gathered in one place on the planet. The glass walls and roof were heavily misted and fat drops of moisture splashed down on the plants. The light inside was greenish and unreal, like light filtered through a vast aquarium. Snay did his best to keep up with Benazir, but was continually smacked in the face with sodden leaves.
They found the Emir seated on one of two stone benches in the middle of a small oval space paved with white stone. This small garden was overhung with lovely white blossoms, all seeming to be of the same species of orchid. Songbirds and butterflies flitted about in abundant profusion.
Benazir and the visitor dropped immediately to their knees in deference and bent forward, their foreheads touching the cool white marble, slick with moisture.
“Dendrobians,” the Emir said softly in his sing-song voice, delicately stroking a blossom. “You may rise. Be seated and enjoy them in silence for a few moments, Snay. When I have finished conversing with them, you shall have my undivided attention.”
Snay gratefully collapsed his huge frame on the bench opposite. He breathed deeply, and took this time to study the Emir, looking for clues as to his present mood and disposition.
The Emir was tall and wraithlike beneath his flowing white robes. His beatific face was framed with curls of snow-white hair and a full white beard lay upon his chest. Snay bin Wazir had never seen such physical grace in another human. His long, delicate white fingers caressing the orchids reminded Snay bin Wazir of those of the harpist he’d hired five years earlier to play in the lobby of Beechum’s. But then—
“It has been some time since your last visit,” the Emir said, finally turning his powerful dark eyes on bin Wazir. “You have grown most notably of girth.”
“I am most sorry, Excellency, but—”
The Emir held up a hand to silence him. Bin Wazir shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. The Emir had hard black eyes and, once he pinned you with them, their force was unshakable.
“It was not a rebuke,” the old man said, in his papery whispered voice, “It was a statement of fact. Facts, not feelings, interest the Emir this day. You have brought some with you? Facts?”
“Indeed, Excellency,” bin Wazir said. “I have much news that I pray will please you, King who is Most High.”
“You are making progress in our Holy War against the infidels? Our assassins have some successes? Speak! I desire every detail. Every word about my beautiful hashishiyyun.”
The word assassin has its origins in the bowl of the hashish pipe. Derived from the ancient Arabian political concept of hashishiyyun, originally, the word was derogatory, meaning ‘hashish taker.’ Over centuries, it had evolved to connote a captive harem of seductive assassins, kept faithful and ever more dependent by the constant supply of hashish. The sweet scent of the potent hemp, the lush surroundings of the lord’s luxuriant gardens, and the lure of willing love slaves all served to keep a ready supply of seductive and resourceful killers on hand. All eager to please their revered provider.
“Yes, Excellency,” bin Wazir said, risking a smile for the first time. It looked as if he might keep his head after all. “Your humble servant comes bearing gifts of the hashishiyyun that greatly exceed his pitiful powers of description.”
“Yes?”
Snay bin Wazir then handed the Emir the leather satchel he’d been carrying inside his robes. The Emir delicately unfastened the silver buckle and eagerly peered inside. When he looked up, he rewarded Snay with a radiant smile. The dangerous journey through the bandit-infested mountains now seemed an infinitely small price to pay.
“Allah be praised,” the Emir said. “You were able to obtain the visual records I demanded?”
“The stuff of many ecstatic hours, Most Revered One. I myself have viewed the videos countless times. My engineers have been working to improve the quality of the sound and pictures. Your summons came just as they completed their technical work. I pray you will not be disappointed.”
The Emir clapped his hands smartly and Benazir appeared through a tangle of orchids. He took the satchel, bowing deeply.
“I shall watch these immediately following evening prayers. Make sure all is in readiness.”
Benazir bowed deeply and disappeared the way he’d arrived, a soundless apparition.
“And your report?” the Emir asked with a level gaze.
“Four of the initial five components of Phase I have been successfully completed by the hashishiyyun, Excellency, as you will see with your own eyes this very night. Preparations for the final component of this phase are well under way.”
“And, so far, what is the reaction of the Satanists?”
“As you predicted, oh Great Sire and Redeemer. Widespread panic in their diplomatic community. Confusion. Fear reigns where the arrogance of the nonbelievers once held sway.”
“The Americans are even weaker than we thought.”
“Wickedness breeds weakness, as you have told me many times, Emir.”
The Emir’s black eyes narrowed then and Snay realized, with a spike of terror, the stupidity of his remark. Wicked and weak. The Emir’s precise definition of Snay himself. He had but a split second to recover and his mind was racing.
“You, the exemplar of all that is profane, dare, dare speak to me of wickedness and weakness?” the Emir said, and Snay bowed his head.
“I know that you live in a world on a plane far above my own, Most Revered Emir. But my belief in our global Holy War against the infidels gives me strength and faith beyond measure,” Snay said.
“Your faith is beyond transparent as well as measure, Snay, son of Machmud. Were it not for my Yasmin’s abiding love for you, I should never abide an abomination such as you. Ah, well, it is as it is. We will have our reckoning one day, you and I.”
“When my earthly work is done, when my service to the Great Redeemer of our people is complete, then I shall accept my fate with honor, Excellency.”
The Emir waved this familiar verbal flatulence away with a sharp gesture of his hand beneath his nose, glaring at the creature who, through some cruel joke, was husband to his cherished Yasmin.
“I will need confirmation from my agents in the field that the first phase has produced the desired effect. If all is as you say it is, and the fifth attack is perfectly executed, I am prepared to move at once to the second phase. Do you have a Phase II target in mind?”
“Most Revered One, I have had this target in mind for many, many years.”
“And the hashishiyyun who will execute it?”
“She is well beyond sufficient, Excellency.”
“Which one? Amaryllis? Aubergine, perhaps?”
“Ah, the Deadly Nightshade. No, sire. It is another, just as good. The Rose.”
“Well, see to it. I am eager to move quickly. Tell me. The preparations for staging our ultimate jihad?”
“Well under way, Sire. Most assuredly.”
“A suitable staging location is critical. Dr. Soong has precise scientific requirements.”
“Indeed, Sire. I own a remote island hotel in Indonesia. Suva Island itself is accessible only by a jungle airstrip controlled by my forces. Soong and I believe it is perfect for our needs. The Angel of Death will fly from Suva Island.”
The Emir held a pale pink butterfly up before his eyes and for a moment Snay thought he would pop it into his mouth and eat it, so pleased did he seem by what the Pasha had described.
“America’s Day of Judgment,” the Emir said. “I see it so very clearly now.”
“Yes, Sire, I share your vision.”
“Millions will die,” the Emir whispered to the flower.
“No, Sire,” Snay bin Wazir said softly, “Tens of millions will feel the shadow of the angel.”
Without a word, the Emir returned his gaze to his lush white orchids, and Snay bin Wazir realized that he’d been dismissed. He laid a hand to the side of his head to reassure himself that it was still there and then he vanished quickly and silently into the Emir’s gardens.
The Emir, alone once more with his beloved orchids, stroked the soft white blossoms and buried his nose
