THE DANCING GIRL

Chapter 20

THEY split up—Amir going to get Sahar, Noor heading back to find Nazrat. She hurried into their quarters, heading straight to the twins' room.

She knocked on the door, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited.

Nihaal opened the door, his eyebrows furrowing. "Noor?"

"I need to talk to Nazrat," Noor said, trying to peer past him. "Is she there? It's urgent."

Nihaal nodded, opening the door wider, letting her walk in. "She's here." He turned, looking inside. "Nazrat!"

"Coming!" Came a muffled voice from a closed door. The washroom, Noor supposed.

After a few minutes, the door opened, and Nazrat came out, toweling strands of wet hair. She stopped in her tracks when she Noor. "Why are you here?" She asked, eyes narrowing.

"I need to talk to you," Noor said, biting her lip. She trusted Nihaal, but she didn't know how much she could say in front of him.

Nazrat's eyes darted between her and his twin.

"Should I leave?" Nihaal asked, clearly picking up on the atmosphere.

Noor gave him a sorry look. "Yes. It's nothing to do with you, it's just—"

Nihaal waved his hand, giving her an understanding smile. "I get it." He walked out, shutting the door softly behind himself.

Noor exhaled and turned back to Nazrat.

Nazrat's eyebrows were raised. "Does this have something to do with Sher Rakim?"

"Yes." As quickly as she could, Noor told Nazrat a shortened version of what they'd done with the Rajkumars. About them suspecting Sher Rakim and Sher Butnam, about Noor and Amir investigating them, finding the letters in Sher Rakim's room, and why the Enyan Princess was there. She didn't tell her about the Rajkumars—about the murder attempts, about everything else.

"Amir said you and Sahar—you've been looking into the smuggling. We need your help."

Nazrat was silent for a long moment. Then she cursed, grabbing a shawl that was hanging on a chair and draped it over her shoulders. "Come on."

Noor nodded sharply and turned, leading Nazrat out of the room and back in the direction she'd come from. They soon saw Amir and Sahar, heading towards them.

She nodded at Sahar and stepped near Amir.

Sahar and Nazrat exchanged a long look before turning to them, their faces inscrutable.

"Let's go," Sahar said, raising an eyebrow at them.

They began walking, trying to be unsuspicious. Noor tried to walk fast, hurrying to the Rajkumars' chambers. Being too careful wasn't wrong, in this situation.

They reached the door they'd come through, and then went through the next one, finding the three people inside still reading through the letters. They looked up as the four of them entered.

"Noor. Amir," Rajkumar Fayyaz said, his eyes flickering over to the other two women.

"You're the ones that have been looking into the smuggling?" Princess Aurelia asked, glancing at them.

Amir translated the question.

They nodded. "I'm Nazrat Ishaan," Nazrat said.

"Sahar Suraksh," Sahar added, her face closed off. Almost wary.

"I am Rajkumar Vikram. This is Fayyaz," Rajkumar Vikram said in Al-Yauzhan, gesturing at himself and his brother.

"We know," Nazrat said, not impolitely.