A Wind of Change(55)

Joseph stood up, and, reaching down a hand for me to take, helped me up too. I replaced the backpack over my shoulders.

I was wearing nothing but Ben’s shirt and my underwear, but my shorts were too torn to put back on, so I had no choice but to travel as I was.

“Climb onto my back,” he said. “It’ll be faster.”

I was glad he suggested it. Although my thigh had healed, I was still feeling shaken and weak. I’d lost a lot of blood and my mouth was parched for water.

I climbed onto his back, feeling the taut muscles beneath his bare skin. Joseph’s hands closed around my calves and secured me in place. Then, without warning, he shot out of the cave and began racing along the dunes again.

I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of the hunters. After ten minutes and God knew how many miles, the coast still seemed to be clear. Joseph had managed to shake them off, and I guessed that they were now searching for us in another part of the desert entirely.

Although I had so many things that I wanted to ask him, and seek reassurance about, I didn’t speak to him as he ran. We both needed to concentrate.

He was the one who broke the silence. He stopped running and raised a finger.

“You see that?”

I strained to see where he was pointing.

Yes. I could see.

In the distance was the outline of buildings, the outskirts of the city. And closer still was what looked like an early-morning market. There were poles sticking up, and wooden stalls being erected. I wasn’t sure what day it was today, but the market seemed mainly for the locals. I couldn’t imagine many tourists being up at this hour.

Joseph tensed.

I already knew what was going on with him. Human blood. I really wasn’t in the mood for him to dig his fangs into me again, so instead I raised both wrists closer to his face.

“Do you think my scent is enough to block out the temptation?” I asked.

“If you keep close to me the whole time… I should be okay. I was while half-turning that woman…”

As we approached the market, I could make out the types of wares that were being sold. Mostly garments and shoes, with the occasional stall of dates and other dried fruit.

“We should stop here,” Joseph said.

“Why?”

“For one thing, you’re wearing no pants. We need to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible, and that sure isn’t going to help. I’m also half naked and in general look like I’ve just murdered someone. We’ll use a gold coin to pay for clothes.”

“Okay…”

Joseph cautiously approached the nearest clothes stall and set me down on the ground. He placed his arms around my waist, standing behind me with my back against his chest, keeping me close to him. I could feel his breath on the top of my head as he breathed me in while we moved closer to the stand.

The stall owner—a short woman wearing a hijab—gave me a disgusted look as I stood there half undressed. I ignored her expression. I was beyond caring at this stage.

I picked a black headscarf with a veil that covered my entire face except my eyes, and then a long black robe for the rest of my body. Then I looked for something suitable for Joseph to wear. I just ended up picking a black robe to help him blend in better.

And then it was time for payment. Removing the backpack from my shoulders, I reached inside and pulled out the smallest coin that I could find. Even still, the clothes we were buying would be worth only a tiny fraction of it.

The woman frowned as I placed the coin on the table. Then looked back at me.

“Hm? I only accept cash,” she replied in Arabic.

“This is all I have,” I replied, also in Arabic.

She picked it up and stared at it. I guessed she thought it was fake. I couldn’t blame her. What moron would pay for a few garments with a gold coin of this weight? She placed it between her teeth and bit hard. I was about to walk away with the clothes, but she said, “No. Wait.”

I heaved a sigh, even as I wrapped the new robe around me and placed the headscarf and veil over my head and face. She made her way over to a small vehicle where a man sat in the driver’s seat—presumably her husband. I watched as she showed him the coin. He examined it carefully, just as she had done. And then he nodded.

She looked over at us. “Okay, you can take the clothes.”

I scoffed. Thanks.

Joseph was still breathing heavily as we backed away. Once we were at a distance where he was comfortable taking a few steps back from me, he put on his own robe. Now that we were dressed, I resumed my position on his back and he continued running toward the borders of the city.

“Where do we head first?” I asked, as the sand gave way and we arrived at a concrete road.