Chapter 13
Aurora awoke with a nasty headache that instantly made her entire body numb with any small movement. She sat up in bed, rubbing her throbbing head and groaned loudly. Next to the bed, her mother sat, staring at her. She immediately tried to compose herself and feigned her ailments.
"Mother," she addressed in a small voice. "You...you're still wearing your clothes from the festival."
"I am."
She couldn't lie. It was too late. Her mother must've known what happened last night, even though her mind was still hazy. Aurora recalled snippets of last night with Hallel, but she did remember Xerxes carrying her in his arms.
"I stole a bottle of wine from the kitchen and took it to your throne chamber," she told on herself. "I know I'm not supposed to go in there. And I shouldn't have taken the wine and I'm sorry."
Arielle's lips curled into a smile and she started chuckling under her breath.
"Why are you laughing?"
"I'm just impressed."
"Impressed?"
Arielle nodded. "You drank an entire bottle of wine. That is impressive for someone your age."
Aurora tried to mute her smile. "You're not angry?"
"No, I am very angry."
Instantly, the princess' mood dampened and she sank into the pillows.
"I'm glad you're safe. There was an attack last night during the festival. Over fifty people were killed."
Aurora gasped.
"I didn't know where you were and I thought something happened to you." she reached over and kissed her daughter's forehead.
"That's terrible that those people died." She grabbed her mother's hand. "What about Abbaseh and Boran?"
"They're both safe." She gripped Aurora's hand tightly. "As for your friend, her family has been notified to come pick her up."
"Where—where is she?"
"In a guest room, sleeping. I'm going to have to think of a good excuse as to why she's been throwing up for all hours of the night."
Aurora's head dipped, hiding her shame.
She stood up and smoothed out her dress. "Don't go into my throne room again. We'll talk more about this later, but for now just...try to rest."
"I...I'm so sorry, mother."
"Thank you for telling me the truth and apologizing. I'll decide your punishment later."
The investigation continued, even two days after the disastrous fire. Soldiers were sent to Zal Pasha's quarters to investigate further. With Gabrielle's findings of the hidden shelves in the wall, a deeper investigation was set in order. This time, the raid of the room was a façade meant to frighten Zal Pasha.
In the room, the soldiers searched meticulously with Zal Pasha and his assistant standing by the doors. Gabrielle had her eye on the hidden shelves in the wall. Standing beside her, Xena had her eye on the Pasha's sweat dripping down his face.
When the soldiers finally made their way to the wall, they pried it open with the dull edge of their spears. The hidden compartment opened and Gabrielle was fully expecting to arrest Zal Pasha right then and there.
Except, the shelves were empty. Everything there was gone. Hundreds of documents and journals were gone.
Blood rushed to Gabrielle's cheeks as she glared at the empty shelves.
Xena could feel the steam rising from her wife's body, and walked over to the wall to inspect it. She ran her gloved finger over one of the shelves. It had been wiped clean. No dust or filth in sight.
"Why do you have a hidden shelf in your room, Pasha?" asked Xena.
Zal Pasha stepped forward. "Ah, Khanum, many rooms in the palace have false walls. I use that to store my personal documents."
Her lip twitched.
"Thank you for your time. We'll send in some maids to clean the room."
Afternoon tea and food were hardly enjoyable. Xena swished the tea around in the glass until it turned cold. Wine was better suited for a time like this. Sitting on the terrace, she tried to calculate everything that was going on in the empire, but so far, none of it made any sense to her.
"I saw the documents. Marbzan saw them too," Gabrielle said, throwing a piece of half-eaten bread on the plate. "He must've figured out I searched his room, but I don't know how? You believe me, right?"
Xena set the glass down. "I believe you, Gabrielle."
"He moved those documents. If he moved them, then they're somewhere in the palace. We should search every room."
Her wife waved her hand dismissively.
"We've been going about this all wrong."
"What do you mean?"
Xena picked at her fingernails with her teeth, and stared at the mountains in the distance. "We're trying to uncover decades of corruption in less than six months. We're too busy focusing on small stuff to see what's going on."
Gabrielle's face scrunched. "I don't understand. We know about the rebels. Zal Pasha is hiding documents. Arielle's signature has been forged several times. The attack in the palace. It all points back to the rebels."
"Yes. We know about the rebels, but we don't have any leads, Gabrielle. We keep running around in circles. These people know how to cover their tracks. We don't have any viable suspects because we have no proof; only suspicion."
She took a deep breath.
"I don't like this place."
Gabrielle's gaze drifted to her lap. Silently, she agreed. She also didn't like Persia all that much. This place was fine when they visited Arielle, but now, it became a nightmare to stay here. They were constantly being targeted, and everything Xena said was true. They had no leads, no evidence, no proof.
"Maybe we should focus on what we do know?"
