He continued on for a few minutes, and I nodded in all the right places. Nyla usually purchased her medicines from the more established apothecary who had a full shop on the edge of the market. But it had been early morning when I came, before the shop was open, and Samir must have been hopeful his powder would prove a success and he might gain our business in the future. He certainly worked hard—the first in the market most mornings and the last to leave.
“Samir,” I said when he paused, thinking of the long hours he worked. “Have you heard anything about any strangers nosing around asking questions? Rough men, who don’t look like they belong to the city?”
Someone had marked our house in the evening, between our leaving for the ball and my return. If they’d been wandering the streets at that hour, perhaps they’d passed through the market.
“Hmm…” His brow furrowed in thought. “I don’t know about any rough men. You wouldn’t want to be mixing with such people, Zaria. But strangers now, that’s another matter.”
His face brightened, as if pleased to find a way to be of service to Kasim’s household.
“There was a very nicely spoken stranger here just last night. From down south he was and newly arrived in the capital. Said he’d heard about a recent merchant death in the city and was afraid it might be one of his associates. When I gave him Kasim’s name, he was most grieved to realize he was indeed one of his merchant contacts. Showed just the sort of interest and respect for his passing as anyone might wish. Of course he wanted to pay his respects, and since this was his first visit to Karema, I was most honored to point out your house for myself—seeing as I was just packing up and heading home anyway. It was hardly out of my way at all.”
He paused for breath and fixed me with an inquiring look. “Of course he could not go straight in, it already being night, but I assume you’ve seen him this morning?”
I cleared my throat, trying not to show horror on my face. “What did he look like?”
“Oh, yes.” He chuckled. “Foolish me. I’m sure you’ve had many visitors since the tragic event, and I was thoughtless enough not to discover the stranger’s name. He had a distinctive look, however, so I’m sure you would recognize him. His eyebrows arched, like this.” He drew the shape on his own face, looking at me hopefully.
“Yes,” I managed, recognizing the thief called Davis in his description and feeling sick. “I believe he has been past the house.”
Samir looked pleased and said something else which I didn’t catch. I was too busy remembering the conversation I had heard from behind the broken wagon. I had misunderstood their words. I had assumed they were waiting on Davis’s input to formulate a strategy, but in fact, they were waiting for the one who left the mark to return and point out the correct house.
He was clearly the most trusted of Esai’s men and had been assigned the job of nosing around in an attempt to find Kasim. How happy he must have been to stumble on the stall holder with the most intimate knowledge of Kasim’s apparent illness and passing—and one overeager to do some service to the family.
And then Davis had left the city—or separated from the rest of the gang, at least. What could have taken him away? It must have been another task Esai trusted only to him.
“Samir,” I gasped, as the full memory of their words hit me. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.” I didn’t wait to see his reaction, dashing out of the market square in a blind panic.
Esai had said Davis would be back by now. I had assumed that his return meant they would begin formulating a new plan. But Esai had meant Davis would show them the right house when he returned.
The shadows were already lengthening, the day drawing toward its close. While I was wandering the markets, the thieves might have already attacked!
CHAPTER19
Iran through the streets, furious at my missteps of the morning. If only I had approached the palace more wisely, I might have managed to speak to Rek or Adara.
But I wasn’t the only one to blame. If only Navid hadn’t left for the day, he might have corrected the issue. Why would he go off like that? Hadn’t he wanted to talk to me after my unexpectedly early departure from the ball?
I knew I was being unfair to him, but fear consumed me, sparking an unreasoning fury. As I ran, I pictured Yara and Rowan and Layla lying as Kasim had done, slain by the thieves.
But as the streets flew past, my panic subsided somewhat. Forty men were enough to make a frontal assault on the property, overwhelming the few ceremonial guards employed by Nyla and whatever defense the other servants might attempt.
But it would be a noisy business, sure to attract attention. By the time they were finished, someone outside would have sent for the guards. Sultan Khalil didn’t tolerate violent disturbances in his city.
They couldn’t just charge in and murder everyone. They would need a more subtle approach. They might even be measured enough to want to seek information first—to find out who in the household were most likely to know about the cave.
By the time I reached the familiar street of home, I was moving at a fast walk. My initial view of the gate provided further reassurance. It looked as it always did, with no visible sign of disturbance.
I wrestled with the latch, pulling it wide and peering inside. For a terrifying moment, I registered a mass of people and objects filling the courtyard. The unusual sight sent fear rushing back through my body like a physical force.
But a second look brought clarity. It wasn’t an invading army in the courtyard but an enormous wagon surrounded by moving people. I slipped inside, closing the gate behind me, and looked for a friendly face in the crowd. I found Rowan.
He was standing at the head of a huge workhorse, scratching behind its ear while he whispered to it. A second horse stood harnessed beside it, occasionally blowing a breathy sigh. I smiled, relief making me giddy. Rowan believed it was best to get to know a new horse before attempting to unharness it, so the sight was a familiar and reassuring one.
I hurried over to him. “What’s going on?” I watched two servants struggling to carry an obviously heavy trunk between them.
Various bags, crates, and trunks had been placed in piles around the courtyard, and servants were in the process of moving them inside. When I looked more closely, I realized every servant had a familiar face. This was definitely the chaos of an unexpected arrival, not an attack.
Rowan spoke in a softer voice than normal, obviously thinking of the horses. “Ali met an old friend and invited him to stay. Or it might be a new friend. I didn’t entirely catch that part.”