Keyik did not know much about Yusuf, nothing more than a name and that Maslakhat had been tasked with finding him. She did not know if the reason he sought him was for good or bad purposes. For all she knew, Yusuf could be like her and Maslakhat like those who pursued her - although it was her firm belief that Maslakhat would never seek someone so tirelessly without just cause. ”What will happen if you do not find him?” she asked curiously while carefully considering his words and her own, ”Would it truly matter in the grand scheme of things?” If Yusuf was a threat, he was clearly not an imminent one.

She looked at him sidelong, gauging his thoughts before she continued, a sly grin across her delicate features. “Perhaps you would do better to focus on something with more tangible results.” She did not doubt that he would understand what she was hinting at; now that she had laid claim to these sands; her empire was poised to proliferate and prosper. He could be a part of that, if he so chose.

Maslakhat asked if she had the place to herself and if she was planning anything interesting. ”I do.”, she confirmed, the glint in her eyes mirroring his, ”and I am”. Nyazik had had her doubts and put her confidence in the black mare of the dunes, a shame really, when eventually even the dunes would be within Keyik’s scope. Paradise was just the beginning.