Page 82 of Inconvenient Honor
They promenaded a convoluted route around houses and the few trees.Hamidou is stretching the show as far as he can, Richard thought. They stopped in front of what appeared to be the largest house. An open space, more empty lot than plaza, enabled many of their followers to crowd around to view the spectacle.
Richard moved sideways so that his arm touched Lily’s shoulder. When she leaned closer, the movement touched him deeply. He wanted to comfort but couldn’t find words.
Scarface brushed past them dragging Volkov, who collapsed at Hamidou’s feet. Hamidou ignored him. Scarface took his place at Hamidou’s right, chin high, arrogant scowl in place. An old man came forward, smiling, to accept Hamidou’s embrace.
The men exchanged words, their tone obviously intended for the gathered crowd to hear. He looked down at Lily, but she shook her head. She didn’t understand them either. Richard heard one word he had heard before, back during their capture, kafir. He had no idea what it meant.
Hamidou barked an order. For the first time, his eyes met Richard’s. He repeated his words from the ship. “Welcome to Tarcin, English. These are your hosts.”
Their captors pulled them to their right past the large house. As they left the gathering, Richard heard laughter and cheering. He looked back to see Scarface and another man lead Volkov the other direction toward a clump of trees.
They arrived at a hovel a bit larger than their cell on the ship.The man with kind eyes, the one who helped Lily descend the ship, untied their bindings and gestured for them to enter. A cloth fell shut behind them to cover the door. Afternoon sun filtered through two small windows. Their prison boasted a platform covered with thin blankets and little else. Lily sank down on it and curled into a ball.
Richard clamped back the impotent rage toward the men who did this to her. Emotion would not serve. He had to think.
“Lily, can we talk?”
“About what?” she murmured without moving.
“What you saw, what you heard.”
“Volkov. I saw Volkov.”
He sank down beside her. The platform kept them from the dirt floor but was only marginally softer. He moved to kneel in the dirt so that he could put his face close to hers, reached up a hand, and caressed her cheek.
“I’m sorry they made you see that.”
She did not respond.
“Please talk to me, Lily. I need your help.”
She blinked twice and raised her head. “My help?”
“Remember our conversation about information. I need to know what you saw and heard.”
She pushed herself up, her face a mask of concentration.
Better, Lily. “Help” must be the magic word.
“I saw a cove with three small boats. Only one looked like it had recent use.”
He hadn’t noticed that detail.We really do need to work together.“What else? Did you understand any words?”
“Not much. They greeted Hamidou’s pronouncement at the dock with applause. I’m not sure, but he may have told them he brought them gifts.”
Richard bit his lower lip. “They’re poor enough here. Any gift would be cause for celebration.”
“I think we’re the gift,” she said wearily.
He couldn’t deny that. Gifts to use? Gifts to sell? Gifts for ransom?
“What is kafir? Do you know it? I heard that word on the ship and today in the square.”
“Kafir is the same in Turkish and Arabic, perhaps Berber. It means infidel.”
“Like yazychnik, what they called Volkov?”
“The same. Unbeliever.”
