Chapter Forty-eight


Hadji had been awake for about ten minutes when a soft sound from the far side of the room caused him to turn his head and search the dimness for its source.

"Hey," his brother's soft voice greeted him. "You awake?"

"Yes," Hadji replied in the same tone. "I have been for a while."

"How do you feel?"

"Well enough. What time is it?"

"It's about 1:00 in the afternoon."

"Where are we?"

"In a building on the far side of the city from the Palace. The place belongs to the friend of a relative of Vijay Patel. Originally, we had planned to stay with Vijay's brother, but everyone decided that if the soldiers came looking for you they were likely to start with the Patels. So we were moved. It's down in the slums on the south side and it's unlikely anyone will come looking for us here."

Hadji nodded. "I do not even remember getting into the city."

"I'm not surprised. You were pretty well done in, and both Neela and I decided that there was no sense in fighting with you any longer. So I nailed you with a good dose of morphine and put you out cold." Jonny could feel Hadji's glare in the dimness of the windowless room. "Don't give me that look! If you'd use a little sense, stuff like that wouldn't be necessary. You kept insisting that you could walk into the city but it was obvious that you couldn't. So rather than risk you collapsing and calling attention to all of us, I put you out and you were brought into the city in a grain cart."

Hadji sighed and flicked a hand at his brother in the dimness. "Very well. I bow to the necessity of the action. So where is everyone now?"

"Most of them are out and about. Vijay and Mahavir are trying to make contact with the resistance leaders. They've been gone for several hours. The others are spread out in the streets, keeping an eye on the comings and goings in the area and trying to make certain no one got wind of our arrival."

"Mother?"

"She's been sleeping. Vijay made it clear that she and I were to stay out of sight, so both of us have taken the opportunity to get some rest. I've only been awake about an hour."

Hadji sighed softly and nodded. Jonny settled cross-legged on the floor next to the pallet on which Hadji lay and for a while the two of them shared a companionable silence.

"Almost feels like old times, doesn't it?" Jonny asked after a while. "I mean, if you put aside the circumstances. Exotic locations, primitive conditions, people chasing us . . ."

Hadji laughed softly. "Yes, it does. What does it say about us, my brother, that such things bring back fond memories?"

"That we're a bit strange?" Jonny replied with a snort.

"Or that we are luckier than most." He stirred restlessly. "Do we know what happens next?"

"I guess that's pretty much up to you. Vijay wants to bring the resistance leaders back here for a meeting. He really doesn't want you out on the streets where you could be an assassination target. Are you still determined to attack the palace?"

"I see no other choice. As long as Birla remains in a position of power, the fighting will continue." He paused for a moment and when he continued, there was a strong note of bitterness in his voice. "I was stupid, Jonny. I truly believed that I could control the man, but I was wrong. I should have removed him long ago, by force if that was what it took. So many people have died because I was unwilling to do what was necessary."

"Stop that!" Jonny responded sharply. "'What-ifs' and 'should-have-dones' are pointless. You have no way of knowing what would have happened if you'd forcibly removed Birla from the Council. In all likelihood, he'd still have fought to overthrow you. The only difference would have been that it would've occurred under cover where you couldn't keep an eye on him. And who's to say how many people would have died then? You know what Race always says. 'You play the hand you're dealt.' You did the best you could under the circumstances, and every move you've made has been with the best interests of the people of Bangalore at heart. That's a hell of a lot more than you can say for Birla. If you want me to be honest, I don't think that anything you did would have prevented this confrontation. It's the nature of the man. He took his lessons from Deepak and Vikram and he's just power-hungry and callous enough to be willing to apply all he learned. So the best thing to do now is to find a way to get rid of him for good. That's what you need to be focusing on, not wallowing in regret."

Hadji didn't reply for a long moment, mulling over his brother's words. Finally, he sighed again. "I know that you are right. It is just hard sometimes. I hate to see anyone suffer needlessly, and all of this is so pointless."

"I know. But there will always be -"

A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation and it was Hadji who replied, "Come."

The door opened, spilling soft yellow light into the dimness. Mahavir stepped into the room holding an oil lamp and said quietly, "Excellency?"

"Come in, Mr. Patel. I am awake."

"Yes, Sire." He moved into the room, set the lamp on a nearby ledge, and then bowed. "My uncle and I have returned from our search for the resistance leaders, and he thought you would wish to know what we were able to discover."

Hadji nodded, sitting up carefully and turning to face the newcomer. He waved at a nearby chair, indicating that Mahavir should sit, as he settled back gingerly against the shabby wall behind him. Rather than taking the chair, Mahavir chose to settle cross-legged on the floor near Jonny.

"First, tell me what you hear about the current situation in Bangalore," Hadji said to him.

"There has been street fighting throughout the city for the last several days," Mahavir replied. "It appears the Janissary troops were roaming freely, randomly assaulting civilians whenever it suited them. Their orders appear to have been to simply instill fear in the populace." The man's grin was almost feral. "The tactic had the exact opposite effect. The people grew more and more angry, and began attacking the soldiers en masse whenever they appeared. Shortly after dawn this morning, a large mob struck, trying to force their way into the Palace. They made it as far as the doors to the inner courtyard before they were driven back."

"What caused them to do such a thing?!" Hadji exclaimed in agitation.

"A rumor had begun to circulate that you had been captured and imprisoned in the dungeons, along with your Lady Mother. It so enraged the people, that they tried to take the Palace by force."

"Where the hell did that come from?" Jonny demanded. "Thakur made it a point to be certain that Hadji's presence in country and his escape from the Palace was known."

"My uncle and I believe that it was deliberately leaked from the Palace in an effort to cow the the populace."

"It would be like Mr. Birla to assume that the simple word of my capture would break the spirit of the people and destroy the resistance," Hadji observed thoughtfully. "He really has no understanding of our countrymen at all."

"Well shit," Jonny said in disgust. "That's going to make it a lot harder for us to get in."

"How many were killed?" Hadji asked painfully.

Mahavir sighed softly. "Close to a hundred. An accurate count has not been possible because many of the dead had to be left behind within the Palace walls during the withdrawal. The Janissaries burned all of the bodies left behind out in the middle of the main plaza and then retreated into the palace and barred the gates. Nothing have been seen of them since. The people hold the streets and surround the Palace, so our enemies are penned in, but they are now well fortified."

Jonny rose and began to pace restlessly. "It's going to be like shooting fish in a barrel if we try to throw poorly armed peasants up against the Palace. It was built to withstand a siege and we don't have the weapons to break it." The two men watched him pace for a long moment in silence. "I'm not sure we'll have much time, either," he finally continued. "Birla has forces out in the countryside and you can bet he has a way to keep in contact with them. You've got to know that he'll call them in and we'll end up caught between two superior forces."

"That is the other piece of news I bring," Mahavir said. "It appears we do not have to worry about that issue. A messenger came in not too long ago with word that the castle on the plateau that served as a munitions storehouse and garrison have been totally destroyed."

"Destroyed? How? When?" Hadji demanded.

"Sometime before dawn this morning. Explosives were used and the attack caught them totally unprepared. From what the messenger says, there is not a great deal left of the structure itself and most of the troops housed there were also eliminated. Of those that remain, many are injured and in no condition to fight, and those that weren't have been scattered into the hills."

