Chapter 22: The Grand Vizier

We left the city walls and traveled to a secluded stretch of Midaharia and gathered beneath the shade of a colossal baobab tree where the five Grand Viziers. Meeting out in the open was for symbolic reasons, Tears told me. It was so that the “eyes & ears” of the land, sky, and stars could bear witness to this process.

In their long robes and tagelmust scarves, they dressed like everyday citizens of the land. I’ve only served under one Emperor so this would be my first time seeing them. I was expecting something more for some reason. The golden rings on their fingers were the only extravagant detail about them.

One wore the ring of the sun, a lioness, tapestry, a book, and an eye. And now I remembered Tears telling me how each one of them represented something different.

The Astronomer Vizier was said to have eyes that have traced the constellations since childhood.

Clad in a cloak woven from the mane of a lion, the Lioness Vizier. For her, the next ruler must possess the heart of a lion, ready to face any challenge with fearless determination.

The Weaver Vizier was said to see the threads of destiny woven into the very fabric of existence. As I recall, a leader with wisdom, empathy, and the ability to weave a tapestry of unity from the diverse threads of the kingdom was ideal to him.

The Talekeeper Vizier held the kingdom's history within his heart. He sought a leader who not only understood the weight of the past but can craft a compelling narrative for the future.

The Silent Vizier, well, his title spoke more than he did, apparently.

They all were probaly old enough to be a grandparent. So, that would probably make Istan the oldest person here. He was a war advisor to two other Emperors besides Taimoor, afterall.

Draped in his usual attire, a deep indigo robe with silver trim, Istan stood before the The Grand Vizier for the better part of an hour promising to finish what Taimoor started. It came as no surprise when he used the latest attack on civilians as an example of why the “Ahrman Empire’s time was up.”

As a General my role was a silent witness to the procedure; nothing more. I mean, I'm standing here listening to him plead your case for the role of Emperor, but all I'm hearing is mourning widows, babies crying, war horses galloping, buildings being razed; I think I’ve held my peace too long.

“I submit a formal request to become the next Emperor,” I said, stepping forward without a second thought.

“Idris!” a shocked Tears called.

“What?” Istan said, baffled. “Who do you think you are? Know your place before you're removed from the chamber.”

“Let him finish his petition, Istan,” the Astronomer Vizier insisted.

“Wha??!”

“Wise Grand Vizier, I've given this a lot of thought since Damnation. Midaharia was once a peaceful and prosperous nation, but over time, we've allowed our leaders to lull us into endless wars with our neighbors because of old grudges. If we continue down that path, not only will our civilization be lost but our children will know nothing but war and bloodshed.”

“What about the attacks by the Ahrman Empire?” Istan demanded. “Are you suggesting we let them go unanswered?”

“We don’t know if the monarchy is responsible for them.”

“Absurd. If not the Empire, then who else could it be?”

“Gentlemen,” the Lioness Vizier interrupted. “Do remind yourselves that this is not a debate.”

“My apologies,” said Istan. “The young General’s brashness was unexpected. May I request we postpone the day’s meeting?”

“Request denied," said the Talekeeper Vizier. “How would either of you respond to southern regions and their desire to break away from the Kingdom?”

“We must keep as much territory as possible, by any means,”Istan responded. “Even an acre of land lost weakens us.”

“So you advocate the use of force.”

“Yes, of course.”

“And you, General Idris?”

Not an issue I thought a lot about but...”I guess I would, maybe, sit down with them and discuss why they feel like independence is needed. Then I would address their concerns however necessary. While I do agree with Istan, that we can’t afford to lose territory, forcing those regions to stick with us would be like forcing someone to stay in a bad relationship. It’s not good for any party.”

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They raised more questions and concerns than I was prepared for. Mostly about trade and economics. Those were areas I had little experience or knowledge in. So I ended up winging it. I felt that my unrehearsed responses ruined my petition.

