“Should I have left her destiny in the hands of the war? She did not choose the circumstances of her birth, or her father, or her upbringing. She is a scared and lonely girl with the potential of much good in her—and if the rebellion turns on her, we risk creating a worse enemy with a more legitimate claim.”

Arinaas sighed. “She is a puppet of the Vath, and your empathy has gotten the better of you.”

I resisted the urge to suck my teeth in frustration. “Think better of me than that, Arinaas.”

“I think very well of you,” she said.

Arinaas appraised me. “She will side with the rebellion?”

“That I’m still working on. But in time, yes, I believe so.”

Arinaas stared up at the mural of Houwa, then closed her eyes.

“There are few people I would trust in such a thing, Amani,” she said at last. “Do not fail in this.”

I smiled, relieved. “I won’t.”

Beyond the berth Arinaas’s women had made at the entrance to Houwa’s cave was a wider cavern, and it was there that they’d set up a small camp. A few open tents for the night, with lush carpeting, richly embroidered cushions, and low tables. It was clear that this was the queen’s retinue—the tables were laden with figs and dates, fragrant pastries, and tea. Hanging from the cloth ceilings were anti-detection probes, though they looked like incense bowers. It was there that Arinaas and I stood, overlooking the entrance to the cavern, and waited.

Rabi’a arrived with a single guard of her own from the same entrance I’d come through. She was dressed simply, with no jewels, though I saw beneath her mantle the shape of a small blaster inside a velvet bag. She paused on the outcrop of the entry ledge with two of the Tazalghit blocking her path.

Arinaas quirked her mouth into a half smile. “She looks Zidane,” she murmured.

“What does that mean?” I said.

“The Zidane always look like they’re ready to conquer something.”

“This from the daughter of a people who have forced tribute from every city on the main continent,” I drawled.

She laughed.

We watched as Rabi’a gave the small blaster over with a sigh, then waved her guard back when it seemed he might argue with the Tazalghit escort. I watched her make her way across the cave and then at last up the incline that led to Arinaas and me. Halfway up she paused, staring at Arinaas, her face blank with shock.