Rowan nodded his understanding and crouched to gently lift the wrapped figure from beneath his shoulders. Navid and I leaped to assist, and between the three of us, we managed to carry him around the corner, through the stable door, and out into the courtyard again.
At the quiet sounds of our shuffling movement, the kitchen door swung open, spilling warm, yellow light into the courtyard.
“I’ve been keeping the fire hot for you,” Yara’s motherly voice called softly. “You’ll be wanting your tea before you head for bed.”
I wasn’t sure if she was talking to Rowan, to me, or to both of us. But a second later she got a look at us and let out a shocked gasp.
“Hold the door,” Rowan puffed, and she quickly pulled back, holding the kitchen door wide for us.
Awkwardly we shuffled through and laid Kasim on the long kitchen table in the center of the room.
“It’s Kasim,” Rowan said shortly to Yara. “That’s all I know.”
“Kasim!” Yara’s cry seemed painfully loud in the stillness of the night, but she had already closed the outside door, and I knew only Yara’s own room lay anywhere near the kitchens.
“We need to wake Nyla,” I said. “It would be best to send Layla to do that. No one else can know about this. Not yet.”
Both of them must have picked up on the fear in my voice because neither uttered a single protest or question.
“I’ll go for Layla,” Yara said, and Rowan nodded, saying he would lock the outside door and guard the internal one in case anyone else awoke and came investigating.
Navid and I were left standing over the body, and with reluctance, I began to unwrap his head.
“For Nyla?” Navid asked, and I nodded.
“She’ll need to see it’s him for herself, of course. And his face looks perfectly peaceful.”
“It doesn’t seem real.” Navid looked down at his uncle.
“If only he had stayed at home tonight.” I sighed.
The silent minutes ticked on, only to be broken by a piercing scream. I jumped, caught off guard by Nyla’s arrival. Thankfully, Rowan had already whisked the heavy wooden door closed again, so I turned my attention to Nyla.
“Kasim!” she screamed again, and then promptly went into hysterics.
Even Layla, who had trailed her into the kitchen, pulled back at that, exchanging a panicked look with Yara. I stepped forward, however, and took Nyla firmly by the shoulders.
“You must calm down at once,” I said loudly, over her shrieks, “or we’ll all end up like him.”
She stopped immediately, making me wonder how much of the hysterics had been a performance.
Looking around the kitchen, her lip curled. “He didn’t even get any of the gold, did he? I should have gone myself.”
Hiding my own disgust at her coldness, I looked her directly in the eyes.
“If you had, you’d be the one lying on the table. And now we need to come up with a plan—quickly—or we’ll all be buried beside him.”
CHAPTER14
“That’s your second death threat,” Nyla said. “I’ve half a mind to call the guards! Why are you here in the middle of the night with my husband’s body?”
Navid took a step forward. “My uncle died through his own foolishness and greed, and I suggest you listen to what Zaria has to say. She’s only trying to protect you and this whole household.”
Nyla’s eyes narrowed as she took in his protective posture, but she remained silent, allowing me to resume.
“The gold you wanted Kasim to claim actually belongs to a gang of thieves. They caught him stealing it and stabbed him. It happened so fast there was no time for anyone to help him—even if there had been help nearby, which there wasn’t.”
Nyla looked sick, as if the situation was finally sinking in.