Jonny looked at his brother in surprise. "I thought you told me the Sipahi troops were directed to watch that garrison but not to fight?"

"They were. Did the messenger say who initiated the action?"

"No," Mahavir replied with a shake of his head. "But he is still here and I suspect he knows more than he is saying. He has asked for you several times by name but refuses to say more."

"Then let us find out what he knows," Hadji said grimly as he levered himself carefully to his feet. Both Jonny and Mahavir stood quickly, reaching out hands to steady him. Hadji swayed slightly when he finally got upright, but after a moment seemed to get stronger. He shrugged off their hands, straightened his shoulders, and said firmly, "Come along." Then he crossed the room, opened the door, and stepped out into the main room confidently.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~



"Where is she?" Tarang Kumar demanded of the guardsman who stood rigidly in front of him. The man licked his lips and shifted uneasily, glancing at Captain Gupta who stood next to Kumar. The Sipahi captain's expression did nothing to reassure the man.

"I - I do not know, sir," he stammered. "She was here an hour ago . . . I saw her myself."

"Well, she is not here now!" Kumar snapped angrily. "Where did she go?" The man shook his head and opened his mouth to reply, but Kumar cut him off. "I do not want to hear it. Just find her . . . before she is captured or hurt!"

The guard scuttled away hastily, grateful to be away from the older man's fury. Kumar bowed his head and rubbed it as though it hurt. After a moment, Gupta said quietly, "I understand that it is not my place, Mr. Kumar, but I would suggest that perhaps now would be the time to order fires set and a hot meal prepared for as many as you possibly can. If your lady truly intends to take this fight to the capital, it would be better if your people had a decent meal and some rest before you begin the journey."

Kumar seemed not to hear him. "I must find her!" he muttered, his eyes darting around the area frantically.

Gupta grabbed his shoulder and shook the other man sharply. "Mr. Kumar! Listen to me! You must focus . . ."

Kumar blinked and stared at him, seeming to see the captain for the first time. "What?"

"You must tend to the people and allow the lady's guardsmen to locate her. She probably only wanted some time alone to collect herself. While she is gone -"

"You do not understand! They have already sent an assassin to try to kill her. If it had not been for the Lady Jessica they would have succeeded. With her gone now, the Sultana is vulnerable. We cannot afford to have her killed!"

Gupta thought about that as he gazed out across the valley floor. Even in the short time that he'd been here, the number of people that followed this woman seemed to have grown exponentially. From what he had seen, they were blindly devoted and fanatically loyal. If she were to be killed, the response would be . . . He shuddered involuntarily. No, he may not support her as Sultana of his country, but he had come to believe that she had nothing but the best interests of the Sultan and the people at heart. Allowing her to be killed . . . by an assassin, or anyone else for that matter . . . was not acceptable.

"Lieutenant!" he shouted, turning to look for his second in command.

"Sir!"

"Put together a search party. You are to find Kefira Subramanian. When you locate her, you are to make your presence known to her . . . respectfully, you understand . . . and tell her that her leaders are concerned for her well-being and wish her to return to the safety of the encampment. If she chooses not to do so, you are not to force her. But you are to see that no harm comes to her. I do not doubt that she will return of her own free will when she is ready, but I do not want anything to happen to her. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

"And if she chooses not to return immediately, I want word that she is safe. Now go!" The Captain turned back to find his companion eying him in surprise. "One can respect another's motives and beliefs without necessarily agreeing with their tactics. I do not believe that it would be in anyone's best interests were Ms. Subramanian to die."

Kumar bristled once more. "Singh . . . not Subramanian."

Gupta shrugged. "Time will tell. The most important thing right now is to keep her alive. My men will find her and ensure her safety. But in her absence, it is up to you to see to the welfare of the people who follow her. As I was saying, a hot meal might be the best course . . ."



~ ~ ~ ~ ~



High above the valley floor, Kefira sat staring down at the secluded haven and it's occupants. From her rocky perch, she watched as the people below her moved, seeming to ebb and flow like the tides along the coastline of her husband's home in Maine. Desperately, she tried to close her mind to the onslaught of memories that seemed to flood in on her, as she had ever since Maia had brought word of her parents' death, but for the first time she was unable to stop them. Instead, images kept flashing behind her eyes in an endless parade . . .

. . . her father, holding her hand and leading her carefully through the scurrying activity on her first trip to one of the family's mines,

. . . the sound of her mother's voice as she rocked the newest edition to their family, a baby boy name Srinivasan,

. . . Sumant, lifting her carefully into the saddle of the new pony and telling her that she wasn't to worry, he would see that she was the best rider in the province,

. . . her father, standing at the center of one of the family's mines, directing the frenetic energy that was the daily operations of their family's business as she stood holding the papers he allowed her to carry for him,

. . . her mother, calm and placid among the sea of children that always seemed to fill their home,

. . . her older brother again, his face alight as he watched a leopard lazing in the shade of some shrubs at midday . . .

The tears that she had held at bay for so long blurred her vision as the roller coaster of memories continued, carrying her mercilessly from the distant past toward the present.

. . . the stranger coming around the corner in the Royal Palace and slamming into her with no warning,

. . . the feel of his arms around her and the softness of his voice in the fragrant darkness of the palace gardens,

. . . the way her father looked at her on their return trip to Panjal province as her mother talked non-stop about wedding preparations for her older sister,

. . . the look on Sumant's face when she whispered to him that she was going to school in the United States and would later be married - to the Sultan,

. . . her father, standing in a European museum and smiling at her with pride as the sculpture made of their stone was unveiled,

. . . the vivid shock on her sister-to-be's face as she exclaimed, "He's crazy about you! You're all he's talked about ever since he got home.",

. . . Jonny's soft voice at the belated Christmas party saying to Matt Evans, "Yeah, she's really cool. And she and Hadji are so great together." . . .

Suddenly, the deep, overwhelming grief could be held at bay no longer, and it swept up and enveloped her. Deep, wrenching sobs shook her entire body as she drew her knees tightly against her chest and dropped her forehead onto her knees. So many dead . . . so many people who had been her world . . . gone forever. How much more of this could she endure?



~ ~ ~ ~ ~



"Wait!" the man gasped and grasped frantically at the leather-clad arm of the woman in front of him. "We . . . have to . . . stop . . . for a minute. Rest . . ."

Jessie turned and looked at the ragged line of refugees behind her with a combination of impatience, compassion, and regret. There were about 30 of them, all strung out in a straggling column behind her . . . the prisoners from the castle. It had been obvious from the instant she set foot in the dungeons that things weren't going to be pretty, but what she found there was beyond anything she could ever have imagined. Many had already died and the stench was enough to make her nauseous and light-headed. Corpses had been piled haphazardly in one room and she discovered later that the remains were carried out and dumped in a mass grave at the base of the mountains whenever there were prisoners with enough strength to haul them. When there weren't, the bodies were simply left in the room to rot. Vermin infested the place, feeding on the decaying remains, and the swarms of flies in the wing where the bodies lay were almost impossible to see through. Disease was also on the rise and many of those she found still living, wouldn't be for long. Powerless to help those people, she had been forced to leave them there. Jessie was certain that their desperate cries for help would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.

Of those few that were still capable of moving, none were in great shape. Injuries varied from exhaustion and malnutrition caused by neglect to open wounds and broken bones from deliberate torture. And that didn't even begin to address the psychological torment they were all suffering. Privately, Jessie thought it a miracle that any of them were able to move at all. She paused and looked at the battered American photographer that still grasped her arm.