For hours, Xerxes listened to Adarmahan interrogate one of the intruders. So far, the man had been punched in the face multiple times, slapped, and jabbed with hot iron rods. Yet, he refused to talk and reveal who he worked for. Xerxes put an end to the interrogation and called Adarmahan into the next room.
Adarmahan dapped his forehead with a cloth and bowed to the prince. "I apologize, Shehzade. He hasn't said a word to me. I will give him a few days to recover from his injuries before starting the interrogation again."
"Did you notice the distinct accent he has?" Xerxes said. "You don't hear that dialect in Elam. He sounds like he's from the north."
Suddenly, he recalled briefly that Bawi and Shapur were from northern Persia. He didn't want to jump to conclusions, especially since he had no evidence, but he was more than suspicious. Xena's initial thoughts on Bawi didn't seem that outlandish anymore. Xerxes cringed at the idea of begging for Xena's help now. He failed to notice something so obvious, and Xena, a stranger here, suspected Bawi's intentions from the very beginning.
"I—I will have scouts search northern Persia."
Xerxes shook his head. "No, don't do that. I have to go do something, but if he talks, come get me immediately."
Gabrielle brought out one of the large maps of the three empires; Avar, Persian, and Byzantine. She used sugar cubes as place markers on the map to show how everything was connected.
"We're here in Elam," she said, placing down a sugar cube.
"And the heart of Persia is in Estakhr where the Shah lives."
She placed down another cube west of Elam.
"Balaam is controlled by the Gokturks."
She placed a third cube, west of Estakhr.
"That's a straight line if you connect the three places together. We already established that these rebels aren't Gokturk, so that rules them out." She removed the sugar cube from Balaam on the map. "The rebels, or 'black knights,' if that's what they're calling themselves, are either operating in Estakhr or Elam."
Xena crinkled her brows, trying to make sense of the map.
"Hmm. Alright, go on."
Gabrielle moved across the Black Sea to Pannonia and placed a sugar cube down. She then put another cube on the heart of the Byzantine Empire, which lie southeast of Pannonia.
"Pannonia is southwest of both Persia and Balaam, but northwest to the Byzantines."
She then placed a cube on Assyria.
"And finally, Assyria is east of the Byzantines and Pannonia. Another straight line." She traced her finger across the invisible line, connecting all three places. "Bawi is in Assyria. Persia has already stated to help the Assyrians, but they temporarily allied with the Byzantines. So, what is Bawi doing in Assyria?"
Xena rubbed her chin as she looked at the wonderful simplistic display on the map. It didn't seem obvious to her before, but it did now. There were multiple acts of warfare happening, yet they've been focusing solely on Elam.
"Two wars at once," she whispered.
"Exactly. These rebels know that the Huns are fighting Justinian, so they know they can attack Elam and Estakhr. And since Khosrow made an alliance with Justinian's nephew, who knows what's going to happen in Pannonia or Assyria."
"Your explanation and...display is great, Gabrielle, but that still doesn't give me any clues as to who is in charge of the rebels."
"Do you remember why Shahbanu Sambice was never caught for all the crimes she committed?"
Xena arched an eyebrow.
"There needed to be a witness and written evidence for her crimes committed," Gabrielle hinted. "We need witnesses and hard evidence. Right now, we only have a suspicion of people, but if we don't have any hard evidence, we're going to be stuck in Persia until we die, trying to prove suspicious people guilty."
"But how will we get witnesses and evidence if nobody will talk?"
Gabrielle leaned over the map, inches from her spouse's face. "We're going to talk to every single person they talk to. That means every person Bawi is in contact with, we talk to them. We talk to people who deal with Zal Pasha, Xerxes, Khosrow, Arielle. We've been directly going after the main source, but every time, we're shut down. If we play it the Persian way, we'll win."
Slowly, a smile crept on Xena's lips. She quickly pecked her wife's lips. "And that's why I keep you around."
"'Cause I have great ideas?"
"Yeah, that too," Xena playfully said.
A young redheaded soldier ran up to the terrace. She bowed her head. "Shehzade Xerxes is here. He wants to speak to you two."
Xena waved her hand, and the young soldier disappeared. She watched as the girl hurried off, amused by how nervous she appeared to be. A few short moments later, Xerxes walked onto the terrace, greeting them both.
"Xerxes, just the man we wanted to see."
He frowned. "Oh?"
She took a bite of a fig and wagged her finger. "Gabrielle has come up with a great plan to find the leader of these rebels. We're going to need your help because, after all, you Persians are so secretive, and since you're a prince and all, you have a lot of connections. Am I right?"
"Uhm." He glanced at Gabrielle, casually sipping tea. "Of course, Xena, I'll help."
"Great. I knew I liked you for a reason."
"Uh-huh. Listen, I came here to tell you that you were right about Bawi. Something isn't right about him. That 'black knight' intruder we've been interrogating has a specific accent. Bawi also has the same accent. I'm going to do some more investigation on Bawi."
Xena nodded in delight and looked over at Gabrielle. "Sounds like a plan."
