Chapter 20 · Untitled Chapter

The silence did not hold. Before the sound of his voice had fully settled between the plaster walls, the sharp rap of knuckles struck the brass plates of the door. Three strikes, measured and cautious, followed by the muffled clearing of a throat from the threshold outside.

"Abu Tariq sent the manifest," the voice said through the gap beneath the carved cedar. It was Saud, the steward who attended the outer courtyard. His tone carried the strained deference of a servant caught between two wills. "The driver is waiting at the south arch with the log for the gate depot. My master says it only requires your seal, Ya ustadh, to confirm she was remanded without contest."

Bandar did not answer at once. He stepped toward the heavy door, the hem of his white thobe sweeping cleanly across the wool pile of the carpet. He drew back the inner latch, cracking the cedar just wide enough to expose a narrow strip of the corridor’s yellow lantern light.

Outside, Saud stood with lowered eyes, holding a folded sheet embossed with the stamp of the transport office—