Karim shrugged. “It was obvious they were searching for a young woman, and—let’s say, you don’t exactly fit in.” He cleared his throat. “Princess Sitamun.”
The princess inhaled sharply, fear and suspicion returning to her striking face.
“I hate to disappoint you,” she said in a low voice. “But I’m not carrying anything of value, only the clothes on my back. No riches to reward your… kindness.”
His heart quickened at the thought of her parting with those clothes, but he quickly shook away the image.
Don’t be stupid, he scolded himself.She’s a Khetaran princess. She’s probably arrogant, spoiled, used to having everyone at her beck and call.Although why such a woman would find herself on the run from the royal guard gave him pause.
“I need no riches,” he replied. “I ask only two simple favors—both of which I believe you can easily provide.”
The princess narrowed her eyes.
“It’s nothing to provoke another slap, I promise,” Karim added.
“Fine,” she said.
“Good,” Karim said with a nod. “One, perhaps you’d like to apologize for calling me a pig, hey? Considering my recent heroics?”
The princess pressed her lips into a thin line. She lifted her chin. “Very well. I am sorry. You’re not a pig. Does ‘dog’ work better for you?”
“It does,” Karim replied blithely. “Much more fitting, I would say.”
Sitamun suppressed a smile. “What’s the second request?”
Karim gestured toward the river. “Join me for that hot meal. Duck and lentils, nothing sinister, I promise you. We’ll have to share some with Behkai, I’m afraid, but it should be enough for all of us.”
“Behkai?”
“My dog.” The words came naturally, and Karim was surprised at the warmth that flooded his chest when he said them. The damned beast had grown on him.
Sitamun nodded. “So now that I know your dog’s name—what’s yours?”
Karim hesitated, always wary of sharing his name with strangers—especially Khetarans. But then again, if the oracle had brought them together, had he any choice but to trust her?Perhaps if he shared his food and his name, she might share something useful with him too.
“Karim,” he blurted, before he could reconsider.
“Karim,” Sitamun repeated, her lips forming the name as if she were tasting it.
“Now that we’re properly acquainted… what do you say? Will you come?”
“I suppose I am a little hungry,” she admitted.
Karim grinned. “Well then.” He gestured toward the riverbank. “Two dogs eagerly await your company.”
***
It annoyed him—though he couldn’t quite explain why—that Behkai took to Sitamun so readily. When he and the princess arrived at the skiff, the dog leaped to his feet. Karim expected him to start barking at the stranger, but instead, he trotted over to Sitamun like an enormous puppy and began drooling over her. Literally.
“Oh,” she crooned, taking his face in her hands and rubbing him, with no regard for the drool. “What a sweet boy. What a good boy.”
“Traitor,” Karim muttered to the dog as he passed.
Behkai ignored him—that is, until he smelled the food. Karim sat on a rock, and as soon as he began unwrapping it, the dog trotted over to investigate.
“Have a seat,” Karim told Sitamun, gesturing to a boulder opposite him.
She perched on the boulder with as much decorum as she could muster.
