“
Shaselle!” he cried, eliciting another spasm of giggles from me. “You’ve spilled the wine.”
“No, no, no. You’re the one who spilled the wine.”
I tossed my hair back, my upper body weirdly following the motion, and would probably have hit the cobblestone street had he not caught my arm.
“Don’t worry--I have something.” He dropped his hands to his belt and untied his water flask, presenting it to me like it was the legendary Holy Grail, and I stared stupidly at him.
“Do you know what this is?” he crowed, his words slurring together.
“That’s your water, silly!” I leaned back against him, craning my neck in an attempt to see his face. His balance was fortunately better than mine, and he managed to keep us both upright.
“Do you really think I would keep water in here?” he asked.
I gasped and lunged for his great discovery. He stepped away, laughing.
“Come and get it!”
I did my best, zigzagging after him down the street, while he dodged and stole swigs from the flask.
“You’re going to drink it all!” I shouted, then pointed helplessly at him, trying to find the words to tell him we were no longer alone. He took another step backward, right into the horse of the Cokyrian soldier we had avoided earlier, bouncing off to land gracelessly upon the ground on his rear end.
He stared up at the woman, making no attempt to stand.
“Your horse is very solid,” he slurred. “Congratulations on having such a fine mount.”
“Saadi, what are you doing?” she muttered, banishing my initial fear that we would be taken to Rava. I should have remembered how well known he was among the Cokyrians.
“Ah!” he exclaimed. “A friend of mine!” He brandished an arm toward me, struggling to his feet. “She’s a friend of mine, too. That…that girl over there. She’s helping me take care of important business.”
“I can see that,” the woman said, humoring her young comrade. “I’ll leave you to get on with it. But, Saadi, let me remind you that you’re to report to Rava first thing in the morning.”
He nodded, giving a small salute. “Yes, I plan to do that very thing.”
The soldier sighed wistfully. “Oh, how I wish I could be there.” She nudged her horse forward, adding, “Enjoy the rest of your night.”
She headed up the street, continuing her patrol, and Saadi turned to me.
“See how I handled that?” he proudly said. “She didn’t have a clue.
”
”