“I didn’t actually come about food—delicious as everything you make is.”
Yara’s eyebrow rose higher. “What’s all this then? Flattery? What sort of favor are you after?”
“Not one for me. I’ve come from Ali’s, and Mariam asked if she could borrow your scales.”
“My scales! Whatever will she want next?” Yara looked put out, so I hurried back into speech.
“She’s very grateful for your continued goodwill. She called that stew you sent them last week divine, and said she hopes Nyla appreciates that she has a true artist in her employ.”
“Well, as to that…” Yara’s glower melted into a smile. “It’s very kind of her to send such a message, I’m sure.” Her brows lowered again. “Even if it’s just to butter me up for another favor.”
“No, no, I’m sure it’s not,” I said quickly. “She said it well before she asked for the scales. Navid was the one who told me, and he agreed most heartily.”
“Well, as for that young scamp…” Yara smiled in a matronly way, shooting me what she no doubt thought a furtive look.
But this was another topic I preferred not to engage with on the day. I knew it brought pleasure to my friends in the household to think there was more between Navid and me than mere friendship, so it wasn’t an easy notion to talk them out of.
“As it happens,” said Yara, unbending even more, “I have just recently purchased a newer, larger set of scales. So Mariam can borrow my old ones without causing any great inconvenience.” Her voice darkened again. “Not that she could have known that.”
I jumped down from the stool. “She’ll be glad to hear she’s causing no inconvenience, I’m sure. Can I take them now? I promised to drop them over first thing tomorrow before setting off with Ali.”
“The forest again so soon?” Yara asked, any irritation with Mariam forgotten. “That woman will drive you into your grave.” I knew she wasn’t referring to Mariam, so I just laughed.
“I’m not so weak, I promise you. Do you really think I’m likely to expire just from a few days of walking in the forest?”
Yara put her hands on her hips. “And have you eaten anything today?”
“Well…” I hesitated, not willing to actually lie. “It was a busy morning, and then—”
“Exactly!” Yara cried triumphantly. “Don’t try to pull anything over on me. I was serving Nyla before you were a babe in arms, and if anyone knows her true nature it’s me.”
“My condolences,” I muttered, and her volatile mood shifted again, a chuckle shaking her.
Yara’s cooking was famous throughout the city, and her food enabled Nyla to take pride in her dinners. She had to hire outside entertainers for the events, since no dinner was complete without some form of entertainment with dessert, but she never needed to hire a special cook as other households did.
Everyone knew Nyla paid Yara a veritable fortune to remain in her service, just as Kasim paid Rowan similar to retain his superior skill with the horses. They paid their junior servants a great deal less well, and rarely retained them long as a result. No one had been serving Nyla as long as Yara.
“Just make sure you eat everything on that plate before you let her catch sight of you!” Yara ordered, and I meekly agreed.
Minutes later, I tottered out of the kitchen with a heaped plate in one hand and the scales wedged under my other arm. I took the long way around to the back stairs, successfully making it to my own room without being seen by anyone.
The food was welcome and the sanctuary even more so, but before I could enjoy either of them, I had one final task to complete. Placing my plate on a small table and dropping the scales on the small chest that held my clothes, I pulled out the single golden coin weighing down my pocket.
Safe in my room, without the prickly feeling on the back of my neck that I’d had the whole time in the cave, I examined it. The only difference between this coin and the ones already hidden beneath my bed was the bright shine of the gold. The others had passed through many hands, but this one looked untouched and new. But shouldn’t an ancient coin be stamped with a different design than the modern ones used in both Ardasira and Kuralan?
With a feeling of discomfort, I concluded this particular coin must be a more recent addition by the thieves. But once added to the hoard, it had become enmeshed in the enchantment and its protective effects. Once that thought had taken root, I had no desire to keep holding the coin. Dropping to my knees, I retrieved the leather pouch from its hiding place beneath the bed.
Opening it, I pulled out a coin and held it up side by side with the new one for one final examination. I could still see no difference beyond the brightness of the new one which made it stand out against my other coins. Sighing, I put both coins into the pouch and pulled it closed again.
I gazed at the scales as I wolfed down my dinner. In themselves, they were an innocuous item, but they seemed to represent all the chaos of the day.
I had just finished the plate when a knock on my door made me flinch. I hurried to answer it, reminding myself Nyla had never come to my room before and was unlikely to start now.
A tall, thin woman stood on the other side, an impatient look on her face. I knew her well enough to know that was her habitual expression, though.
“Long day, Layla?” I asked with sympathy.
Layla was another of the tiny circle who had been in Nyla’s employ for years. Unlike Yara and Rowan she had no particular area of expertise other than the valuable ability to endure Nyla’s moods. In exchange for that imperturbability, Nyla paid her nearly as much as Yara. She might not care about the ever changing faces among the maids or guards or grooms, but she hadn’t liked constantly having to train a new personal servant.