She was sure that did not give away too much. She had kept her and her mother’s involvement vague. If Sachakan men did not like dealing with women, saying that her mother ran part of her father’s business might humiliate him and turn customers off.
“Can I ask which trinkets you believe would sell?”
She smiled. “You can ask, but I would be a fool to answer.”
He chuckled. “I can tell you are no fool.”
Feeling a tug on her arm, she sobered. To completely ignore Vora’s warnings would be foolish, too.
“It is lovely to meet you, Ashaki Kachiro; but I must return home now. I hope we will meet again in future.”
He nodded, looking thoughtful. As she began to turn away, he took a small step towards her.
“I, too, am about to leave. Since we are neighbours ...I invite you to return with me, in my wagon. It is safer for a woman to travel with company – even in the city – and I would hate to see you come to harm.”
Stara hesitated. Was it safer to refuse or accept? Would it be rude to turn him down? The chat had been nice, but she wasn’t so susceptible to a good-looking and charming man that she’d jump into his wagon at the first invitation. She glanced at Vora. To her surprise, the woman looked undecided. Then Vora gave a small nod followed by a warning look. Stara turned back to Kachiro.
“May my slave travel with me?”
“Of course. And I am sure you will want your wagon to follow.”
“Then I accept, Ashaki Kachiro.”
The conversation remained reassuringly comfortable as they strolled out of the market, gave their orders and then settled into his wagon. He was flatteringly interested in her life in Elyne and appeared impressed by her knowledge of trade, and wasn’t coy about his own life and business. She had learned a little about yellowseed crops and the uses for the oil by the time they arrived at the door to her father’s mansion.
He stopped there, however, and politely escorted her and Vora to their wagon before continuing on to his own house. As the slaves drove them through the gates Stara gave Vora a questioning look.
“So. Why didn’t he come inside?”
Vora brow was wrinkled, but she looked only a little worried. “Ashaki Sokara doesn’t like him much, mistress. I don’t know why. He’s not an enemy or an ally.” Her lips thinned. “Expect him to be displeased, though.”
“What’s he likely to do? Stop me leaving again?”
“Probably, but he would have anyway.”
Stara considered that, and how she might convince her father otherwise, as they climbed out and entered the mansion. Had she learned anything from Kachiro that might be of interest to him? She didn’t think so. Unless he needed to know about yellowseed.
As they neared her rooms she found she was pleasantly tired and looking forward to relaxing for the afternoon.
“That was just what I needed,” she told Vora. “A change of surroundings, some fresh air, and—” She stopped as she realised someone was standing in her room. Her father. His face was dark with anger.
“
She paused before answering, registering the fury in his voice but catching herself before she could flinch.
“To the market, Father,” she told him. “But there’s no need to fuss. I didn’t buy anything.”
He looked at Vora. “Leave us now. Stara, you should have sought my permission.”
“I’m not a child now, Father,” Stara reminded him gently as Vora backed away. “I don’t need anyone holding my hand.”
“You are a woman,” he snapped. “And this is Sachaka.”
“Nobody bothered me,” she reassured him. “I took slaves—”
“Who could not have done anything to protect you,” he interrupted. “You forget: most free men are magicians here.”
“And lawless savages?” she asked. “Surely there are laws against harming others here. If not, wouldn’t the fear of retaliation from family deter criminals?”
He stared at her. “Is it true what the slaves tell me: that you let Ashaki Kachiro bring you home?” he asked softly.
She blinked at the change of topic. “Yes.”
“You should not have done that.”
She considered all the excuses she could give: that Kachiro had wanted to protect her, or that she hadn’t known whether it was correct to refuse or accept, or that the man was their neighbour, or that Vora hadn’t told her not to. Instead she decided to let him reveal what her best defence was by telling her what concerned him most about Kachiro. “Why not?”
He crossed the room to stand in front of her. Strangely, his gaze focused above her eyes, as if he was looking inside her head.
“What did you tell him?”
She shrugged. “A little bit about my life in Elyne. That Mother and I helped with your trade – but not that Mother was in charge. That there were products at the market that would sell well in Elyne, but not which products. That... you’re not even listening, are you?” His gaze was still fixed on her forehead. She shook her head and sighed. “I find a possible source of profit but you’re not even listening.”
“I have to know what you told him,” he said, more to himself than to her. He reached out and took her head between his hands.
“Father,” she said, trying to pull his hands away, but his grip only tightened. “Ow! Father—”
Suddenly all her attention was drawn inward and she became conscious of something inside her mind that didn’t belong there. A sense of him, laced with suspicion, anxiety and anger. At his direction her memories of the day began to play out – every bit of her frustration at his absence, every shred of her worry for her mother, all the information she had gathered at the market, all of Vora’s advice and futile warnings, and, finally, every word between her and Kachiro. Even her attraction to the man.
He delved deeper, seeking more personal information. Had she ever bedded a man? Had she ever been with child? How had she prevented it? Information that was private, that he had no business seeking.
She knew at that moment that she would never trust him again. Love shrivelled and was replaced by hate. Respect died in the face of a burning, raging anger. The bond of loyalty that she’d felt all her life, tested again so recently, broke.
He must have seen it. Felt it. But she sensed no shame or apology. Instead he kept looking, looking, and she knew she had to make him stop.
She reached for magic. He recoiled as he realised what she was doing, letting slip both his control of her mind and his grip on her head. She backed away, and as he reached out to grab her again she knocked his hands back with a slap of power.
He stared at her, his gaze calculating. She felt a rush of fear as she realised he was deciding whether to try again, this time with magic. It would go badly for her, she knew. He was a fully trained higher magician. She had learned magic as opportunity presented itself, and did not know how to draw power from others, let alone have a reserve of stored strength.
The fire in his eyes faded. She hoped that meant he had decided not to pursue her thoughts and memories again. Perhaps he hadn’t seen enough to know the extent of her abilities...
“Your mother should have told me you had learned magic,” he said, his voice laced with disgust and a hint of threat.
“She doesn’t know.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was waiting for the right moment.”
His expression didn’t soften.
“You have made yourself next to valueless as a wife and a daughter,” he told her. His face set in a cold, hard
