Silk and Secrets(54)

"Is this so, Jalal?"

"Aye." In her exhaustion, Juliet spoke in her normal voice, several tones higher than the one she used as Jalal. Ross was surprised no one noticed it was a female voice, until he realized that her demonstration of fighting skill had made it literally unthinkable that she could be a woman.

A Kurdish merchant spoke up. "When they fought, Habib was trying to kill. The Targui showed great mercy in sparing him." A murmur of other voices confirmed the statement.

The kafila-bashi stared down at the camel driver. "You have gotten what you deserved," he said coldly. "You will be left in Merv, for I will have no troublemakers in my caravan." Judgment given, Abdul Wahab turned on his heel and stalked away.

Most of the onlookers began to drift back to their own campsites, voices buzzing in excitement as they discussed the fight. There was no question that Jalal had been the popular favorite. Even the two fellow camel drivers who lifted Habib to carry him back to their own fire did so with visible distaste.

Ross wanted to walk over to Juliet and wrap himself around her until his heart slowed its chaotic beat, but he did not. He doubted that she would find such behavior acceptable even if half the camp was not watching.

Instead, he followed Saleh through the group that surrounded her. "You can congratulate Jalal tomorrow," Saleh said, his voice cutting through the babble of voices. "Now his wounds must be tended to."

By the light of his torch, Ross saw that blood was pouring from the slash in her upper left arm, soaking the sleeve of her robe, and dripping from her fingers onto the sand. Wordlessly he handed the torch to Saleh, then yanked off his turban and wrapped the length of fabric around her arm, using it as both tourniquet and bandage. Juliet was shaking and her skin had a clammy chill/.

Murad joined them, saying enthusiastically, "You were splendid, Jalal! As quick as a serpent, as deadly as a lion. Could you teach me how to use a knife like that?"

Before Juliet could reply, Ross said, "That's a question for another day, Murad. Will you fetch water for us? I don't think Jalal is up to the task just now."

Reminded of practicality, Murad went to retrieve the empty waterskin. Since Saleh did not suffer from all of the complicated constraints that bound Ross, he took Juliet's uninjured arm to steady her during the walk back to their fire.

As soon as they arrived there, Ross laid his sleeping rug by the fire so Juliet could sit near its warmth. Then he tossed on more fuel to brighten the flames. When she had settled down on crossed legs, Saleh knelt beside her and unwrapped the temporary bandage so he could assess the wound.

Juliet drew her breath in sharply as he examined her, though he worked as gently as possible. The gash was about six inches long and ran diagonally along the outside of her upper arm. Even with the rough tourniquet placed higher up, it still bled.

When Saleh was done with his examination, he said in a troubled voice, "The wound must be cauterized."

Ross swore under his breath and glanced at Juliet. For a second their gazes met. Then she turned her head away.

He knew that she understood what was being proposed and had accepted the necessity, but Ross could not bring himself to do the same. He said to Saleh, "Surely cauterization is not necessary."

"I would not recommend it if I did not think it needful. Habib was a filthy swine and his knife was likely tainted. There is a grave risk the wound will fester if it is not burned clean."

Before Ross could say any more, Juliet said, "If you think cauterization best, so be it." Her strained voice seemed on the edge of breaking. "Khilburn can do it."

Ross felt as if a cold hand had clenched around his heart. Was the damned woman deliberately trying to drive him crazy? He had performed cauterizations in the past and had also once endured the procedure himself; the thought of inflicting such pain on Juliet was unbearable. Good Lord, he had found it impossible to fence with his wife even if both carried blunted foils and wore protective padding.

He opened his mouth to say that Saleh should do the procedure, but the sight of Juliet made him hold his tongue. She sat cross-legged and immobile, her neck bent and her expression was hidden by her veil.

Yet even though she was not looking at him, he knew, with the same uncanny sense of connection he had felt earlier, that under her stoic exterior she was shaken and in pain. Her request that he do the cauterization was not inspired by a desire to torment him, but was an oddly touching act of trust. He doubted if she realized that consciously, or she would not have asked. But since she had, he could not deny her.

"Very well," he said brusquely. "I'll use my dagger."

It seemed an appropriate choice, for it was the beautifully made weapon Juliet had given him at Serevan. The charcoal bed was the hottest part of the fire, so he laid the long steel blade across the glowing coals, back edge down.