"Mr. Armstead, I'm sorry. I know you're all near the end of your endurance. But we have to reach the safety of the encampment. If we're caught here in the open, there's no way I'll be able to defend all of you. It's not that far now, and once we get there, everyone will get medical attention and have the chance to rest. But until then, we've got to keep going."

"I - I don't think I can," he gasped, sagging against a nearby boulder. His shattered left arm lay at an odd angle in the makeshift sling despite Jessie's best attempts to find a way to secure it. The hand had begun to blacken slightly and she suspected that the bones had been destroyed beyond repair. The right side of his face was black and blue, as was most of the other skin surfaces she could readily see. She wondered briefly if the Janissaries who held him had actually wanted information or if they had just beaten him for sport. Whichever it was, she was astonished he was still alive, let alone walking. After a moment, he continued, "You go on. Those of us that can will follow. The rest will wait here until you can send back help."

Jessie stood for a long moment, torn by conflicting responsibilities. She needed to get back, as Kefira was sure to be absolutely frantic by now. But she couldn't abandon these people. If only she still had someone she could send for help. It had been a mistake to send the messenger on to Bangalore City before she had gotten these people to safety.

A harsh voice from around an outcrop of rock beside the trail they had been following sent her flying back toward the end of her line of charges. Her gun was up and ready as she cleared the rocks obstructing her view and found six men with rifles threatening a group of people who could barely stand.

"Stop!" she snapped sharply in Hindi, as the combination of Sipahi uniforms and peasant garments registered.

Heads snapped around at her words and after an instant's hesitation, one of the men gasped, "It is the Sword! She lives!"

The Sipahi soldiers hesitated, but the peasants that formed the group surged toward her without hesitation, babbling incoherently. It took Jessie a few moments to get them calmed down sufficiently to make sense, but when she did, she was seriously upset by what they told her.

"What do you mean 'missing'? How could she be missing?"

"We do not know, Lady. She just - just . . . disappeared!" The marked agitation in the all of them disturbed Jessie even further. If something had happened to Kefira, the group that had been following her was sure to turn into an infuriated mob that would be beyond anyone's ability to control. She couldn't allow that to happen!

"Enough!" she shouted over the pandemonium of raised voices. She pointed at the people who were huddled together like frightened sheep in the face of all of the noise. "These are the prisoners that were in the dungeons at the castle. They are in desperate need of assistance." She glanced at the insignia on the Sipahi leader's uniform and then continued. "Lieutenant, I want you to come with me. The rest of you are to see that these men are taken to the encampment and cared for."

"But Lady, we were specifically sent by Mr. Kumar to find the Sultana," the man who had first approached her protested. "If we -"

"You leave the Sultana to me. Just get these people to aid."

The man bowed and began to turn away just as one of the Sipahi guardsmen stepped forward to stand next to the lieutenant. Jessie recognized him as the man who had given she and Kefira a hard time when they first encountered the Sipahi troops. The defiant expression on his face made his intentions clear. The man's move triggered his troop mates to do the same and in short order all six of the Sipahi guardsmen were ranged in front of her. Jessie's gaze flicked over them in disgust. Eyeing the lieutenant coldly, she said, "They aid these people or you go your own way. I do not have time to deal with an entourage."

Without even waiting for an acknowledgement, she spun and strode purposefully back the way she had come. Behind her, she heard the indistinct sound of voices and a moment later, the lieutenant joined her. To her unspoken question, he replied, "They will assist the others."

As the two of them rounded the rock outcropping, she spotted Armstead. He appeared to have sunk to the ground right where he had been standing. His back rested against the boulder, his eyes were closed, and his face had a decidedly gray cast. Kneeling beside him, she laid a careful hand on the shoulder opposite his bad arm and asked quietly, "Mr. Armstead, are you still with me?"

Reluctantly, his eyes fluttered open and he gazed up at her with dazed expression. "Yes."

She nodded as she caught a flash of a Sipahi uniform out of the corner of her eye. "We've just acquired help. I'm going to leave you in their hands. They'll see that you get safely to the encampment and receive medical treatment."

His eyes seemed to focus on her and with a bit more strength he demanded, "You're leaving us?"

"Only for a short time. Something else has come up that I have to deal with, but I'll see you back at camp."

"But -"

"Corporal, see to this man," the Sipahi Lieutenant ordered as Jessie rose to her feet. They remained just long enough to ensure that attention was being paid to the injured man and then turned and set off at a rapid pace once more, angling off of the trail and heading up into the hills. The two of them moved through the countryside silently for a while. Jessie could feel the man watching her, but chose to ignore him. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, Lady, but do you have a destination in mind? Perhaps you know where the Sultana has gone?"

Jessie paused and shaded her eyes with a hand, scanning the area carefully. "Not a specific destination, no."

The man waited, but when no further information was forthcoming, he asked, "Then what are we doing?"

"Searching for the Sultana."

"I do not understand . . ."

Jessie finally looked at the man beside her. He was substantially younger than the Captain who led this group. "Saying that I do not know where she is does not mean that I do not know how she thinks," she replied in Hindi. "Tell me, Lieutenant, do you know why she left?"

The man hesitated. "I believe she was upset, Lady. All expected that you would return before the castle was destroyed. When you did not do so, everyone feared the worst. The Sultana stood strong in the face of your assumed loss, but . . ." He shrugged.

"They wouldn't leave her alone, would they?"

"Everyone was concerned for her."

Jessie cocked at eyebrow at the young man. "Even your commander?" He shifted uneasily under her penetrating stare. "Tell me something, Lieutenant. I know that Captain Gupta does not approve of the Sultan's marriage. Do you agree with him?"

"I - I do not think it is wise for me to have an opinion on the matter."

Jessie grinned and shook her head. "No, that's not gonna cut it anymore. I know your Sultan. He expects you to have an opinion and to express it when asked. So I'll ask you again . . . what is your opinion of the Sultan's marriage? Do you agree with your commander that it is inappropriate and must not endure?"

"I believe," he said slowly, "that the world has changed. While it is true that if we wish to keep ourselves intact as a people we must take care to preserve those parts of our culture that make us what we are, I think that we must evaluate our customs for validity in the face of the new world. And I think that in doing this, many of the old ways will be found to be in need of change."

Jessie nodded economically and turned her attention to their surroundings again. After a moment, she pointed to a large outcrop of rock about a two kilometers away. "The Sultana will search for high ground," she said and set off at a brisk walk again.

"High ground?" the man demanded, following after her doggedly.

"She will want some time to be alone, but she will know that she cannot go far. She will also wish to be in a position to keep an eye on the encampment . . . hence, high ground."

"I see . . ." he replied, but his tone said he was still doubtful.

After that, conversation between them died as it took all of their available breath to maintain the pace Jessie set for them. About twenty minutes later, they stopped at the foot of the cliff Jessie had spotted. A clear trail ran along its base and less than 500 meters further along there was a break in the terrain that disguised an entrance into the hidden valley that served the encampment. Turning, Jessie examined the cliff face carefully, craning her head back to examine the vertical surface as it rose above her. Freshly broken chips of stone and scraped patina were clearly visible.

