Only Egyptians May Rule Egypt: When The Blood Fails Us

When The Blood Fails Us

5 November 795

Cairo

Suhail walked the palace halls. He passed a door and he heard a crash. "Damn all!" a familiar voice said before it broke out into fits of coughing. Suhail paused for a second. Before he could start up again a second crash. He sighed and turned on his heels. He pushed the door open. He found Nahal on her knees with a bloody cloth in her hands. Several scrolls were a tattered on the ground.

"Come to gloat?" she fired at him. Suhail said nothing. But with a calm demeanor he offered her his hand.

"What?" she asked confused. Her demeanor returned after the shock were off. "I don't need your help." Suhail kept his hand out for her. Another coughing fit erupted out of her mouth. She took his hand and he lifted her up. He helped her to a chair. He went about picking up the scrolls. After a few minutes he had collect them all.

Suhail sat them on her table. He noticed a few were wrapped in red string. "I didn't want your help," she managed to say after a coughing fit.

" I know," he said back to her. He bowed to her, "By your leave my sultana." She waved him off.

A few days after the incident, Suhail was resting in his home in Cairo. He was up late at night writing a letter to Sholah who was training soldiers in Alexandrina. Then one of the servants knocked on his chamber.

"Sire," he said as he knocked again. Suhail walked to the door. He pulled it open and frowned. "Why are you disturbing at this hour?"

"You have a guest," he answered.

"Whoever this guest is tell them I will see that another time." The servant disappeared and Suhail returned to his letter. After a few minutes there was another knock at the door. Suhail let out a heavy sigh. He stormed over to the door. He yanked it up only to find Nahal standing with several of the royal guards. Suhail knelt down.

"My sultana. I was unaware," he said looking down. Nahal turned to the guards.

"Don't let anyone near that door. Kill them if they get within five steps." The guards nodded and the servants shattered. The door closed and Nahal sat in the chair in front of the table. She broke out into a coughing fit. She pulled out a scroll from a pouch.

"My thank you for your assistance." She said as she place it on the table.

"What is this?"

"Proof your brother Amr is trying to have your son Haroun killed." Suhail walked over to the table and threw open the scroll. Suhail knew that Nahal's spy network was far superior to his. She knew he was going to attack Aswan and stopped him before he could finish up. The scroll outline his attempts to garner support from a few of Suhail's enemies. But why target Haroun? He was just a child... no he was his heir. He was hoping to inherit the emirate if Haroun was killed. First Haroun then Suhail.

"Why would you...?"

"Haroun is my grand child," she said before a coughing fit and she walked out of the door. The moment of the door closed he tore up the first letter he was writing to Sholah. He began writing a new letter one that said for her to arrest Amr ibn Bishoi. He wrapped it in red string. After he was done he had it immediately dispatched and delivered by a royal courier. He used authority as grand vizier was to order him to make all haste. Failure would result in his death.

The council session ended earlier thanks to Suhail and Nahal clever manipulations. He demanded that they make haste to Alexandria. It was awhile before he returned to Alexandria. There to greet him was Sholah, Haroun and his sister. Sholah sported an eye patch of her right eye. She didn't look at Suhail. Her head was down with shame.

Haroun ran into Suhail's arms. "My child are you fine?"

"Why did mother not want Uncle Amr playing with me anymore?" he asked with a child's innocence.

"Uncle Amr has done something bad. Don't worry about Uncle Amr." Suhail let Haroun go and he ran after his sister. Suhail lifted Sholah's face up. He brushed his hand across her face gently.

"Forgive me. I failed you. The bastard escaped on a ship." Sholah said forcing a smile to her face.

"Do you know where the ship headed?" Suhail asked taking her hand in his and walking toward their palace. In front of them the children played ignorant of what was going on.

"It was one of the merchant vessels...it is either going to Sicily or Granada." Sholah replied. Suhail closed his eyes as they walked. He thought about the words of his father. Nothing permanent.

"Let him go. I disown him. Whatever fate befalls him is no longer my concern."

"What if he had accomplices?"

"Post more guards around Haroun and hire a food taster for him. Work with our spymaster to see if that is true."