Pulling on her sandals, she made for the door. She’d have to hurry if she wanted to get back to the palace in time to join Meryamun for his afternoon audiences. And she’d have to take the long way to avoid being seen.
“I’ll be back, Cat,” she said.
The cat didn’t seem to hear her. She was staring at a space a few feet in front of the window, her pupils wide and dark.
Neff shook her head.Cats are so strange, always looking at things that aren’t there.
Pushing through the curtain, she slipped down the corridor with the wind at her back.
4Sita
Where do the gods end, and I begin?
Sita contemplated the question as she and Karim walked to the river, with Behkai leading the way. After packing up and leaving the valley, they decided to make a quick stop to bathe before starting their journey into the desert to find the lost city.
“I’m filthy, and you…” She scowled, giving the tomb robber an appraising look. He was absolutely covered in gore. “You need to beboiled. Twice.”
“Come on, it’s notthatbad,” Karim said. He sniffed his armpit, then gagged. “Fine, sena, have it your way. We’ll have a bath. My robes could use a wash as well.”
It didn’t take long to reach the river. They waited for a trading ship to pass before approaching the riverbank, which was thankfully shielded from view by a thicket of reeds and some squat palm trees.
“Turn around!” Sita commanded as she set down her packand removed her belt.
Karim rolled his eyes and obeyed. “Hurry up, will you?”
Feeling both embarrassed and exhilarated, Sita stripped off her dress and loincloth and stepped into the river. She gasped.So cold!She dipped her head under the water, and the temperature that had chilled her became refreshing. She broke the surface, slicked her hair back from her face, and began scrubbing her body clean.
“No peeking!” she said.
“I’mnot!” Karim protested, although she could have sworn she saw his head turn.
When she was done, she got out, squeezed the water from her hair, and quickly washed the dirt and bloodstains from her kalasiris before slipping back into it. The wetness turned the white dress nearly translucent, but that couldn’t be helped. “All right. Go ahead and do your business so we can get going.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re verypushy?” Karim said as he turned toward her. His gaze dropped to her chest before refocusing on her face.
Sita crossed her arms, cheeks reddening. “What are you looking at?”
“Only what I’m being shown, Princess,” Karim replied, his eyes full of mischief. With that, he shouldered out of his robes and took a running jump into the river.
“Ugh!” Sita cried, covering her eyes with both hands. Obviously, the thief didn’t care about modesty.
She heard him splashing around, humming to himself.
What a dog, she thought.
Then, after a long moment, she spread her fingers and peered through them.
Karim stood waist-deep in the water, his arms up, his handsworking through his brown curls. The water clung to the dark hair on his scarred chest and slid in rivulets down his stomach and the V-line of his pelvis.
Suddenly, she felt as if she were transported back to the pleasure garden, peering through the poppy flowers to watch something private.
You’re as bad as he is!Sita scolded herself. She looked away and moved up the bank to wait for Karim to finish washing himself and his clothes. The sight of the scarab scar on his chest—shaped exactly like the amulet she’d placed inside him—brought her back to the question that she’d been asking herself since the thief’s miraculous resurrection.
DidIbring him back? Or was I simply a vessel for the gods’ will?
The quandary left her quiet and thoughtful as she and Karim filled their waterskins and made their way east toward the open desert. Neither of them said a word until they were out among the dunes, having left all vegetation behind.
“Your lips are silent, sena, but your face speaks,” Karim said.
