The Harem Master (19 page)

Ihsan shook his head. "The meeting is postponed because Arda was found dead. Kitt, tell me what really happened." They sat down at the table as Sabah cleared away the game and Haluk poured them wine. "Lord Demir, join us." Ihsan smiled briefly. "You have been dragged into our schemes, unless, of course, you prefer to leave now."

Demir took a seat, though he looked as uncomfortable as he always did when invited to sit with them. Just one more reason for Ihsan to detest his father, for the harem masers should never have cause to feel anything but welcome and at ease in the presence of their monarchs. "I live to serve, Highness, and I want to know what is happening."

"I feel bad for Arda," Kitt said quietly, tracing the rim of his wine dish. "He did a terrible thing, but he was provoked by terror. No person should be so ashamed of what he desires that he winds up with his throat slit, hidden amongst corpses to be one more lost and forgotten. That is lower than anything I have ever done." His mouth tightened, fingers twitching, upsetting the wine dish and sending most of the content splashing across the table.

"Kitt," Ihsan said quietly, but Kitt gave no sign he had heard, lost to his black thoughts. Damn. Ihsan looked at Sabah, who was best at bringing Kitt out of them, at least by peaceful means.

But before Sabah could move to the other side of the table to help him, Demir reached out and nudged the wine dish out of the way, slid his own hand under Kitt's, and curled their fingers together. He then began to speak quietly—chant, rather. Words Ihsan did not understand, though he recognized them as Rittuen. Steady, even, reminiscent of monks reciting their prayers over and over, a strange, solemn song.

After a few minutes, Kitt looked up, the barest smile on his face as he finished the last few lines with Demir. "You speak Rittuen?"

"Only a little," Demir replied. "I know mostly prayers, meditations, and songs. Many of Rittu's sexual beliefs and practices translate well to the harem and have been incorporated over time. I did not know if that was the proper meditation, but it has always worked well at calming the more anxious concubines, especially in recent years."

Kitt's bare smile turned into a much more familiar grin. Ihsan almost felt sorry for Demir—if it was at all permitted, Kitt would have Demir naked and moaning. If he had any means to make it appropriate, Ihsan would grant permission. "Thank you, Lord Demir."

Demir bowed his head. Ihsan gestured to Sabah, who poured wine and rose, then sat next to Demir and held the dish to his lips. "Highness, you need not—"

"Refuse or accept, Harem Master," Ihsan said with a smile, "but I choose what I need or need not do."

"Yes, Highness," Demir conceded and accepted the offered wine. When the dish was empty, Sabah smiled at him and returned to Ihsan's side.

Ihsan gestured to Kitt. "If you can, Kitt, finish telling me what you learned."

"He was killed in his room, and the assassin did a fair job of cleaning up the mess, but the clean-up is as obvious to me as the blood itself. Credit to your Lieutenant, Lord Demir, when I asked where people might hide a body they preferred would never be found, he immediately thought of those carts."

Demir grimaced slightly. "Ruth's father and grandfather were night collectors. They paid to see that he found a good position in the army so he would not get stuck with the same miserable life. He is well-acquainted with the nefarious uses of the body carts."

"Yet you do not use him to help you smuggle out the dead?" Ihsan asked.

"I will not risk his life that way, though he would agree if I asked," Demir replied quietly. "His life is in danger enough simply working for me, as are the lives of everyone connected to the harem."

Because Kagan liked to take his anger out on them, no matter the true source of it. And now the council and the ambassadors were attempting to use the harem for something, though only the Divine knew what. Of what use was the harem to anyone?

Ihsan nodded at Demir's words. "Speaking of sneaking around, I hope you and Haluk are able to learn something."

"I will send a note to the pertinent persons as soon as I return to my office, Highness."

"Thank you." Ihsan sipped at the sharp, tangy wine that Sabah held to his lips. "Did anything other than Kitt acquiring new piercings happen while I was in that meeting?"

"The Havarin delegation wants to speak with you," Sabah replied.

"They have finally emerged, at the worst possible moment, of course," Ihsan said with a sigh. "Did Arda mean to kill Lord Jove? Who was his real target or targets? I desperately need to know that. Where is Captain Fatih? Should he not be here by now? I did not think one short briefing would take so long. I would have briefed him myself."

