They ignored her until she plopped down beside me in a huff, muttering to herself. Abdi and Joph were conducting an intense argument in whispers. But it was easy enough to guess the topic of their conversation. Abdi gestured toward the door, but Joph darted to block his escape. “You promised you’d help me with anything,” she said, a bit louder. Abdi’s back was tense. He murmured something, but Joph shook her head firmly. “This is the anything I want help with.” “Come on, Abdi! It’s Teeg!” Bethari added. “Look at her.” He did, reluctance clear in every line of his body. I waggled my fingers at him, and he met my eyes for the first time. After a second, he sighed, deflating. “All right. I’ll take you to someone I know, and they might take you to someone else, and that’s it.” “That’s not a very firm plan,” Bethari said. “They might not do it,” Abdi said bluntly. “They’re going to be very angry I have endangered the operation.” I stood up. I had so much energy all of a sudden.