On the other hand, Istan sounded like a pro.

Well at least I tried.

After what felt like an all day question-and-answer session, we left the Grand Vizier and returned to the capitol. Istan gave me a look as if I stole his horse or something, then he parted ways.

“Idris,” Tears started. He slapped his hands on my shoulders and flashed a smile. “Lahan would be proud of you.”

“Thanks, Tears.”

Lahan’s death still weighed on me. He died thinking I died in Haggard. I might have been able to help him if I was by his side instead.

“Between you and me, I never was a fan of Istan. Having him as an Emperor would be a big mistake,” Tears told me.

“Hearing that makes me feel a little better. I mean, I thought I was the only one that disagreed with his mentality.”

“Istan’s cut from the same cloth as Taimoor. I believe they’re cousins or something. A lot of Taimoor’s inner circle are his relatives.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“That’s a terrible thing”

“Taimoor put a lot of trust in his relatives, I guess.”

“No, I meant gossiping. See what your dauntlessness has me doing?” Tears said, lightheartedly.

“Well, don’t stop now. As old as you are, I bet you have plenty of beans to spill.”

“Old, am I? Go do your rounds before I flog you.”

“I was joking. I was joking.” I chuckled.

***

So, how long do I have to wait for the The Grand Vizier to make their decision? I was getting a bit anxious as I made my evening security rounds. A lot more capitol officers were on duty, checking the city perimeters and whatnot.

If someone did try to breach the city walls, it wasn’t going to be easy for them. We should have this kind of security throughout Midaharia, not just Ras Almal.

Maybe when I become Emperor that will change.

Seema’s Seams was closing for the night. The old widow and her three daughters cornered the tailoring market in the city. Aaliyah, Nadia, and Lina were their names; all three were marrying age. But the mother worked as hard on keeping potential suitors away as she did her seamwork.

I waved as I rode past them. As usual, their mother hurried them off as if the streets were overflowing with marauders and I was one of them.

Their shop was one of the many that needed to be rebuilt after what happened with Damnation. A lot of the structures in the capitol were built back, some looked so much better than before.

The Emperor’s compound was one of the few buildings still in need of repairs. We decided to save it for last and focus on civilian infrastructure instead.

The state it was in; the compound seemed frozen in time. All the chaos, death, and destruction from that night; I could still hear the artillery weapons the enemy used on us.

I had no desire to stick around this area, but others did, which was why I dismounted.

Some citizens couldn’t help but visit the ruined compound, probably just to see it for the first time. They were usually harmless and always obeyed the order to stay away from the structure, because in its present state, it could fall on their heads.

“It should be demolished and replaced with a grand castle,” one of the citizens suggested.

I nodded in agreement.

By the time I made it back to the barracks, my room was calling my name but word of Isa’s return made that impossible. Part of me didn’t want to hear what he had to share; the other part of me hoped for the best.

We gathered in the war room and I couldn’t wait to ask, “How many people were killed?”

“There were no deaths,” Isa replied. “Just injuries.”

“Glad to hear that,” I said.

“So, do we know who’s responsible yet?” Tears asked.

Isa shook his head and took a seat. “It’s the same as before: a group of masked men armed with crossbows rode through the streets attacking anything that moved.”

“Cowards,” remarked Tears.

“Only those Ahrman would behave in such a way,” Isa said.

“We still can’t prove that.”

“Who else could it be, Idris?” Isa argued. And someone sounded a lot like Istan. “We’ll know more when Badr gets back. He’s tracking the perpetrators' trail as we speak.”

“I’ll take a company of soldiers to Tazwiir in the morning,” Tears said. “We must increase security across all territories, as soon as possible.”

“Yes, I agree,” said Isa, leaving before I could share the other big news of the day.

He and Istan can believe what they will, but I'm not holding the monarchy responsible for those attacks without evidence. I'll get to the truth of this and if the Arhman are the culprit...

....

Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.