Equal of the Sun A Novel - By Anita Amirrezvani Page 0,60
order your execution, to be carried out tomorrow morning.”
He gestured to the guards. “Remove him from my gaze.”
The guards grabbed Hossein Beyg and dragged him toward the rear door. He turned back to the assembly and stared directly into the eyes of the Shah in violation of every rule of respect and protocol. I was astonished to see a man daring to behave as if he were the Shah’s equal. The faces of the men around me were transfixed with horror.
“May God punish you for this first of your sins!” Hossein Beyg shouted, his words falling on the room like a curse. “May you fear for your life every day you are Shah. May your children be murdered without mercy, just as you have condemned me. Men of the court, take heed! You will be next if you don’t root out this viper in your midst.”
The guards pummeled him so hard in the face and chest that he fell to the floor with a thud. They forced him to his feet and pushed him out of the room, but the expression on his face remained stoic and dignified.
I was appalled. Hossein Beyg had pled his case well before a man who had been a prisoner himself only a few months before. I thought the Shah should have treated him with more mercy.
After his removal, the room was so silent that you could hear the flapping of birds’ wings outside. Rather than being the gentlest of sounds, it was like listening to a beating.
“Sadr al-din Khan, your men are the cause of this disorder,” added Isma‘il Shah. “There is nothing you can say to redeem yourself for what you have done. However, I am indeed merciful, and therefore I order you merely to be imprisoned along with your accomplices.”
He named five men, two of whom were governors, and the guards lifted each man to his feet and pushed him toward the door.
I thought about the terrible warren of palace prison cells, which stank of mold and grief. They were always bitterly cold, even on the hottest days of summer.
The Shah scowled as they were led away, and twisted restlessly on his cushion. “Those of you who remain in this room, look around you. Do you notice anyone missing from your ranks?”
I checked the room, annoyed that I had not thought to do so earlier. Balamani had a knowing look in his eyes.
“Kholafa Rumlu,” he whispered.
Balamani could look around a room and see more than any other man. He could recite every noble family’s lineages and their proper titles until day turned into night.
“Perhaps you have noticed the absence of Kholafa, which you may find surprising since he was one of my greatest backers. The news about him will freeze your blood.”
No one had been a greater devotee!
“Not long ago, I offered Kholafa a new post in our government, which required him to give up his existing position. He refused to relinquish his title. Then I suggested that he be put in charge of the royal zoo.”
I suppressed a horrified laugh. Overseeing the zoo was an insult to a man of Kholafa’s rank.
“Kholafa refused to respond to my royal command. For his pride and disobedience, he too will pay the price of his life.”
I heard a low expostulation from Balamani. My heart felt as if it had stopped beating.
“As you ponder the fate of Kholafa and Hossein Beyg, don’t forget that your fate could be the same. Tell them, Saleem Khan.”
“God is great, and the Shah is his deputy here on earth. The punishment for disobedience is death,” said Saleem Khan.
We replied in unison, “We pledge submission to the light of the universe.”
But the Shah hadn’t finished yet.
“And another thing, while I am on the subject of violations of the royal person and palace. It has come to my attention that a number of courtiers have continued to call upon those who are most dear to our honor. I am certain you would agree that there is nothing as important as honor—nothing. Visiting them is absolutely forbidden.”
If he had objected, why hadn’t he said so earlier? No doubt he had been afraid of Pari’s power.
None of the courtiers dared to say a word; they bowed their heads, hoping Isma‘il would not demand accountability from them. I stared at Shamkhal but could detect no surprise in his expression, nor did he utter a single word in support of his niece.
Mirza Salman asked permission to speak, which I thought brave under the circumstances.