"And I thought Jonny was bad," Jessie murmured ruefully to herself in English. "Sister, sometimes you are absolutely crazy . . ."

"What? I did not underst -"

"Wait here," Jessie ordered, cutting him off. Then, without another word, she reached out and began to climb. She could hear her companion start to protest, but put him out of her mind as she concentrated on the rock face.

As a technical climb, she had done worse, even though it didn't take her long to wish that she had climbing gear and safety ropes. The cliff face was made of granite that had seen its share of weathering. The surface was broken and rough so there was a wealth of hand and foot holds. Unfortunately, the same characteristics that made it good for climbing also made it risky. Much of the exposed surface was cracked and broken, and each hand and foot hold had to be checked carefully to ensure it wouldn't give way when she shifted her weight to it. Also, broken chips of stone often had to be cleared out of the way to make room for her to get a good grip. The process was slow and tedious and before long she lost all track of time. The one time she looked down, she saw that the steady shower of small stones had finally driven her companion away from the rock face. He was still nearby, but had moved several meters off of the path, shading his eyes and watching as she climbed. After all of this, you'd better be up here, Kefira, Jessie thought to herself.

She was about thirty feet up the cliff face when she discovered a narrow cleft in the rock. Appearing like little more than a cracked surface rock from the ground, the narrow fissure widened off to her right forming a ledge. Jessie clung to the rock and eased herself carefully to her right along the narrow ledge until it had widened sufficiently for her to be able to stand and turn around safely. Only then did she realize that her climb had taken her steadily away from the edge of the valley below. Her companion on the ground was now some way off to the right of where she had begun climbing and from his stance she could tell that she must have disappeared from his sight rather abruptly. In fact, at the moment he appeared rather agitated. She leaned out carefully and waved at him, gesturing in a manner that she hoped he understood as a signal to wait and then turned her attention to the ledge once more. It was about five feet at its widest point with a slight upward tilt making it virtually invisible from the ground below, and it's surface was clear everywhere except along the joint where it met the rock of the cliff. There, a bunch of stone chips, small rocks, and struggling plants littered its surface. Jessie eyed the ledge uneasily, wondering why its surface would be so clear of rubble. As if in answer to her question, a sudden sharp gust of wind shook her, causing her to shy away from the edge of the cliff. It swirled along the ledge, shifting some of the rocks and debris near the cliff face uneasily before dying away once more. With a rueful grin she sketched the barest hint of a bow to the wind, "Thank you for the information," she murmured softly.

Silently, Jessie moved forward along the ledge, following it as it curved along the cliff face back toward the edge of the valley below. As the breathtaking vista opened up below, Jessie saw her. Kefira sat about a foot from the edge that overlooked the encampment. But she wasn't watching the activity below. Instead, she was huddled almost into a ball. Her legs were drawn up against her chest and her forehead rested on her knees. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her shins and her hair, which had been tightly braided into a long plait down her back, now spread out loose around her like a shroud. She was utterly silent and motionless, and sudden fear caused Jessie to move forward swiftly. She knelt on one knee beside the other girl and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Kefira?"

Kefira jerked sharply and her head snapped up in response to her name. She stared at Jessie disbelievingly for the space of several heartbeats and then asked hoarsely, "S-s-sister?"

Jessie grinned at her with feigned cheer, deeply disturbed by the marks of exhaustion and grief she saw etched in the other woman's face. "Told you I'd be back."

"JESSIE!!!!" Kefira literally launched herself at the other woman, catching her up in a stranglehold and sending them both tumbling back toward the back of the ledge. Jessie wrapped her arms around her, appalled at the violence of the sobs that shook Kefira. Scooting back toward the cliff face, Jessie leaned against the rock and held the other woman, just letting her cry. After a time, the storm began to subside until finally Kefira sat upright out of Jessie's embrace and wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket.

"I am sorry," she said in a subdued tone.

"For what?" Jessie asked her as Kefira settled next to her with her back against the stone cliff.

"It seems I do not have very good control for the Sultana of a country," she replied bitterly. "Not if I run away when times get hard and then fall to pieces."

Jessie stared out into the distance for a long moment. "Or maybe," she replied carefully without looking at her companion, "you have too much control for your own good." When Kefira didn't reply, Jessie sighed softly. "Kefira, you can't beat yourself up because you're unable to stand emotionless while people die all around you. You've lost loved ones, your family, and you've not allowed yourself to grieve for them. Your husband has gone missing amidst his most dangerous enemies, and while we can believe that he's still alive, there is always that shred of doubt. You've met and tried to comfort people who have been brutalized, had family members murdered, and have been driven from their homes. And you've sent people you feel responsible for into battle against a superior enemy knowing that some of them were going to die. How much control do you really believe you should have?"

"I cannot afford to break down. If I do, what do these people have left?"

Jessie closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the cliff. The instant she did, the faces of those she left behind in the dungeons of the castle rose in her mind's eye and their desperate voices called to her again. Jerking her head upright, she opened her eyes and breathed deeply, struggling to still the acid that churned in her stomach. "Then you have to release that control enough to allow yourself to grieve." She gestured to the ledge. "I'm not saying this wasn't a good idea. I suspect you needed to get away for a while . . ."

"I felt as if I could not breathe."

"They meant well. They were only worried about you."

"I know. But I felt as if I was going to explode -"

"And you knew that you couldn't afford to do it in front of them. I understand. But you can't just go wandering off alone. Not here. It's too dangerous. Surely you could have held it together long enough for me to get back."

"I thought you were dead. You said you would be back before the explosives detonated. You did not return, either then or after dawn. And I kept searching for what I would tell Jonny when I got to Bangalore City, and . . ." She trailed off and then after another moment, she added, "I never should have agreed to let you go."

The silence between the two of them stretched until it was almost painful. Finally, Jessie sighed. "Kefira, the deal with the castle . . . it's the reason I'm here. To find ways to clear the path, to help you reach your goals, and to keep you out of trouble. It's my job to be at risk when you can't afford to be."

"No."

"Yes! Just as it's Jonny job to do the same for Hadji. I know this. I won't say I like it, but I understand and accept it. And if that means that either one of us has to -"

The response was harsh and cut across Jessie's words like a knife. "We can afford to have neither you nor Jonny lost. Do not ask me to condone an action like the one at the castle again, Jessie, because I will not do it. I will not willingly agree to send you to your death."

"Kefira, I'm fine -"

"You know what I mean! Do not ask it of me, because I cannot . . . will not . . . do it!"

"I know it's hard. But making the hard decisions is what the ruler of a country has to do, and -"

Kefira surged to her feet and stalked off a few paces before turning back to Jessie in fury. "Then I do not want the job! I did not ask to be Sultana of this country and I do not want to be the one who must decide the fates of hundreds of thousands of people. I will not do it any longer!"

Jessie stared at her silently for a long moment. Finally, in a soft voice, she asked, "Then will you renounce your marriage to Hadji and leave it all to him? He can't quit . . . you know that. Will you turn your back on him and just walk away?"

For a long time, the two women just stared at each other in silence. Then Kefira's shoulders slumped and in a pain-soaked whisper, she murmured, "Brahman help me . . ." and she turned to lean her forehead against the cliff face and started to cry once more.