He smiled, satisfied with the answer, despite the subtle sarcasm hidden in her tone. "I'd love to hear more about your plan, Gabrielle."
She swallowed the hot tea and set down the glass. "I'd be happy to tell you."
He gave a curt nod and stood there awkwardly rather than leaving. With his hands behind his back, he twiddled his thumbs nervously while his gaze darted about the room.
Xena cleared her throat. "Is there something else?"
"Oh, well since you asked." He sat down, smiling. "Since the whole incident during the festival...well, you know Aurora stole that bottle of wine...and drank it all with her friend, Hallel."
"Mhm..."
"Well, Arielle forbid Aurora from leaving the palace, and Hallel's aunt is an important person—more important than we thought. She—she...she's the wife of a councilman."
As she sipped her tea, Xena raised an eyebrow.
"Arielle also forbid Aurora from seeing Hallel, and now Aurora is refusing to leave her room. She won't talk to anyone either."
"What are you getting at, Xerxes?"
He inhaled. "I want you to talk to her. Convince her to stop this nonsense."
In a playful gesture, Xena laughed and bumped Gabrielle's shoulder. As for Xerxes, he wasn't too thrilled with the response. He was quite serious in his request.
"I don't like teenagers, Xerxes."
He stuttered, "But she listens to you!"
"It's true, she's allergic to teenagers," Gabrielle said.
"I wouldn't be asking if I could handle it on my own. Arielle is too stressed out because Abbaseh is still sick from the fires. Please. I don't know who else to ask."
Xena groaned. "Abbaseh's still sick?"
Xerxes lowered his gaze.
"Okay, I'll...talk to Aurora," she said with a sigh of resignation. "I dealt with Arielle when she was a teenager. What could be worse than that..."
"Thank you so much! I really appreciate it."
"Yeah, yeah..." she moved to stand up. "Gabrielle can tell you all about her plan with the rebels while I'm gone."
As her soup was brought to her, Abbaseh sat in bed and finished it off. She ate slowly and in small portions. Her mom combed her wet hair for nearly thirty minutes before starting to braid it.
She set the empty bowl in her lap and wiped her mouth. "I feel a lot better now. Can I get out of bed?"
"Not yet, tatli kiz," Arielle said as she continued braiding her daughter's hair. "It's only been a few days. You need to rest some more."
"But I haven't coughed at all!" she pointed to her throat. "See? I'm fine."
Arielle raised a skeptical brow. "You were coughing this morning."
"Only a little bit though..."
Arielle muted her smile and kissed her daughter's forehead. Now that Abbaseh's hair was braided, she gathered the tray of half-eaten food and set it on a nearby table. She carefully watched Abbaseh and then walked to the other side of the room. Ku was busy folding fresh linens and Arielle dreaded going anywhere near her.
Ku glanced over and stepped to the side, continuing to fold sheets. Arielle washed her hands in a basin and felt the awkward tension between them festering as each day passed by.
"When are you going to tell Xerxes?" asked Ku.
"I haven't decided."
Ku rolled her eyes. "I don't see what the issue is. Why don't you just tell him?"
"Because!" she barked.
She turned around and saw Abbaseh attempting to get out of bed. Infuriated, she yelled at her daughter to get back into bed in her native language.
Abbaseh squealed and scurried back under the covers, folding her hands neatly in her lap.
Turning around to Ku, she lowered her voice. "Because if I tell him, I'm going to become Nousha's prisoner. She'll never let me leave Persia," she said in a defeated voice.
That was not a possibility that Ku had considered. All this time, she had been worried about deceiving people, but not this time. Abbaseh and Boran were both born in Pannonia, but in Persia, once the family learned of the new heir, the news would spread throughout the empire. Ku felt terrible about how she'd been troubling Arielle the past few days over this.
"I'm already a target—my children are a target. And if I tell Xerxes about...if I tell him now, I'll be putting everyone in even more danger."
"So...so, what are you going to do? Maybe you can go to Pannonia."
"And then what, Ku?" she snapped. "Don't you think people would notice my absence? I'd be gone for more than a year!"
Ku sighed and slapped down a stack of folded linens. "You should tell Xerxes how scared you are. I'm sure he'll come up with some way to keep you safe."
"Right...yeah..."
Officer Wasifah rode through the palace streets and showed her placard to the guards manning the gates. After she was let inside the palace walls, along with the rest of her soldiers, she hopped off her horse and sprinted up the stairs. She had a quick interaction with one of the soldiers, asking where Xerxes was and demanding to speak with him.
Waiting in the foyer only made her more anxious. Several minutes later, Xerxes strode down the hallway to greet her. Wasifah bowed and flipped the face veil over her head, exposing her face.
"Shehzade, I've returned from the Spandiyadh palace," she said.
"I was beginning to worry when I didn't hear from you. How was the raid? Did you find anything?"
