Read Online Sultana by Lisa J. Yarde - Free Book Online Page A

never forget, I made it possible for you to attain that honor.”
    “The debt has been paid, several times over.”
    “You need a reminder of it. Without me, the Sultan’s brother would still be alive, or Prince Faraj might hold the governorship in his stead. Now see to Abdallah and his mother. Ease his fears and tell him to make her stop blubbering.”
    “He’s tried. She keeps beating her breasts and muttering Aisha’s name.”
    Fatima slumped against a sack. A wedge formed in her throat, but she swallowed hard against it.
    “Hide the truth, until it is no longer possible. I am not ready to kill him, yet. He still has his uses. Many of our warriors remain loyal to his father’s memory.”
    “You should have thought of that before you murdered his sister, Ibrahim!”
    “I told you before, honor demanded it. Should I have released her, let her escape back to her husband? You harbor some feeling for the woman, I think.”
    “I do not. I am reconciled to Aisha’s fate. I am going to Abdallah. What are you going to do?”
    The keys jangled and heavy footfalls sounded, moving away from the door. Fatima strained to hear Ibrahim’s answer, but silence had fallen.
    She sat in the shadows for an uninterrupted time, with the mice her constant companions. She jerked and squealed each time one of the rodents brushed too near.
    Then, there was a faint scratching at the base of the door. “Princess?”
    She covered her mouth with a hand, too frightened to answer the raspy voice beyond the walls.
    “Princess Fatima? I’ve returned.”
    She sobbed at the sound of Ulayyah’s voice. Her throat ached, but she forced the words out. “I’m here! Help me.”
    Ulayyah whispered, “Niranjan, hurry. If he knew there was another set of keys, he would kill me.”
    Keys jangled before the door creaked on its hinges. A shaft of light pierced the darkness. A large, black rat bolted into the hall, darting between the feet of the man and woman who filled the doorway.  
    Fatima launched herself at Ulayyah. “He killed her.”
    The slave held her close for a moment and whispered against her hair. “Hush, child. He can’t hurt her anymore.”
    She drew back and wiped Fatima’s face with the trailing edge of her veil.
    “I grieve with you, princess, but I must fulfill my vow to your mother. You must go.”
    “I can’t leave her here!”  
    Ulayyah set her down, jarring her. When her hands enveloped Fatima’s smaller ones, Fatima whimpered.
    “If you don’t want your mother’s death to be meaningless, then go now, with Niranjan al-Kadim. You can do nothing more. Abu Muhammad sent his men to clean up the blood and hide the body from my lord Abdallah.”
    “You must tell him what happened to my mother.”
    “It would destroy him! He would rise against Ibrahim and it would mean his death. One day, he shall see the truth about his family for himself. He can never know how Princess Aisha died.”
    “No, Ummi said….”
    “Hush now. Your mother would want you to trust in me and Niranjan, as she once did.”
    The bronze-skinned youth stepped into view again from behind Ulayyah. Fatima frowned at him. He wore the iron collar of a slave, the same as all the slaves of her father’s palace wore.
    She asked, “What can he do? He’s just a slave.”
    Ulayyah shook her head. “He can sneak you in a hemp sack up to the courtyard. I heard Ibrahim and Abu Muhammad whispering in the hall above. Abu Muhammad has bribed guards to open the northern gate of the city. He shall go first with my lord Abdallah. If he makes it out, Ibrahim shall follow. He shall tell my lord Abdallah that Princess Aisha delayed them and the Sultan’s guards captured her.”
    “No! He cannot hide what he has done.”
    Ulayyah patted her hands. “You are the only witness to your mother’s sacrifice. Do not let it be in vain. Go with Niranjan now. No one shall notice him in the courtyard. Abu Muhammad and my master prepare to leave with many pack