CHAPTER FOUR—DARSHUUN NIGHTS

“Ah!” Razul sighed as he put his sandaled feet up atop the dining table. “Your servants know how to cook a good meal, Ali.”

Ali laughed. “Yes, yes! That’s why I keep them in the house. Here, have some more wine, brother.”

Even Shiro had stuffed himself, but he declined to have his wine refilled when Ali offered after giving his brother a second refill.

Frowning at Razul’s feet, Hafza said, “So, we are all back together now. Except for poor Jessamine.”

Shiro nodded.

“I would throw a fit,” she said, glancing at Razul again, “but I rather like Shiro—and you’ve been a good friend to my husband… even if the trouble he’s gotten into recently has been because of you.”

“Because of Jessamine!” Ali said quickly. “We are trying”—he spread his arms—“have been trying to save her, my love. Surely you must understand this?”

“Of course,” she said, her attitude toward Ali having improved only slightly. Then she turned to Razul. “And why have you chosen to come back, now of all times, dear brother in law?”

Razul chuckled, then slapped the sword at his side. “It was not my idea. Ali and his friends practically hauled me here in a sack.”

Presently, Razul was dressed in fine pantaloons of white silk and a long heavy jacket with gold thread embroidery. But underneath, he kept his bare chest revealed.

“And who are you?” Hafza asked as she looked at Debaku.

“Oh!” Shiro said quickly. “This is Debaku, a friend and a powerful adventurer.”

“I could have told you that the moment I saw him,” Razul said. “Hey! Mar’a Thulian!”

Debaku lifted his eyes. “Yes?”

“Do you think you could best me in a fight?”

“No, nono!” Ali said, raising his hands. “There will be none of that. Brother, do not pick fights. We must work together. Come, have some more wine.”

“Well do not get him drunk!” Hafza rebuked. “I’ve only seen your brother drunk one time and I don’t care to see it again.”

Razul laughed. “I live life to the fullest, dear sister in law.”

“To the fullest passed out in a brothel gutter.”

“Oh,” he said, nodding. “I remember that. Good times.”

Ali glanced toward his brother with a sidelong look that bespoke—at least to Shiro—that he needed to be careful in these waters when his wife was present.

“Eat some more, lad,” he said to Nusah. “You are still far too skinny.” Then he tapped his temple. The time will come when I need your sword arm, he?”

Hafza winced. “Leave the boy be.”

“What?” Ali asked indignantly. “He is a servant of my house—and my right hand man.”

“I am?”

Ali nodded. “Of course. Or… you will be, I assure you. One day.”

Shaking her head, Hafza muttered something about not being able to wait until all of “these schemes” were done with.

Laleh said nothing, only listened. She was shorter than her sister, and much younger. Shiro suspected she was rather shy, but she glanced about, watching and listening to the entire conversation.

If this bickering can be called a conversation, Shiro thought, feeling a pang of annoyance. They needed to come up with a plan to save Jessamine.

“Ali,” Shiro said. “Can we speak of the matter at hand?”

“Uh… Of course, my friend. I was just going to get to that.”

“Ah,” Razul said. “You haven’t even given me a soft bed yet and you want to talk business?”

“Ha!” Ali scoffed. “Do not pretend you are not up for another great adventure, brother. You are at least twice as reckless as I am.”

“And twice as rich,” Razul added.

Ali chuckled nervously. “Truly?”

Razul smiled with a nod.

“Then where is your great manor in Darshuun, my brother?”

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“I have yet to spend my coin,” Razul said. “I find that there is little else I would prefer doing than being out on adventures—killing monsters, saving beautiful princesses. That sort of thing. Eh, Shiro, you know what I speak of, no?”

Shiro shrugged. “I cannot say that I haven’t enjoyed moments of our adventures together.” He glanced at Ali.

The Abassir grinned. “It has been fun, Shiro.”

“Now we need to find Jessamine.”

“Jessamine?” Razul asked. “So there is a princess involved?”

Pausing for a moment, Shiro nodded. “Of sorts.”

“Well then!” Razul said lightly. “Tell me about your situation, and this adventure you have for me, eh?”

“It is his friend,” Hafza said. “She has been kidnapped by the sultan.”

“Oh,” Razul noised with a knowing nod. “Sent to the harem, yes?” Then he clicked his tongue and shook his head sadly. “So sorry, my friend.”

“We must rescue her,” Shiro said.

“From the palace?” Razul asked, his eyebrows climbing.

Shiro nodded.

“I told you it would be crazy during the boat ride, did I not?” Ali said. “We need to go into the palace, find her—maybe kill Darius—and get out.”

“Whaaat?!” Hafza barked, her eyes going wide as she nearly hopped off her cushion. “That better be a joke, husband!”

“Uhh…” Ali hesitated.

“She is a favorite of the sultan,” Shiro said in way of explanation. “He will not let her be alone so we can steal her away.”

“And besides!” Ali said, clearly trying to convince his wife. “If we steal Jessamine back, Darius will know it was us—he will destroy our lives.”

Hafza made to speak, her look and motions argumentative, but then she was interrupted, her gaze going over to Ali’s brother who started laughing heartily.

“You want to kill the sultan?” He lifted his feet off the table. “This is crazy. I cannot believe you dragged me here for such nonsense, brother.”

