The Sultan's Spy

Chapter 27: Followed

With the sun down and the last of the dark blue in the sky being quickly consumed by black, Tariq walked quickly down the stone path. He'd had to leave dinner later than he'd wanted, having difficulty ducking Fahim and his followers who'd wanted him to join them in some game he'd never heard of. But he had a meeting with Liss and information he wanted to pass onto her as soon as he could.

He smiled a little, thinking she'd be pleased with the work he'd done so far. If nothing else, she did appreciate results. He rounded the corner of one building, passing by one of the few torches already lit, his shadow stretched out in front of him. He paused just outside of its circle of light and smiled when he noticed Liss already seated in their usual place. Her attention as on something in her lap, but as she approached, she looked up.

Tariq saw her eyes goes to him then her forehead furrowed and she frowned. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but she stood up. He stopped for a moment as she turned away from him and walked towards the two guards that were always hovering between their post at the gate and the pavilion every time they met.

Now he was frowning, hurrying his steps to try and catch up with her. He watched her slow as she passed the guards before continuing towards one of the far buildings without even glancing back. His strides long as his walk bordered on a jog, he found his path after Liss blocked by the two guards.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked the one.

Tariq opened his mouth to tell them, when the other one grabbed his arm and leaned in close to whisper. "She says you're being followed. She says not to go after her, that you'll meet tomorrow."

He stared at the man for a moment before he yanked his arm out of his grip like he was upset. "You'd do best to stay away from her. She's too far above you," the first man said, holding his gaze steadily.

Tariq ducked his head, like he hadn't realized he was after someone of a higher station, and muttered, "Wasn't doing anything," quietly enough that the guards could barely hear while holding their gaze. He didn't want them to think he hadn't understood. Only then did he turn on his heel and head out in the opposite direction.

Carefully, so as not to arouse suspicion from those watching him, Tariq glanced to either side of him. He didn't see anyone, and in the dark, he couldn't figure out how Liss had known there was anyone behind him. He didn't doubt she knew, but wanted to know the how of it.

He walked towards the building opposite from the way Liss had gone, kicking at a stray stick like he was in a bad mood, his mind working. Who would follow him? He didn't think he'd given himself away, hadn't seen any signs of suspicion in others. He was used to looking for that and thought he'd have recognized it.

He'd barely made it past the bushes that helped create the illusion of a wild space beyond the small stone paved courtyard he was in, when the sound of footsteps coming from the side had him stopping. Tariq watched as Fahim, Halif, Dastgir, and Jalis strolled towards him. He didn't need to feign the look of surprise on his face. He certainly hadn't expected them to follow him, though it was better than having been noticed by someone else.

"What are you doing?" Fahim asked as he and the others came to a stop in front of Tariq.

He blinked then shrugged. "I was out for a walk. It's cooler at night and a walk before bed relaxes me."

Halif snorted. "We saw what happened with the lady."

"Not that we can blame you. From what I could see, she was sure to be a pretty one," Jalis added, grinning.

Tariq looked down, trusting the move to look like embarrassment as he considered his words. "I just thought I'd talk to her," he said quietly, still not looking at them. "She was out by herself, so I thought..."

"You don't want to think like that, not here at the palace," Dastgir told him.

Fahim crossed his arms over his chest. "It's best to stay away from any of the noble women. If you don't get into trouble getting close to them, you can bet they can cause you enough of it just by themselves."

Tariq looked at him, frowning. "She was a noble? How do you know?"

"The guards wouldn't have interfered otherwise, especially not the eunuch guards. They're under the direct command of the chief of the harem guards, and Ajani is not only ferocious, he's also damned vengeful. He's killed men for being disrespectful to the royal ladies before. And everyone knows his guards have orders to keep anyone from hassling any noble woman. It's why so many wander around the palace without escort."

"I didn't know," he said, deliberately widening his eyes. Tariq certainly wasn't surprised to hear that about Ajani, not after where he'd put his knife.

"You've got to be more careful," Dastgir said.

"Yeah, the palace isn't an easy place to work if you don't understand how everything work," Fahim added.

Halif nodded. "It's best just to avoid the women here, those who aren't servants that is. Unless you're introduced to them properly but even then you need to step carefully. Lots of people here are prepared to take offense and that can make advancement hard."

Tariq sighed, letting his shoulders slump. "I guess I still have a lot to learn," he said, doing his best to sound rueful. "Thanks."

Fahim smiled. "Any time."

"Yeah, especially since we thought you were going to try and get into the tunnel without us," Jalis said, grinning so his eyes crinkled up.

Turning a glare on Jalis briefly, Fahim held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Sorry about that. You were so interested in it, and with how Coman turned on us even though we all found it together..."

Tariq shrugged. "I can understand that. I really did just want to take a walk before bed, like I do every night."

"Good to know," Fahim said, clapping his shoulder. "You're good people, Akhtar. Sorry for doubting you."

The others add back slaps of their own, and before he could find a way to escape, Tariq found himself surrounded by them and their chatter as they headed back to the scribes' quarters. He hid a grimace. So much for getting a message to Liss and meeting with her tonight. He supposed his information would keep until tomorrow.

Tariq did his best to ignore the faint twinge of regret he had over not getting to see her face today. He was a professional and as delightful as a distraction as he found Liss, he needed to focus on the job. Even if he did find that she now haunted his dreams most nights in the most bewitchingly frustrating way.