Moments later I changed my mind. A group of young men, already singing a bawdy song and leaning heavily on each other, came in, searching for further drinks.
One of them looked my way, and I immediately abandoned my plate and remaining food and made a dignified rush for the door. Navid had only been gone moments, so I should be able to catch up to him easily enough. Better to interrupt his conversation than to end up in some sort of drunken confrontation.
Navid had turned left, so I did the same, but I made it all the way to the end of the corridor without seeing any sign of him. I was standing, debating whether to turn left or right or to risk returning to the refreshment room, when I heard the soft murmur of a voice from inside the room nearest me.
The door was ajar, and I breathed a sigh of relief as I realized the answer to the mystery of Navid’s speedy disappearance. Perhaps I could slip inside without his friend noticing and avoid disrupting their conversation.
I eased the door open and peered into the room. It was smaller than I was expecting and completely dark except for the meager shaft of moonlight coming through a large window. Two people stood in front of the window, but they were definitely not Navid and his apprentice friend.
The man had his back to me, but the person wrapped in his embrace, her face pressed to his, was clearly a woman.
As I stood immobile, too frozen with shock to make a hasty exit, a cloud moved, increasing the moonlight. Both of their faces were obscured, but the extra light revealed the deep blue color of the woman’s gown. Recognizing my hostess’s dress, I took two large steps backward and pulled the door to its original, mostly closed, position as soundlessly as possible.
Silence from inside the room suggested I’d succeeded in my escape. Turning back the way I’d come, I fled the entire length of the corridor. Back at the door of the refreshment room, I nearly ran into Navid.
He took one look at my face and frowned.
“Are you all right? Where have you been?”
I gestured into the room where the rowdy group had started annoying a collection of older men engaged in a serious debate around one of the tables.
“I went looking for you.”
He winced. “I shouldn’t have left. I’d just promised we would stay together, and then the first thing I did was run off alone.”
“Did you learn anything interesting, at least?”
“Nothing of relevance.” He sounded depressed. “I couldn’t distract him from the latest tale among merchant circles, so I escaped the conversation to return to you.”
He glanced into the room again, and I could read on his face that he wanted to leave the party as much as I did.
“Zaria!”
I turned, wondering who in this crowd was likely to know me.
“Xavier?” I stared from him to his brother. “Xander! So you did manage to secure an invitation!”
“You know us,” Xander said. “Parties call to us.”
I gave them both a disapproving look. “Now that I’ve seen the party for myself, I’m surprised Yasmine risked inviting you.”
Xavier winked at me. “Being of age does allow ussomefreedoms.”
“Oh, really?” I raised an eyebrow. “And what would your father say if he knew you were here?” I gave a significant look into the refreshment room.
Both of them peered inside and gave matching laughs.
“Thankfully our father doesn’t concern himself with where we are every minute of the day and night,” Xavier said.
“One of the many benefits of having a responsible older brother,” Xander added.
“And is that older brother as unaware of your movements as your father?” I asked before giving a theatrical start and staring down the hallway behind them. “Because that looks like Rek now, just over—”
“What?” Xavier swung around to stare behind him, his tone alarmed.
“Rek, here?” Xander peered in the same direction, his brow creasing before he slowly turned back to me, his eyes narrowing.
I gave him a beaming smile while Navid snorted a suppressed laugh beside me. “Sorry, I was mistaken. It wasn’t him after all.”