Rae laughed, and then covered her mouth with one hand.
“Maybeafteryou’ve cleaned yourself up,” Tam went on, “we could—”
Suddenly, Mamet Mut stepped between them, eyeing Rae with disapproval.
“Omari!” she bellowed. “You didn’t tell me you brought your friend! So, are you two finally getting married?”
Rae looked over at Omari and blanched. He stared back at her with a strange expression, then hurried over, his palms raised in protest.
“No, no, not today, Mamet Mut.”
She wasn’t Omari’s mother—she had no children, in fact—but Mamet Mut acted like she was everyone’s mother. She claimed to know every single soul living in Sakesh, and more than that, knew what was best for them. Mut wasn’t her real name, but everyone called her that because, like the great sky goddess, Mamet Mut seemed to see everything that happened in the cityand was never afraid to share her opinion about it.
“Ta-ta, ta-ta,” Mamet Mut complained. “So slow, Omari. You’ve had your whole life to ask her and still you wait. For what? Ra only knows. Do the weavers a favor and give us a little excitement one of these days, won’t you?”
Rae couldn’t help but laugh at her friend’s embarrassment. “Yes, Omari,” she said, elbowing him. “Why can’t you be more exciting, like your friend, the fighting donkey?”
Omari rubbed the back of his head with one hand, unable to meet her gaze.
What’s wrong with him?Rae wondered.This isn’t the first time Mamet Mut has badgered him like this. Why is he acting so weird?
Omari turned back to the big woman and gave her a little bow. “I’ll do my best, Mamet,” he said. “But for now, we must get back home. Our work awaits us.”
Mamet Mut waved him off, laughing with the other women.
Rae looked back toward Tamerit, desperate for the girl to finish her thought, but the young weaver had gone back to her own work, rolling the thread onto her spindle. Rae finally caught her eye and mouthedsorry.Tam shrugged one shoulder lightly, her every movement an invitation.
Rae bit her lip and groaned softly.I’ll be back, she promised herself as she followed Omari out the door. As soon as the harvest was done, she’d return to reap what that unfinished moment had sown.
***
They left the artisans’ quarter behind and took the river road out of town. Soon, the crowds thinned, leaving Rae and Omari side by side in awkward silence. For as long as she could remember, everyone in Rae’s life had loved to talk about how she and Omari would be married one day. It had been funnywhen they still wore the sidelock of youth, naked and carefree, spending their days wrestling with the other children and swimming in the Iteru until the sun went down. It was only when they got older, and the talk grew more serious, that itbecame a problem.
Rae loved Omari, but she didn’t want to marry him.
It took meeting Tamerit to really understand why. Not that she’d tell Omari that. She wasn’t sure he’d understand.
Besides, Rae was fairly certain that Omari didn’t want to marry her either. After all, Rae didn’t think she was what most Khetaran men wanted in a wife. She was tall and thick-bodied, her shoulders broad from a lifetime of farmwork. She didn’t oil or style her hair, her hands were rough and her knuckles calloused, and in her free time, she fought men in alleyways and used the spoils to trade for beer.
Not that it mattered if the men liked it or not. Rae wasn’t going to change for anyone.
Besides, Omari was like a brother to her. Romance, she was sure, was far from his mind, at least when it came to his stubborn old friend. There were plenty of other girls who would be better suited to him, and Rae often pointed them out in the street. He’ddutifully look them over, but as far as she knew, he’d never pursued any of them. If he had, he would have told her about it. They told each other everything.
Speaking of secrets…
Rae cleared her throat. “So… what was that all about?”
“What do you mean?”
Rae swore. “Don’t play games. What were you talking about with Mamet Mut? Something about the Medjay? What are you up to?”
Omari frowned, his eyes on the road before them. The sun had sunk past its zenith, casting long shadows on the dusty ground as they walked. To the west, the River Iteru snaked in both directions, as far as the eye could see. Trading ships and small fishing skiffs crowded its waters, some riding the current north to High Khetara, others catching the wind in their sails and sailing south to the cataract, where the waters turned wild and game was bountiful. Green fields stretched across both sides of the great river, her gifts transforming the desert into the rich black loam from which everything grew. Already Rae could smell it in the air, that earthy perfume that was a welcome respite from the heavy stink of the city. That and the gentle sound of the Iteru’s flowing water was usually enough to raise her spirits, but her friend’s strange behavior made her uneasy.
“Omari,” she said, her voice low. “No secrets, remember?”
It was a promise they’d made to each other when they were small, after Rae’s mother died. She’d been sick for a while, but her parents had kept the knowledge of her illness secret from their young daughter. They’d believed they were doing her a kindness, but Rae was devastated by what seemed to her like a sudden, unexpected loss. She hardly spoke to her father during that first lonely season. Her mind was filled with thoughts of what she would have done differently if she had known, how she would have spent thoselast days holding her mother a little bit longer, would have said the things she never got to, would have better prepared herself for that final goodbye. Omari had come to her on one of those dark days and sat by her side, watching the boats float by on the river. “I’ll never keep secrets from you,” he’d said. “I promise.”
Rae had leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered, “Me too.”
