“Quite.” Despina nodded. “For she would have been present at dinner. My father would have made sure of it. He enjoys toying with his prey.”
Shahrzad spent another moment searching Despina’s face for signs of artifice. Though she found none, she could not permit herself to feel at ease with this revelation. Not after so many lies.
After so many betrayals.
She looked from Despina to Vikram and back again.
Khalid had trusted them. And Khalid trusted no one.
If I intend to escape, I will need to put my faith in someone.
“If you are lying to me about Irsa’s whereabouts, I will personally bring about your demise,” Shahrzad said in a dangerously quiet voice.
“I expect nothing less, Brat Calipha.” Despina grinned.
She let her shoulders relax. “Lead the way, Princess of Parthia.”
“Call me that again and face my wrath.” Despina hurled a cloak at Shahrzad.
Once Shahrzad had covered herself with the cloak, the trio moved deeper into the city sewers, Vikram leading the way. He prowled beneath the dripping stone channels with his body hunched forward, hands braced against the walls. Try as she might, it soon became impossible for Shahrzad to ignore the many-legged creatures scuttling through the darkness. A chill ran down her spine as one darted across her fingers.
They continued down the filthy conduit, skirting the edge of the flowing sludge. Shahrzad stumbled over crooked stones and misaligned pavers. Several times she heard the distinct squeal of rats. The cacophony of dripping water and echoing footfalls—in tandem with the waning of the torch fire in Vikram’s hand—only heightened Shahrzad’s distress.
When they reached the end of the passageway, they found a rusted metal grate sealed across the entrance. Vikram put out his torch and pushed open the creaking grate, his enormous muscles bulging beneath his stained qamis.
The trio alighted onto a deserted alleyway in the center of Amardha. Several streets over, the noise of late-night revelry tolled into the heavy summer air. A chorus of drunken merriment, tempered by riotous discord. Despina ignored the celebration and moved through the shadows at a sure-footed pace.
They passed by several backstreets close to the bazaar. Shahrzad followed Vikram and Despina toward a copse of lemon trees, their citrus scent wafting on the wind.
As they approached, Despina slowed. Then stopped.
“What is it?” Shahrzad asked in a whisper.
“They’re not here,” she replied.
Vikram halted in his tracks.
“What?” Shahrzad said.
“The men. Or the horses.” Despina pulled her close, then swiveled to backtrack, tucking Shahrzad beneath an arm.
This close, Shahrzad could feel the rapid beat of Despina’s pulse. The stutter of her breath. Though her former handmaiden’s fear was becoming palpable, Shahrzad chose to remain silent, knowing words would not help matters at all.
Vikram stayed to the shadows, a dagger tucked inside his forearm.
After pausing midstep, Despina angled toward the revelry within the bazaar.
At their sudden change in direction, Shahrzad couldn’t help herself. “Despina, why are we walking toward everyone?”
“The fools are already celebrating tomorrow’s victory,” Despina said under her breath. “If someone discovered our plans and is intending to catch us, it will be easier for us to disappear in a crowd.”
The cheering before them grew louder as they crossed another dirt thoroughfare. Stragglers entering the main stretch of the bazaar pushed past them, while those who had long since had their fill lurched by. The scent of scorched oil suffused the air, thick and enduring.
“You! You there!” A drunken voice called to Despina’s right.
Despina’s hold on Shahrzad tightened. “Keep walking.”
“You!” A group of bawdy young men stumbled into their path. One smiling boy slung an arm about Despina, knocking back her cowl in the process. “Come, have a drink with us!”
Shahrzad looked about in a panic. Vikram had vanished.
If we draw unwanted attention . . .
The boy’s voice grew louder. “I said—”
“There you are!” A burst of feminine laughter filled the air behind them. “I’ve been waiting for you all night.”
A soft hand brushed past Shahrzad to pull Despina free of the boy’s embrace. Free of his protests. Though the girl was wrapped in a cloak of the finest silk, Shahrzad would recognize that hair anywhere.
Yasmine.
UNWANTED ARRIVALS
YASMINE GESTURED TOWARD THE GROVE OF LEMON trees behind them, her hand firmly wrapped around Despina’s wrist.
In response, Shahrzad took hold of Yasmine’s arm, her threat clear.
“Remain calm, my lady,” Yasmine said softly. She let her gaze drift past them.
To where three armed men stood. Watching.
“You evil hag.” Despina’s whisper passed through smiling lips.
Yasmine grinned in return. “Careful. Lest I start to believe your lies.”
Shahrzad studied the beautiful girl standing a hairsbreadth from her. It would be the work of a moment for Shahrzad to knock her down. Had she a weapon, she would not hesitate to use it. Alas, all Shahrzad had was seething rage.