I doubt your Lady will." The King motioned. "What else have you to tell me? Have we narrowed our enemy to one country? Gollen? Lavarre?" His voice hardened. "Hadge?"
Ikram frowned. "Hadge is definitely on the move. Their Ambassador…I would sooner trust a Scorpion." He did not need to explain that it was not the insect to which he referred. He waved impatiently in the air. "I would not discount Lavarre, but in my opinion Hadge is our primary threat. They have not liked us since you forced negotiations…and keeping one of their finest commanders did not help matters. It is simply that we lack proof." He eyed the King pensively. "Even your witch can discern nothing in their actions."
The King's mouth tightened. He stroked his close-cropped beard in thought, his other hand unconsciously tightening in the hair of the man sitting on the floor beside him. In response, the man gently tugged the hand from his hair and kissed the palm. "Majesty," he said softly,
"all will be well. You will make it so."
At his words, the lines of frustration on the King's face eased slightly. "I hope you are right,"
he said softly. Gently he cupped the man's chin, stroking the soft skin of his face, smiling faintly.
Ikram regarded them with fond amusement. "In regards to your plan to drive the traitors to sloppiness with anger…"
The King sighed and shook his head, faintly amused. "Do I even want to know what he did?"
"I'm sure I couldn't say, Majesty. What your men discuss amongst themselves is none of my business. But it is my humble opinion that your Majesty might want to curb the antics of certain members of your harem, and perhaps enjoy a quiet meal tonight so that certain members of the council will simmer down to plotting and not boil over to mindless slaughter."
Quirking a brow, the King cast a brief look at the man beside him. "Members? As in more than one? I distinctly remember telling only one of them to go about discreetly aggravating certain members of the council."
The man beside him rolled his eyes. "Yes, but recall who you set to curb his behavior."
"Ah," the King said, shaking his head ruefully. "Whatever was I thinking to put those two together? Why did you let me?"
Lips curved in a whisper soft smile. "I suppose we were distracted."
Ikram coughed to smother a laugh. "Majesty?"
The King laughed. "Yes, yes. I will keep them from doing further damage today. I still think it the best plan. Between you, I and those two, someone will get angry enough to make a mistake and then we will have our traitors. It is not a great plan…" he sighed, "but until we can come up with a better one, I see no other recourse."
"Unfortunately, I do not see one either," Ikram said, voice thick with frustration. "We can find nothing! No indication of anything save that at least one country in the west moves against the desert. " He rubbed his eyes and forehead tiredly. "I still cannot believe Ghost has ignored my every letter. I do not understand it!" His shoulders sagged, and suddenly Ikram looked every bit of his fifty-four years. "And the one man who can get some answers for us may die doing it, and that man is my son." He drew a ragged breath. "Lady will that all goes well. If your Majesty will pardon me, now that I've given my report there are other duties requiring my attention."
"Of course. Thank you, Ikram," the King said softly, waving the man out. When a Guard looked inside in question, he flicked his fingers briefly in negation. The door shut, leaving him alone with the man beside him. "There are days I feel like the worst sort of criminal," he said tiredly. "What sort of man tortures his closest friend by sending his son right into the middle of danger? If Shihab dies, grief will kill Ikram and his wife."
"No one else can do what Shihab can. He volunteered." The man stood slowly, his movements graceful, elegant. As he rose to his full height, his hair straightened out, the end of it stopping just short of the floor. It was bound
Ikram frowned. "Hadge is definitely on the move. Their Ambassador…I would sooner trust a Scorpion." He did not need to explain that it was not the insect to which he referred. He waved impatiently in the air. "I would not discount Lavarre, but in my opinion Hadge is our primary threat. They have not liked us since you forced negotiations…and keeping one of their finest commanders did not help matters. It is simply that we lack proof." He eyed the King pensively. "Even your witch can discern nothing in their actions."
The King's mouth tightened. He stroked his close-cropped beard in thought, his other hand unconsciously tightening in the hair of the man sitting on the floor beside him. In response, the man gently tugged the hand from his hair and kissed the palm. "Majesty," he said softly,
"all will be well. You will make it so."
At his words, the lines of frustration on the King's face eased slightly. "I hope you are right,"
he said softly. Gently he cupped the man's chin, stroking the soft skin of his face, smiling faintly.
Ikram regarded them with fond amusement. "In regards to your plan to drive the traitors to sloppiness with anger…"
The King sighed and shook his head, faintly amused. "Do I even want to know what he did?"
"I'm sure I couldn't say, Majesty. What your men discuss amongst themselves is none of my business. But it is my humble opinion that your Majesty might want to curb the antics of certain members of your harem, and perhaps enjoy a quiet meal tonight so that certain members of the council will simmer down to plotting and not boil over to mindless slaughter."
Quirking a brow, the King cast a brief look at the man beside him. "Members? As in more than one? I distinctly remember telling only one of them to go about discreetly aggravating certain members of the council."
The man beside him rolled his eyes. "Yes, but recall who you set to curb his behavior."
"Ah," the King said, shaking his head ruefully. "Whatever was I thinking to put those two together? Why did you let me?"
Lips curved in a whisper soft smile. "I suppose we were distracted."
Ikram coughed to smother a laugh. "Majesty?"
The King laughed. "Yes, yes. I will keep them from doing further damage today. I still think it the best plan. Between you, I and those two, someone will get angry enough to make a mistake and then we will have our traitors. It is not a great plan…" he sighed, "but until we can come up with a better one, I see no other recourse."
"Unfortunately, I do not see one either," Ikram said, voice thick with frustration. "We can find nothing! No indication of anything save that at least one country in the west moves against the desert. " He rubbed his eyes and forehead tiredly. "I still cannot believe Ghost has ignored my every letter. I do not understand it!" His shoulders sagged, and suddenly Ikram looked every bit of his fifty-four years. "And the one man who can get some answers for us may die doing it, and that man is my son." He drew a ragged breath. "Lady will that all goes well. If your Majesty will pardon me, now that I've given my report there are other duties requiring my attention."
"Of course. Thank you, Ikram," the King said softly, waving the man out. When a Guard looked inside in question, he flicked his fingers briefly in negation. The door shut, leaving him alone with the man beside him. "There are days I feel like the worst sort of criminal," he said tiredly. "What sort of man tortures his closest friend by sending his son right into the middle of danger? If Shihab dies, grief will kill Ikram and his wife."
"No one else can do what Shihab can. He volunteered." The man stood slowly, his movements graceful, elegant. As he rose to his full height, his hair straightened out, the end of it stopping just short of the floor. It was bound
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