Her “thank you” was quite prim and sounded much more awake. A glance showed that her hair had been wrangled into a long braid down her back. Here and there, a loose curl defied her efforts.
“Do you have a name?” he asked.
“Of course I have a name, who doesn’t have a name?” She frowned over her meal at him, then blinked. “Oh. Right. My name is Rahma.”
“As’ad.”
“It’s nice to meet you, As’ad.” Rahma nodded deeply from her position next to the dying fire.
“Finish quickly,” he directed, turning his attention to scattering the coals. “We’re heading to Balda.”
Rahma frowned, her mouth too full of food to respond. When she swallowed, she asked, “Balda? That’s not the last village we passed.”
“Correct.” As’ad stood and brushed off the seat of his robes.
“I thought you would try to take me back to that last community.”
“I don’t backtrack, ever.”
Rahma shoved the last of her breakfast into her mouth and stood. She followed him over to the handcart, where he had begun repacking the few items he had removed the night before.
“Why don’t you backtrack?”
As’ad wasn’t about to tell her that returning to the scene of a crime was a good way to get caught, so he held his tongue. The girl seemed to understand he wouldn’t budge on this subject and went to pack her own things. He fed the rats and made sure they were settled. Qamar, the luminescent white beauty, resisted her usual cage but calmed when he nestled her in his pocket.
“If you’re going all the way to Jabal, why can’t I just go with you?”
As’ad turned to stare her down. “Are you seriously asking why you, a young”—he paused to pointedly look at her unadorned wrists—“unmarried female, shouldn’t be traveling with me, an unknown, strange man who is in no way related, for weeks on end?”
She had the decency to flush.
“Now,Iknow that I am not a creep who preys on young women, butyoudon’t know that.” He moved to the tent she had vacated and began tearing it down. “Your parents must be worried about you.”
“It’s fine. I left a note.”
As’ad wasn’t sure if she was acting or truly that naive. He hefted the tent bundle into his cart and made a space for her things.
“Set your pack in the cart.”
“Why?”
He looked at her in confusion. “So you don’t have to carry it?”
She blinked, and the curling black lashes brushing against her brown cheek distracted him for a moment. Then she smirked, and As’ad wondered what she would say next. To his surprise, and mild disappointment, Rahma simply did as she was bid.
They hadn’t been on the road for more than five minutes, at most, when the girl started talking.
“I bet you’re wondering why I want to go to Jabal, aren’t you?”
As’ad wasn’t going to get sucked into that game. He grunted.
“I’m on my way to rescue my friend Suha,” she declared.
This time, he didn’t even grunt. He kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead, scanning for potholes and wild animals.
“Suha has been my best friend since she was born. I’m an only child, you know.”
As’ad didn’t know, and reminded himself that he didn’t care. His continued silence didn’t seem to affect Rahma in the slightest.
