Riara in Morocco

Chapter Two: Part 2

She doesn't look back, ascending down the front steps carefully before she's already outside the front of his small cottage, beside her horse. She unties her horse at the front of the cottage where Teach had tied him to a post. The horse's tail swishes gently and snorts as she soothes a hand over his golden coat. Climbing on, she glances back once, finding Teach standing tall on front the porch, fighting with himself- his strong arms flexing firmly as he clenches his fist, the cord of veins showing along his arms from how hard he'd held his grip. She clicks her tongue and taps the horse lightly on the side, the horse trods off into the starlit night, with her seated on it, disappearing into the dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rafe paces the cobblestone walk, running a stiff hand over his face, dragging it then along his mouth. The area of the market Kie had brought them too was now slowly dying down with movement, becoming almost silent, only a patch of people lingering behind in front of a small carpet stall. Kie peers over her shoulder, assessing him. Her brows pinch. As she'd expected, he was restless, treading back and forth anxiously.

She huffs out a sigh and turns back to her phone.

Kie: Where are you

Sarah: Nvm Kie but why would Rafe be with you?!!

How was she supposed to reply to that?... she'd really had no one else to blame but herself for this whole situation she was going to be putting the pogues through, she thinks bitterly to herself, and she didn't know how she would word that back to Sarah. She should have never given in to his stupid demand- she should have never allowed him to follow her- why hadn't she put up a far better stance?- lost him even, somewhere along the way... he now knew about the scroll, now knew of where they'd been staying... and she's practically taking him to them... what is wrong with her?- Kie groans. Either way, she needs to type something back quickly.

Kie: He just is, I'll explain later

Sarah: And what do you want me to tell the others?!

Kie thinks hard, because what she said now could really put the pogues against her... would they see her as a traitor? Shit- she really should have lost Rafe back a while ago before all this spiraled into one huge mess! Contemplating what to write back- her heart pulses a little faster, a sheen of sweat forming over her brows.

Kie had been so distracted, running through her response in her mind, she hadn't noticed Rafe casually walking over to her, hands shoved deep in his pockets. He sniffles and she whips around, finding him standing right behind her. She swings her phone behind her back, startled he now stood inches in front of her. His eyes sharp and soft at the same, sway over her wide marvelled eyes-

"What's wrong- what's happening-" he rubs a hand over his mouth. "And why are they taking so long?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know." she replies back honestly. His eyes dart over hers. Heaving out a sigh, he turns, wandering back over to the corner of the building they'd been standing out the front of. Pulling up a small crate that had been left abandoned there, he drops himself down onto it, sitting there with his head hung between his hands. Kie swallows, and swings her gaze back down to her phone.

Kie: Tell them that he followed me, ok?

Kie doesn't get a reply after that. For over the last twenty minutes, Kie and Sarah had been exchanging messages, and she'd begun to notice Rafe steadily becoming restless and increasingly impatient. She'd suspected he'd also begun to feel suspicious too. Rafe curiously travels his gaze over to Kie again, so many questions running through his head. Kie catches him staring. She holds herself, rubbing her arm, tentatively, but trying to ignore him at the same time, while dawdling out front of the building as they continue to wait. He sighs and casts his eyes away.