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Salah gave him a sheepish smile and bowed his head. “You must forgive me, cousin, but I had to know if others would have the same experience as Lila.”
I downed the entirety of my glass and wiped away a few droplets of water from the corners of my mouth. “Don’t give it to too many people or this place will be drained of water.”
Ben’s eyes twinkled as he slid the bowl closer to his cousin. “It is rather good salt. Will you not try some?”
Salah laughed and took up a slice of flatbread. “It seems I have no choice, and you did advise that I also partake of the herbs.”
Our host dipped his bread into the bowl and came up with a small mound. He took a deep breath before he swallowed the whole thing. His eyes widened and he choked as we had all done before rushing for the water. Fadila looked doubtfully at each of us but did the same, and the level of the water pitcher was again lowered.
Salah rubbed his wife’s back as she recovered from her self-imposed shock. “Our dinners will certainly be more interesting for the time being.”
Fadila’s face fell and she turned to Ben. “How much time?”
He smiled at her and shook his head. “There’s no need to worry. Our contact told us we should learn more about the curse within a day or two.”
“Providing these spices help her?” she added.
He nodded. “That’s correct, but our friend appeared to be very knowledgeable and he had a keen eye even for us.”
Our host let out a heavy sigh as he grasped his wife’s shoulders. He studied her careworn face before he turned to us. “Here we are burdening you with our troubles when you have your own. We could not blame you were you to venture out to the Thaqiba in search of your own answers.”
“Well, we do have time before the spice to work their miracles,” Ben pointed out as he turned to me. “And Millie hasn’t seen too much of your interesting island.”
“The Thaqiba first,” I requested.
He smiled. “Of course.”
We finished our meal and said goodbye to our hosts before we set off on the journey. The mid-afternoon crowd was slack compared to the earlier hours and we discovered many resting their sun-baked bodies under eaves and the roofs of their stalls.
“So people take a break from the heat and business?” I guessed as we strolled down one of the business streets.
Ben nodded. “It’s dangerous to work too much in the heat of the sun, but fortunately for us sightseeing isn’t as strenuous an activity.”
We turned rightward and I furrowed my brow. “Is this the fastest way to the Thaqiba? I thought it was north of the city.”
“It is, but there’s something I wanted to ask an old friend,” Ben revealed.
I lifted an eyebrow. “About what?”
“About our ‘visit’ here and Salah’s troubles.”
“Why didn’t we go to them first if it’s about both?”
“My friend’s price is slighter higher than what pleased Dakin.”
“How high?”
His eyes sparkled with mischief, but there was a faint glimmer of worry in their depths, too. “You’ll see.”
I pursed my lips, but let him lead me on through the maze of streets and alleys. We eventually found our way down a dead-end street that ended in a small courtyard. A few steps led down into the sunken circle. A half dozen houses faced the courtyard and shared walls with each another and created a seamless line of mud-dried walls, but on the opposite side of where we stood was a small shop. The door stood open and a small rack outside on the cobblestones featured a variety of handmade rugs and blankets.
Ben led me across the courtyard and into that tiny shop. More rugs and blankets covered the walls and a stand in the center of the small room showed off some optional fabrics. The proprietor sat behind a low counter with their arms folded over the top and their head cozily resting atop their limbs. His back moved up and down in a slow, steady rhythm.
I opened my mouth to alert him to our presence, but Ben pressed a finger to my lips. He smiled down at me and shook his head before he pointed at a door set in the wall in the far right corner of the room. I lifted an eyebrow but let him guide me to the door. He opened it and revealed a set of narrow and steep stairs that led down into the solid rock that was the earth.
Ben took up a small lantern that hung on the wall and used a match from a nearby box to light it. Armed with the weak, flickering light, we made our way down into the basement. The air in the dark earth wasn’t as dry as above ground, but there was a staleness that made me gasp for breath.
Ben stopped and took my hand as he studied me with an anxious look. “Are you alright?”
