19
The following night she went alone. But the Sand Scuttler did not speak to her. The Sand Scuttler did not speak to her on the third night either. Although she felt its presence very close, it did not reveal itself.
After four nights spent outside the crater, away from the villa, Jakira was exhausted. Every part of her ached. She could barely keep her chin up and her eyelids felt heavier than her wrist cuffs. She propped herself against the kitchen table, waiting for Jally Cook’s orders.
Jally Cook was asleep when Jakira left at night and still asleep when Jakira returned, but the cook looked at her suspiciously. Does she know I have not been in the hut?
“Go in my hut and rest. I will manage slave breakfast and family breakfast this morning on my own. You do not look well.”
“But,
