It was nearly dawn when Jalal was able to get back to Khalid's room. When he did his cousin was sitting up trying to drink something that was steaming in a golden goblet. Shazi sitting next to him rubbing his back soothingly. "Well, you look better."

"I would feel better if these tonics didn't taste so horrid."

Shazi smiled, "It's a good reminder not to scare me."

"It's a good reminder not to let people I can't trust get close enough to touch."

Her smile faded but she said nothing.

Seeing the hurt in Shazi's eyes Jalal hesitated before saying, "Calipha you are needed in the throne room."

Her hand hovered over Khalid's back, "Me? Why?"

Jalal tried to smile. His cousin would know something was wrong but hopefully she wouldn't. "An emir of Khorasan would like to speak to Khalid who isn't here at the moment."

Khalid narrowed his eyes, "I'm not here?"

"Would you rather be not here or not well?"

Suppressing a cough that would have Shazi doing everything he needed except going to take care of the emir, he sighed, "Take my sword it will be understood that I have you the task of handling anything in my absences."

"Would you leave the palace without your sword?"

"Jalal didn't say I left the palace only that I wasn't here. I'm sure something believable can be surmised."

"In that case, I will go take care of this then we are taking a nap when I return."

Khalid nodded then locked eyes with his cousin knowing Jalal would understand the look and stay a moment longer. Hearing the door to the hall close he asked, "What are you trying not to tell me?"

"Several things. Would you like to hear the most recent or the most important?"

Khalid didn't speak just waited to hear whatever his captain was going to say. There was still too much that needed said before he could trust he was speaking to a member of his family.

"I'm not sure how to put this."

"Just say it."

"Jahandar is no more. He gave his life to save yours. Shazi hasn't said anything yet but Irsa is barely holding herself together."

That answered how he was alive. It also told him he had just caused Shazi a great pain. It was something he would have to discuss with her. Providing she would even let him console her. "What else?"

"I do not trust the emir neither does father. Something about him bothers me."

If he bothered Jalal he may not live long enough to speak to Shazi. But If the general didn't like him… whoever this emir was would be dead long before that. "Protect her. That all that matters."

Jalal nodded once. "I have your word you will not try to slip down there to do so yourself."

"I am not doing anything that may cause Shazi to feed me figs."

"In that case, I need to tell you something that is currently Despina fault."

Closing his eyes Khalid took a careful breath, "Do I need to know about this?"

"I'm telling you so you don't try to call the guards if Shazi does not."

Struggling to sit up straighter he whispered, "What?"

Jalal smiled, "When you find out from your wife act surprised. But it is your fault she cannot stand the smell nor taste of her beloved figs nor dates."

It took less than a heartbeat for him to understand and smile, "In that case, I would like a tray sent up. The more of her favorites the better. At least this once."


Shazi waited just outside the throne room until Jalal met up with her. "Is everything alright?"

"Khalid wanted a tray sent up. Something about a proper meal before his required nap."

"You should know Artan and my sister are going to try something after he is blissfully asleep. I do not know what exactly but I am to help."

"You want me there?"

"I want the guards not to come storming in unless I call for them."

"That I can handle. Now are you ready for this?"

"No. But then again I would rather not do this at all." She nodded to one of Khalid's personal guards to open the door. Then took a step inside the room that she had only been in once before.

The emir turned to her and his eyes narrowed as he took in the plane cream colored qamis that belonged to the Caliph. Her sirwal trousers and jeweled handled dagger. Then His eyes settled on the sword hanging loosely at her side. Not something for a woman to have at all but this one… "I will speak to Caliph of Khorasan, not some whore."

Shahrzad paused seeing Jalal's hand hover just above his own hilt. Saw the general doing nearly the same. Squaring her shoulders she walked passed him without a second thought. "The Caliph is too busy to be bothered by the likes of you. You may either speak to me now and return to wherever you came or you are free to wait. But I warn you it will be some time."

The General took a deep breath before speaking, "You do not need to hear him at all."

"Your right I don't. Captain, please escort the emir to a suite that is less drafty than mine was in Amardha. The Caliph can speak to him when he is available."


