Energy poured from him, filling the room and making Sabrina wish there was something she could do to ease his suffering. Kardal was a strong man. From what she’d heard on her walks through the castle, he was well respected and honored as a wise ruler. But in this matter of his father, he was as confused as anyone else would be.
She put the dictionary on the table and went to stand next to him. “Which bothers you more?” she asked. “That he’s coming or that your mother invited him?”
He turned his dark eyes on her. His mouth twisted. “I don’t know. It’s been thirty-one years. I’ve never met him. What am I supposed to do now?”
“Pretend he is just another visiting dignitary. Have a state dinner with fabulous food and wine. Talk about world events and don’t let him see that you care.”
“I don’t care.”
He spoke forcefully, but she saw his pain and confusion. A part of her wanted to reach out to him. After all, they had a version of this circumstance in common. But she didn’t know him well enough to predict how he would react to an offer of comfort. And the thought of being physically close to him made her nervous.
Instead she crossed to her desk and pulled out a drawer. Taking a modern pen and paper out, she pushed aside the text and dictionary, then sat.
“We need a plan,” she said firmly. “I’m serious about the state dinner. What else do you want to do while he’s here? What about a tour of the castle? It’s been thirty-one years, right? I’m sure there have been changes.”
“We’ve modernized,” Kardal admitted, moving toward the table.
She glanced around at her room, her gaze lingering on the lanterns and the lack of running water. “Obviously the remodeling didn’t get this far,” she said dryly. “Okay, item one, the dinner.” She wrote. “Item two, tour of the castle and that security stuff that Rafe is in charge of.”
Kardal pulled out a chair and sat next to her. He wore a loose linen shirt and dark trousers. Even casually dressed, he appeared powerful and just a little scary. At least that’s what Sabrina told herself to explain the rapid beating of her heart. It couldn’t possibly be because he was sitting close to her, could it?
“The air force,” Kardal said.
Sabrina opened her mouth, then closed it. “Excuse me?”
“The air force,” he repeated. “That is why Rafe is here. He’s working with another American in Bahania. In the past few years it has become apparent that nomadic tribes and electronic surveillance isn’t enough to keep the desert safe. We need airplanes to patrol the area. Rafe and Jason Templeton, who is Rafe’s counterpart in Bahania, both have military experience. Your father and I hired them to get our air force up and running.”
“You’re kidding,” she said, still in shock. “You’re going to have a military presence here in the City of Thieves? And my father is doing the same?”
“We have valuable resources to protect. Not just the oil. Minerals are being mined. When tensions run high, we are vulnerable. My grandfather was a wise man in many ways, but he resisted technology. I don’t share his view.”
“I guess not.”
Sabrina supposed that when she thought about it, some way of protecting the country made sense. Bahania, like El Bahar, had remained neutral as much as possible throughout the past several hundred years. But situations arose that forced action. Or at least protection.
“What about El Bahar? Will they participate?”
Kardal frowned. “Hassan wants to invite Givon, but I have resisted. With my father coming here, I may not have a choice in the matter.”
“At the risk of starting trouble, wouldn’t everyone be safer if the three of you presented a united front?”
“Perhaps.” He looked at her. “Yes, of course. But for now I would rather be stubborn.”
“Just so you’re willing to admit it.”
They were sitting closer than she’d realized. She could see the flecks of gold in Kardal’s irises and the dark line where his whiskers began on his cheeks. Her gaze drifted to his mouth and she remembered what it had felt like against her own. He hadn’t tried to kiss her again. Was that because he hadn’t been pleased with what had happened before? Was he angry because she’d pushed his hands away?
She wasn’t going to get any answers to her questions, she told herself. There was no way she was going to ask them and he wasn’t likely to volunteer the information. Time to return to the subject at hand.
“Do you think the air force is the reason Cala invited Givon here? So that you would have to include him?”