“Indeed,” Rek said, a frosty edge to the word. “My father had been working toward the goal for some time.”
“He was totally paranoid about it,” Adara interjected. “He didn’t want anything to go wrong, or for there to be any disruption to their journey, so he kept the whole thing under strictest secrecy. He was going to announce it once they arrived here, at the capital, and then there would have been a series of events and celebrations to make the most of it.”
“So what happened?” I asked, my stomach sinking.
“Their desert crossing initially brought them to Ardasira, and they traveled north by road from there,” Rek said grimly. “Almost as soon as they crossed the border into Kuralan, they were attacked by the gang of thieves. Father had sent a squad of our guards to meet them at the border, to bolster the numbers of their own guards, so the actual delegation escaped. However, a number of guards—both ours and theirs—were killed. The delegation formed the impression Kuralan was a lawless, dangerous place and turned straight back to Ardasira.”
“Oh no!” I swallowed, my eyes widening.
That story must have spread all over the Four Kingdoms by now. This could destroy all Kuralan’s hopes of future wealth through trade with the new kingdoms. We’d had nearly a decade of poor harvests now, and people had been pinning their hopes on the desert crossing newly rediscovered by Ardasira and on the prosperous kingdoms beyond.
I exchanged a glance with Navid. I would never betray Rek and Adara’s confidence. But Rek could rest easy in Navid’s discretion as well—if the story became widely known here in Karema, it would bring far too much unwanted attention to Mariam’s planned cover story.
“Could it be coincidence?” Navid asked with a frown. “That gang has been terrorizing the roads on and off for decades.”
The lines on Rek’s face deepened. “My family is well aware of their depredations, and the guards have been under instruction to do all they can to capture them for years. More than once, we thought we had them only for the gang to disappear.”
“I meant no criticism of your family,” Navid said quickly. “I’m just trying to consider all the possibilities.”
I knew I should say something to smooth the moment over, but I was too busy thinking. The thieves disappearing sounded ominously familiar. I was going to have to tell Rek what I knew. But I would protect Navid and his family if I could.
“It was an ambush,” Adara said sadly. “Several merchant caravans passed through untouched—and they had less protection than the delegation. There’s no question it was targeted.”
“Which means someone in the palace had to have directed them to make the attack,” Rek said. “No one else knew the delegation was coming, let alone the exact timing and route. Father is overseeing the investigation on the palace end himself, but he has permitted me to go after the gang. If we can finally capture them, we can learn from them who they’re working with.”
“It’s an impossible task,” Adara said matter-of-factly. “No one’s caught the gang in decades. But of course Rek is determined to succeed.” She sent him an affectionate smile.
“Of course I’ll do my duty by my kingdom to the best of my ability,” Rek said stiffly.
Adara rolled her eyes. “Of course it has nothing to do with impressing Father sufficiently for him to give you command of the delegation he wants to send to Lanover to repair relations.”
“The delegation can’t go until the traitor—and the gang—are caught,” Rek said. “We have to be able to show we’ve dealt with the problem decisively if we’re to lure them back.”
“Have you considered Azzam?” I muttered under my breath, but Adara caught the words.
“Azzam?” She stared at me. “He’s the one who told me you’d gone to Ardasira! What a snake! He said he didn’t know the name of your family, but he was sure you’d write as soon as you had the chance. I’ve hated him ever since,” she added vehemently. “Even before I knew it was a lie, I thought him unfeeling for sending you off without even a goodbye. And now…you’re probably right! He must be the traitor.”
“Azzam?” Rek frowned, something flashing in his eyes. “I didn’t know he was the one to tell you about Zaria leaving. I thought it was one of the officials—the one who resigned around that time—not a vizier.” His frown deepened. “My efforts to track her down would have been easier if I’d known the person involved in her departure was still at the palace!”
“Sorry, I thought I told you.” Adara sounded guilty. It was just like her to be so scatterbrained, though.
Rek was silent for a moment. “It’s strange behavior, and I’ll certainly be holding Azzam accountable for his actions, but it’s a big leap from that to treason.” His attention had returned to the more important matter on his mind.
“No, it’s not!” A mulish look crept over Adara’s face. “He lied to us! How can we trust him now?”
“We can’t, of course,” Rek said. “I’m not minimizing what he did. I’ll see him out of the palace, if I can manage it. But we have to take the investigation against the traitor seriously. We need actual evidence because if we make a mistake and leave the real culprit free to act, it could be fatal.”
A vindictive part of me cheered at the thought of Azzam being the one thrown from the palace, but a more cautious part prevailed. “Please don’t send Azzam away in disgrace on my behalf.”
“He sent you out here to be a servant forthree years,” Adara cried. “We only found you again by accident. Of course we should get rid of him.”
Rek met my eyes, a serious look in his. “I understand your concern, Zaria. And I swear I’ll do everything I can to ensure he can’t come after you—given what he’s done to you previously it’s a valid fear. But we can’t just let it go. He acted without authorization and then lied to us about it. How could we trust him as a vizier going forward?”
“Of course you couldn’t,” I said and hesitated. “But that is assuming…I mean, there are other…possibilities.” I wasn’t sure how to discreetly phrase my thoughts, but I had long assumed his parents wished to keep us apart due to my loss of status, and it was still possible that was true.
For a moment Rek just frowned at me, and then understanding crossed his face. He stepped closer, dropping his voice low so the others couldn’t hear.
“You fear Azzam was not acting without authorization, but under the command of my parents. It would make more sense of his actions, but I can’t believe it to be true. They always liked you.”