Equal of the Sun A Novel - By Anita Amirrezvani Page 0,129
tries to manipulate you by pretending to be the most loyal of all?”
“Isn’t he?”
“I have my doubts.”
Pari looked at him quizzically. I too was wondering whether he was trying to make Mirza Salman look deceitful to advance himself.
“How well do you know Mohammad Khodabandeh?” Shamkhal asked her quickly, changing the subject.
“Not well. He has served outside the capital ever since I was a child. But since he has no interest in ruling, I will take charge.”
“What if the situation is like the last one?”
“Mohammad Khodabandeh is much weaker than Isma‘il ever was, and more reasonable.”
“His wife is fiery, I hear.”
I remembered how Khayr al-Nisa Beygom had knocked over the tray of pudding when Isma‘il had been crowned.
“She will arrive with very little standing in the palace. I will put her in her place if needed.”
“Too bad Mirza Salman wasn’t able to be more effective,” he said with a dismissive sneer.
“What do you think?” Pari asked me. It was rare for her to solicit my opinion in the presence of her uncle.
“Serving as a blind shah’s chief advisor is a reasonable compromise,” I said. That was the truth of politics: A compromise was the best we could hope for.
Shamkhal looked from me to her and back again, as if he could feel his influence draining away.
“How can I help?” he finally asked.
“I will let you know. Forgive me, Uncle, but now I must attend to other things.”
“I see. May I call on you again soon?”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
Shamkhal stood up, clearly disappointed at being dismissed, and took his leave. Pari remained seated for a moment after he left; she looked lost in thought, and then she sighed.
“I miss my father. Little did I understand, when he was alive, that no other man would ever match the constancy of his love.”
An inadvertent protest escaped my lips. Pari added softly, “I meant no other relative.”
As was customary, Isma‘il Shah was interred on the day he died. Before the official ceremonies late that afternoon, I met Balamani at the baths. After giving my robes to the bath attendant, an old eunuch who was missing a few teeth, I washed myself all over with soap and buckets of water, then eased myself into the hottest tub beside Balamani.
“Aw khesh,” I exclaimed as the heat warmed my bones.
“Hello, my friend,” Balamani replied, as the waves I made splashed against his chest. “What surprises have greeted us! The thirteenth of Ramazan is a day we won’t ever forget.”
“God is great.”
My affirmation echoed through the room. Balamani lowered his voice so that only I could hear him.
“He is, but it is difficult for people to understand why this cataclysmic event occurred. A rumor has been circulating that the Shah was poisoned.”
“Indeed?” I said, turning to Balamani, whose large body looked whitened by the steam. “And who is to blame?”
“They say it is his sister.”
His words alarmed me. “Does anyone believe that rumor? I happen to know she was writing letters all night, since I was with her.”
“That is good to know,” he said. “I will pass on the information. In the meantime, I hope you are satisfied.”
His tone wasn’t entirely friendly. I had closed my eyes, enjoying the heat, but I opened them to look at him.
“I believe everyone is satisfied,” I said.
“Not me.”
“Why not?”
He lifted water to his forehead and cheeks, smoothing away the lines for a moment.
“I am thinking about Tahmasb Shah. He certainly sent his share of men to their execution, even his own kin. The problem comes when a man starts to believe that he is entitled to do such things all the time.”
“True.”
“I would hate to think you might become such a man,” he added.
“Me? Are you joking?”
Balamani ignored me. “Your lieutenant will become very powerful now. These rumors about her won’t hurt, as long as they can’t be pinned on her. In fact, they make her seem as tough as the men, if not tougher.”
“She is fierce,” I agreed proudly.
“Pari has proved herself willing to do something they were too afraid to do. They will fear her for it.”
“What is wrong with that? It seems to work.”
“Things could be tricky if she decides to take such action again. In that case, she will ask those closest to her for their help.”
“That will never happen. Just because we have gotten rid of a Zahhak doesn’t mean we have to become one.”
He poked my forearm the way he used to do when I was young and missing his point.