27Dust churned and clouded the air as Dastan watched a company of Persian soldiers march through the city gate. His eyes followed their movements as they started on the path through the outlying fields toward the well-worn road leading from the valley.
"They are searching for your father."
Closing his eyes at the mere sound of her voice, he turned to face Tamina. She stood with her Champion a distance away, and the small smile on her face cleared some of the doubts from his mind. Though the glare directed his way from Asoka gave him pause.
"Yes. He sent word days ago that he was moving to join us. Tus is concerned." He stepped forward, the grinding of the closing gate behind him signalling the soldiers' departure.
Peasants nearby stopped to stare at the royals, their faces alight with interest as they observed the two of them together. It was the first time her people had seen her interact openly with the Persians, and the lack of hostility between them would give birth to all sorts of gossip.
Dastan hoped a day would come when he could enjoy Tamina's company without the weight of time pressing on them. Until then, perhaps a show of friendship in the presence of her people would go a long way to mending the rift the Persian invasion caused.
Tamina moved to meet him halfway, Asoka keeping pace beside her. "I heard he is a scholar, a religious man. Perhaps he has simply detoured or chosen a slower route in favour of his studies?"
He considered the idea for a moment, then grimaced. "Unlikely. Father is known for many things, but tardiness is not one of them. Nor would he consider anything more important than chasing down his wayward sons."
Her laughter brought light to his words, but Dastan had not meant for them to be amusing. Tus had disobeyed their Father's direct order to leave Alamut alone in their march against Kosh. His immediate departure after their invasion was proof enough that Sharaman was not pleased with Tus' decision.
But he should have arrived by now.
Some of his fears must have shown in his face, as Tamina then said quietly, "The soldiers will find him and escort him safely to the city. They were likely delayed by the recent weather."
Her soothing words brought a smile back to lips. "Recent weather? The desert hasn't seen a drop of rain let alone a cloud in some time, Princess." He ducked his head and smiled at the droll stare she shot his way.
"The farmers have complained of sand dervishes ravaging their lands of late. Anything could be possible."
That caught his attention. "Sand dervishes?"
The directness of his question made Tamina frown, her eyes turning curious with the intent to learn more. "Yes, at the edge of the farmland outside our walls. That troubles you?"
It did indeed. He would need to be more open with her, more forthright with answers if he hoped to gain her trust once more. But with her Champion standing so close and the city around them a captive audience, he dared not. "I'm simply trying to imagine how something as common as camel turd could have delayed my Father's arrival."
His coarse language surprised another burst of laughter from her, but even as she chuckled he saw wariness overcome her features. She didn't believe him.
The murmuring of peasants close by grew louder, and Dastan grit his teeth. Good gossip could help improve the relations between Persia and Alamut. They would delight in seeing the two of them speaking so closely, so kindly to each other. But what he needed right now was more time to divulge some of his fears.
Sand dervishes could herald the arrival of Hassansins. Not only did that bode ill for his father, but it might mean Tamina and the dagger were in immediate danger.
He could not bear to lose her again.
Intending to request she accompany him back at the palace, Dastan moved closer. He lifted a hand to rest at her shoulder, barely leaning in close to speak quietly to her, when Asoka stepped forward, asserting his presence.
"That is close enough, Persian."
Glancing at the man, his eyes dropped to where Asoka clutched tightly at the hilt of his sword. Dastan's stance shifted at the unstated threat, feet moving in readiness to defend himself. "Does it truly look like your Princess requires protection from me?"
"She requires protection from all those that seek to plunder this city's treasures."
"I've bested you once before," Dastan reminded the man. "Of the two of us, who do you think is more capable of performing that task for your Princess?"
Tamina emitted a scoff at the unfounded show of strength from both men, but even her obvious censure didn't cause either man to break their locked steely gaze.
She blew out a heavy breath and stepped between them. "That is enough, both of you."
"Princess, if he offends you, allow me to remove him from your presence," her champion begged, his hand tightening further on his sword hilt.
Tamina shook her head. "Attend to Ellera," she ordered.
Asoka stiffened, his gaze darting between her and Dastan. "Your Highness, I must protest—"
"Attend to Ellera." Her voice brooked no argument.
Asoka bowed, directing one last murderous glare at Dastan before departing.
