‘Don’t be. It’s supposed to be disassembled at the end.’
He continued to touch various parts of it. ‘Seems a shame to mess it up.’
She straightened the piece of bark. ‘The joy’s in the doing.’
Tariq lifted his gaze. ‘You know, there’s an oasis about an hour’s ride from here. It has some of the most exotic foliage in the kingdom. Would you like to see it?’
The offer took Aisha by surprise. It was spontaneous and thoughtful, something just for her enjoyment rather than serving some purpose. ‘Oh.’ She glanced at the bag sitting on the bed. Packing would take her all of five minutes, so there was no real rush. ‘All right.’
He looked as surprised as she was by her answer. ‘Great. Well, I’ll have Maryam bring you something suitable for the ride.’ He began backing up to the door. ‘Meet me in the courtyard when you’re ready.’
Then he was gone.
Maryam brought her a linen kaftan with fitted trousers, then braided her hair, humming as she worked. ‘Enjoy yourself,’ she said before leaving the room.
Aisha found Tariq waiting in the courtyard with Kaidon and another guard. The guards bowed their heads in greeting before mounting their horses. Tariq was holding the reins of two horses, one of which was presumably hers.
‘Ready?’ he asked.
‘Ready.’
He helped her mount, then wrapped his fingers around her ankle to adjust her foot in the stirrup. In that fleeting touch, Aisha realised he no longer felt like a stranger. His voice, his manner, the weight of his hand against her skin—it had grown familiar.
The ride to the oasis was far more enjoyable than her trip to the mine with the queen. The company felt safe, so she was able to relax.
City turned to countryside, to scattered palms and clusters of mudbrick houses. Children emerged from them, following the horses and asking them questions.
‘Where are you going?’ asked one young girl.
‘Prince Tariq is taking me to see an oasis,’ Aisha told her.
The children exchanged excited glances.
‘You shouldn’t have told them where you were going,’ Tariq said when the children stopped following. ‘They’ll all be waiting at the oasis for you.’
And he was right. The children were already there when they arrived.
‘They know all the shortcuts,’ Tariq said as he dismounted.
Aisha slid down from her horse, taking in the sight before her. The water was so clear it reflected the palms and sky like a mirror. Wildflowers dotted the sand in splashes of red and yellow, and reeds swayed at the edge of the water.
The children rushed forwards in a noisy cluster, calling to Aisha to come see this and that. She took the hands of the smaller girls and let them lead the way. The men had no choice but to follow.
One of the boys ran up to Tariq, and Aisha was surprised when the prince called him by his name, Sadiq, resting a hand on his shoulder. So he did know people outside the nobility.
‘Can I go on your back?’ Sadiq asked.
Aisha nearly fell over when Tariq swung the boy up onto his back without breaking stride, carrying him without saying a word. Judging by how comfortable the boy was, she suspected it wasn’t the first time. She found herself watching them.
‘What are we going to do now?’ one of the girls asked, as if she had been part of the plan all along.
‘What’s your name?’ Aisha asked.
‘Yara.’
‘Well, Yara, we’re going on a treasure hunt for beautiful things.’
The girl’s eyes widened with excitement. ‘We are?’
