The man smiled. “That’s a question that will take a long time to answer, but for the purposes of this conversation, I want to know why you were so deep in the Tuta Kulla, and what you were looking for.”
“We weren’t looking for anything. We were attacked and—”
“Attacked by what?”
The question was sharp, and the way he saidwhatinstead ofwhomade her wonder if he knew the answer before he asked. “An achiyanga. The god bird. It was hunting us, and in trying to escape, it set us off course.”
The man’s brows furrowed, his eyes darting between hers as if searching for the truth beneath her words. “You weren’t searching for something specific?”
“Specific?” She looked at him curiously. “No,” Nina said, exasperated, “we were just—”
“That’s enough, Hatun.” A woman pushed through the tent entrance, her white hair pulled back loosely, tawny-brown eyes startling against the deep brown skin of her face. Her tunic matched the man who questioned her, but that was as far as the similarities went. This woman was small, and ancient, and her attention didn’t feel dangerous.
Hatun turned sharply toward the woman. They shared a tense, whispered conversation, and then the woman said out loud, “She won’t hurt an old woman, will she?”
Nina wasn’t above it, but she wasn’t going to say that. “Of course not.”
A weathered hand patted Hatun’s arm. From where Nina stood, it looked more like a shove than a reassurance. “See. Now go. You’re scaring her.”
Hatun glanced at Nina, and she schooled her face into one of fear. It wasn’t difficult; shewasterrified and worried, and the sooner the man left the tent, the sooner Nina could figure out a way to sneak out and find Kasik. With a sigh, he walked out of the room, but not before throwing her a look full of warning over his shoulder.
“There,” the woman said once he was gone. “That’s better. Care to sit?”
“I’ll stand here, thank you,” Nina insisted.
“Well, I’m old and tired, so I’m going to sit.” She walked over to the bed and sank onto it, smoothing her tunic over her legs with wrinkled hands. The material looked lightweight and soft, with short sleeves and a rounded neckline. It looked both comfortable and functional. Much better than the heavy, dull gray robe she still wore.
“My name is Shayim,” the woman said. The smile on her face brought out more lines around her eyes and mouth. They reminded Nina of her mamay’s.Laugh lines, she had called them.Because I am so happy all the time.“You have a very interesting story.”
Nina froze, eyes pinned to the old woman. If she knew anything about Nina, it was because Kasik spoke, and if Kasik spoke, it was most likely with a knife to his throat. Even then, she wasn’t sure he would give them anything true.
“I want to see Kasik.”
“You will.” She tilted her head and peered curiously at Nina. “Soon enough. But first, you must be hungry.”
It wasn’t until that moment that Nina realized she was famished. Asif signaled by Shayim’s words alone, Hatun walked back into the tent, a steaming bowl in either hand that he placed on the table. Then he left without so much as a second glance.
The food smelled incredible, and it made her mouth water. Some scents were familiar, like the earthy smell of oregano and the tang of ají. She could see potatoes and grains and small chunks of meat floating in a brown sauce. But Nina didn’t make a move to touch it.
“It’s not poisoned.” Nina hadn’t even considered that. She was only hesitant to let them think they had won her over with a bowl of stew. “Eat, and then I will answer all your questions.”
With a sigh, Nina acquiesced. Perhaps, with food in her belly, she would have the strength to demand to see Kasik and keep her wits about her. Gods knew she wouldn’t be able to think of anything else with the scent of the stew in the air.
The meat was tender and the vegetables soft and flavorful. It reminded her of home, of the meals she and her family would share together at their small table, laughing and telling stories, and it made her want to cry. Instead, she shoveled more food into her mouth and kept her eyes on Shayim. The woman may have been old, but Nina knew she wasn’t stupid. Her scrutiny was heavy and her smile was knowing. Nina got the sense that she had failed some sort of test.
After several bites, she placed the bowl back on the table. “Where’s Kasik?”
Shayim carefully folded her hands in her lap. “He’s being detained for now.”
“?‘For now’? What does that mean?”
“It means we cannot ascertain his intentions and are unsure if he is a threat to our people.”
“What is this place?” Nina glanced at the walls of the tent and strained to listen to the sounds beyond.
“It is a home,” Shayim said wistfully. “A community of people seeking safety and peace.”
“Well, we aren’t a threat to your community. This is all a misunderstanding. If you let us go, we can leave and—”
