We abandoned our partially eaten food and headed Zahra’s invitation. She insisted we not pay for anything, but Tristan and I snuck a few Bells beneath the plates anyway. Enough to at least cover the ingredients, I hoped. Felt wrong dining and dashing.

“What’s yer angle?” Agni asked Zahra, hooking her thumbs through her trousers.

Zahra cocked her head. “No angle. Travelers shouldn’t be treated so poorly.” She took the lead, marching a handful of paces ahead of us. “You coming or not?”

I looked over the exhausted, famished group, then jogged to Zahra’s side. “Hey, there are a lot of us. Are you sure you have enough to feed us all?”

Zahra smiled, her bright white teeth glimmering behind her sheer mask. “I’m sure.” She stretched her arms over her head and glanced over her shoulder. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

“I’m Matt,” I replied. Pointing to each member of our entourage, I listed them off one by one. “Tristan, Destiny, Lara, Ceres, Keke, Ravyn, Cannoli, and that’s our guide here, Agni.”

“Agni I’m familiar with. The rest of you, however, seem to be very far from home.” She trailed, her eyes resting on Tristan. “Two men especially.”

Tristan was close behind and double-stepped to catch up to us. “We’re looking for Magni.”

Zahra’s smile widened. “That’s an arduous journey.”

“And it seems it’s only just begun,” Tristan murmured.

“Wise of you to say.” Zahra nodded. She glanced up and ushered us to the right. “Ah, turn here.”

We weaved between the tight alleys between the stone buildings, hugging the shade of colorful awnings and avoiding more resentful gazes from passing catgirls. 

A large part of me wondered if we were wandering into a trap. I imagined turning a corner and getting pounced on by a dozen of Zahra’s subordinates like we had with Jazz’s gang. But the truth of it was, I was too tired and too hungry to give it a lot of credence. If this girl wanted us dead, we’d be dead. She’d drawn and swung that sword faster than I could blink and summon my axe. It could have easily been one of our heads on a plate.

Still, I held firm to the axe in my grip and noticed Keke had her bow drawn behind us, golden eyes never leaving the back of Zahra’s head. That was reassuring.

We took two more turns to the right, then one to the left before Zahra drew a thick curtain to the side of a shadowed doorway. 

“Come on in,” she ushered us inside with her free arm. When Tristan and I hesitated, she smirked. “I won’t bite.”

Tristan shrugged and walked inside. I followed close behind, keeping my eyes and ears on high alert for the first signs of foul play. Instead, I was met by the warm aroma of cooked meat and brewing tea. Barely three steps inside, and my mouth was watering.

We moved single-file through a narrow hallway, passing colorful tapestries and canvases covered in stripes of heavy-handed paint. They didn’t really depict any one thing as much as they contributed to the overall colorful aesthetic of the walls. 

“I brought guests, Ma,” Zahra called. “Eight of them.”

“Hm. We should have enough,” came the reply from another room.

We passed one closed door to the left and another door that cracked open a few inches before arriving at the kitchen area at the other end of the house. I counted seven steps from the front door to our destination. An older woman with the same long, burgundy hair as Zahra’s—though hers was speckled with thin silver streaks—stooped over a tall slab of meat on a spit, studying it with an intense gaze. 

“I’ll buy enough to make up for it later,” Zahra said. “The tavern was treating them like roachshit.”

Zahra’s mother looked up from her work, and small wrinkles crinkled at the corners of her eyes as she smiled. Her expression didn’t falter when she spotted Tristan and me. “Be patient with them, Zahra. It has been a difficult time for us all.”

Zahra frowned. “It’s no excuse.”

The older woman clicked her tongue, then turned to us. “Pardon my rudeness. I am Ishani, Zahra’s mother. It would be our honor to welcome you to our home.” She rested her hands against her mid-section and bowed.

“Thank you, Ishani. It is our pleasure to have you receive us.” Tristan perfectly mirrored and returned the gesture.

When I didn’t follow, he shot me a pointed look from the corner of his eye. I hurriedly copied his bow, not knowing if I needed to say anything more.

Ishani straightened, and she favored Tristan with an approving look. “You are familiar with Ichi customs?”

Tristan’s cheeks pinked, but he offered her a quick nod. “I, um, I read a lot.”