Then he got up, making his movements look like they took great effort to lift his feet off the footstool. He walked out of the room laughing as they watched his back.

“Hey!” Ali called. “Wait! Where are you going?”

“Perhaps,” Debaku said, and Ali’s attention was instantly cut off from beckoning his brother back. Everyone at the table looked at the Black Cobra. “Perhaps I can speak with him.”

“Is that wise?” Shiro asked.

“It is,” Debaku said with a nod.

Shiro was not convinced that such a thing was a good idea, not when Razul—in his aggressive behavior—had already began to nudge at Debaku because of his own personal bravado.

That can’t go well.

“I will go with you,” Shiro said.

“No!” Debaku said, raising a hand as he got up out of his chair. “I will speak to Razul alone—top-tier adventurer to top-tier adventurer.”

That made Shiro sit back down.

Debaku had a point. Perhaps what he had to say to Razul would make him change his mind—though he still didn’t understand how.

After Debaku left the dining chamber, the servants entered and passed about post dinner refreshments, which consisted of little desserts and sweet wines in tiny glasses.

Hafza waved them away.

“I do not like this, Ali,” she said slowly.

“I know,” he said. “And I am sorry. But I must help Shiro save Jessamine.”

Breathing in deeply, Nusah glanced at her, then to Ali and then finally to Shiro. “All right,” Hafza said. “But!” She raised a demanding finger. “You do it right. No camel-dung ideas.”

Ali chuckled nervosly. “You know that’s not me.”

“I do,” she said. “But you!” she looked at Shiro. “I know you like to fight. You like to kill.”

“That’s not—“ Shiro began, but she cut him off.

“Bring my husband back, Shiro. Or I will cut off your balls and feed them to the house cats, hmm?”

With wide eyes, he glanced toward Ali who hid a smile. Then he nodded. “I will not allow anything to happen to Ali,” he said. “I did risk life and limb to rescue him from the sultan’s men already.”

“Did you?”

“Yes.”

“Then I trust you.”

“Hey!” Nusah said. “I want to come this time.”

“Absolutely not, you little fool.”

“But...” he complained. “Please?”

“Hafza is right,” Ali said. “If going into Faradoon’s manor before was too dangerous, this will make that look like trying to capture a water bird’s chicks under the gaze of her parents in comparison.”

Nusah sighed heavily as he sat back in his chair. Shiro got the distinct impression of two parents forbidding their young son from going out on a dangerous adventure.

“All right,” Hafza said. “Come, Laleh. Let us retire to our rooms.”

Her younger sister nodded and followed her out of the dining chamber.

After a moment of silence, the table a mess of half eaten sweets and empty glasses, Shiro said, “I wonder what Debaku is saying to your brother.”

“Nothing good, I think.”

“Why not?”

“Heh,” Ali chuckled. “That man is as arrogant and irresponsible as a prince.”

“And I thought you were bad,” Shiro said.

“What?”

“Nanimo.”

“He is strong,” Ali said. “Razul. You saw him take down that dungeon boss in Azurbadan.”

Shiro nodded.

“With him on our side,” Ali said. “Our party will be very powerful. I think we can do this.”

Nodding again, Shiro said. “I think we should avoid being found out at all costs.”

“Of course,” Ali said strongly. “But if we are discovered in the sultan’s palace… Hey, Nusah.”

“Yes, Master Ali?”

“Go to Shai’na and ask her about the Grand Palace. Fine out anything you can concerning the planned events for the next few days and weeks.”

“What are you thinking?” Ali asked.

“Well, we can’t just walk into the palace,” Ali said. “Like at Faridoon’s manor, we must sneak inside.” He made a slithering motion with his hand.

“You look villainous when you do that,” Nusah said.

“Hey!” Ali barked. “What did I say to you about finding out the schedule of the Grand Palace, boy?”

“Oh!” Nusah said, sliding his chair back loudly. “You want me to go now?”

“Yes!” Ali said. “It is still early. Shai’na will receive you—especially knowing you are from this household.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Now go.”

“Yes, Master Ali.” Nusah said obediently, then left the chamber in a hurry.

“Now where was I? Ah, yes. Shiro, we must sneak into the palace, find Jessamine—and then—“

“And then kill Darius.”

“Yes,” Ali said, swallowing. “Or our lives are over. Shiro, you may not be an Abassir man. You may not have a connection to this empire like I do—or this city for that matter—but my whole life is here. My possessions, my wife. Her family. Everything I have.”

“I know,” Shiro said. “And I will not allow anything to happen that will jeopardize that.”

“I understand your sentiment,” Ali said, looking worried. “But some things are out of our control and—“

Something crashed loudly within one of the back rooms.

They both froze as Daro came into the dining chamber. “Is everything all right, Master?” he asked in his raspy voice.

“I—“ Ali began, when suddenly another loud crash hit one of the walls, making an audible sound throughout the house.

Whatever had knocked the wall, physically shook the structure.

“Oh gods—what is that?!” Ali howled.

Shiro stood and pulled out his sword. “Naro, upstairs. Make sure Hafza and Laleh are safe!”

Naro nodded and they split up.

“Shiro!” Ali called. “I don’t have my sword.”

“Then stay behind me!”