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Seth sighed, unconvinced, but he lowered the cat to the ground. It darted off into the crowd, winding expertly through the chaos of robes and kaftans and sandaled brown feet.
Seth reflexively checked his belt in case a pickpocket had taken advantage of his distraction. “What made you think it was an ifrit?”
“You know they’re shapeshifters, right?”
“That doesn’t mean every cat is an ifrit. Ifrits are a kind of lesser djinn, right?”
Seth had never encountered one, but the Sudai’s Wind Keeper had made them out to be troublesome fire spirits that liked to play tricks and bargain cheatingly.
“In a manner of speaking, though I wouldn’t advise you to call one that to its face. They’re pretty powerful.”
“I still don’t understand what made you think it was an ifrit.”
Raider shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong, but it wasn’t worth fucking with.”
“All right, well, let’s get some food.”
They backtracked to a vendor selling kabobs loaded with lamb, peppers, and squash, all of it seasoned with salt, garlic, and cumin. They bought four and worked their way through the crowd to a reasonably quiet stretch of buildings, where they found a set of steps to sit on.
Seth pulled a bite of lamb from his kabob, relishing the seasoning. They’d run out of salt two days ago, and though the sage had seemed like a real treat last night, this was a different level of culinary delight.
“So you like cats?” Raider asked. He dragged a piece of red pepper off the kabob with his teeth.
“A few sleep in my room at the College when I’m there.”
“Really?”
“Why are you surprised?”
Raider shrugged. “You’re so tidy.”
“So are cats.”
“I guess that’s true. Males or females?”
“My favorite is a female. Baast. Yes, yes, I know,” Seth said, sensing a revival of their mare-gelding debate. “But cats are different from horses. Baast followed me on a mission once. I was so damn worried about her. I was distracted the whole time.”
“Huh.”
“What?”
Raider caught a piece of squash that dropped from his skewer before it could hit his lap. He popped it into his mouth then licked his palm.
“I’m just surprised, I guess, to think that something might distract you from Arcanum business. I know how important your missions are to you.”
Something about the way Raider said that—and the fact that he looked away after—didn’t sit well with Seth. He couldn’t pinpoint the problem, though, so he wasn’t sure how to address it.
He worked on his kabob for a while, overwhelmed by all the things they hadn’t talked about. It wasn’t like Seth to leave things unresolved. He liked clarity. But he was having a hell of a hard time achieving any right now.
The last few weeks had marked a deviation from Seth’s norm. His hunt had been in abeyance, his progress a matter merely of footsteps. His focus had shifted. Now, being in Aqarat, he felt the returning pressure of his mission, but shit had gotten complicated.
I know how important your missions are to you.
They were. And Seth wanted to complete that mission. His duty to the Arcanum demanded it. But Seth also wanted Raider. His heart demanded that. What the hell would Seth do if he had to choose between them? Would Raider make him choose?
Those agonizing questions assumed Raider even wanted to stay with Seth and figure out what the hell was going on between them. Those questions assumed that Raider felt what Seth did.
But … did he?
