The desert dawn bled into crimson.Smoke still curled on the horizon where the palace had been.
Hamdan stood motionless at the edge of the ruins, the wind tugging at his torn sleeves. The explosion's echo seemed to linger in his chest, too loud, too hollow.
Leila's phone buzzed again. Her lips tightened as she scanned the new reports. "The council is claiming Rahim is acting regent. They've sealed the palace. Anyone loyal to the royal line is being hunted."
Hamdan turned sharply. "And my father?"
Leila hesitated. "They say he's missing. Which, in this country, usually means dead."
The words sliced through the air like glass.
Lin Wei stepped closer, her voice quiet but firm. "Then they'll come for you next."
Hamdan looked at her, eyes shadowed. "They already are."
By noon, the fortress was surrounded.
Engines hummed low in the distance—too disciplined to be bandits. Through the cracked stone, Lin Wei saw the shimmer of armored vehicles.
"We're boxed in," Leila muttered. "No signal. No exit."
Hamdan paced like a caged lion. "We hold until nightfall. Then we move."
"To where?" Lin Wei asked.
"There's an airfield hidden near the old border," he said. "My father used it during the oil wars. If we reach it, we can disappear."
Leila snorted. "Disappear? You're the prince. You don't just vanish."
Hamdan's reply was quiet but deadly. "Watch me."
The air between them vibrated with tension. Leila wanted control. Hamdan wanted vengeance. And Lin Wei—still dust-streaked, still trembling—was the only one thinking about survival.
"We can't fight tanks with pistols," she said. "We need misdirection. A decoy."
Both of them looked at her.
Leila's brow arched. "You're suggesting we run while someone else stays?"
Lin Wei's jaw tightened. "No. I'll stay."
Hamdan's head snapped toward her. "Absolutely not."
"You need someone to draw them away," she said, steady now. "You'll never make it past their perimeter otherwise."
"I won't leave you here," he snapped.
Her gaze didn't waver. "You left me once already, remember?"
The silence after that was unbearable. Leila's smirk faltered; even the wind seemed to pause.
Finally, Leila spoke. "She's right, Hamdan. She's the only one they won't shoot on sight."
Hamdan's glare cut through her, but he knew it was true. His name was a target. Lin Wei was still—technically—a civilian.
"I'll buy you time," Lin Wei said softly. "You said I wasn't supposed to be part of this. So let me prove I'm more than collateral."
Hamdan exhaled sharply, his hand closing around hers for the briefest second. "You walk away from this, you understand me? You live."
She smiled faintly. "That's the plan."
An hour later, the decoy plan was set.
Hamdan and Leila slipped through the underground tunnels beneath the fortress—old smugglers' paths half-buried in sand—while Lin Wei stayed behind, surrounded by empty shell casings and burning torches.
When the first patrol reached the ruins, she stood alone in the open doorway.
"Stop right there!" the commander barked.
Lin Wei raised her hands slowly. "Don't shoot. I'm unarmed."
The soldiers surrounded her, weapons raised. Their insignia gleamed in the light—Rahim's private guard.
"So it's true," the commander sneered. "The maid lives."
Lin Wei forced herself to stay calm. "Where's Prince Hamdan?"
He laughed. "You'll see him soon enough—on a scaffold."
As they closed in, she took a careful step backward, pressing her heel against the concealed detonator Hamdan had left her. One squeeze.
A tremor ran through the ground. Then—
Boom.
A line of explosions ripped through the outer wall, a chain of fire swallowing the vehicles. Smoke and chaos erupted around her.
Lin Wei ducked behind the wreckage, running through the haze. Shouts echoed, bullets cracked overhead—but she didn't stop.
Far across the dunes, Hamdan turned at the sound. "She triggered it."
Leila glanced back, eyes unreadable. "She bought you your escape. Don't waste it."
Hamdan's jaw clenched. "She bought us our chance. I'm going back."
Leila's hand shot out, gripping his arm. "You'll die if you do."
He wrenched free. "Then I die with her."
She stared at him, something flickering behind her mask of arrogance—fear, or perhaps regret. "Fine. Go play your hero. But don't expect me to clean up your corpse."
Back in the ruins, Lin Wei was out of breath, cornered behind a crumbling pillar. The smoke was thick; her ears rang.
A shadow loomed through the haze.
"Drop the weapon," a voice ordered.
She froze. The tone was cold, precise—different from the soldiers'.
When the figure stepped into view, she realized why. It wasn't Rahim. It was Omar.
Her stomach dropped. "You—"
He raised a hand, palm open. "Don't move."
Her mind spun. "You're with them?"
Omar's expression was unreadable. "You think I'd trust Hamdan's version of the truth? You think any of this is that simple?"
She stared at him, betrayal slicing through her. "You helped Rahim."
He shook his head. "I helped the only side that could keep the kingdom from falling apart. Hamdan doesn't understand—our father's death was inevitable. Rahim just… made it happen sooner."
Lin Wei's pulse pounded. "You killed the King?"
Omar's eyes darkened. "I didn't pull the trigger. But I didn't stop it either."
The words hung in the smoke like poison.
Before Lin Wei could speak, Hamdan's voice roared from behind. "Get away from her!"
He burst through the dust, gun drawn. The two brothers faced each other—one in the shadow, one in the flame.
Omar didn't flinch. "Still protecting her, even when she's the reason you lost everything?"
Hamdan's jaw tightened. "She's the only reason I haven't lost myself."
For a heartbeat, no one moved. The world held its breath.
Then Omar smiled—sad, broken. "You always were father's favorite."
The shot came before Lin Wei could scream.
The sound echoed through the ruins. Smoke curled around them.Hamdan staggered back, blood blooming across his shoulder.
Lin Wei froze. Omar lowered his gun, eyes glistening."Now run," he said softly. "Before I change my mind."
She caught Hamdan as he fell, their eyes locking for one suspended moment—fear, rage, love—all tangled together.
Outside, the sun was rising again over the kingdom of ashes.