She pulled her facade to the surface, and she raised a stern brow as she picked up one of the browning apples from a crate.
“Here I was told the Honest trader would have the best fruits,” she muttered before tossing the apple over her shoulder with a roll of her eyes. “I suppose I should have known better than to trust such words.”
Nadir’s shoulders rounded before her. “That’s not what you said the last I was here,” he mocked. “I’m pretty sure you enjoyed those fruits more than anything your Noble could offer you.”
She had to clench her jaw to keep from smiling.
“Don’t be daft, trader,” Nyssa argued, glaring at Nadir as the Porters watched her. “These apples are as useless as your tongue. What would you propose his Grace do with such rotten things?”
“Perhaps you could shove them up his rectum,” Nadir suggested. “I hear Nobles of Man like a bit of ass play.”
The Porter at Nyssa’s side pulled his sword, but Nyssa pushed against his chest. “Don’t worry, Porter,” she said. “I’m sure he meant no disrespect. Just the coy of these reef savages. They’ve always been a bit hard to tame.”
The Porter put his sword back in its sheath, and Nyssa gave Nadir a subtle wink beneath her hood. She stepped past him then, her shoulder brushing his, and she looked to the fabrics he had rolled up at the end of his wagon. Her fingers trailed over the soft satin, and for a moment, she was reminded of the elegant dresses she once wore at banquets. The grand tulle and satin forms, making her feel like she could take on anything.
She blinked hard at the memory and cleared her throat.
“Porters,” Nyssa said as they stiffened. “Please find her Grace and have her come meet me. I think she would appreciate the satins our trader has brought.”
As the Porters left, Nadir settled back onto the side of the cart, a small smirk on his lips as he looked her up and down.
“Eating out of your hands,” he mused under his breath. “One day, you’ll have to tell me how you managed it.”
“I’m not sure you want to know,” she told him.
He considered her a moment, gaze darting around them as she continued to run her hands over the fabrics. Nadir pushed off the cart and came to stand beside her, pretending as though he were helping her decide which material would be best.
“He’s arriving in two cycles,” she uttered without moving her lips. “The other Noble estates won’t know me. Once we’ve taken care of this place, I can come back to help you negotiate with their King… when the time comes.”
Nadir took a roll of fabric out of the cart, holding it up as though for her to admire it.
“What about these guards?” he asked quietly.
“The Porters?” she scoffed and shook her head, rubbing the fabric between her fingers. “Fools. Quiet. They don’t question orders, especially when I’ve been feeding them foods the Noble refuses to give them.”
“What do you need from me?”
“I need to talk to Bala.”
His brows elevated, eyes widening. “Bala?” he balked. “She’ll murder everyone once she finds out you’re here.”
“Bala trusts me. She needs to know about Gail and the Infi,” Nyssa said. “Bring her here next week. Have her wear a dress and pretend she is your assistant. No weapons.”
Nadir looked as though he would laugh. “Venari King disguised as an Honest seamstress. Can’t wait to tell her that,” he muttered.
His fingers brushed hers then, and her heart skipped at the warmth of his touch. She met his eyes, and for a moment, forgot where they were as the weight of his fingers enclosed around hers, pretending as though he were helping her fold up the fabric. The callus of his fingertips rubbed over the back of her hand, tickling her flesh. The swell of her chest spread down into her stomach and settled between her legs. Her mouth dried, and suddenly she found herself back in her room after the banquet as the pair poured over the book he'd brought up to show her—one written by the Dreamer giver, Somniarb Crelib herself.
—“Tell me why you carry this with you," she'd asked, fingers tracing the mark on his chest.
"It's the only copy," he told her. "Lovi gave it to me a long time ago and asked me to keep it safe. I like reading the passages in here that no one else knows."
She snuggled into him and pointed to one at the bottom of the page, written in the old language.
"This one. Will you read it?" she asked of him.
Nadir cleared his throat comically, and she almost rolled her eyes. But he settled his arm around her, holding the book in one hand as he read, the other hand caressing her side. The words flowed lyrically from his lips. The noise of the old language came off his tongue as smooth as wine pouring into a glass. She didn't know what he'd just said, but it made her blush nonetheless, even if it wasn't supposed to.
"I think I need a minute," she said with a deep breath once he'd finished.