A thin smile quirked at the corner of Zahra’s mouth, but she said nothing.

“That smells amazing,” Cannoli called from the back. The others had huddled into the kitchen as much as space allowed, and all eyes were on the roasting meat. “What did you season it with?”

“A family secret.” Ishani grinned and put a finger to her lips. Her green eyes glittered with mirth. “Passed down for many generations.”

“I think I could eat that whole thing by myself,” Keke murmured.

“Fire seems to really like it,” Lara noted.

“Come. We have plenty of space behind the house to eat,” Zahra announced, pointing over the many heads for us to leave the house again.

Then why did we come in here? I wanted to ask but kept my mouth shut as we moved single-file outside once again. We circled around the back to find a picnic-table-style set up with long benches and a large wooden surface.

“Take a seat. I’ll help my mother serve you all,” Zahra said once more. “I’m sure I have enough bottles of Ichi drink to quench your thirst as well.”

We situated ourselves around the table, exchanging unsure looks between one another. It was weird, being herded out of the tavern to a stranger’s house and then waiting for dinner. What was Zahra’s gain from all of this?

“We’re not about to get poisoned, are we?” Ravyn grumbled, echoing my thoughts.

“I don’t think so,” Tristan replied. “She seems sincere.”

“So did Celestia,” Keke countered.

Tristan frowned. “Zahra’s different.”

“Why do you believe she’s different?” Ceres asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Well,” Tristan paused, touching a finger to his chin. “It always felt like Celestia had ulterior motives for everything she said. No matter what it was. But with Zahra, it seems like she really does just want to help us. She sounded legitimately disgusted with the tavern.”

“That’s a heavy gamble on feelings,” Ravyn murmured.

Tristan scratched his neck. “There’s one more thing.”

“What is it, Tristan?” Cannoli asked.

“Ichi Island is astonishingly proficient in poisons, but using it against another person—catgirl or man—goes against the oldest laws of the island.” Tristan shifted uncomfortably. “But that assumes the perpetrator is caught.”

I swallowed hard and looked around the table. Uneasy looks mingled with starved gazes. Agni stared off into space, seemingly disinterested in the conversation.

“If Tristan trusts her, I wish to do the same,” Ceres said.

“If nothing else, it’d be hard to hide eight bodies,” Keke replied.

“Keke!” Cannoli squealed.

“Gosh, Tristan, I hope you’re right. I’m so hungry,” Destiny whined. “I could eat this table.”

“That wouldn’t be good for your teeth,” Lara mused.

Destiny grimaced. “I know.”

Lara’s eyes drifted to the ground. “Perhaps I can ask Earth to make an exception on growing plants in the sand?”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea,” I said. The last thing we needed was a second element angry with our [Conjurer].

Buttons crawled from behind Cannoli’s hair to her arm. His tongue flickered in and out of his mouth, and his head darted side to side.

“Are you hungry too, Buttons?” Cannoli asked meekly.

Buttons nibbled her finger as if in agreement.

“Here we are!” Ishani reappeared, balancing four plates on her arms like a seasoned waitress. They were heaped with steaming meat and vegetables—the portions far larger than anything I’d seen since I’d arrived on the island.

“Drinks are close behind,” Zahra announced, hauling multiple cups on a wooden tray. “Let Aja regret offending her customers.”

I wouldn’t hate it if this were my last meal.

It seemed my sentiments echoed across the table as we all tucked into our meals. The allure of a hot meal was too much to refuse, tainted or not. It was delicious, spiced, tender, and cooked to perfection. The vegetables had the perfect balance between crunchy and soft. I wouldn’t have died upset, that was for sure.

When we’d cleaned our plates and our hosts had refilled our glasses twice, Zahra pulled a chair to the head of the table and sat down. She leaned her elbows on the surface, resting her chin on her folded hands.

“Did you enjoy it?” Zahra asked.

We replied in nods and murmurs of exhausted appreciation. At least it would be a fond memory while we traveled for three more days.

“Excellent. You honor our house with your presence.” She smiled, offering another curt bow. “I have only one request in exchange.”

“What’s that?” Tristan asked.

Zahra leveled his gaze and crossed her legs. “Allow me to join you to Rājadhānī.”