Thief

Chapter 12

shaykhah = A female scholar, daughter, wife or mother of the Sheik.

---Nadir's POV---

The last of the bandages dropped off easily, spilling onto the floor as I paid them no mind. The skin of my palms was scarred, yes, but as I flexed my fingers in every which way I could, I was lucky to only find minor discomfort.

Things could've gone way worse and I mostly thanked the good care of these people. The daily routines of washing my wounds and cleansing the bandages had improved the wound greatly, leaving only minimal scarring.

A sound in the stables made me look up, slightly smirking as I noticed one of Carson's men nonchalantly walking inside, as if he wasn't spying on me. Truthfully, if I wasn't so in tune with my surroundings, I wouldn't have spotted him, seeing as he stopped at a few horses to pet and talk to them.

Sadly for him, I knew better. I guess they feared that I was going to use the cover of night and disappear towards my next target. Closing my hands, I picked up the sullied bandages to throw them away later and focused more on Tahir.

He had been slightly skittish after the thunderstorm but I knew it was a normal reaction after all. It was good that he had some rest, good quality food and a nice stable for once. I never risked taking Tahir into the cities, as Sheiks were known to take what they wanted.

Sighing, I rested my brow against Tahir's strong neck, his mane tickling slightly. He nickered softly, shuffling his weight from foot to foot before stepping to the side, nudging me with his chest.

"Yeah, you're eager to go, aren't you boy?" I murmured softly, scratching at his skin. Tahir neighed as if responding before bending his head, rubbing his lip against my shoulder. I smiled, knowing that it was a horse's instinctual grooming behavior that they often did to one another.

Luckily, Tahir seemed to understand that the use of teeth wasn't appreciated against humans, as he only rubbed his upper lip back and forth in a gentle show of affection and kindness. I patted him on the neck before reaching down to check his hooves.

Everything seemed to be in tip top shape and Tahir allowed me easily to pick up his legs, patiently waiting for his hoof inspection until I was satisfied. He already knew what was coming of course and danced on the spot, letting out an excited neigh when I showed him the apple I brought with me.

"Here you go Tahir, you deserve it. I hope you had your rest boy, it'll be a while before we can relax and live calmly." I murmured softly, smiling as he took the apple from my hand with a loud crunch, eating it eagerly.

Glancing back, I saw the mercenary quickly turn his head back around, making me roll my eyes. These men weren't so eager to trade me out to the nearest Sheik, yet they also didn't seem interested to leave me be.

It made me wonder why but I shook the idea off, scoffing to myself. It didn't matter why they didn't intervene, why they were amused with watching my movements in an attempt to catch me in the act.

Patting Tahir one last time on his neck, I made my way back out the stables, having an niggling feeling that Carson was going to show up at my room any time soon. I nodded at the owners of the inn, as they already knew I was setting out that day.

After all, they had offered me a set of their clothes while mine were being washed and I smiled and lowered my head in thanks when they handed me the bundle of soft linnen. Rushing to my room, I made quick work of my shirt and pants, tugging on my familiar clothes.

Just as I was pulling my pants up though, I heard the creaking of the door behind me and scowled slightly. I could feel eyes clearly on my back, whomever had entered the room was still silent.