Sabah offered him another sip of wine, finished what was left in the dish, then rose smoothly to his feet. "I will go investigate the matter, Highness."

"Thank you, Sabah." Ihsan captured his hand and kissed the back of it in farewell. Once Sabah was gone, he rested his elbows on the table, tangled his fingers together. "Do we know anything?"

"I might know something, Highness, though I'm not sure what," Demir said slowly, uncertainty cutting deep lines into his face. "The day of your banquet I spoke briefly with some of the ambassadors and overhead part of a conversation…"

Kitt's eyes narrowed. "Which ambassadors?"

"Lord Jove, Lord Tessel, and Lord Hannigan."

"Havarin, Hadge, and Gollen," Kitt said, drumming his fingers on the table. "That is a conniving threesome as old as time, mostly because Hadge and Gollen chase after Havarin like shrewd whores, and Havarin is always happy to use them and leave the money on the bed."

Ihsan snorted. "Succinctly put, as ever, Kitt. What did you overhear, Lord Demir?"

Demir frowned at the table, then slowly said, "I listened at first because I was concerned for my person. Lord Jove was of the opinion that I needed the arrogance fucked out of me. Lord Tessel told him to stop, that His Majesty would not care if Lord Jove used 'the whores', but would be angry if he touched me. Lord Jove said he knew that, but the point remained. Tessel said he would rather put me to use teaching our 'exotic arts' to other whores. They carried on in that vein a little longer, then Lord Hannigan said 'there's nothing we can do until we know how the wind blows with Prince Ihsan' and that he wished you'd stayed dead. That was all I overheard past complaints about our food and wine."

"Arrogant?" Haluk said. "They think
you
are arrogant. I think they perhaps do not understand that word; you are the most humble man I've ever met. Havarin is carved from arrogance. My prince is arrogant. You honor everyone with your humility."

Demir lowered his head. "You are kind, Lord Haluk. I am used to such ignorance from foreigners, especially Havarin, who seem to have a low opinion of sexual craft and trade and those who make their living from it."

"Havarin is a huge proponent of sexual slavery," Kitt said. "They control nearly all of the Kormor continent and their treasury is bloated on the money earned from the sex trade. But they look down upon those very people, never at themselves for being the ones to hand over the coin. That is why they look askance at countries like Tavamara and Rittu, where concubines and the like are treated with respect as is their due. You think they speak ill of you, I should recount what they've said about our royal orgies."

The barest smile curved Demir's mouth. "I've heard some of those tales, Lord Kitt. Part of my training came from a brothel owner who hails from Rittu. I think what I most learned was that managing a harem is remarkably easy compared to organizing a royal orgy."

Kitt grinned, slow and hot. "I bet you're fun to have in one."

"That's enough," Ihsan interjected. "Honestly, Kitt, how many times must I tell you—speaking to Lord Demir that way is the height of impropriety."

"Apologies, Harem Master," Kitt said, sounding anything but apologetic.

The door opened before Ihsan could reprimand him further, though most of his ire was at the images that Kitt had put in his head. Sabah came striding up to them, a bright smile on his face. "Your Highness, you should come at once."

"What is it?" Ihsan asked, standing.

"Princess Euren has—"

Ihsan bolted, gone before Sabah had finished speaking and practically running through the palace until he spilled out of it into the royal pavilion that fronted the palace and overlooked the city. In the very center of it, tightly embracing her father, was Euren.

She drew back, saw him, and the smile on her face widened as she ran toward him. "Ihsan!"

"Euri, Euri, you're finally home." Ihsan hugged her tight, spun her in a circle.

When he finally held still, she sank her fingers into his hair and drew him down into a long, heated kiss. Despite the months that had passed since they'd been together, her mouth was familiar, fitting to his as though they'd been apart only hours. She smelled and tasted of dust and sweat, but beneath that he could taste the flowers-and-metal flavor that never left her.

Drawing back, Ihsan cupped her face, wiped smudges of dusty sweat from her cheeks with his thumb. "I have missed you fiercely, my warrior princess. Welcome home." He kissed her again, laughing against her mouth, delighting in the way her fingers grabbed tightly to his shirt as she eagerly returned the kiss.

