'You are surprised that the lady Alia can be so unflinching, aren't you?' Nilak said. 'She is royalty, Noor. Her father was a prince of Egypt. She knows how to rule and what must be done when necessary. She has never hesitated to do what she must and will protect the caliph and their son at whatever cost.'
'What shall I do with this girl?' Baba Haroun asked his mistress.
'I shall take her into my own household,' Alia said. 'She is really a good girl who simply found herself with a bad mistress. Now go and do what must be done, Baba Haroun.'
'As my lady commands,' the chief eunuch said, bowing low and then backing from the chamber.
'Get up, girl, you are safe now,' Alia said, pulling the slave girl to her feet. The slave kissed Alia's hands in gratitude. 'What excitement! Let us have some mint tea and music to calm our nerves. Noor, come and sit by my side,' the caliph's wife said.
Within minutes slave women appeared, bringing tiny cups of the sweetened mint tea and an engraved silver plate covered with stuffed dates and tiny crescent-shaped pastries filled with chopped nuts, raisins, and honey. A slave played upon a lute, singing softly. The air was suddenly fragrant with the scent of aloes. The tiled fountain in Alia's gathering chamber cooled the room in the afternoon heat. Rhonwyn ate the treats eagerly, as she had had nothing to eat since being awakened earlier.
'When it is sale you will go to your own apartment, Noor,' Alia said. 'I imagine you will want to rest before Rashid desires your presence tonight. He is a most passionate lover, isn't he?'
Rhonwyn blushed furiously at Alia's query.
The caliph s wife laughed and reached out to touch the younger woman's warm cheek gently. 'How old are you?' she asked.
'Seventeen, I think,' Rhonwyn answered:
'A married woman, and still so innocent until your night with Rashid,' Alia teased. 'When 1 was your age I had a three-year-old son. Do you want children, Noor?'
'I do not know,' Rhonwyn said frankly.
'Our lord will give them to you, Noor, for his seed is potent,' Alia replied. 'I hope you will learn to love him. For all his manly strength he needs love to sustain him and make him stronger, as do all men, although certainly none of them will admit to it.'
Suddenly from another part of the harem muffled screams were heard. Rhonwyn paled and looked to Nilak, but her translator was silent, her lips pressed together in a tight straight line. She glanced to the lady Alia, but the face of the caliph's wife was serene, as if she had not or could not hear the shrieks. Rhonwyn swallowed hard. Although she knew what was happening she had not imagined the executions of Fatinah and Hasna would be so public or so vocal. Neither of the two women could be very intuitive to have resisted the authority of the caliph's first wife. It was not a mistake Rhonwyn intended to make while she resided in Cinnebar. Alia's friendship was important to her survival, and Rhonwyn meant to keep it.
Suddenly Alia spoke and Nilak said, 'It is over now, child. Do not look so stricken. They deserved their fate. The lady Alia is extraordinarily patient and has borne their unforgivable behavior for several years. Today's attempt upon your life was but the final straw to break the camel's back. The harem will be a better place now.'
'I must accept your word for that,' Rhonwyn said, and sipped her mint tea, which was now cool.
'You have been giving her the elixir?' Alia asked Nilak. 'Until I can be certain of her character, I do not want her belly swelling with Rashid's offspring. Her exceptional beauty has captivated my husband. Will she use her power over him for good, or will she become like the others? I want to avoid another incident like today's.'
'I have put the elixir in her tea each morning,' Nilak answered. 'As she does not speak our language there is no one to tell her of such things, my lady. I will do whatever you command me regarding this girl.'
'I like her,' Alia said. 'I think I have read her correctly and that there is no malice in her. Right now, however, I know she longs for her husband and her homeland. Rashid's passion toward her will soon change that. With Fatinah and Hasna gone, he will take her for his wife, I am certain. Two wives for the caliph of Cinnebar are quite enough, don't you think? One seems rather paltry. Four is a bit ostentatious. Two is sensible, and just right. Noor is healthy and young. She will give our lord several children when the time is propitious. Begin tomorrow to teach her our language as I have previously commanded you. I long to speak with her directly, Nilak.'