"No, Shehzade," she admitted, almost regretfully. "In fact...the servants and soldiers showed us all of the hidden rooms, and let us explore the entire palace."
Xerxes brought his lips to a thin line. He found that very interesting. A part of him almost wanted to find Kaantang and Katayoun guilty of hiding documents or treasures related to the rebels. Especially since the Spandiyadh family hid themselves for more than a decade, Xerxes expected something incriminating to come out of this raid.
This news only pushed him further to his investigate his suspicion of Bawi's intentions.
"Thank you, Wasifah. You did well." He gently touched her shoulder.
"I'll leave now, with your permission." She bowed and quickly turned on her heel.
Knowing what was happening lately, he couldn't take a chance on this palace being raided again. His family and people were a huge target at the moment and even with the help of Bayan's soldiers, it wasn't enough to protect everyone.
He whistled at Wasifah, calling her back into the foyer. She responded immediately and came running back inside.
"Yes, Shehzade?"
"My wife thinks very highly of you. She says you were trained to be a soldier since you were ten. Do you like working for her?"
It was nearly impossible for her to hide her joy at the compliment. "Yes, Shehzade, of course."
"Instead of living in the armory with the other soldiers, I'd like you to stay in the palace."
Her eyes widened and she grew speechless at the offer. She didn't know whether to accept the offer or kindly refuse it out of gratitude.
"I want you to oversee the Khagana's wing. You will accompany her wherever she goes. You need to know what she's doing at all times, who she's talking to, who's coming and going from her quarters and throne chamber. Do you think you can handle that?"
Wasifah dropped her gaze. "I will do everything you've asked of me, Shehzade."
"You can go gather your belongings from the armory and I'll have a room set up for you."
She nodded and watched him begin to walk away. "Shehzade," she called. "Does the Khagana know I am being assigned to this new position?"
"I'll make sure she knows."
Xerxes had a mission of talking to Arielle first thing after he informed a servant to prepare Wasifah's room. Instead, he passed by the archive library and saw Gabrielle writing in a journal. The table was filled with dozens of journals taken from the shelves. He walked inside and rapped on the wall.
Gabrielle paused in her writing and greeted him briefly before returning to her writing. Remaining focused, she flipped a page and scribbled down some more notes. Xerxes came to stand beside her and looked over her shoulder.
"Where's Xena?" he asked.
"I think she said she was going to the interrogation room or...something," she mumbled, waving her pen around. "Did you need to talk to her?"
He shrugged. "Wasifah returned from Spandiyadh."
"Oh, yeah?"
"She didn't find anything."
Gabrielle chose to keep quiet and kept writing. Xerxes slammed his fist down and she yelped. Growling, she spun around and glared at him for not only interrupting her concentration but now there was a big inkblot on the page.
"This is so infuriating!" he snapped. "Just when I think I'm getting somewhere, I hit a wall."
Gabrielle grabbed a cloth and tried to clean off the spattered ink as best as she could.
"My family is in danger and I can't seem to do anything about it." He paced around in circles. "I bet Justinian and Justin are behind this 'rebel' nonsense."
"It isn't them," she said.
"How can you be so sure? We have no leads."
She swiveled around. "It's not Justinian," she affirmed. "He's too busy plotting against Pannonia right now since his nephew allied with your brother. Planning a rebellion right after an alliance isn't really Justinian's style. He's not stupid. He's been a warring emperor for decades."
"Then who? Who, Gabrielle? Your idea of investigating everyone is going to take an eternity."
She huffed. "I do know that it's someone in Elam or Estakhr."
"You think it's Bawi? A lot of things point to him."
"I'm not sure yet."
"We need to find a lead somewhere. I say we investigate Bawi first."
She arched an eyebrow. "Xerxes, we will do everything we need to find out who is responsible for all of this. I've been doing this for a very long time. Give me a little credit."
He pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry, Gabrielle. I don't mean to undermine your skills. I haven't exactly shown my appreciation to you and Xena. You two decided to stay here and help instead of going back to Pannonia. You two must feel out of place."
"We both want to help you and Arielle solve this." She grasped his shoulder and gave him a genuine smile.
"It means a lot to me, truly. Thank you."
She gave a gratuitous bow of her head and continued reading the journal. She noticed Xerxes hadn't moved from the chair and sensed that he wanted to talk or needed something from her. Since she was busy, she was going to wait until he spoke first.
"Kaantang and Katayoun are still in Elam. I want to bring them here so I can question them."
"Not a bad idea," she said, concentrating on writing.
"Do you think you could be there with me during questioning?"
"Sure, just come get me when you're ready." She flashed him a brief smile.
Xerxes got up and dusted off his coat. He made sure all the buttons were closed and his tunic beneath was free from any wrinkles. All of his fidgetings brought Gabrielle's head out of the journals. He smacked his arms, trying to smooth the wrinkles out, and looked down at Gabrielle's confused face.
