Lion Head Mesa gnashing teeth and criminal tongues

The truth was, she should have never left. Why she had felt beholden to Khaba — who was a friend, certainly, but only a friend — eluded her now.

She lapped at the water and swallowed, finding comfort in silence.

For all the struggle she had been through recently, Nazli had been changed. She wasn't eager to get back to her work as a fellahin or to do much beyond resting, and could not fathom much more; and the previous iteration of her (before the starvation, before the large angry woman) would have been beyond eager for it.

A name did pop in to her mind, though. She passed a look to Akhtar and questioned, Makono?

Why had the queen not come by? Perhaps leaving as she did had caused a larger wound than Nazli could imagine.