Wearily, Jessie rose and crossed to her. Hugging her tightly, she sighed softly and allowed a few tears of her own to fall. Finally, she pushed the other woman away again and smiled at her. It was a shadow of her old, carefree grin, tinged as it was with pain and the images of the horrors she'd seen over the last several days, but somehow she was still able to dredge it up. "We'll get through this, Kefira. One way or the other. I told Garrett Blackman that I would make my father proud of me, and I will. And I promise you that he will expect me to do that and come out of it standing, so you can use that to ease your mind." After a moment, Kefira nodded. "So what's your choice? Do we keep going?"

Kefira took a deep breath and then used the heels of her hands to rub hard at her eyes. "We go on," she said finally. Then she stared at Jessie seriously. "I cannot walk away from him, Jessie. You know that. I love him."

Jessie smiled again. "I know. And I want something else understood between us, too. You are to believe that I'm dead only when someone brings you my body and not before, and I'll do the same for you. That way, there's absolutely no misunderstandings. Agreed?"

Kefira took another deep breath and then she nodded. "Agreed." Then a smile struggled to her lips. "You are right. We will get through this, one way or the other."

"Absolutely. Now, before Mr. Kumar has a heart attack, I suppose we should get back."

"Yes, we should. I left rather abruptly and without telling anyone where I was going. I suspect Mr. Kumar is a bit concerned. Furthermore, we have some planning that must be done before we can leave for Bangalore City, and I want to be off as quickly as possible."

Jessie gestured back toward the far end of the ledge. "After you . . ."



~ ~ ~ ~ ~



It looks like a wave, Jessie thought, watching the people around them rise as she and Kefira approached, only to sink back to the ground after they had passed. Shoulder to shoulder, they moved easily through the crowd, the Sipahi lieutenant following about six paces behind. As usual, their progress was slow because Kefira stopped regularly to speak with the people that stood to greet her as she passed. Jessie could see that the word of Kefira's return to the encampment quickly outdistanced their pace and wondered how soon it would be before word reached Tarang Kumar and the Sipahi captain.

She wasn't left to wonder for very long. They had been back in the valley less than 15 minutes when a sudden parting of the throngs of people announced their arrival. Neither man looked very happy.

"Company," Jessie murmured in a low voice to Kefira and then hastily moved forward several paces to block Kumar's belligerent progress toward their location. Behind her, the crowd closed in around their Sultana, obviously sensing the mood of the approaching pair. "Mr. Kumar, it is good to see you again," Jessie greeted him calmly, sketching a slight bow.

He halted about five feet away from her and scowled darkly. "So, it is true . . . you have survived after all," he replied sourly. "I had heard rumors to that effect. Your failure to return distressed the Sultana greatly."

"It must, of course, distress me to upset the Sultana. However, circumstances did not permit me to return to her any sooner."

The tension and fear caused by Kefira's disappearance suddenly clawed free, venting in a burst of anger. "Your job is to protect her!" he snarled. "Not roam the countryside, collecting up a ragtag lot of -"

"My job," Jessie replied in a soft, warning tone, "is to do as the Sultana commands. Yes, part of what she demands of me is that I protect her. However, another part is that I protect her people, wherever and whenever I can. It was that task which delayed me . . . a fact of which you are obviously aware."

"Yes, to the detriment of her safety! And then you take the men we sent to search for her and have them bring your lot of -"

"Enough!" Kefira's voice was cold as she stepped out of the crowd at Jessie's back. "My sister did what was necessary. What would you have had her do, Mr. Kumar? Leave our people in the dungeons to die?"

"It is a question of priorities, Lady," the Sipahi captain said carefully, but with due respect. "A military leader must recognize that there are times they must sacrifice some for the overall safety of all of the others -"

"Which she did," Kefira replied sharply. "She rescued those she could, but I greatly doubt it was everyone imprisoned there. I fully approve of her actions and I will hear no more of it." Gesturing at Jessie as she stepped past her, she said, "Sister, with me please. I want to be ready to move from this place within the hour." Then she shoved past the two stunned men and disappeared into the crowd.

But moving within the hour turned out to be impossible. Mr. Kumar and the Sipahi captain's orders for the people to set fires and rest had been a signal to the encampment and the crowd had settled in. During Kefira's absence, trucks had been unloaded, hearths had been set up, and meals were well underway. In a number of places, tents had even been fashioned from whatever could be found and many had simply crawled into what little shelter they could find and had fallen asleep. Additionally, those with remaining energy had set out for the castle in the hope of scavenging something of value from the still-burning ruins.

The situation was further aggravated by a number of hit-and-run attacks against the border sentries by small bands of Janissary guardsmen. The attacks were brutal and came without warning, leaving seven men dead and another half-dozen wounded, some critically. Jessie increased the guard on the perimeter and sent a group of well-armed men into the surrounding countryside to search for the marauders, but to no avail. Their attackers seemed to vanish like mist, only to reappear out of nowhere, taking a deadly toll when they did. By late afternoon, both Jessie and Kefira were tense and bad-tempered and the crowds that followed them were on the edge of hysteria.

"We can't keep up like this," Jessie finally said to the other woman in exasperation as the two of them stood alone on the cliff edge looking down onto the plateau below. "Those bastards are doing this deliberately . . . trying to make the people that follow you break and run. If this keeps up, they'll succeed."

"But what do we do?" Kefira demanded. "I have tried to get them ready to move again, but Jessie, they are tired. There hasn't been sufficient food to feed them all and many of them have been homeless and drifting for weeks."

"I know. I know. It's the logistics of moving large numbers of people without adequate supply lines. I hadn't anticipated that the Janissaries would've been using a scorched earth policy in the countryside. I relied on our ability to find resources along the way, but they just aren't to be had. Not only is food in short supply, but water's starting to run low, too."

Kefira waved her hand toward the far side of the distant ruin. "Water is available from a natural spring that fed the castle. It is simply a question of getting to it."

"With a group of rogue Janissaries at us? That's just asking for trouble." She was silent for a moment and then she sighed. "But we're not going to have much choice, are we? To be honest, I've been thinking that being out in the open might be a better idea, anyway."

"You have an idea."

"Not an overly productive one," Jessie replied with disgust. "It's more defensive than offensive. The hidden, enclosed nature of this valley with walls on three sides and this cliff on the fourth was a great idea when no one knew we were here, but now that our enemies have discovered us, it's turning into a detriment. The very things that kept us safe and hidden are being turned against us. It's too easy for the enemy to sneak up on us and we're boxed in. Being out in the open might actually be better now."

"We could see them coming," Kefira said thoughtfully.

"Exactly. And with the numbers we have, any open attack would be suicidal."

"So where do you propose we go?"

Jessie waved at the open ground before the ruined castle. "Down there. It puts us closer to the water source." Jessie eyed the mountain peaks that towered above them. "You know, we've been lucky weather-wise so far, but how long is that luck likely to last? We probably need to start thinking about shelter for these people, too."

Kefira sighed. "You are right, certainly. But Jessie, we cannot afford to tarry here. We must move toward Bangalore City as soon as we possibly can. Time is against us. The longer Hadji remains in the city without assistance, the more likely it is that Mr. Birla will capture him, particularly if the Lady Neela is already in his hands. And we must find Jon and Hadji and tell them about Dr. Quest. Mr. Blackman said that it was urgent that all of you return to Maine immediately. It has already been three days since he told us that and we are hardly any closer to finding them than we were when we spoke with him."