She was barely out of the room when Jalal grabbed her arm. "He should be dead for what he said."

"And he soon will be. But not by you. Least not today." She paused then lowered his voice so those who in the hall way could not hear. It did not matter if they were trusted guards or not. At least not yet. "I recognized his voice."

"He was here for the general invitation."

"No. I did not meet him here. Seen him I think but I did not hear his voice." Shazi paused once more, "Make sure those who came with him are all accounted for."

"You think he brought mercenaries with him?"

"It would not be the first time an emir did so."

Jalal turned to the guard, "You, take the Calipha to the sayyidi's bed chamber. If anything happens to her I will hold you personally responsible."

The guard nodded once then motioned for four others to join him. Two took point just ahead of them. The other two behind them. She was placed near the interior wall while the guard who was now responsible for her safety stayed to her right. None left her sight until she entered the requested bed chamber.


Khaild was laying on his side barely awake when she entered. A tray sat on the low table still covered. The smell alone was enough to make her sick. His eyes slowly opened to veiled amusement. "Jalal told you."

He raised his hand just off the bed silently asking for her to join him. "I would have much rather heard it for you, joonam. But I understand why Jalal told me."

"Oh?"

"With all that has happened he did not want to rouse the guards should your meal not agree with you."

Carefully sitting so that he could rest his head on her lap she asked very softly, "Did he tell you had had already done that once already?"

For several breaths, he did not answer. "No. He leaves much up to you."

"Your chest is bothering you." He only nodded in her lap. "Irsa should have something to help soon. Or Artan."

"Neither have the training."

"True but the faqir is now helping. Between the three they should be able to get you well."

It was then the door barley opened to Irsa poking her head in, "Is this a bad time?"

Shazi smiled faintly, "If you have his tonic ready now is wonderful time."

Nodding she pushed the door the rest of the way open. "It will make him sleep."

Khalid blinked, "That would welcome now."

Helping him up so that he could sip the tonic Shazi did her best not to smirk at the face he was making. "Does it taste that bad?"

"Tepid water would taste better." Khalid glared at the cup, "What is this?"

"The strongest tonic that we could make to force sleep upon you. The faqir thinks it would be better if you sleep through what he thinks will help."

Knowing better then to protest about what he knew would do little good he asked, "What did the emir want?"

"The son of a jackal can take that up with you once you are will."

Asking now would not yield answers. Asking when he was well… Jalal would tell him. Two large gulps and he drained the glass. His vision swayed just enough to think Shazi's sister had poisoned him. Just enough to thinks he had deserved it for all he had done. Then he collapsed on the bed as he gave into whatever he had been given.

"Irsa?"

"He will wake in a few hours. I'll go get the faqir then we can get the sayyidi feeling much better and hopefully back to his normal temperament. Passive does not suit him."

"He is only passive when he knows I am right. And rarely in front of others."

A moment later the faqir slipped into the room the door closing behind him. "It is good to see he sleeps. Perhaps next time he will do so without a strong tonic nor amulet."

"He will even if he does not know so yet."


Jalal paced outside of his cousin's door. Artan was blocking the way into the room and the last fireball that he lobbed toward him had been close enough to singe his qamis. It had been his first warning not to try to enter. The serpent who had her head in the room through the now broken screen was the second. There would not be a third.

"I should be in there."

"If you were needed someone would open the door to say that."

The boy was infuriating. He could hear his cousin coughing… gasping… could hear what sounded like Khalid becoming violently sick. Yet he could not hear a single voice that should be in that room. Not Irsa who had been making tonics. Not the faqir. And defiantly not Shahrzad who he knew was in the room.

Slowly the door that led to the bedchamber opened but it was Despina carrying a porcelain bowl of bloody water. Meeting his eyes she didn't hesitate. "I need to go get another pitcher of cool water and empty this. Brat Calipha does not yet want you to enter."

"I'll walk with you."

She just rolled her eyes and handed him the bowl, "You might as well be useful."

Keeping his voice low he asked, "How is my cousin?"

"The blade cut his lung as it pierced his heart. Both are healed but the blood had collected within his lung. I do not know how both the faqir nor Shahrzad know this but they do."