"Thank you," Dastan muttered once the man had left their sight. "I was likely to—"
She turned on him. "What was that?"
He frowned. "What?"
"That ridiculous show just now," she said, sweeping her hand wide. "He is my champion and he is doing his duty. You have no right to question and demean him so."
Dastan advanced on her, heedless now of the eyes that eagerly watched them. "But he has the right to question my honour?"
"You attacked Asoka on these very streets when he was trying to flee to safety!" Tamina cried. "What does your precious honour have to say about that?"
He halted, struck by her words. Noble Dastan, abandoning a helpless woman in the wilderness, she had said. What does your precious honour have to say about that? He had once begged the Gods to give him the strength not to kill her. They had done more than that.
"He was not fleeing to safety," Dastan said, dropping his voice. "He was smuggling the dagger to the mountain."
Tamina shook her head. "His reasons for fleeing are not important."
"And yet if I did not attack him all those months ago, we would not be standing here now."
Her lips parted in surprise, her eyes widening. "Months?"
She had not truly fathomed just how long this journey had taken him. "I have been in your company for quite some time now, Princess."
Tamina looked away at his admission, her cheeks colouring rapidly.
Dastan frowned, but a smile threatened to form at her embarrassment. "Tamina?"
"I had another vision of you. Of—of us."
"Tell me," he said.
Her eyes cast around, reminding him of where they were and how public this conversation was.
"Tell me while we walk back to the palace." He offered her his arm, but she ignored it and hurried to take the path back to her home. He had to rush to keep pace.
"I saw the Sandglass chamber," she told him. "I saw the moment you– we turned back time. Images were flashing across the glass, pictures of the palace and then the desert."
"Did you see anything of what was happening inside the chamber?" He asked.
Tamina hesitated before speaking. "Your Uncle and brother were locked in battle. You and I were standing at the base of the Sandglass." Her voice grew breathless from her quick pace.
No, not from her pace. Dastan thought back to that final moment with her, when he had glimpsed love shining in her eyes as she gazed up at him. When they— "You saw our kiss."
Tamina's eyes clashed with his and then darted away again.
"Only our second," he told her, trying to keep his voice light. "Both happened in the Sandglass chamber during our last moments together, before the sands swept me away."
Flustered, Tamina continued walking briskly toward the palace. Her emotions were as turbulent as the desert sands when it came to this perplexing man. She wanted to spend time with him, throttle him, and send him far from her sight, and all of those feelings came and went in a matter of moments.
Having the eyes of the city on them as she tried to keep all those emotions contained only heightened her frustration at their predicament. She had memories of him that she could not remember, echoes of feelings that she had never truly felt, and the knowledge that someone or something, somewhere, was endangering the sanctity of her kingdom.
"You have yet to explain your Uncle's involvement in this. There is much more you're not telling me," she said finally, when they were close to the palace.
"There is more that you should remember." The frustration in his voice was impossible to miss. "You said you would be receptive to your Gods' messages, that you would remember easily all that had happened between us."
"Whatever she—I told you must be true. But Gods are fickle, Dastan, and—"
"I don't give a damn about your Gods!" Dastan burst out, rounding on her.
Tamina turned to him, unafraid of the anger and frustration warring on his face. "No, all you seem to give a damn about is keeping all your secrets to yourself. You leave me floundering with only your word that I should trust you!"
Dastan grunted and paced. "Is there anything you can do to bring on the visions? Prayer, or-or songs, or however you communicate with your Gods?"
Tamina thought on it for a moment, her eyes drifting up to the palace and beyond, to the sky chamber towering high above the city. "I will speak to our High Priestess. Meditation could—"
"Your Highness!"
Tamina and Dastan both turned at the noise, spying Asoka hurrying toward them once more.
"Princess Tamina, please, the High Priestess has requested you come quickly."
Smothering her rising ire at the interruption, Tamina addressed her champion. "What has happened?"
"It's the bitten man, Princess," he said, his brow furrowed. "He seems to be waking."
She had to put this argument to rest – for now. Nodding to him, she met Dastan's worried gaze. "I have to go."
"What is it? Who is the bitten man?"
"A man one of our farmers brought in just yesterday. He is weak from the desert, poisoned by a terribly vicious snake bite." Pausing, she felt compelled to add, "He was dressed in fine Persian cloth." She saw Dastan's eyes sharpen at her admission, and frowned. "Do you think something is wrong?"