"I know! But we can't just -"

A sudden sound from behind them caused both women to spin. Standing about six feet away was one of the Sipahi guardsmen. He bowed respectfully. "I ask your pardon, Excellency, but one has arrived in the camp who wishes to speak with you and your Sword. He is most insistent and bears a token which he claims will explain why he is here."

"What token?" Jessie demanded sharply.

The guardsman stepped forward and dropped an object into Jessie's outstretched hand. Her breath caught sharply and her face turned bleak.

"What is it?" Kefira demanded.

"Jonny's watch."



~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Anil Thakur stood guard just outside the door and bowed profoundly as Hadji exited. "Excellency."

Hadji paused and nodded at him briefly. "Mr. Thakur. It is good to see you again. You have rested, I trust?"

"Yes, Excellency."

"Good." Then he turned and looked around him. The space was bigger than he anticipated, and as he surveyed it, he realized that it was actually a medium-sized warehouse that had been subdivided into a number of different rooms using blankets, flimsy pieces of wood, and cardboard. The makeshift alcoves ran along the walls of the structure, leaving the center of the building open. On the far side, Hadji could see an assortment of livestock, including some chickens and a goat. As primitive as the arrangement was, it was obvious that it had been occupied in this fashion for a long time.

Not far from the one real room in which Hadji had been resting, he saw a group of women huddled around a hearth. One of the women came forward hesitantly and silently offered him a bowl filled with some type of soup. He smiled at her and nodded his thanks, which caused her to bow her head shyly and skitter back the way she had come.

There were perhaps a dozen men in the room, most of whom Hadji didn't know. All of them had scrambled to their feet upon his entrance and one man now stepped forward and bowed profoundly. "Excellency, I am pleased to see you looking so well."

"Thank you, Mr. Patel. I feel much better for the rest." He flicked his gaze across the men behind him and added, "I do not believe I have had the pleasure of meeting your companions."

"They are the men who have been leading the resistance here in Bangalore City. All have come to meet with you to plan the next stage of the fight against Mr. Birla and his Janissaries."

Hadji nodded at them. "I am pleased to meet you, gentlemen. We will talk shortly. However, I am told that there is one here who has been asking for me and may have word on the fall of the garrison on the high plateau. I would speak with him first."

Vijay hesitated, and then said, "There is such a one, Excellency, but I am not sure . . ."

"Just bring him to me, Mr. Patel, and I will judge for myself."

"As you wish." Vijay turned and gestured to one of the women, who disappeared into an alcove on the far edge of the warehouse. While he waited, Hadji sipped at the soup he had been handed. It was a thin, lukewarm broth, tasting vaguely of chicken, and it was all Hadji could do not to grimace at the flavor. Spoiled, he said to himself privately. They do the best for you that they can.

The woman reappeared a few moments later with a child in tow. Pointing to Hadji, she said something to the boy and shoved him in their direction. The boy approached Hadji slowly and when he was about five feet away, he stopped and bowed deeply. Keeping his eyes on the ground, he whispered, "Excellency."

Handing the bowl to Jonny, Hadji stepped forward and knelt in front of the boy. Catching his chin, Hadji tilted his head up so their eyes met and smiled. "They tell me you have been asking for me?"

"Yes, Excellency," the boy whispered and tried to lower his head again. Hadji's smiled widened slightly.

"I do not bite," he assured the boy gently. "What is your name?"

"Hemant Chawla, Excellency."

"And where do you come from, Hemant?"

"Panjal Province."

"You are a long way from home. Why are you here?"

"I was sent, Excellency. First to the Sipahi leaders who watch the fortress on the plateau, and then here to the city in search of you." The more he spoke, the more his shyness seemed to dissipate. Hadji smiled at him encouragingly.

"And who sent you to these places?"

"The Sultana's Sword, Excellency." Hadji stiffened slightly and behind him, he heard Jonny's breath catch and the low murmur of surprise from the other men.

"The Sultana?" Hadji questioned sharply. "You have spoken with her? When?"

"Early on Wednesday morning when she and her Sword arrived in Bangalore. When the Janissaries were seen, they sent me to take word to the Sipahi troops in the hills above the castle. When our army arrived at the garrison, I did not have the chance to see the Sultana again. She was very busy. But all said that she is well. She is with Mr. Kumar and the others, and they would not allow anything bad to happen to her. It was her Sword who sent me to you. That was after the castle had been destroyed."

Hadji could sense the other men listening avidly as he asked, "You saw the castle destroyed?"

"Yes, Excellency. " The boy's grin was savage. "It blew up . . . stone and earth and bodies going everywhere. It was wonderful." Hadji winced inwardly at that blood-thirsty comment. He has reason to take joy in the violent destruction of his enemies, he reminded himself sharply. Forcibly, he made himself focus on what the boy was saying. " . . . and it burned for a long time with all of the soldiers inside . . . they burned, just like my friends at Mr. Subramanian's house." The fierce light in his eyes seemed to die in that instant, and Hadji saw a shudder move through his small frame as horror and pain struggled to come to the surface. Reaching out, Hadji captured the boy in his arms and hugged him. After a moment, the child's arms stole around his neck and Hemant clung to him tightly. Rubbing his face in the soft hair, he said quietly, "You have done very well, Hemant. I have just a few more questions and then you can rest." Reluctantly, the boy nodded and stepped away from Hadji again. "Now, you have spoken several times of the Sultana's Sword. Who is this person?"

"She is the Sultana's American sister . . . the Lady Jessica Bannon. The people have named her the Sultana's Sword because she stands before the Sultana and prevents anyone from doing her harm." The boy's eyes became almost fanatically bright. "She has hair like fire and eyes that can see through lies, and she brings the wrath of Kali down on any who would try to hurt our Lady. They say she cannot be defeated, Excellency! They say she has fought men twice her size in hand-to-hand combat and has bested all who have opposed her and that she has powers granted by the Gods!"

"It seems 'they' say a great deal," Hadji commented dryly. When he glanced up at Jonny, he found him grinning widely.

"Sounds like Jess," he said in amusement. "Hell on wheels."

"It was she that set me to watch the approaches to the mine where we were hiding and then sent me to the Sipahi troops on the plateau to warn of the Sultana's coming." The boy's expression suddenly turned angry. "They did not wish to believe . . . claimed that your lady wife could not be Sultana! I told them -"

Hadji laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Peace, Hemant. They were simply ill-prepared for your news. Now, you said that the Lady Jessica sent you on to the city? When was this? And what did she wish you to do?"

"Early this morning, just after the castle had blown up." The boy licked his lip, suddenly looking uneasy. "You see, she made the Sultana let her go alone into the castle. The Sultana did not wish her to go . . . commanded her to find someone else to go in her place. But the Sword refused, saying she was the only one with the skill to do this thing. She said that we would have lost too many people trying to attack the castle openly." The boy gazed at Hadji anxiously. "We would have followed the Sultana into battle, Excellency, no matter what the cost! We are not afraid to fight or to die for either of you!"

"I know that, Hemant, and so does the Sultana," Hadji assured him hastily, cringing inwardly. "So the Lady Jessica went to blow up the castle all by herself . . ."

"Yes, but you see, I knew that she would need help. So I followed . . ."

Hadji closed his eyes and shook his head in horror. A child, in the middle of that nest of vipers. "And what did she say to you when she discovered that you had done this?"

