But Ariel merely pressed his lips into a thin line and said, “We shall see, Eti.” He explained that more violence would likely follow. He wanted to make sure that Eti didn’t get caught up in the thick of it.

A small, naive part of Eti believed the coup had been nothing more than a minor fluke and that she’d be back in her mother’s arms by sundown. But another night would soon fall over Mariit, and Imeria Kulaw was still in charge of the palace. Eti knew she couldn’t fight for her family on her own, but surely their people would flock to their aid. Why, then, did the entire capital not rebel?

For this, Ariel offered no simple explanation. “People will always seek to save their own skin. What good is loyalty when your survival is at stake?” he said, his gaze clouding with a dark, unspoken thought. Eti wondered where he crawled to in his mind during those rare but worrying moments when his expression became guarded. Distant. By then, the feeling of dread hovering over the canal had escalated to disquieting heights. He told Eti they needed to leave the market as soon as possible. The farther they got, the better.

They walked as far as the dockside districts on the outskirts of Mariit, where they knocked on half a dozen doors before finding a boardinghouse with an available room. The boardinghouse keeper, an old woman with gray hair and kind eyes, ushered them inside without question. She didn’t recognize Eti as a Gatdula princess, but she’d seen the ashen look on her face and took pity on them. The old woman must have been accustomed to unusual guests, because she barely raised an eyebrow at Ariel’s accent when he paid for their meal and a week’s rent. She merely pocketed the coins and insisted on feeding them.

They exchanged few words as they ate. The boardinghouse keeper served them fresh steamed rice and a hearty tamarind stew. The hot homecooked meal warmed Eti from the inside and momentarily made her forget the anxiety gnawing a hole through her stomach.

Out of politeness, the old woman asked Ariel what he did for a living. The moment Ariel froze up in hesitation, she waved off the question and diverted her gaze. “Never mind my prying. A man’s business is a man’s business” was all she said.

Once Eti finished eating, she sat back and yawned. It wasn’t yet dusk, but her body needed rest. In the warehouse, she’d only managed to get a couple of hours of fitful sleep. The boardinghouse keeper stood and started clearing the plates. “This child is in need of a nap, I think,” she said.