Clearing his throat, he said, "Well, I better get going. I have to talk to Arielle." The more he thought of the impending conversation with his wife, the more he wanted to procrastinate. "I asked Wasifah to watch over Arielle," he added.
Slowly, Gabrielle was catching on. "And you haven't told her," she concluded.
"I'm worried about her safety. She's also not acting like herself."
"How so? She seems fine to me."
"There's something she isn't telling me."
She shrugged a shoulder and flipped a page in the journal. "If you really want to find out what she's hiding, just ask Ku. She knows everything about Arielle."
He raised a curious brow. "Really? Everything?"
"Everything..."
"Maybe I will do that."
"I'm not saying Ku will actually tell you," she said, chuckling quietly. "Ku is Arielle's confidant."
He frowned. "I think I'll just talk to Arielle."
Xena entered the interrogation site and the place was completely deserted. There were no guards posted outside the room. She peered through the barred window of the door where the prisoner was kept. Adarmahan was talking to the prisoner in a hushed voice. Her eyes scanned the room and there was an array of weapons lined on a table. She assumed those were the weapons Adarmahan used on the prisoner during interrogation.
She opened the door and Adarmahan spun around. By the look in his eyes, he was ready to reprimand someone for entering the room. He soon recoiled when he realized it was her. Xena locked eyes with the prisoner chained to the chair and then looked at Adarmahan.
"Nothing to report?" she asked.
Adarmahan walked outside of the room, insisting she follow. "He won't say anything, Khanum. I've tried every type of method to get him to talk."
"I see." She glanced at the prisoner. "It's been seven days. I'm surprised he hasn't revealed anything by now."
"He's very loyal to his superiors," he affirmed.
Xena narrowed her eyes. "Give him food, a bath, and fresh clothes."
"Khanum?"
"Release him. He's of no use to us if he isn't going to talk."
"But he's a prisoner. He invaded the palace. We can't just let him go."
"I'm in charge of this and I am telling you to release him," she said, leaning in close to the general.
She left the room feeling uneasy about the conversation with Adarmahan. In all her years of being a commander, she had no problems making prisoners talk during interrogations. She even patted herself on the back for all her hard efforts in the past. In her opinion, she was an excellent interrogator. Though, in comparison, she figured that if Anastasia were here interrogating, that prisoner would be talking within a day.
Xena smiled at the imagery of her daughter interrogating that prisoner. Anastasia may not be able to do a lot of things these days, but she certainly knew how to make people obey her commands.
Walking the halls, she spotted Marbzan chatting away with one of the maids. She whistled, calling him over. Marbzan's cheeks flushed, and he excused himself and hurried over to Xena.
"Yes, Khanum?"
"Making friends?" she assumed. "Don't let Nousha catch you flirting with her maids."
He coughed to hide his embarrassment and averted his gaze.
Her lip curled upward, amused by his bashfulness. "I have an assignment for you."
He perked up instantly. "Assignment?"
"I've ordered for the prisoner to be released. I want you to follow him when he leaves the palace."
"Did he finally talk?"
"No, and that is why I want you to follow him."
"Oh...alright. How long do I have to follow him for?"
"Until you have something to report back to me," she said.
It was awkwardly quiet for a while, but eventually, Marbzan cracked a smile and agreed to do what was asked of him.
"Don't disappoint me, Marbzan."
"I won't, ma'am."
"What did I say about you calling me that?"
"It won't happen again."
"Mmm. Just get ready to leave by sundown. That doesn't leave much time for you to pack, so you should get going." She waved her hand, dismissing him.
Arielle finally prioritized her role as a mother over her role as an empress. She realized she had put her daughters' care in the hands of her own mother and Nousha for too long. The advice her sister gave her back then still held true today. She was too preoccupied with her duties as a monarch to focus on raising a family.
Once Arielle's day with Abbaseh and Boran was over, she headed back to her quarters. Aurora emerged from her room and spent the entire day with her. She didn't bother to investigate the cause of her eldest child's sudden change in attitude.
Despite having spent the day with her daughters, which she thoroughly enjoyed, she was exhausted. She wasn't ready to accept the idea of adding another child to the family just yet. It was also something she couldn't avoid. Her body began to remind her that she was carrying a living being as the days passed.
For now, she needed to rest. If she didn't find some peace, she was going to collapse at some point. As Arielle began to undress, she saw a shadow on the floor. Spinning around, she gasped at Officer Wasifah standing behind her.
"Khagana," she greeted.
"What the hell are you doing in my room?"
"Shehzade Xerxes told me to watch over you. I've been assigned to your wing."
"Oh, did he?" she mocked with a tight smile.
Xerxes walked into the room and knew he was too late. He hoped he would get to Arielle before Wasifah could. He smiled nervously and approached his irritated wife and kindly asked Wasifah to wait out in the hallway.
Once they were alone, he felt Arielle's eyes burning holes into his clothes. He clasped his hands on her arms and kissed her forehead.
