For a wild moment, I considered trying to sneak after them, but the grinding noise of the cave entrance began, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hear anything regardless. When the noise finished, I waited impatiently for it to begin again, signaling the gang had all departed and were closing the entrance behind them.
Although it couldn’t have been long in reality, it seemed to take an inordinately long time before complete silence fell. The silence stretched out for a full minute. None of my companions moved or spoke, and I could only assume they were doing the same as me—straining their ears as they waited nervously for the grinding to resume. If any of the thieves came back, or realized they’d forgotten something, or…
Eventually the silence became too much to bear, and I kicked the carpet in front of me with unnecessary force. It fell forward with a thump that echoed across the cave.
I stood, stretching carefully as my body screamed at me in protest for having kept my curled position for so long. A light flickered, illuminating the cavern, and Rek appeared. He hurried toward me, and I went forward to meet him in the middle.
I swerved around Kasim’s body, carefully averting my face. Rek, however, was looking down at him, a mixture of frustration and sorrow on his face.
“I don’t suppose you know who that was or what he was doing here?” he asked.
“That was Kasim,” I said shortly.
“Kasim?” He looked up at me in surprise. “You mean the man you work for? But he’s Navid’s uncle.” He looked toward the back of the cave where Adara and Navid had just appeared.
“There wasn’t a lot of affection between them, but…” I hurried toward Navid. “I’m so sorry,” I said to him. “I was going to come out—to try to help him—but it all happened so quickly.”
Navid frowned, obviously confused. He took a step around me, peering toward what held Rek’s attention. For a blank moment, he just stared at his uncle’s body, and then he swallowed convulsively.
“Is that…?”
“Yes,” I said softly. “He must have convinced your father to tell him about the cave, gone to get the donkeys, and then come straight here. Only then he couldn’t remember the words he needed to reopen the entrance.” I shook my head. “Given how quickly everything happened, I suspect he would have run into the thieves outside even if he had managed to get it open.”
“I didn’t pick my hiding place very well.” Navid sounded slightly sick. “I couldn’t properly see or hear anything at the front of the cave.” A fleeting glance toward Adara told me what he’d been thinking of when he chose his position.
“I couldn’t work out what was going on, either,” Adara said in a small, sad voice. “I had no idea…” She trailed off, her brow furrowed, her concerned eyes on Navid.
“If he hadn’t been so greedy, this would never have happened,” Navid said harshly. “He must have bullied Father into telling him the truth and giving him all the details, but what did he even need more gold for? He was already rich!”
“Some people can never have enough.” Adara slipped her hand into his, giving it a comforting squeeze.
Rek cleared his throat significantly, and she flushed slightly and pulled her hand away. Rek’s disapproving gaze lingered on Navid, however, making me uneasy. Navid must have forgotten that we’d left his father out of the story we gave the royals. But when Rek spoke, he didn’t mention Ali.
“As sorry as I am about your uncle, Navid, I’m even more concerned about the effect this could have on the whole kingdom. I got a good look at most of the thieves, but beyond that, we heard little information of use. They mentioned nothing about a second base, and now it sounds like they mean to move to another part of the kingdom for several months.”
“No,” Samuel corrected him with a furrowed brow. “Theyweregoing south. It sounded to me like they now mean to stay here and investigate this uncle of Navid.” He nodded toward Kasim’s body.
“Yes, that’s what it sounded like to me, too,” I said.
An intense look came into Rek’s eyes, as if he were calculating something. “You were both slightly closer than me, so you’ll have heard better. My long legs made finding a place difficult. If the thieves intend to investigate inside the capital, that’s a real opportunity for us. They normally avoid large cities and stick to the roads.” His brow clouded. “But you work in Kasim’s household, Zaria. You could be in danger.”
I shrugged, trying to downplay my own concern. “I’m a nameless, faceless servant girl—one of many. I’ve seen the thieves twice now, but they’ve never seen me. I shouldn’t think I’m in any especial danger. Navid is more likely to be in trouble than me.”
“I’m not worried about that,” Navid said instantly. “Catching this gang is worth a little risk.”
Rek nodded solemnly. “You have personal reason to want them brought to justice, so I shan’t try to deny you have a right to get involved.”
Navid thanked him, but a glance my way showed his feelings were more complicated than he was letting on. He wouldn’t miss Kasim at all, and he probably felt guilt at being assigned the role of grieving relative.
A stab of true sorrow hit me. Who would miss Kasim as a person rather than a provider of employment? Would anyone? Certainly Nyla wouldn’t.
How truly sad to live a life surrounded by people but connected to no one by either love or respect. It put my own desire to cling to those I had loved in perspective.
“I’m sure the thieves were talking about the enchantment as well,” I said, steering my thoughts back to more immediate matters. “But I can’t quite put it together. None of it made sense without more information.”
I worried at the tantalizing threads in my mind, going over the different comments they’d made. Strangest of all had been their odd behavior around the retiring thief and his saddlebags of treasure.
I turned to Adara and Navid. “I couldn’t hear or see much from the front, but could you see that thief who went right to the back and was taking treasure instead of leaving it?”