"Mind if I come with you?"
She hesitated only a moment before nodding her consent.
Persian cloth was not in short supply. The richly coloured fabrics and silks were sold at marketplaces throughout their lands and were a favoured commodity among travelling merchants.
But Dastan had heard no word from Tus or Garsiv that Nizam's spy had been found. They had been methodically searching Alamut and the surrounding land for the man to no avail. For a man to suddenly turn up in the far fields, bitten by a snake no less ... With Tamina's mention of sand dervishes and now a snake bite, the link to the Hassansins was becoming more suspect and less circumstantial. In each echo of time he replayed, Nizam and the Hassansins were inevitably tied. Had they arrived so quickly?
They hurried through the palace until the splendour of the public rooms gave way to less well-maintained quarters where the sick and injured were kept safe from prying eyes.
Dastan prepared himself to find the spy who had spun his tales for Nizam's benefit. He would wring a confession from him before running him through, finishing the job of the snake's poison. His thoughts were murderous, yet he couldn't rein them in.
The spy had to face justice for all the pain he had wrought.
The Priestess was not present when they arrived, and Tamina sent a servant to fetch the woman. Motioning for Dastan to follow her in, she unlocked and opened the door.
Dastan's body was thrumming with the need for action. One hand tightened into a fist, the other pushing the door open further as he stepped in behind Tamina. The room was dark, but a figure could be seen lying prone on the bed. Dastan's steps were heavy as he moved forward while Tamina lit a candle next to the bed, revealing the face of—
"Father!"
Dastan's outburst startled Tamina, but he paid her no mind as he rushed to his father's side. The pallor of his face was not a welcoming sight, and though cloth was wrapped tight around his wound, it did not hide the copper stain that bloomed through the pale fabric.
"That should not still be bleeding," he heard Tamina mutter and she moved around, gathering supplies to redress Sharaman's shoulder.
"What happened?" He demanded. "Why did no one tell us he was here?"
"I assure you, we had no idea this was your father until just now!" Tamina pushed him aside so she could inspect Sharaman. "He's very weak. He can barely stay awake long enough to drink the fluids we've been offering him."
Dastan shook his head. "He should be moved to Nasaf. Our healers would—"
"It is unwise to move him in this condition." Her voice was firm but quiet, in deference to the sick man resting before her. She showed him a salve her people had cultivated for drawing poison. "I can assure you he is in good care. Priestess Ellera is our best healer." It did not surprise Tamina when he looked up in recognition at the Priestess' name. There was already so much that he knew about her kingdom. "Besides, he will be treated by no one but her."
"Why?"
She sighed, tucking the sheets closer around the Persian King. "When we brought him in, he rose and fought off our help, though he was fading in and out of consciousness. Ellera ordered the majority of our people from the room, bar myself and the guard, and soothed him until he quietened enough to accept water. We didn't wish to hinder his recovery any further by forcing him to accept another's help, so she has been tending him ever since."
He nodded, though from his expression the revelation of his father's illness distracted him too much to take in her words. She watched as he moved from the bedside to the door, opening it soundlessly and grabbing the first servant that crossed his path.
"Find the Persian named Bis. Tell him to find the Princes immediately."
"Bis?" Tamina frowned as she lightly sponged Sharaman's face with water. "Why not have them send for your brothers directly?"
"I don't want rumours spreading of the condition of the Persian King," he hesitated before he added, "And I don't want Nizam to hear of this. Bis will be discreet."
She paused in her ministrations, watching the King's face carefully when a crease began to form on his brow. "You think your Uncle caused this."
Dastan didn't have a chance to respond before his father's eyes blinked open and he looked about the room.
"My boy …"
"Father." Dastan rushed to his side and Tamina moved away, allowing him space. "What happened?"
"Dastan …" Sharaman reached for Dastan's hand, clutching it with surprising strength. "Vipers. Hassansins …"
"You have seen them?" The old man's eyes started to droop, though his grip remained tight. "Father?"
"He sent them to finish this …"
Sharaman's eyes rolled back and closed once more. His hand fell limply to his side.
Dastan and Tamina shared a single look fraught with confusion. "'He?' Your Uncle?"