Baba Haroun reentered Alia's apartments. He went immediately to his mistress and bowed low. 'It is done, lady. Shall I have their bodies set out for the wild dogs?'
'No,' Alia said. 'They were my lord's wives and the mothers of his children. Have them buried immediately in an unknown place. But first escort the lady Noor back to her apartments. She is sensitive and not quite used to our ways yet. She understands what happened had to happen, but her heart is gentle. She will need time to recover if she is to please our lord tonight, Baba Haroun. Unless she proves unworthy of my friendship, she has it. Do you understand me? This girl is not my enemy, nor do I expect her to be. Hasna and Fatinah were common creatures. Noor, like me, is the daughter of a prince.'
'I understand, my lady Alia,' the chief eunuch said, bowing again, and then he turned to Rhonwyn and bowed once more. 'I will escort the lady Noor to her quarters,' he said to Nilak.
Nilak gasped with her surprise. Never before had Baba Haroun bowed to any other woman in the harem but Alia. She imparted this information to her charge. Rhonwyn arose, and taking Alia's hands in hers, she kissed them. Then she followed the chief eunuch from the apartments of the caliph's wife without another word, Nilak scurrying in her wake.
When they were once again in Rhonwyn's chambers, Baba Haroun said to Nilak, 'You will tell your mistress that I am her friend and mentor as long as she is true to the lady Alia. Should she ever betray my mistress, I will personally strangle her with my bare hands.'
'You will tell the chief eunuch,' Rhonwyn replied when Nilak had translated, 'that I am a prince's daughter, and betrayal is not in my nature. I am grateful for lady Alia's friendship and the wise counsel she has provided me with. I will be grateful for the counsel and friendship of Baba Haroun as well.'
The chief eunuch smiled slightly, then asked, 'Are you truly reconciled to this life that it has been fated you will now lead, Noor?'
Rhonwyn shook her head. 'Not yet,' she told him.
'Your honesty is to be commended,' Baba Haroun said. Then he bowed to her again and departed the chamber.
'Oh, fortunate girl!' Nilak cried. 'How can you fail to succeed now with the aid of both the lady Alia and Baba Haroun? You must rest, for the caliph will desire your presence tonight surely.'
'I am hungry,' Rhonwyn complained. 'I have had nothing but sweets since I awoke. I want a meal else I faint in the caliph's arms from starvation, Nilak. How will you explain that?'
'If you faint in the caliph's arms, Noor, he will think you are overcome with passion for him, which is to the good,' Nilak teased.
'Chicken,' Rhonwyn said firmly.
'I will go to the kitchens myself,' Nilak said, and hurried from the chamber.
She had been gone but a few moments when two young slave girls entered the apartments and bowed to Rhonwyn.
'Halah,' said one, pointing to herself.
'Sadirah,' said the other, making the same gesture.
They then set about preparing a small table for Rhonwyn's meal, chattering to each other as they did so. Rhonwyn realized these were the two serving girls Alia had promised her. They looked harmless enough, although she knew everything she did would be reported back to the caliph's wife even as Nilak reported her words. She smiled to herself and sat next to the fountain in her gathering room. To her surprise it had several water lilies and four small golden fish who swam busily about, darting amid the lily pads. She sighed. Everything about her was so peaceful and beautiful. It was probably the most idyllic place in which she had ever been.
Rising, she walked out into her garden. The mountains beyond and below the edge of the terrace were a hazy blue. She suspected that on a clear day she might even sec the sea beyond. She needed to get to the sea. By the sea was Carthage-and the crusaders' encampment. How long now had she been gone from Edward. Six days? Seven? She had to find him again. She had to get back to him. What did he think happened to her? Would he have determined that the warrior who was captured was his wife? Had he looked for her? Would he indeed appear in Cinnebar, demanding her release? Oh, Edward, she thought sadly. What have I done? I love you! I love you! But will I ever see you again? She felt the tears coursing down her pale cheeks and struggled to regain control of herself.