"I hope you're not too angry with me. I'm worried about your safety here. It's not that I don't think you can take care of yourself. I want you to be safe and I asked Wasifah to oversee your wing because she's very capable."
She half-smiled at his kind gesture. "We should talk. I need to tell you something."
By taking his hand, she ushered him to join her on the bed. In the presence of his eager brown eyes, she felt a wave of nervousness wash over her. There was a long pause while she considered her options for what to say. Her tongue flinched every time she tried to speak.
Suddenly, he announced, "You need to tell me that...you're pregnant?"
Her face turned three shades paler. "How—how did you know?"
Xerxes chuckled at her reaction. "I had a suspicion about a month ago. You looked different."
She couldn't believe how perceptive he was. She was at a loss for words for once.
"Did you think I would be upset?" he asked.
"With everything going on, I was scared to tell you. Is that why you asked Wasifah to watch over me?"
"Would you be angry if I said yes?"
"No, I appreciate you looking out for me." She intertwined her fingers with his and kissed his hand. "I do have one favor to ask of you."
"I'm listening."
"I don't want your mother to know about this yet. There's too much happening right now and I don't want all the focus on me." she took a deep breath, and stared into his eyes.
As he racked his brain, Xerxes scratched his beard. So far, despite all the difficulties, his mother has been remarkably accommodating and adaptable. He was uncertain as to whether she could withstand such a blow.
"My mother's going to be upset if we don't tell her."
Her head stooped. She imagined the storm that would erupt once Nousha found out, and she wasn't sure if she was prepared for it.
"I could tell my mother that I'm concerned about your safety. We won't tell the empire about the pregnancy and only those who live in this palace will know about it. We won't have any festivals here, and you won't have to make any special appearances."
The light returned to Arielle's face, and her hope had returned. "Are you sure your mother won't object to that?"
"I'll make her understand that it's imperative for your safety."
She was always aware of how much Xerxes sacrificed in order to be with her. But this was a huge concession in comparison to everything else he had done in the past. He was willing to defend her to Nousha, and brace for the consequences.
She hugged him tightly, tears welling in her eyes, unable to find the words to say anything else. As they parted, Xerxes cupped her cheeks to dry her tears.
"If you knew this whole time, why didn't you ask me or say something?" she pried.
Xerxes shifted his eyes nervously around the room. "Ah...I had my suspicions. I didn't want to ask in case you weren't pregnant."
Arielle squinted her eyes and leaned in closer. The sight of the sweat forming on his forehead amused her, and she cracked a grin.
"Good answer."
Kerman, Persia
Yeter constantly innovated new activities to keep her sons occupied during their time at the lodge. Before recently, she would have despised being so far from civilization. She didn't mind where she was staying at the moment because she had been locked up for so long in an unlivable prison. And she knew that she wouldn't be staying in this place forever.
A soldier from Elam visited the lodge every other week to perform inspections. The soldier frequently visited the lodge, seemingly just to look around. Yeter was tired of fielding questions from her sons about the soldiers who had stopped by. Finally, she requested that the soldier arrive first thing in the morning to forestall further inquiries from her curious sons.
While perfecting his leatherwork skills, Muqan sat on the encircling cushions. A visit to the gardens would have to wait because of the cold and rain. He attempted to alleviate his boredom by working on a leather patch but found it challenging and time-consuming.
He wiped the moist fog off the large windows and looked outside. Squinting his eyes, he pressed his palms against the window. Multiple soldiers, all dressed in black leather, emerged from the underbrush.
Muqan turned his body and called out, "Mom! I think those Elam soldiers are coming!"
Yeter jerked her head back abruptly. She was positive that a soldier had stopped by less than two weeks ago. Her sons were obviously unaware of this fact, but she was aware of it. In the middle of a game of chess between herself and Tespar, Yeter got up and left.
Tespar whined. "We aren't done playing!"
"One moment," she whispered, pressing her finger to her lips.
Muqan looked up, smiling at his mother. "See, they're right there!" he pointed.
Carefully, Yeter inspected the troops. She estimated there to be ten or twelve of them. They quickly formed a protective perimeter around the lodge and drew their weapons as the Persian guards inside approached.
There were no words exchanged.
When the guards' heads were chopped off, Yeter gasped and shielded her son's eyes. She drew the curtains and pulled him away from the windows. Her heart was racing, but she made her way to the doors and opened them cautiously. A herd of guards rushed down the stairs and hallway.
She shut the doors and dashed into the closet to grab cloaks. She looked for her sons' shoes, frazzled. She knelt on her knees, slipped the shoes on Tespar's feet, and threw the other pair of shoes at Muqan.
"Put those on," she told him.
Muqan held his shoes in his arms and frowned. "Aren't the soldiers coming to ask some questions?"
"Put the shoes on!" she yelled.
Tespar pulled his arms through the cloak sleeves and smiled hopefully. "Are we going to the garden?"