It was only as they drew apart the second time that he noted the crowd that had gathered in the royal pavilion. Captain Fatih watched on, looking torn between disapproval and amusement at their conduct. "I gather you've heard the news, then, Highness."

Ihsan grinned. "Yes, Captain. I am sorry if I interrupted your reunion, however."

Lifting his hands, smiling faintly, "I am not going to complain about so enthusiastic a reunion. A parent enjoys seeing their child adored. It is good to have you both home."

Euren smiled and went over to give him another hug, kissing his cheek. "I've missed you, papa."

He held her tightly for a long moment, then let her go slowly and kissed her brow. "Not more than I have missed you. Welcome home, Your Highness."

"You do not have to call me that," she admonished, swatting his arm before spinning away and beckoning to her party. "Father, I make you known to my harem. You might know some of them." She laughed when he looked at them and then lifted his eyes to the sky. "Lady Asli you know of course, and Lady Gulden. This is Lady Canan." She looped her arm through Canan's and leaned up to kiss her cheek. "We met her at a temple where we stopped to rest for a short time."

Ihsan strode up to Emre, who was standing quietly off to the side, and embraced him tightly. "It is good to see you again, my friend."

"And you, Highness," Emre replied, smiling. "You remember my sister."

"Who could forget the mightiest flower in the Desert," Ihsan said with a smile and hugged her too. "Come, come, you must be our guests for as long as we can persuade you to stay. Captain Fatih, you must meet our friends." Ihsan signaled to a servant hovering nearby. "See a banquet is prepared for myself, Princess Euren, and all of our friends here. In one of the private halls." Movement caught his eye, and Ihsan turned to see that his harem and Lord Demir had arrived. He waved them over, but the words he'd been about to say stopped when he saw his father come walking slowly out of the palace.

Frowning, he strode across the pavilion to Kagan. "Father, you shouldn't be out of—" He stopped as Kagan held up a hand.

Lowering the hand again, Kagan motioned sharply to the guards that had come up behind him. "You are under house arrest."

Disbelief and fury swept through Ihsan. "What—"

"Princess Euren as well."

Ihsan balled his hands into fists, moved away from him, torn between fighting and running. "Father, you can't—"

"I am king!" Kagan roared, drowning him out. "I will do as I please, and I am arresting you and all your conspirators for attempted murder of the king, murder of Ambassador Jove, and the murder of a royal concubine. You should have picked a more effective means than poison." He gestured sharply. "Put their concubines in the jeweled garden. As to their…" He looked at the Cobra as if they were criminals. "They can be put with the concubines. Arrest Captain Fatih as well; he is too close to the Princess to be trusted."

Ihsan jerked away from the guards, glared at them, at his father. "Do not dare touch me or mine."

"You will cooperate," Kagan said coldly, "Or I will put you in a cell and order your harem lashed until you do cooperate."

"Fine," Ihsan bit out and let the guards drag him away, casting a look over his shoulder to where the guards were grabbing Euren and his men, watching until he vanished into the cool, dark halls of the palace.

Euren wanted to kill someone. A very specific someone. She sincerely doubted anyone would particularly care if she stabbed His Majesty right through the heart…

She thumped a fist on the settee, sending one of the pillows perched on the edge tumbling to the floor. Scowling at it, she snatched the pillow up and threw it in the pile with the rest. Looked around her room, still disconcerted such a room actually belonged to her. When she'd left, she had still been living in her bedroom in her family's apartment, which had two bedrooms, the front room, and a little balcony that overlooked a small patch of the public gardens.

Now she had one enormous room all to herself, a private bath, a beautiful stone patio that overlooked a private garden… and only herself for company. She was meant to be with her husband, damn everything. At the very least her concubines should be with her—and possibly Meltem because Euren would not tear herself from Meltem until she absolutely must.

That was a matter that would have to wait, however, mostly because it was hard to tentatively court a woman she was not even certain about when she was confined to her room on charges of conspiring to murder the king. As if she would use poison. It had its uses, but Euren regarded it as a last resort. Ihsan was rather fond of his poisoned daggers, but Euren preferred to aim true.

At the very least, she wished somebody would explain to her what was going on. An ambassador dead? And a concubine? That did not sound like Ihsan at all.