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woman with a good heart. She was the mother of this caravan and she looked forward to giving the Spider a son. She fairly glowed. Pregnancy agreed with her, if you don't mind me saying."
          Amani stared out at the faraway dunes. She'd been so caught up in Ziyad losing his wife, that she'd forgotten he also mourned his heir. But it was clear to her that the people of his caravan had loved Karis almost as much as he did.
          "I'm not here to replace her, Hyram," she said in a small voice. "I want you to know that. Karis was a lucky woman, to be so loved."
          "She is with the god of Spiders now, Your Grace," he answered. "Perhaps she looks down on us."
          Amani glanced at the sky. "Perhaps she does."
    ~ * ~
          Amani wanted to exhaust herself. If she kept walking, if she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, she could keep her mind off the fact that she'd never be able to compete with Karis. She had no idea it would affect her so deeply. It hadn't been too long ago she thought perhaps the love of a child or the love of Ziyad's people could fill the void in her heart.
          Now she wasn't so sure.
          But she was determined not to pity herself. She'd chosen to marry the Spider Prince. She could have walked away. She would have shamed him, her father, and herself, but she could have said no.
          But the longer she walked alongside the Spider's caravan, the more she came to realize the reasons she thought were legitimate for marrying Ziyad were just excuses. Secretly, in her heart of hearts, she'd thought he would come to love her. Amani had hoped he would look at her differently and realize he couldn't live without her.
          What a fool she'd been. These past two years waiting for him to marry her should have given her a clue to her future. She would forever be an outsider in the Spider's caravan, allowed to wear his colors, but never his love.
          She was so thirsty. It had to be late afternoon. But she wasn't going to stop until they camped for the night. Maybe if she collapsed in her carav tonight, she wouldn't dream of her husband.
          As if he'd heard her thoughts, he appeared beside her. "How long have you been walking, Amani?"
          "I don't know," she answered, wiping her brow.
          "Hyram tells me you have been walking for hours. And without a dunla for your head. Look at you, your cheeks are flushed! Do you have water?"
    "Back in my carav, probably."
    "Are you mad, woman?"
    She chuckled at his tone. "I think I might be."
          He gave her a strange look. "Come." Ziyad grabbed her arm and dragged her along behind him. The heat had drained her, just as she wanted, but that meant she had no strength to fight him.
          Amani's eyes widened when she realized where he was taking her. His royal carav. Before she could protest, he scooped her into his arms, opened his door with his magic, and bounded up the steps with a grace she'd never possess. Once inside, he kicked his door shut and set her down.
          Amani had to blink a few times to get her eyes to adjust to the dark, but she sighed at the cool air. All she wanted to do was sink to the floor and sleep. Ziyad led her across the carav and sat her on a pedestal. It was surrounded with soft pillows and black silks.
          It was his throne.
          "Spider, no," she protested, trying to stand. He pushed her back down.
          Ziyad loomed over her as he reached for something near the throne, but he didn't speak. When he straightened, she noticed he held a silver pitcher embossed with a spider and filled with water. He poured some into a matching goblet and handed it to her.
          "You should know better than to walk in the desert with no water." Despite his harsh words, his voice was as smooth as the silks she sat on.
          Amani drank, being careful to take small sips. The cool liquid felt