But leaving the country meant leaving Rahma, and his mood soured.
He had barely finished checking that all his pets were tucked in when a hand grabbed his shoulder and yanked him away from the cart. He was ready to defend himself when he recognized Rahma’s voice in his ear.
“She’s here!” Her harsh whisper felt damp on the side of his face.
“Suha?”
“I wish,” she sighed. “No, Hadia is here. Look. By the man selling leather necklaces.”
As’ad peered around the corner of the building she had dragged him behind. Two women stood by the leatherworker’s stall. One was plump and jolly-looking. She laughed and bargained with the merchant. The other woman wore fine clothes that set her apart from the others. The supercilious expression might have had a hand in the bubble of space around her, as well.
“The one who looks like everyone is beneath her?”
“Yes! We need to follow her!” Rahma stepped forward, but As’ad held her back. The feeling of her in his arms distracted him for a moment, and she frowned at him before he remembered to speak.
“Wedon’t need to do anything,” he spoke over the protest that he could see forming on her lips. “She would recognize you.Ican follow her.”
Rahma begrudgingly nodded.
He moved his hands to her shoulders. “Can you move the cart out of town? I don’t want her seeing you, and we can leave after my reconnaissance.”
“That’s a good idea.”
He was slightly surprised that she didn’t argue about needing to do it herself. Surprised but grateful.
Peering around the corner showed that Hadia had moved away from the leather goods and was now shunning a stall dedicated to cookware. As’ad helped Rahma get the cart moving on the cobblestones by shoving the back. Once she got it started, she would be fine, and the hard-packed dirt road outside of town would make it easier.
Everything As’ad had learned about working a crowd came back to him. He took his time seeming to browse the wares, never quite making eye contact with any of the sellers. Hadia frowned at everything and everyone until the man who served as Marj’s version of a mayor came into view. She followed him to the side of the market. As’ad trailed them, taking a position near a busy stall lined with spices and dried herbs.
He missed the beginning of the exchange, but Hadia was asking about useless people looking to relocate. She didn’t use those words, of course, but As’ad could tell that’s what she meant by “young people who don’t fit in or have a home.”
The community’s leader took exception with her tone and very politely, if coldly, told her they didn’t have anyone like that here. Hadia announced her intent to ask some of the others, and the man dismissed her with a deep nod. After she traipsed off, As’ad saw the man approach some of the locals. From their expressions, he guessed they were being warned about Hadia.
As’ad didn’t have time to speculate on their actions; he needed to follow the suspicious woman. As he turned to do so, his eyes caught on another member of the bustling throng.
Chapter Ten
Which Begins and Ends with a Mystery Woman
Thestatelywomanheldhis gaze for a moment, then melted into the crowd. As’ad felt sure that he had seen her somewhere before. He doubted she was a resident of one of the towns he had scammed. Her dark hair and eyes were similar to many of the Sharamilans, but her lighter skin tone and regal features set her apart. He could have met her in one of the bigger cities, but it seemed more likely that he had seen her more recently on one of the busier roads. Several caravans passed through on their way to the coast, after all.
Shaking off the odd encounter, he eased away from the spice merchant and wandered behind Hadia. The woman was speaking with—or at—a grandmother who didn’t seem inclined to respond. A glance at the way the currents of people were moving told As’ad that a perfect opportunity was about to strike. He slid into the heaviest part of the traffic and allowed it to push him close to Hadia. The waspish woman didn’t even notice when he reached into the bag over her shoulder and pulled out a folded parchment. He carefully tucked it into his robes as he continued moving with the ebb and flow.
Picking her pocket had been a risk, as he was both out of practice and didn’t know if she carried anything useful to them. The thickness of the paper gave him hope. Nobody wasted paper like that to doodle nonsense.
As’ad found Rahma waiting for him just off the road on the western end of the community. Marj was longer than it was wide, and they were a considerable distance away from the square. That didn’t prevent As’ad from wanting to put more space between Rahma and that woman. He asked her to wait a little longer for answers. Rahma obliged him and even remained quiet until he felt there were a sufficient number of low hills behind them.
The jungle still sent tendrils into this part of the country, but the mountains were looming ever closer and some of the plant life reflected that. As’ad pulled off the road by a stand of trees whose leaves lacked the waxy texture he was used to.
“That was faster than I expected,” Rahma remarked.
It didn’t sound like an accusation, but he hurried to explain. “Shewasasking about young people who wouldn’t be missed.”
His companion huffed and crossed her arms tightly.
“Then I stole something from her bag and decided to make my escape before she noticed.”
Rahma grabbed his arm. “And you arepositiveshe didn’t see you?”
