Lion Head Mesa Took my last breath, like the smoke from my lips

What was he saying?!
He wanted her to go away with him? This was not some love-struck boy, but a once-esteemed warrior of the mesa. He had wronged Makono somehow and been banished for it; he was no longer jodai, no longer welcome here - and yet he lingered - !
Khaba—! this time his name came as an exasperation, a gasp; this was a lot to process and she knew that the longer it took for her to grasp this, and to make a decision, the more danger he was in. But Nazli couldn't think straight!
He was right. Akashingo had wronged her. It was her home, though. Everything she knew was right here! There was no time. Anyone could find them, and then what? She thought of Medusa slinking through the hallways; she thought of the way the eyes of the fellahin had watched her grow bloated on the seed of a dead king —
She slid from her bed and gave a nod, breathless.