by Raquel Dove
“Prince Kaveh,” Jahan said with a broad smile. He stood from his cushion at the head of his dining table, gesturing for the prince to sit on the other side of him. “It’s truly an honor to have you dine in my home.”
“Spare me the pleasantries,” Kaveh said with a dismissive wave of his hand as he settled into the cushion. “You requested my presence, and I’m here. Just tell me what you want so I can get back to the palace.”
“Yes, straight to business. I like that,” the fat demon replied. The jowls of his neckless face jiggled as he looked down at the table for a moment. The sight of him made Kaveh want to hurl. He was a disgrace to all their kind, an oddity really. If he wasn’t the Khaja, there’s no way Kaveh would have accepted his invitation. “However, I believe my proposal would be better received with a good meal.”
“Is that so?” Kaveh said, fighting the urge to sigh. Even though Jahan was a Council Lord, it was highly unlikely that his kitchen staff could prepare a meal that rivaled what was served at the palace. But, he was already here and he was rather curious, so he might as well indulge the demon. “Whatever. Just get on with it.”
Kaveh was pleasantly surprised when Jahan’s servant brought out a dish of his favorite stewed meat with greens. The smell was incredible, making his mouth water as the servant set it on the table in front of him. Another servant worked to fill the rest of the table with various side dishes and appetizers. It wasn’t as expansive as what would be served to him in the palace, but Kaveh found he was impressed nonetheless.
“I was not appointed the Khaja for nothing,” Jahan said, noticing the sudden change in Kaveh’s demeanor as he dug into the dishes laid out before them. “I believe these are all your most requested dish.”
“Yes,” Kaveh said, talking between bites, “But, if you intend to win my favor through food—“
“No, no” Jahan said, waving a hand in the air. “Of course not. I merely wish to honor you, as you have honored me.”
“Polite words will also fail to garner my favor,” Kaveh said, cocking an eyebrow at him as he piled more food onto his plate.
“Of course,” Jahan said with a polite nod. He began to fill his own plate with food and it wasn’t long before the two had finished off most of what was on the table.
“Tell me,” Kaveh said between sips of Tivi wine, “Why is it you’re fat? I’ve always wondered. It’s such an unusual thing for a Devasi, almost disgraceful.”
“As you can see, my prince,” Jahan said, indicating to the empty plates of food around him. “I’m rather fond of food, and not so fond of physical activity.”
“It’s an embarrassment to our kingdom,” Kaveh said, setting his glass down. “If I were Lord Sultan, I would order you to lose it.”
Jahan’s eyes sparkled. He knew that Kaveh envied Balthazar, all his younger brothers did. Jahan was hoping that would play to his advantage and he could convince the young prince to go along with his newest scheme. Luckily, Kaveh’s insult actually gave Jahan a nice segue into his reason for inviting him here.
“If you were Lord Sultan,” Jahan began delicately, “I believe many things would be different.”
“They would,” Kaveh said. His eyes drifted to the ceiling as he sipped on his wine.
“What if that was to actually happen, my prince?” Jahan said with a curve in his eyebrow. He knew he was taking another big risk by propositioning Kaveh so openly, but after his botched attempt with Arastoo he needed to cover himself quickly. A new alliance with Kaveh would help him with that.
Kaveh considered the fat demon’s words while he swirled the wine around in his mouth. Jahan, being a council Lord had a great deal of power within the kingdom. The Council Lords, if they were all in agreement, were the only ones that could outright oppose the Lord Sultan. Realization dawned on him and he understood why he had been invited here. So that was why Jahan had summoned him.
“There are some in the kingdom that would see a different prince on the throne,” Jahan braved to say in the silence that was left behind his last statement. He could feel the sweat forming on his forehead.
“Are you one of those?” Kaveh asked, his eyes narrowed on Jahan as he picked up on the other demon’s nervousness. He hadn’t actually thought about trying to usurp Balthazar. They hadn’t always got along, but he didn’t hate him as much as some of the other brothers. Still, it was an enticing idea. As the Lord Sultan, he could do whatever the hell he wanted. He did like the thought of that.
“I am but a humble servant,” Jahan said with a smile, “and I only want what is best for my beloved kingdom.”
“And you feel that’s not Balthazar?” Kaveh continued to prod, enjoying the way the fat demon squirmed under his scrutiny. He still wasn’t decided where he was on this issue. On the one hand, being Lord Sultan sounded like a good idea. On the other hand, having to deal with a very pissed off Balthazar did not sound like a good idea.
“I’m not one to make such decisions,” Jahan said, shaking his head. “However, if another prince should arise that was interested in the position I would not necessarily be opposed.”
“Enough vague talk,” Kaveh said leaning forward. “Tell me why you have asked me here. I want you to be very blunt, Khaja.”
“What if I told you I had a way to make you the Lord Sultan?” Jahan asked with a mixture of fear and excitement in his beady little eyes. “What if I had a way to get rid of Balthazar, and a way to ensure that the Council backed you when he’s gone?”
“I’d say that would be very interesting information,” Kaveh said, tilting his head to the side as he smiled at Jahan.
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