One
ZAKAI
“How much longer?”
Hameed shot me a dry look. I could tell he wanted to comment on my impatience. He never enjoyed having to serve at my side. Since I was a prince and he was my bodyguard, he wasn’t allowed to say a word in argument, especially not when surrounded by those who weren’t our own. Disrespect would be dealt with harshly by my father.
“Not long, my prince,” Umaira said calmly, her sharp eyes scanning the crowds as we made our way toward the brothel. Not for fun this time like the last time we visited this godsforsaken town. I assumed the advisor’s request to meet there was a gift for dragging this out for so long. We would solidify our trade agreement, then I could relax. Maybe that pink-haired male would be there again. He had been a delightful distraction before having to meet with the advisor last time.
We traversed the crowded market and passed the upper-class homes toward the more seedy area of the large town where most of the brothels were situated. Unlike in my homeland, they didn’t hide what they were here. They announced their presencewith brightly colored signs while whores out front waved and showed off skin to draw in patrons. The brothel we were meeting at wasn’t one of the largest, but it was known for its discretion and had been recommended to me the last time I was here. It was more plain than the rest, but I was told by Abdul during our last visit that it was the oldest and therefore the best.
We pulled our horses to a stop in front, where the proprietor of the establishment was already waiting, a familiar whore at his side. Not the pink-haired beauty, unfortunately. This one was younger and held a vapid appearance as another whore rushed to take our reins and tie the horses at a trough nearby.
The proprietor spoke in the common tongue, his expression filled with apprehension. Good. I liked to keep people on their toes. It made life more interesting. I raised an eyebrow at Umaira, who leaned in close to whisper a translation. Yes, I was aware I should already know the common tongue. I just found the lessons so tediously boring that I chose to avoid them when my tutors came to call. Why would I need to learn when I had translators to accompany me?
“He welcomes you, my prince, and delights in your return to his establishment.”
The look she gave me said she disapproved. She was the newest of my entourage, a strong fighter who could slip through crowds unnoticed to take down an enemy. My father had protested a woman accompanying me—it wasn’t the way of our people—but after seeing her skill, even he couldn’t argue. She did have strong opinions on what was appropriate for a prince, but like Hameed, she knew better than to comment in front of others.
Hameed did most of the talking this time. Abdul had been our intermediary last time, but my father needed him, so he had stayed home. Hameed had volunteered to speak in his stead.
Umaira kept a steady stream of translation in my ear, her voice a bare whisper so no one would overhear and catch on to the fact that I couldn’t understand. We were led inside and to a back room where the advisor waited. I was disappointed to see not a single whore waiting for us with him.
“What was the point of bringing us here if we do not even have a nice view to enjoy?” I grumbled as I sat in the poufy chair across from him.
Umaira said nothing, but the look Hameed gave me said he was displeased. With me or with the lack of whores, I didn’t know. Nor did I care. I just wanted to get this over with so we could get to the fun part of the evening.
“Prince Zakai,” the advisor said in a heavily accented attempt at my tongue, his smile tight. “I’m glad you came. I hope your journey was?—”
I lazily waved away his pleasantries. “Get on with it. I’m sure we’d all rather be doing something different.”
The advisor cleared his throat, his expression pinched. “I do apologize. As discussed last time, we are interested in a trade agreement with Al Nuzem. However, there are a few things that our mayor was concerned with. I explained before how our taxation system works, and with the gems and such your people would be bringing in, it is important to tariff?—”
“A trade agreement is supposed to be an equal partnership,” I interrupted. “AsIsaid, we will not accept the agreement if you plan to tax us extra. It’s open trade or nothing.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw, and I could tell he was displeased by my answer. He should have known I would say this, as I had said the same thing last time. If he thought he could manipulate me, he was sorely mistaken.
“The items you plan on bringing in are quite expensive. I’m unsure how many of our people would be willing to buy them at those prices. The trade agreement would be a waste if you didn’tagree to bring the prices down and pay our tariffs so that the government could?—”
With a long-suffering sigh, I put my hand up to stop him. “I will not be going in circles about this. You can either accept the agreement as I’ve stated it, or we will find another town that will. You are not the only town willing to speak with us.”
They were the closest, which would have been convenient, but I wasn’t going to agree to all his demands just because of convenience. It wasn’t like I would be the one making the deliveries anyway. He could take his plans for tariffs and heavy discounts and shove them up his ass.
Who in their right mind would agree to that?
He made some attempts to change my mind, but in the end, he had to agree with what I offered him. He left to get the paperwork from somewhere—I didn’t care where—and Hameed followed him to make sure he wouldn’t cause any trouble. Umaira stayed with me, guarding my back as always.
“I don’t trust that man,” she said after a few moments of quiet.
“I don’t trust anyone from this town,” I shot back with a shrug. “Father wants to expand trade. We must work with them, whether we want to or not.”
She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “We could have gone to another town. This one wouldn’t even allow you to have these discussions with the town leader themself. You’ve only spoken through advisors. It’s shifty business, and I don’t trust it.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “What would you have me do? Return to my father and tell him I decided against his orders because of your bad feeling? Are you looking to have your head removed?”
She scoffed. “He wouldn’t. You make him out to be more cruel than he is.”
“You’ve known him for a few months. I’ve known him my whole life. Who do you think knows him better?” I countered with a scowl. She knew nothing of the demands of my parents. It was a wonder they let me come here for this meeting. They were marriage-minded as of late, and the endless parade of women was exhausting. I thought for sure they’d demand I stay until I picked someone.