The boy hung his head. "She was very angry, Excellency."

"Yes, I imagine that she was. She would not have wanted you to risk yourself on her behalf."

"No. But it was good that I did, because if I had not, I do not believe she would have been able to free the prisoners from the castle before it blew up. I was able to distract the guards so that she could get into the dungeons and then diverted others so that she could lead the captives to safety." Hemant paused and the expression on his face and the shaking tone of his voice stilled everyone in the room. "It was a very bad place, Excellency." Then the boy shook his head. "We could not get everyone out . . . only those that could move on their own. We barely got those away before the castle blew up."

Hadji hung his head and sighed heavily. Then he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and looked up in time to see Jonny bow to the boy. "I thank you for the care of my lady, Hemant. I owe you a very great debt."

Hemant stared back at Jonny in awe. "The Sword is your wife?"

"No, not yet, but she is my . . . I am betrothed to her."

Stepping back, Hemant returned Jonny's bow with great dignity. "I am happy that I was able to serve." Then he looked back at Hadji again. "Once we were free of the castle and safely back into the hills, the Sword told me that I had done well in my first assignment for her and that she wished me to go to the city to try to locate you. If I was able to do so, I was to tell you that the Sultana and her troops are moving on the city and that they will be with you shortly. I was also to give you this." Pulling something from the pocket of his pants, he laid it in Hadji's hands.

"A radio set!" Jonny exclaimed, looking over Hadji's shoulder.

Hadji looked up. "Can we reach them with this?"

"Depends," Jonny replied, reaching out and taking it from his brother. "How far did you say the castle was from here?"

"About a hundred miles or so."

Jonny shook his head, examining the unit. "This is a short-range set used for surveillance gigs. It will never get that kind of distance. I might be able to modify it, though, if there's a stronger unit we could use as a repeater."

Hadji looked up at Vijay. "Mr. Patel, is there a radio anywhere that we can get access to?"

Vijay glanced at one of the men who stood nearby and then looked back. "Yes, Excellency, I believe there is. It was a unit taken from the Janissaries in the fighting not long ago."

"Good. Get it and bring it here to my brother. Since it appears my wife has a fighting force that may be of aid to us, we will attempt to get in contact with them." He smiled at the boy in front of him again as he rose. "You have done very well, Hemant. I wish for you to return to where you had been waiting and get some rest."

"I can fight, Excellency!"

"I am sure that you can, and I may have a role for you to play, yet. But to be effective you must be ready. There is nothing I need you to do now, so you must take advantage of this opportunity to rest."

The boy seemed to think about that for a moment and then nodded. "Yes, Excellency. It is just as the Sword has said before." Then he bowed and retreated.

"Jess seems to have made a strong impression on him," Jonny murmured softly as they both watched the boy cross the room.

"Yes, she has." Hadji sighed and his shoulders slumped. The look he gave his brother was bleak as he said softly, "An army of peasants and children . . ."

"Who greatly outnumber our enemy and have a will to fight that borders on the fanatical. That's one hell of an advantage. What we have to do is find a way to utilize them effectively without putting them at too great of a risk."

"I know you are right, but that makes it no easier. See if you can get that radio working. I want to speak with Kefira as soon as possible." Jonny nodded as Hadji turned to the others. "Mr. Patel, is there somewhere that we can all sit and talk? I believe it is now time for us to begin planning for the assault on the Palace."



~ ~ ~ ~ ~



It was nearing 2:00 p.m. when Jonny joined Hadji and the resistance leaders again. They were all sitting on the floor in a large circle near the center of the warehouse. Stopping behind and to one side of his brother, Jonny reached down and handed him the modified communication device. "Well, the captured radio is mounted on the top of the tallest building in the area, it's frequency is tuned to this one, and they're communicating. I didn't dare change the frequency it's operating on. Jess and Kefira would have no reason to be hunting on other bands, so we can only hope that any communication we manage to establish won't be picked up by the enemy." He glanced around at the other men in the room. "Anyone know if they have a high-powered radio setup in the palace?"

"Not that I am . . ." Hadji began, but Vijay cut him off.

"Yes. The Janissaries brought one with them when they set up headquarters in the palace."

Jonny shook his head. "Which means that even if we do make contact with them, we don't dare try to plan strategy because we are sure to be overhead. What's more, we really shouldn't even attempt to contact them until we're ready to move out of here. The Janissaries are trained soldiers. You can bet the instant they realize who we are they'll be trying to triangulate a fix on our position."

Hadji sighed softly. "You are right, of course. I believe this is an advantage we should not publicize until it can be of the most use."

Jonny nodded and looked down at the papers spread out on the ground in front of Hadji and the resistance leaders. "Palace floor plans. Cool. How'd you manage to come up with those?"

"Mr. Patel was able to steal them from the palace archives some weeks ago," Hadji replied. "They are not complete, of course, but they serve us well."

"I believed they might be of use," Vijay added quietly. "Furthermore, I felt that something this valuable should not be in Birla's hands, particularly when he began to search for access to the hidden passages with so much determination."

"Makes sense. So what's the plan?"

Hadji gestured in frustration as the men shifted to make room for Jonny in their circle. "There isn't one. At least, not a good one. As you are already aware, there are only two entrances to the palace and I am assured that both are very heavily guarded both inside and out. Trying to take the palace is going to be very similar to launching an assault on a medieval fortress. The only difference is that we have no catapults and they have modern weapons!"

Jonny leaned forward, flipping through the exploded drawings of the various wings. He frowned thoughtfully at one of the drawings and then gestured at Hadji. "You have a pen?" Hadji shook his head, but one of the other men reached out and handed Jonny a stubby, well-worn pencil. He nodded his thanks and flipped back to the main drawing. "Okay, I planted explosives here, here, here, and all along here," he said, marking the drawing with X's and circling a corridor. "That's the throne room, Birla's quarters, one of the upper-level Janissary barracks, and about every 100 to 150 yards along a secondary interior corridor leading toward the front gates. They were small charges . . . at least the ones along the corridor. I wanted to minimize the risk of injury to innocent people as much as I could, so it's unlikely there's any major structural damage in that area. But I deliberately set the charges to blow the hell out of the other three locations. If the walls and ceilings didn't come down in Birla's quarters and the Janissary barracks, I'll be really surprised."

Hadji eyed the locations thoughtfully. "What are you thinking?"

Jonny shrugged. "I'm not sure. What are the odds there's enough of value in the rubble to make Birla set people to trying to clear the mess?"

"The throne room . . . perhaps. There were a number of valuable pieces of artwork and some heirlooms that symbolized the Sultancy. I can see him wanting to have them if they were intact."

"And they might be. I didn't try to obliterate that room."

"Why did you blow it up, anyway," one of the resistance leaders asked with a touch of belligerence. "It was part of our heritage."

Jonny gave the man a hard look. "That may be. But Birla's set himself up as Sultan and one of the things he's doing is sitting on the throne and holding audiences with people. My goals in setting those charges were two-fold. One, I needed a distraction to give us time to get out of the palace. And two, I wanted a shot at getting rid of Birla. At the time, the two most likely places to find him were the throne room and his quarters. It was a calculated risk that failed, but it was worth a try."

"I still don't see what this means," Hadji interrupted.

"I'm trying to figure where he's likely to be concentrating manpower inside the palace."

"He won't be using Janissaries for that kind of work," another of the leaders objected. "He'll be using the palace staff."