Yeter tried to smile. "No. No garden today."
"But we're all dressed up to go outside."
She clasped his shoulders. "Tespar, we're going to play a game. You're going to be very quiet and hold my hand as tight as possible."
The young prince beamed with excitement at the prospect of play. Taking a deep breath, Yeter reached for Muqan's hand and then Tespar's. She flung open the door to survey the scene. She could hear shouting, cries, and the clash of swords below.
"Don't let go of my hand," she whispered.
She walked quickly through the corridor, hurrying to get to the back doors. She knew every room, hallway, and crevice in this place because she had lived there for several months. She led her sons down a stairwell that led directly into the lodge's basement, where all the grain was stored.
They stopped in front of a door leading outside, and Yeter peered out through the slats. She pushed her sons gently in front of her as she slowly unlocked the door and they ran out.
She quietly locked the door and bolted to the next available horse. She helped Muqan mount the horse after she had placed Tespar atop it. With trembling hands, she untied the horse from the post as she heard men shouting from the basement. She untied the horse with a silent curse and then mounted it.
Tespar let out an ear-piercing scream after the door was kicked down.
Yeter kneed the horse and rode into the woods. The wailing of her son and men screaming in the background sounded like pure white noise. She ignored every sound around her, concentrating on riding as fast as the horse would allow.
Elam, Persia
Apparently, while Xena got caught up in the intrigues of Persian warfare, her wife spent her time translating the journal they discovered in the Spandiyadh palace. She ate roasted chestnuts from a bowl while reading the translation.
She sipped her tea in between page turns as she softly hummed. She chewed on the chestnut for a while and then spit out the shell. She swished the tea with her fingers and tapped the glass as her eyes moved to the next page.
"So, Katayoun helped Shehzada Esther with charities around the empire," she concluded.
Gabrielle, overly excited about her findings, blurted out, "Yes, and there are recordings of when and where they met up. It's on page 47."
Xena smiled at how excited her spouse was to share the information. Although, she had read enough to draw a conclusion about the Spandiyadh family. She closed the journal and slid it across the rug.
"I trust it's there," she said.
"But don't you want to see it?" Gabrielle insisted, pushing the journal across the rug.
"I don't need to." She shoved the journal back.
"I think you should," she said, pushing the journal.
Xena pushed the journal back and smacked her hand on it. "From all your...research, did you find anything related to the rebels or any kind of rebellious behavior?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Then, I don't need to read any more. I have what I need."
Gabrielle sighed and relented to not winning this argument. She took the journal and gently slipped it back into her satchel. Carrying on with the quiet evening, she grabbed her glass of tea and stirred in a sugar cube.
Reclined on a few pillows, Xena glanced across the table and lowered the glass from her lips. "You must've spent days translating all of that, huh?"
Gabrielle sheepishly shrugged. "Four days..." she muttered.
"You did a good job for someone who isn't fluent in the language," she admired.
Gabrielle grinned. "Thanks. It isn't perfect, but I tried."
Xena hid her smile as she drank the rest of the tea. "Guess that means we can cross the Spandiyadh family off our list."
"Xerxes still wants to interview Kaantang and Katayoun. I said I'd go with him. Maybe you could interview Katayoun?"
"Ah, come on, Gabrielle. She's a strange woman. She's got those eyes, you know..."
"What?" she cackled. "Eyes? What does that even mean?"
"You know! Her eyes are huge, like a fish!" she exclaimed, wrapping her fingers around her eye. "And her smile makes me itchy. No, I'm not doing it."
Still chuckling, Gabrielle nodded. "Fine, fine. You don't have to do it."
Loud rapid knocking on the door caused Xena to curse under her breath.
"This time of night," she grumbled. "Yeah?" she yelled.
Adarmahan opened the door and walked in. "You're both needed in the throne chamber," he said with a sense of urgency.
"What happened?"
"The Kerman lodge was attacked and Yeter escaped with her sons."
Arielle sat on the dais next to Xerxes, impatiently listening to Adarmahan's spiel about how awful and distrustful the Gokturks were. Out of nervous compulsiveness, Arielle scratched her arm, causing irritation to the rash she fought hard to get rid of. Xerxes grabbed her wrist gently and gave her a warning with his eyes.
Adarmahan continued to rant. "You said so yourself that the Gokturks cannot be trusted. They attacked your people. That's the whole reason why Yeter was imprisoned."
Gabrielle retorted quickly, "That doesn't mean they're behind this attack in Kerman."
"It's the only logical explanation."
"How? Yeter hasn't had any contact with her son in Balaam. She made a deal with us and so far, she's complied with every rule we've given her. She wouldn't risk losing her children."
"She escaped the lodge with her children!" he barked.
"They were under attack!"
Arielle rose from the dais. "Enough!"
Her loud voice echoed in the chamber, silencing the argument. She collected herself and sat back down and motioned for Xerxes to take the lead. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion came over her, and though she tried to hide it, Xerxes noticed.
