The Harem Master

by Megan Derr

  "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.

  Nine

  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 flo
or. 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.

  She thumped the settee again, then decided to do something useful before she ruined all her lovely, comfortable furniture. What would Asli do? Food. Asli would demand someone bring her something to eat, and now she'd thought of it, food sounded like the best idea she'd ever had. Heaving to her feet, Euren went to the door and opened it, smiling stiffly at the guard outside. "I have been traveling for several days with little to no rest. Today alone I was on a horse for eight hours. I would like a meal brought, unless prisoners are no longer allowed to eat."

  "No, Miss—Lady—" The guard huffed. "Princess, I beg your pardon. I am sorry I did not anticipate that. I will have food ordered at once, of course."

  "Thank you." Euren closed the door. Striding across the room, she pushed through the layers of gauzy curtains that divided the bed and bath from the rest of the room. She removed her weapons and set them aside on a table to properly clean later, then stripped off her clothes and threw them in a wash basket.

  Clothes… That was a good point. She had no clean clothes, and her trunks from the temple would not be arriving for some time yet. Glancing around, she saw no trunks or bureaus that would hold clothes; even the dressing table was barren.

  Fluttering caught her eye; she turned toward it and saw the robes hanging from hooks on the wall by the bathing area. They should suffice until she could obtain proper clothes. It was not as though she had anywhere to go, courtesy of Kagan.

  Going to the far corner of the bathing area, she poured water into a washing basin and quickly set to scrubbing. When she'd rinsed off all the soap from the first round of cleaning, she went for a second. The water, the soap, and the rough sponge followed by the softer sponge… The only thing that would feel better would be crawling into her soft bed, either to sleep or reacquaint herself with her husband.

  Finished washing, she walked over to the bath, a deep, rectangular pool large enough to hold six, groaning as the hot water soaked into her sore body. Absurdly, even the smell of the minerals that discolored the bathwater was comforting. How anyone could miss the metallic, overdone egg smell seemed incomprehensible, but she had.

  A knock came at the door a few minutes later, and she called for the knocker to enter. Two servants bustled in bearing trays of food that they arranged on the low table in a far corner of the room. Euren thanked them but did not move from the bath, determined to soak in the wonderfully hot water for as long as possible.

  She hoped Asli, Gulden, Canan, and the others were being well-treated. At least they'd been confined to the harem hall instead of prison cells or thrown out of the palace entirely. There were worse places to be than the Jeweled Garden. Would the guards let her send a note? Probably best not to push her luck for the present.

  Climbing out of the bath, she pulled on a lightweight, pale purple robe. It was a touch too small but finer by far than anything she had owned before she'd left. She'd thought five years of borrowing Asli's clothes had prepared her for royal life, but wearing a robe that cost more than her entire old wardrobe…

  Fleeing from those thoughts, Euren belted the robe closed and retrieved one of her knives, tucking it away in a pocket of the robe. She then walked across the room to the table and sat down, folding her legs in front of her and thumping the stiff, round cushion at her back until it settled comfortably.

  She had just started eating when she heard voices out in the hallway—only just barely, they were so low. Then the guard knocked on the door, opening it when she granted permission to enter. "Highness, the Harem Master requests an audience; he says that he has brought you clothes."

  "How thoughtful," she replied, brightening. "Let him in, thank you."

  The guard bowed, then turned and pulled the door open wider. Lord Demir stepped inside, followed by four men in red sashes bearing two large trunks that they carried across the room and set near the bed.

  Lord Demir was even more beautiful than she had remembered him being when she'd left. She and Asli had often talked and giggled about the various men and women of the court and Lord Demir had always been at the top of their lists of favorites.

  Euren rose and stepped around the table to slowly approach him. "Harem Master, thank you for bringing me clothes. It…" She faltered when he sank to his knees, then bowed so that his forehead touched the floor. Right, crown princess. She was used to casual bows at most, from her harem and the monks. Even the Cobra usually bowed from the waist. This formal bow that was technically her due would take some getting used to. "Rise, please."

