Page 84 of Over the Emerald Valley
Femi wiped tears from her eyes. Both remained quiet. Solon couldn’t blame them. Like him, they looked as if all they wanted was to leave—and in a hurry.
“Is he really dead?” asked Amunet.
“I’m afraid you shall soon see for yourself.” Temaj nodded toward the other door. “He’s in the sitting room, growing colder as we speak.”
“You killed him?” Femi spoke for the first time, looking not at Temaj but at Solon.
He nodded. His heart went out to these women, but they weren’t safe in his presence. The hunger gnawed at him like a thousand fleas. How could Temaj stay so close to them? Didn’t he smell their blood? Wasn’t he as starved as Solon?
“Wekilled him,” said Temaj. “After he tried to kill us.”
“You are like him now.” Amunet was brave to point that out. “Both of you.”
“We’re leaving,” Temaj assured them. “Do not fear us. We would never keep prisoners the way he did.”
“You say that now,” Femi murmured.
“I vow it, Femi. We’ve already learned the blood of sheep will suffice. Is there more you can tell us? What did you know of him?”
She hesitated and glanced at her sister.
“Please?” Temaj turned his best puppy-dog eyes on them. “Our best chance of never hurting anyone else is to be armed with as much knowledge as possible.”
“He’s right,” said Femi.
Amunet bobbed her head. “We’ll tell you all we know once we’re above ground.”
“Deal,” said Temaj before Solon could suggest otherwise.
“Temaj, we can’t go with them. If anyone sees us…” They could be spotted. Or worse. If enough people learned what had happened, they could be hunted.
“No one will see us,” said Temaj. “Ottah will have a donkey waiting. We’ll take them to safety, learn what they know, and be gone while the palace sleeps. I canfeelthat night has fallen, can’t you?”
Solon pressed his lips to a tight line as hunger pains flared. He nodded.
Temaj turned back to the women. “Is there anything you want to bring with you?”
They shook their heads in unison, but Temaj was already rifling through Abasi’s belongings and pulled out jewelry and emeralds. “Here, take these. You can trade them for whatever you need. Ask for Ottah and tell him Temaj said to help you. He’s the guard with the broken nose. Understood?”
They nodded. Temaj tucked a handful of shiny things into his linens. Solon had come to Sikait to stop a jewel thief and would be leaving with stolen jewels. Life had a way of circling back on itself with irony.
“Come, let’s go. We can talk as we leave.” Solon headed out of the cursed underground quarters, passing over bodies for hopefully the last time.
Poor Femi gasped at the sight.
“Shh, don’t look,” said Amunet.
Solon led the way down the curved hall and tugged open the stone door. Their group passed through, and he shoved it closed—with any luck never to be opened again. Relying on memory, he guided them through the labyrinth of underground passages as Temaj spoke with the women, all while trying to ignore his thirst.
“How long have you been down here?” asked Temaj.
“We don’t know exactly,” said Amunet. “At first, we didn’t keep track. He was kind. Gave us gifts. Filled our bellies with as much food as we could eat.”
That sounded all too familiar, much of the same Temaj had said to Solon at one point. Abasi had gotten away with a lot simply by feeding his slaves well.
Amunet continued, “It’s been three moons since we started keeping track. When we’d asked to leave, he always promisedsoon, but soon never came.”
“Are there more like him?” asked Temaj.