Jalal looked at the bowl of blood… "This?"

"He is being forced to cough it up." She touched his arm , "His breathing has already improved."

He nodded and didn't press any further. She was needed back as soon as she could. And he needed to keep everyone away from the room until the sounds of distress ceased.


Khalid slowly opened his eyes. He was propped up on pillows mostly sitting up in his bed. His throat felt raw. His chest no longer tight but hurting in a way he didn't know how to describe. The sound of paper being turned had him turning his head to the sound.

His cabinet was open and Shazi was reading something… A few blinks and he was able to focused on what. She was reading and where it came from. The leather sleeve and the sheets of parchments that it held. He had not wished for her to read that yet she was and he could not stop her. "Shazi?" He voice much rougher then would have liked. Still her smile warmed him.

Laying the letter that she had been reading on the desk she quickly glided over to him. "You are starting to look better."

He laid his head back on the pillow knowing it had not been here before. "Find something interesting to read?"

For the moment she ignored the question. "Are the pillows comfortable enough? I had Despina retrieve them from my room." Her room a place he could very well banish her back to just for reading what he didn't want her too.

"There was a reason you asked for them?"

"You seem to rest better sitting up."

No he was breathing better. He could feel it already. "It's fine." He looked back at his desk. A desk that had not been here when he had fallen asleep. "You had my desk brought in."

"It was practical seeing you left me in charge of just about everything while you recover."

He excepted her to sound mad. But her voice sounded breezy. Not at all as she expected. "Are you mad?"

She let her finger's comb through his hair, "About the letters?"

He nodded carefully nodded.

"It's not the first time I read some of them."

"The night I brought you in here?" He should have locked the cabinet before he had left the room. Taking a slow breath he asked, "What would you have me do, joonam?"

"It's not what I think you should do but what we should do."

"Which is…"

"They need to know why their daughters were sacrificed."

For a long moment, he say staring out at nothing. The family of his previous wives could come here to listen then decide to kill him. He may be able to fight off one or two while he was weak. Another handful if he waited until he was well. Be he would never defeat all of them. Surly Shahrzad must know this. No, she would have never have said anything if she hadn't already thought of it. Her father gave his life to save his. Now he would give his life so No more must die. "Do what you need."

Taking her hand to his face she turned his head so he was forced to look at her. "Khalid?"

'If this is what you need then it will be done."

He was wounded she could see that. Not from the physical wound but by the thought, she was using this against him. "It's not what I need. It's what you need. What our child needs. And what they deserve. They need to know why their children were sacrificed. They need to know that their daughters were sacrificed because of vengeance of your first wife's father. They need to know this was not your fault and you tried to ignore it until you no longer could.'

"I do not deserve their forgiveness but you are right our child should not be forced to live with what I have done." Another breath, "When do you want me to address them?"

"In a few weeks. You need time to heal."

"I-"

"Do not tell me you feel fine or I will have figs up here so quick."

"I was going to say that I want you to make the arrangements with Jalal." It wasn't but what he was going to say didn't seem that important anymore.

"Fine. In the meantime, you have an emir in the dungeon and his hired helpers along with him."

"Does my queen think I well enough to deal with them?"

"I think you are more than capable of sentencing them. You so much as reach for a weapon and I will have Shesha take you to the fire Temple and leave you there."

"Fine. He can wait until you feel I can lift a weapon."

She gave him a kiss then leaned back knowing he wanted more. "How long till Jalal can marry Despina? He asked as you know. She accepted which you also know."

"Why is this up to me?"

"Because you are the Caliph and she is a princess."

He smiled, "I should make him ask me properly."

"You could or your could hear whatever it is that he feels he needs to say. I doubt he would say both."

"I should worry that you and Despina complement each other."

'You should worry what would happen if she married someone else."

"And what would happen, my queen?"

"Our child wouldn't grow up with its cousin." There was more but since the question was made in a light-hearted manner she would spare him the full scope if everything she and Despina had already discussed.

"Very well, send Jalal in here. I will listen. Then he can listen. Then we are going to have a proper meal."