The bel dame unrolled a portable slide and placed it on the desk. Inside the small office, the six of them were a little cramped, but Nyx liked it that way. She wanted to see how they all did together in close quarters. Things were going to get a hell of a lot closer.

“I was the bel dame heading up Hamza Habib’s security,” Khatijah said. She tapped open a schematic on the slide. A burst of lemony scent filled the room, and the schematic rose from within the slide, projecting a map of northern Nasheen and Khairi in the air above it, like a radio.

“Wait,” Nyx said. “The bel dames were guarding Raine? Seriously?”

Khatijah pressed six points on the map. Nyx recognized them—waypoints for the caravans that went north. “When he went missing, we activated secure points across the country. We had sightings at these six.”

“Sightings? And you didn’t catch him?” Nyx said.

“I had no women in place here. Too many military personnel have been called back from the front, and now we’ve got bel dames in country policing all the military. That doesn’t leave me much to work with.”

“Who was he with?”

“That’s a real good question. If I knew that, we wouldn’t need you.”

“And if you’d done your job, you wouldn’t need me either,” Nyx said.

Khatijah regarded her. Nyx grinned.

Eshe pointed to the furthest point on the map. “Why are there no more sightings after this? Is this where he is?”

“No,” Khatijah said. “That’s our furthest Nasheenian outpost. After that, there’s nothing.”

“So they just hauled him out into the desert? Why not kill him here?” Nyx said.

“Obviously they are not interested in killing him.”

“So we start there,” Nyx said. “And see what they can tell us about where he went.”

Khatijah sighed and muttered, “Indeed.”

Nyx leaned toward her over the table. Khatijah waved away the schematic and rolled up her slide.

“If we have a problem, Khat, we should hash it out before we leave.”

Eskander patted the bel dame’s arm and said. “No problem, right?”

“Councilwoman Kosan asked that I serve as your guide,” Khatijah said.

“And what the bel dame council wants, it gets,” Nyx said. “Don’t think this was my idea either.” She turned back to her team. “Ahmed, do one last sweep. Eshe, wait for me in the bakkie. Kage, go with Ahmed.” And then, to Khatijah, “You and your sister can ride together in the second bakkie. We’ll take the lead. Good?”

“If we’re the guides, shouldn’t we lead?” Khatijah said.

“You already showed me the map. I know where we’re headed. That’s a start. But after that, I hope one of you has some knowledge of what comes after Nasheenian-occupied Khairi.”

“I’ve been there,” Eskander said. “Out beyond the last outpost. I know where we’re going.”