  Demir stood as elegantly as he'd knelt. His every motion was beautiful, and effortlessly so. Grace like that only came from long hours of relentless training. Euren much preferred knowing how to throw a knife; she didn't think she'd have possessed the patience for Demir's skillset no matter how much she admired it.

  She waited while he turned to the guards who had brought the trunks, silently issuing them some order to which they nodded before they turned to her and bowed low. She nodded to them, and they slipped away as soundlessly as they had arrived. Turning back to Lord Demir, Euren said, "It's been a long time, Harem Master. Not that you and I ever really interacted, but I remember seeing you around the palace, speaking with my father."

  Demir smiled. "Welcome home, Highness. I remember you very well, and you look even more like your mother than you did before." He dipped his head. "She would be happy and proud to see you so, if I am permitted to say."

  "You are," Euren said quietly, blinking rapidly. "Thank you."

  Lifting his head again, Demir said, "It is good to see you back with us, Highness. I am so very sorry for the unhappy reception you've received."

  "Being confined to my room is better than the immediate execution I half-expected and feared, given His Majesty's opinion of our marriage," Euren replied. "At least I got to see Ihsan before we were all dragged away. I don't suppose someone will explain everything to me? I am woefully behind on matters of attempted assassination."

  Demir glanced at her briefly, a bare smile on his face. "Yes, Highness, we will tell you everything. Speaking of His Highness, the trunks are his welcome gift to you."

  "I should have guessed," Euren replied. "He excels at thinking of others, even when it brings him harm." A pity his stupid father could not have appreciated the trait, taught his son to use it without being abused or otherwise bringing himself to harm because of it. "Thank you for delivering them personally, Harem Master. I hope your visiting me will not turn His Majesty's wrath on you."

  "No, Princess, I promise. He is busy catching up on all that he has missed."

  Euren's brow drew down. "Missed? What do you mean?"

  Demir bowed his head. "My apologies, that was carelessly said. I refer to the attempted murder for which you've been arrested. A few nights ago someone attempted to poison the royal table during His Highness's cele
bration banquet. His Majesty nearly died and has been slow to recover. Ambassador Jove and a concubine, Barra, were regretfully killed. A few others were struck by the poison but recovered thanks to the knowledge of Lord Kitt."

  "Merciful Divine," Euren said. "Those poor people. I'm glad the fatalities were not worse, though certainly they were bad enough. I am glad Lord Kitt was here to help."

  "Yes, Princess," Demir replied softly. "I—" he broke off as a peculiar sound filled the room—stone scraping against stone, reminding her sharply of the secret tunnels in the monastery that were used for smuggling. She turned, jaw dropping open as a part of her wall swung open, tapestry and all.

  Kitt, beautiful and mischievous as ever, stepped out of the open doorway and grinned at her like a proud little boy showing off for the younger children. Save for the hardness around his eyes that never truly went away, no matter how hard he played at being the indolent, clueless foreigner. "Greetings, Princess." He bowed low. "You are a warm fire on a cold day."

  "You are still ridiculous," she replied, planting her hands on her hips. "Is that a secret passage? Because I distinctly remember Ihsan telling me those did not exist and were merely palace gossip."

  It was Demir who laughed, causing both of them to look at him. "In His Highness's defense, he is forbidden to discuss them with anyone not family. By the time he could legally tell you there was probably no time, or he simply forgot in the chaos."

  "Chaos," Euren replied. "Yes, that is one word for it. So where do they go?"

  "All over, Highness," Kitt replied. "We'll have a key obtained for you. For now, we'll leave this door unlocked. Come along now and we'll show you how to get to the harem hall should you need to reach us without drawing attention. Later, when everything has quieted down, we'll smuggle your jewels in." He grinned, winked.

  Euren lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "Let me get dressed." Demir and Kitt bowed their heads, and Euren slipped through the gauzy curtains dividing the sleeping area from the rest of the room, stripping off her robe and hanging it back up before she went to the trunks the guards had placed against the wall between the bathing area and the bed.