Darkest Before Dawn (KGI series)(18)
She didn’t have time to ponder the choice or mull it over in her mind. It would be a dead giveaway, and no elderly woman would turn down the protection of another when apprised of the situation, so she did the only thing she could do. The only option available to her.
“I am grateful for your protection and gladly accept. I have need of only a few things. I have no desire to be caught in the slaughter of innocent lives.”
“May Allah be with us both, my sister,” he said formally. “Come, walk with me and we will acquire the things you need so you can be on your way. And may Allah walk with you wherever you go.”
He knew. He had to know. And yet he acted as though he wanted to help her. She was both relieved and grateful but also terrified all at the same time. She hated feeling so exposed. She hated someone knowing that she was the one the intruders were here for. Guilt swamped her. She didn’t want to be responsible for the deaths of innocent people. She didn’t want to be responsible for an entire village being decimated. And she didn’t want to cause the death of a man who knew who she was and was helping her regardless.
She fell into step beside him and he slowed his pace to match hers so he didn’t leave her behind.
“Are you injured?”
He asked in a mild, concerned voice that put Honor on edge even more. She couldn’t afford to trust anyone. What if he was leading her directly to the men hunting her?
She emitted a soft laugh, roughening her voice to sound hardened by work and age. “When you get to be my age, your bones hurt and you don’t move as quickly as you did in your youth. But I am well. I still manage to get around just fine.”
He nodded, seeming to accept her explanation. They continued on in silence until they reached the small dwellings of the village. From underneath lowered lashes, she surveyed the area with a keen eye. At the river, her prime objective, several women were doing their morning laundry. The mood seemed light, but perhaps they didn’t know of the danger that had infiltrated their village.
She would make her way to the river first because it would give her an opportunity to view the booths and see if any had items she needed. She would be okay for food for a few more days, but it only seemed logical to restock if possible because she had no way of knowing when she’d get another opportunity.
The only thing she had of value that wouldn’t draw immediate suspicion was an intricate, decorative bracelet that had been a gift from a grateful family whose son she’d tended to, and she had been warm and reassuring when the child was scared. She knew it was of value and that it was something the family couldn’t afford to simply give away, but it would have been an insult to refuse the offering, and now she was glad she hadn’t. It should be enough to buy food and another garment so she could change her appearance and alternate her manner of dress.
“Where do you seek to go, sister?” the man asked.
“The river,” she said simply. “I have need of washing and to get enough water to travel back from where I came.”
He studied her a brief moment, clearly weighing the truth of her words.
“I’ll go retrieve the water for you. I have containers I can offer.” He said so as if he knew that her containers were not those used here, that they were plastic bottles that looked decidedly out of place. “You go find what it is you seek in the village and I will return to you when I’ve gotten the water.”
She nodded and inclined her head in a gesture of respect and of gratitude. Then she turned and shuffled slowly down the street lined with booths and all manner of things for sale. She needed to find someone who offered not only preserved food but also clothing or at least material she could fashion into a garment as she’d done with the large bolt of material she’d uncovered in the relief center, because she had only one thing to use as payment, which meant if she couldn’t find a vendor who offered both, she would have to make a choice.
She stopped at several, pretending interest and even exchanging pleasantries in their language fluently, always mindful not to allow the natural youthfulness of her voice to slip in and to maintain the cracked, rough voice of a much older woman.
All the while she scanned the area, meticulously studying the crowd for anyone who looked out of place. The residents of the village didn’t seem uneasy, which told Honor that her pursuers were being very discreet, just waiting for their prey to be seen.
Finally she found a vendor that offered not only a variety of flavorful, preserved food that would last her many weeks if she consumed only what was necessary to keep her going, but also bolts of material. Hijabs and long flowing robes in a variety of styles and colors were on display. It was all she needed apart from the water her anonymous protector was collecting for her. She needed to wrap this up and leave this place before she brought disaster on the innocent people who made their home here. She wouldn’t trade their lives for hers. How could she ever live with herself afterward, knowing she’d sacrificed an entire community of good people just so she survived?
No, she would leave immediately and find a place to hunker down until nightfall so she could begin her journey again. Each day brought her closer and closer to safety, so much so that she could taste the sweetness of victory. But she wasn’t arrogant enough to relax her guard no matter how close she was to safety, because such a grave error would get her killed.
An older woman tended the booth, and she was reserved but had an air of welcome and friendliness that put Honor at ease. Careful to not make a mistake in language, she concentrated hard on the words forming in her mind and was extremely conscious not only to ensure that she had the sound of an older woman with a harsher voice but also to hold the accent and render it as flawlessly as she was able.