*
"What do you mean by that?" Fareed asked with his eyes narrowed infinitesimally.
"Why don't you come inside so we can talk about it?" Zaid suggested, rising from the stool. Fareed eyed the cottage suspiciously, then shook his head.
"Whatever we need to discuss can be discussed out here," he said.
"It's not safe to discuss things out in the open," Zaid replied. "You never know who might be listening at any time."
In the faint glow of the oil lamp, Fareed turned slowly towards Lukman. His eyes found the latter, and he nodded once.
As Lukman rose to his feet immediately, Zaid watched him reach for his sabre and walk away into the darkness, no doubt to patrol the perimeter of the house. He sighed as he slowly sat back down, shifting the oil lamp forward so he could see Fareed more