Xerxes looked at the furious general. "Adarmahan, you're in charge of every division in Persia. Your soldiers failed to alert us about the attack. It took ten days for the message to reach Elam."
"I will make sure to reprimand my men, Shehzade..."
"And you will track where those attackers came from. I want to know where every footprint and horseshoe is around the Kerman lodge."
"Yes, Your Highness."
He bowed, tracing his steps backward, sending a glare toward Gabrielle.
Gabrielle stepped forward and spoke apologetically. "I didn't mean to argue in front of you, but I don't believe Gokturks are involved in this attack."
Xerxes raised his hand. "I know. I don't think Gokturks are involved either. I don't want to say this, but I don't think I can trust my soldiers anymore." He left the dais and led Gabrielle over to the area where the wine was.
As Gabrielle and Xerxes continued to debate how to untangle the mess created, Xena saw Arielle stooping over. Arielle's cheeks were flushed, her fingers twitched in her lap, and she couldn't stop her eyes from glazing over.
Xena went to pour some water into a cup and walked up to the dais. She lifted Arielle's chin and lifted the cup to her lips. Arielle devoured the water in less than a second, yet she still felt parched. Breathing heavily, she wiped the sweat off her brow.
"Do you need me to walk you to your room?"
In a frantic motion, Arielle reached into her coat and retrieved several pods from a plant. She took one and popped it into her mouth, quickly chewing it.
When Xena reached for a closer look, Arielle hid the pods in her pocket.
"What was that you just ate?" she whispered.
"Medicine..."
Xena crinkled her brow. "Medicine? Medicine for what? How long have you been taking that?"
After finishing his conversation with Gabrielle, Xerxes returned to the dais. As he approached, he sensed tension. He assisted Arielle and asked her to accompany him to the conference room to write a report. Arielle took his hand in hers and gently stepped off the dais.
As Xena saw them leaving, her frown deepened. Arielle clung to Xerxes, whispering to him in a low voice.
"I think we have a plan now," said Gabrielle. "He agreed that the rebels are located in Elam or Estakhr, or both. We're still going to talk to Kaantang and Katayoun, but we'll probably get more out of Katayoun since she worked with Esther in the past."
Xena turned around, a bewildered look on her face. "Did you see Arielle?"
"What? Did I see her?"
"She almost keeled over. She got some medicine out of her pocket and took it."
Gabrielle rubbed her chin. "Medicine for what?"
"She wouldn't tell me."
"Maybe it's for her rash."
Xena's eyes widened. "She has a rash?"
She blinked and then folded her arms as she stared at her wife. "How long has it been since you two talked?"
When was the last time she had a private conversation with Arielle? Her entire focus had been on politics and warfare since she arrived in Elam. She didn't think Arielle would appreciate her asking her questions or talking to her all the time, especially given her hectic schedule. But if Gabrielle and others were aware of what was going on with Arielle, that could be a problem.
Xena quirked her mouth. "I wanted to give her space since I've been here. She's told me in the past that I try to tell her what to do."
"That doesn't mean you have to shut yourself out of her life, completely, Xena."
Pannonia
This was not the Pannonia she remembered. Since Yeter's last visit, the encampment had grown at least three times its original size. However, when she stepped on this soil, all of her memories returned. A part of her regretted coming here, but Persia was not a safe place for her, and she was unfamiliar with the terrain. Pannonia was familiar.
She managed to slip through the brush and into the tribe's yurt section. She could see three large Adames triangled from each other ahead of her. She knew she'd be denied entry if she entered through the front gates. Going to one of the Adames was also out of the question, given that Anastasia and Nevaz were in one, Csaba and Farah were in another, and Eksama was in the third.
Her top priority was finding a safe place for her children. Yeter walked through the yurt camp with Tespar in tow, holding Muqan's hand the whole time. Tespar slept moaning with his nose tucked into the crook of her neck. She tried to quiet him by raking her fingers along his back.
When Yeter saw Ursula emerge from around a campfire, she stopped in her tracks. Ursula walked across the path with a pot of boiling water in her hands, headed for a large black yurt. A time warp sucked Yeter back to the past. As Ursula entered the yurt, she felt a tightening in her chest.
"I'm hungry," Muqan whined, rubbing his tired eyes.
No matter what might happen, she was prepared to take the risk. Taking her young son by the hand, Yeter set off in the direction of the yurt.
She walked into the yurt cautiously and drew the hood off her head. Ursula had her back turned, crushing a mixture of herbs into a powder. From the aroma in the yurt, tea was brewing and fresh bread was baked not long ago.
Ursula grabbed the bowl of herbs, stood up with a slight groan, and turned around. She gasped and the bowl slipped out of her hands.
Oran ran in from the next room. "Mother, what happened? I heard a—"
He halted, staring at the stranger in his house.
A stranger who turned out to be his wife.