"It has to be Nizam," Dastan spat, getting to his feet and striding quickly to the door. "He's behind all of this. He—"
The door to the room burst open, Garsiv and then Tus charging in.
"Father!"
Tus moved to their father's side, gripping the old man's shoulder and gently shaking. "He does not wake." Rounding on Tamina, he demanded, "What have you done to him?"
Dastan stepped in front of the Princess, facing his brother. "He has been poisoned, Tus! He is weak."
"Poisoned? How? By whom?"
"He was found outside the city," Tamina said, stepping up to Dastan's side. "A farmer found him suffering from the effects of snake venom."
His features clouded in confusion, Tus shook his head. "What of the Royal Guard? What of the scouts? Was he found alone?"
"We do not know," Tamina said. "In truth, I only discovered his true identity a moment ago when Dastan saw him."
A scoff and the rush of metal was the only warning before Garsiv's sword cut through the air, pointed at Tamina as he advanced. "You must have known. The King of Persia, hidden away in the bowels of your palace? You conniving wench—"
"Garsiv!" Dastan slapped at the blade of the sword, glaring at his brother. Anger coursed through him with such power that he marvelled at its intensity – but only for a moment. "Gather the facts before you swing your sword again, brother."
Garsiv growled, Dastan stepped forward, and Tus raised his hands to settle the two, just as a rattle interrupted the heated moment.
"What are you all doing in here?"
Ellera glared at them from the open door, her full figure and a well-laden tray filling the frame. If emotions were not already running high, Dastan would have cackled at the look on his brothers' faces. Caught red-handed misbehaving.
"You're like a herd of camels, posturing about in here. Leave. Now. Out!"
Her stern words and demeanour as she strode forth and set down the tray showed she expected none to argue.
She hadn't expected Garsiv. "You can't order us around like that! We have every right to be here!"
"That may be so, but I will not let you bluster about while an unwell man under my care is fighting to recover. He needs rest!" Sharaman shifted in his sleep, his body sliding to a slumped position. Ellera hurried over to set him right again.
"He needs treatment!" Garsiv insited, drawing himself up to his full height.
"He needs a little peace and quiet," she returned, barely sparing the princes s sideways glance. "Something he's not going to get while you're in here snorting like an incensed camel. Out!"
A soft touch drew Dastan's gaze. Tamina motioned for him to follow her out, her eyes alight with mirth at their expense. Clearly Ellera's bedside manner was a common occurance.
Ushering his brothers out, still protesting, Dastan allowed a small guffaw when the priestess closed the door in their faces.
Garsiv rounded on the Princess. "Who does she think she is? Ordering us about, like we're—"
Tamina flushed with growing agitation at his words, but Dastan was quick to speak. "She is a high priestess, and one of Alamut's greatest healers. You'd do well to stop arguing and head her advice."
A small smile broke the anger on Tamina's face. That he was so quick to defend Ellera pleased her immensely.
"Father must be taken to Avrat where he'll receive proper treatment." Garsiv was glaring at the closed door.
"Have him travel, in his weak condition?" Tamina shook her head. "You're mad."
Tus, strangely, agreed. "It would give whoever attacked a chance to finish their work."
Garsiv turned to face them, his face now set in a steely resolve. "The snake attack. We must hunt down the culprits and see them brought to justice."
Dastan spared a glance at Tamina before offering, "Father mentioned the Hassansins."
"Fever-induced babble."
"The Hassansins were disbanded." For a long moment, Garsiv looked thoughtful, but when he rounded on Tamina his fury returned and doubled with each step he took toward her. "Unless your people have taken on their practise!"
Hesitating under his menacing stare and hurrying to back away, she stumbled over her words. "One of our priests left the guardians to join the Hassansins many years ago, but—"
But that was all the confirmation Garsiv needed. "A priest? Your priest! Your people sought to murder our King!"
"No, that's not—!"
"Garsiv, don't you think you're—?"
"Enough!"
All three looked at Tus, startled.
"When Father is well enough to discuss what happened, we will determine our course of action from there." He stared down the Princess. "Father's babble and your admission put your people under suspicion, Princess. And you, Dastan, had better hope we do not find those weapon forges or I will question your hand in this as well."
AN: I cannot apologise enough for my delay in updating this story. I've had this update half-written for years now. I can't promise when the next update will be, but I just want any readers left to know I haven't given up on my love for this fandom.
