Zara was chuckling now. “They believed you?”
The happiness died in my heart as the memory came to its inevitable conclusion. “They pretended to. But that night, when Malik was out with one of his tutors and I was alone, my father came to me, as he did many times, and berated me for being a bad influence on my brother. Because of me, Malik risked his life unnecessarily, stole from the doctor, lied to his parents, and looked like a fool with his head shaved.”
She frowned. “That’s terrible. You were just boys having fun. That’s what kids do.”
“Not when you are the son of a High Councilor.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I was angry. At myself. At my brother. Because my father was right. It happened over and over again. I was always getting Malik into trouble. The day he died, I had convinced him to steal
