“I need her here,” Faai spoke in a soothing tone to Hazare.
“Faai I can’t. I’m on shaky ground with my family for bringing you here. I told them you’d escaped with our caravan that night. I lied to protect you Faai isn’t that enough?”
“She is the only family I have left. She was not well when you brought me here.”
“I am seeing to that. She’s being fed and taken care of. We are not heartless to what has happened to the lower quarter Elyun.”
An urgent shout went up from outside the large tent were Faai was being held. It was a prison in her mind but to Hazare she was being well taken care of.
Hazare pulled her face to his and kissed her. “I’ll be right back. Don’t worry.”
Hazare had not left her alone for more than a few hours. He had never hurt her or retaliated for the wounds she put on his face. In fact he seemed proud of them. Hazare said he’d never seen such passion in an lower quarter Elyun before. His eyes were deep pools of affection when he looked at her.
Faai would have thought better of him if Hazare didn’t keep her separated from Derce and from Mangal. Now Faai knew. If things had turned out differently, if Rasima hadn’t been attacked, if she’d done as her parent’s wished, Faai would have made the biggest mistake of her life. She would have been miserable. Or maybe she would have been able to carry on the charade but there would have been the feeling that something was missing in her life. She knew now it was Mangal. Faai paced the luxury tent she was confined to, she knew what she wanted without any doubt and she couldn’t see a way to grab hold of it.
The corner of the tent flapped and more noise of running and shouts could be heard. Faai pulled back a flap. A Sudawa guarding the entrance said, “It’s nothing to worry about. Go back inside.”
“What’s happening?”