hit his face—Hamdan.
Her heart jolted. He wasn't supposed to be here. He was royalty. He wasn't supposed to bleed, to chase, to risk. Yet here he was, coat whipping in the wind, pistol drawn, eyes locked on her.
"Stay down!" he roared, firing at the men closing in.
Leila hissed, "He'll get us both killed."
"Then help me stop him!" Lin Wei snapped, grabbing a shard of metal from the wreckage and hurling it toward one of the attackers. The man fell with a curse.
The two women moved like instinct—uneasy allies, bound by survival.
Hamdan reached them seconds later, grabbing Lin Wei's wrist. "You're hurt."
She yanked free. "I can still run."
He exhaled sharply, almost smiling. "Still stubborn."
Leila stood back, arms crossed even as her chest heaved from exhaustion. "Touching reunion. Too bad we're surrounded."
Hamdan turned toward her, eyes narrowing. "You're the reason she's here."
Leila arched a brow. "Please. If I wanted her dead, she'd be buried already."
"Then who did this?"
Leila hesitated, then said quietly, "Someone who sits closer to your father's throne than you realize."
Before Hamdan could respond, a distant rumble rolled through the dunes.
A convoy of black jeeps was approaching fast.
"Not palace guards," Leila murmured. "Whoever wants us gone just doubled down."
Hamdan grabbed Lin Wei's hand. "We're leaving."
"There's nowhere to go!" she protested.
He pointed toward a ridge barely visible in the moonlight. "There's an old fortress—Bedouin ruins. We can make it if we move now."
They ran.Sand swallowed their steps, engines howling behind them. Bullets whined past, slicing the night. Lin Wei's lungs burned, her muscles screaming, but she didn't stop.
Hamdan was beside her, half pulling, half shielding her. Every few seconds he turned, firing into the darkness. Leila followed close, silent but deadly, a knife flashing in her hand whenever a shadow moved too close.
By the time they reached the fortress, Lin Wei could barely stand. The ancient walls rose from the dunes like bones, cracked but still defiant against time.
They slipped inside, crouching behind fallen pillars.
"Whoever's funding this," Hamdan said between breaths, "has access to military-grade weapons. This isn't just palace politics anymore."
Leila brushed sand from her face, her tone flat. "You're finally catching up."
Hamdan shot her a look. "If you know something—say it."
Leila's lips curved into a bitter smile. "Let's just say, not everyone wants to see the King alive by the end of the month."
Lin Wei froze. "You mean…?"
Leila's gaze flicked toward Hamdan. "Ask your father's chief advisor. The one who arranged your maid's 'transfer.'"
Hamdan's expression hardened. "Minister Rahim."
Leila didn't deny it. "He's building alliances, arming his own men. If the council votes him regent while the King's health declines…" She trailed off, letting the implication hang.
Silence.
Then Hamdan turned to Lin Wei. His voice softened. "You weren't supposed to be part of this. But now you've seen too much."
Lin Wei met his gaze. "So what? You're going to lock me up again?"
A faint smile ghosted his lips. "No. This time, I need you."
Leila's laugh was low, dangerous. "How romantic. Just remember, Hamdan—if she's with you, she's also a target."
"Then they'll have to go through me first," he said simply.
Lin Wei wanted to be angry at his arrogance, but there was something else in his tone—raw, almost broken. She looked away, heat rising in her cheeks despite the cold desert wind.
Outside, the engines faded. Silence stretched again.
Leila checked her weapon. "They'll be back before sunrise. We can't stay here."
Hamdan nodded. "We move at dawn. Until then, we rest."
He took off his jacket and draped it over Lin Wei's shoulders. She wanted to protest, but exhaustion won.
As she drifted toward uneasy sleep, she heard them arguing softly in Arabic—Hamdan's low, furious, Leila's sharp, taunting.
She didn't understand the words, but one name repeated again and again: Rahim.
Hours later.A distant boom jolted her awake. Smoke rose from the horizon—the same direction as the palace.
Hamdan was already on his feet, expression pale. "That's the capital."
Leila's phone buzzed. She glanced at the message and froze.
"What is it?" Lin Wei asked.
Leila's voice was barely above a whisper. "The King's convoy… was attacked on the way to the council."
Hamdan's breath left him in a rush. "He's…?"
"No one knows," Leila said. "But the army's already declaring martial law."
Hamdan's jaw clenched, fury and grief flashing in his eyes. "Rahim moved faster than I thought."
Leila looked up from her phone, meeting his gaze. "Then congratulations, Your Highness. You're officially the most wanted man in your own kingdom."
he distant sky was stained with a blood-red glow. Lin Wei lifted her gaze toward that direction—the Royal Palace.
A sudden realization struck her: that explosion was never just about the throne.
And she—she might be the lynchpin in this entire conspiracy...