Jonny arched an eyebrow quizzically. "Will he? I wonder. Birla strikes me as the kind that goes paranoid under pressure." He glanced at his brother and then pointed at him with the pencil. "So far, he knows that he's been watched by you from within the palace, that you killed his chief executioner literally under his nose and then escaped . . . unscathed, as far as he is aware. He's also been attacked by the people at the front gate at least twice, and his own quarters and various other locations in the palace he thought he held securely have been bombed."

"Do not forget that he is also under threat of invasion by U.N. peacekeeping forces, the Indian and U.S. governments are calling loudly for him to produce Kefira and me, and by this time Father and Race are probably demanding access to the country," Hadji added.

"All of which is putting the man under tremendous pressure. I'm guessing that he's not sure who he can trust any longer. And knowing the man's personality, I would say that probably means that he's putting his faith where his money is. I'd guess most of the palace staff have probably been relegated to the dungeon and it is being held almost solely by the Janissaries, whose loyalty he figures he's bought."

Hadji nodded slowly. "That makes sense. But I still do not see your point."

Jonny rapped on the floor plans sharply. "My point is that this is a huge palace and by this time, I'd think Birla's forces are starting to be spread a little thin. Yes, the Janissary Corp are the cream of the crop when it comes to soldiers, but think about it. That group has been in decline since the end of Suleiman's reign. In today's world, mercenary soldiering is not considered an honorable career any longer. And it shows by the tactics these men have used. They've seemed overwhelming and invincible. Why? Numbers? No! Their numbers can't be that big. Rather, they've seemed that way because of their reputation, their tactics, and their visibility. But we've been steadily depleting their numbers. Jess and Kefira took out a large number of them when they took out that garrison. We took out several in the fight at the back gate of the palace, the odds are good I got a bunch of them when I blew up the barracks in the palace, and the people have eliminated some in the street fighting."

"The Sword and our people took out many of them in the fighting at the Sultana's family mine," Hemant volunteered, materializing at Hadji's shoulder. "And those that were not killed, surrendered and were sent out of the country by the Sultana."

"More gone. Mr. Patel, do you have any idea how large the Janissary numbers were at the beginning?"

Vijay shook his head. "No. All anyone knew was that when they arrived they seemed to be everywhere."

Jonny nodded. "Visibility again, but not necessarily overwhelming numbers."

"I take your point," Hadji said patiently, "but you are avoiding my question. What are you thinking?"

Jonny leaned back and propped himself up on his hands. "I'm thinking we should take a lesson from the Sultana's Sword. You say there's only two entrances to the palace. I disagree. I say there's another one . . . one we've used recently."

"You are thinking of going over the walls into the old section of the palace again?" Hadji demanded. "Jon, that will not work. We are sure to be spotted and the Janissaries will be able to pick us off at their leisure."

"No, listen. We go in at night, just like we did the first time." He glanced around the circle of men. "I take it you've been keeping watch on the palace?" They all nodded. "So you know what the guard schedule is on the outer walls." Again they nodded. "You said they guard the doors from both the inside and out. How often do the inner guards communicate with ones on the doors at the tradesmen's entrance at the back of the palace?"

One of the men shrugged. "Occasionally, but I do not believe it is done on a regular schedule."

"Good. Then this is what I propose. As soon as darkness falls, we begin to move into the hills on the back side of the palace. Then a small team takes out the guards on the exterior near the back door, preferably right after the guard changes, giving us as much time as possible before we can expect anyone to come replace them. Then, we post men at either corner to keep an eye out to warn us if anyone is coming and we take a group of men over the wall into the old section of the palace. From there, that group moves through the passageways and eliminates the guards on the interior at the back door. Once we hold that, we can funnel men into the palace in much larger numbers."

"But once they are inside, they will have to fight for every foot of corridor they gain against Janissaries. Small numbers can hold a great amount of territory if they have the advantage of cover, and inside the palace, they will have that advantage."

"Not if we hit them simultaneously throughout the palace with no warning."

Hadji blinked, staring at his brother with sudden comprehension. "The hidden passageways."

Jonny nodded. "We have a good staging area in the abandoned sections of the palace and they are readily accessible through a relatively short passageway from the back door. We get the strike team inside, eliminate the guards at the back door, open it up and shunt our fighting men in that door, through the passageway and into the abandoned sections of the palace. From there, we can move them quietly through the passageways to strategic locations and get them in place for the fight. Then we wait."

"For what?" one of the resistance leaders exclaimed, excitement lighting his face. "We would be in a perfect position to strike!"

Jonny grinned. "For reinforcements. I suggest we take all of our people into the palace to strike from within." He glanced over at the boy who still stood at Hadji's shoulder. "Hemant, could you get back to the Sultana and her Sword? Carry a message for us this time?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "Yes!"

"Then I suggest that we send him back to Kefira with this plan, a timetable, and word to contact us via the radio at a set time with the answer to one simple question -- 'Can you have your forces in the city and surrounding the palace by a specific time?' Her response will be either 'yes' or 'no', and if it's no, then the hour they can be in place. A radio broadcast that short won't be traceable even by the best of equipment. In fact, they may not even catch the transmission at all. It gives us the advantage of being able to use the radio again to signal the actual attack. With Jess and Kefira hitting them from the outside and us striking at them from inside, we have the chance of taking the palace quickly and with a minimum of loss."

"That could work," Hadji said thoughtfully, "provided we can get everyone into place quickly and we can keep the plan from leaking to those in the palace."

Jonny grinned. "Keeping the plan quiet won't be that much of a problem, I don't think. The advantage Birla's gained by barricading himself into the palace is also a disadvantage. He's cut himself off from the word on the street. I think we'll just position a few men around the palace with orders to make sure no one gets the urge to come out to see what's going on. What kind of weaponry we do have?"

"We have submachine guns!" one of the resistance leaders offered proudly.

Hadji's head snapped up sharply. "What!? Where did you get those?"

"Some were taken from our enemy," the man replied. "Others we have bartered for and had smuggled into the country when the Janissaries began appearing. We knew that eventually we would have to protect ourselves and our families so we set about getting the arms to be able to do that."

"Good," Jonny said hastily, seeing his brother's face. "We can be grateful you had the foresight to be prepared. How many men can you put around the perimeter to pen them in?"

The man thought for a moment. "Perhaps 30 if we want them to have an ample supply of ammunition. Double that, if you wish to spread the ammunition more thinly."

Jonny nodded. "Select 30 men who can consistently hit what they aim at and get them ready. How much time do we have before the U.N. troops begin moving in?"

"The deadline is 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, our time," Vijay said quietly.

"Which means we need to have this wrapped up by mid-day on Sunday if at all possible. We want time before that deadline to get the borders open so that we can let U.N. inspectors and the media in here. Cut it any closer than that and we run the risk of a conflict with the peacekeeping forces." Jonny looked over at Hadji. "So what do you think?"

Hadji stared silently at the floor plans in front of him for a long moment and then sighed heavily and nodded. "It will have to do." Rising to his feet, he looked at his brother and said, "I leave the arrangements in your hands. When do you wish to start moving?"

"We'll leave here around nightfall. It'll take us time to get everyone in place without alerting our enemies," Jonny replied. Hadji nodded and then turned away. "Where are you going?"

"I must speak with my mother."