Page 90 of Dalla's Royal Guards
He kept Dalla distracted with questions while Musad scanned the surrounding ruins silhouetted against the vivid sky. He hoped that Musad could find whatever had put them on edge.
“Hard to believe I actually stayed here. Everything is much easier now. No mud, no stink of sweaty bodies that haven’t been washed in months or longer, and thank the Gods for your plumbing. I assure you the market and this fort did not smell as fresh as it does today,” she laughed with a shake of her head.
“I think we’ve spoiled her,” Musad said in a teasing drawl. “Three days of markets, sunshine, and shameless affection, and all she can think about is our modern plumbing.”
“You have to admit that it is a marvelous place to?—”
Nasser twisted her around and covered her lips with his before she could finish her sentence.
“Careful, love—there are children nearby,” he chuckled.
Dalla’s face turned a pretty pink when three teenage boys made cat-calls as they passed behind them.
“Get it, old man!” one boy laughingly encouraged.
“Hell, I wouldn’t mind getting a little of that,” another ribbed.
“Burning hot, babe!” a third complimented before he stopped and stared at her for a moment. “Hey, doesn’t she look like the girl that’s all over the internet?”
““Let’s move on. We should return to the palace,” Musad said, his steely, disapproving gaze following the teens.
“There is one spot that I would like to see before we go,” she said.
“Where is it?” Nasser asked.
“It isn’t far. I’m curious to see if an old passage has been found. Several captains I knew used it to smuggle in barrels of liquor from the mainland so they could avoid paying the port tax,” she said, walking to the end of the parapet and down another set of uneven stone steps cut into the rock. “The pirates call this the Fort of the Black Tide.”
“I read that was because the sea turned black with the blood of those who tried to capture the island,” he replied.
Dalla laughed and shook her head. “Few wanted to capture the island. The trade was too good, and the pirates were actually good for business, providing merchandise and spending a good portion of the coins they earned. The name came from the black flags flown by the pirate ships. They stored their spoils here. Every so often, someone would vanish, only to return with gold, wine, spices, or women.”
“Weren’t you afraid? It seems like it would have been a harsh time and place to be a woman,” Musad asked with a frown.
“I am the daughter of a Viking! We were as fierce as any pirate,” she scoffed. “I was a warrior and recognized as one. I had earned the respect of both the King of Narva and the King of Kashir.” She paused halfway down the stone steps, looking down at a spot that had been dug out but had partially collapsed in the time since. “I once outdrank a Crete captain in that spot. It was a tavern. Then there was Raoul. He was from Spain. He was trying to impress me. I left him sleeping in a barrel.”
“Remind me never to challenge you to a drinking contest,” Nasser chuckled.
He was about to step down beside her when the prickling on the back of his neck returned, subtle but persistent. He turned, letting his eyes scan the nearly empty ruins behind them.
A gust of wind stirred the trees, their leaves rattling like bones. Nothing else moved. He frowned when he didn’t see Donovan or any of the security team.
Musad came to stand at his shoulder. “Something wrong?”
“Maybe. I think we should go.” His unease was a knot low in his gut that refused to unravel.
“We can always come back another time,” Musad said, his gaze now sweeping the horizon.
Dalla looked between them, her posture straightening as her senses kicked in. “It’s too late,” she said softly, turning her face into the breeze. “I-I can feel it.”
Nasser reached for her hand, gripping it tight.
“What do you feel?” Musad demanded, turning toward her.
“My time is up. It can’t be changed,” she murmured, her eyes focused on a vision of the future that they couldn’t see.
She turned eyes that glittered with unshed tears to him and Musad. Her fingers tightened around his hand as an expression of grief flashed through her eyes.
Denial filled him, and he shook his head. He wouldn’t let this happen. He would let her go.
