As the counsel between the Painted Sand elders and the elders of the Baobab tribe broke up, Ahmad felt a light touch on his wrist. Looking down, he saw the dainty brown hand of his youngest sister Shushila. As usual, she was completely veiled except for her kohl-lined eyes, but there was fear in her eyes. She gave his wrist a second, more insistant tug.
"Ahmad," she whispered. "You must come with me."
Ahmad hesitated, glancing in the direction of his father. "Shushu," he answered her gently. "Our father summoned me to this counsel. I am assuming it was for a reason. It might be wise to find out what that reason is."
"No." Shushila's slender fingers closed around her brother's wrist. "You must come with me now."
He allowed her to lead him a short way off from the other men. "What is it, Shushila?"
"I can't find Chani."
Ahmad laughed. "So what else is new? You know how she is, always wandering off with her head in the clouds and her foot in a gopher hole."
"No, Ahmad, you must listen to me," insisted Shushila. "Our mother told us to attend to the men at the counsel, Chani and myself, but she saw Jamilah arrive with a baby basket for her wedding and took off instead into the grasses. She hasn't come back."
Ahmad's face grew serious. "How long has it been?"
Shushila shook her veiled head. "I don't know. Hours? How long have you been at counsel?"
"Have you searched the camp for her?"
She nodded. "As much as I can, but, Ahmad, I'm afraid! What if something has happened to her? How can I face our parents and tell them that I let her go. I was angry at her --" she paused lowering her voice "-- for how she treats Yusef."
Ahmad hid a half-smile at that. Shushila had had an eye for Yusef since she was six years old. Ahmad,himself, on the other hand, was more on Chani's side on that one. He neither liked nor trusted Yusef, yet found himself constantly in the man's company. He slipped a brotherly arm around Shushila's slim shoulders. "I'm sure nothing has happened to Chani. Let me have a quick word with our father, then I will go search for her. Which way did she go?"
"She went west, toward the Baobab camp."
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