sick with grief. I have lost the light of my eyes!”
“Who has been harmed?”
“It is my grandson, Sultan Hassan Mirza. I wish I could have died in his place.”
My eyes met Pari’s in alarm. Sultan Hassan was the eldest child of Mohammad Khodabandeh by his first wife.
“What happened to him?”
Sultanam wailed so loudly I felt the sound of her grief in my teeth. “He has been strangled in Tehran by Isma‘il’s men!”
“What a calamity!” Pari said. “I thought Isma‘il had promised you that he would keep Mohammad Khodabandeh and all his children safe.”
Sultanam’s anguished wail made it clear that he had changed his mind. “Isma‘il heard that some of the qizilbash were planning to support Sultan Hassan Mirza in a bid for the throne,” she replied, “but I know that the boy had gone to Tehran simply because he wanted to request a better position at court. Now Isma‘il has put Mohammad Khodabandeh and all his other sons under house arrest in Shiraz and Herat. I am terrified he will kill them all.”
I tightened my hand on my dagger.
“May God keep them safe!” Pari replied. “Mother of so many Safavi generations, let me offer medicine to help relieve your pain.”
“I don’t want medicine,” Sultanam raged. “I want justice!” She threw her arms high in the air and let her hands fall from above and strike her head and chest, battering herself.
“What would you like me to do?”
Sultanam stared at Pari with red-rimmed eyes. “I am here to tell you, in no uncertain terms, that my son must be deposed for the good of the state.”
I could hardly believe my ears.
“Revered elder, are you certain? You said otherwise the last time I saw you.”
“That is because no mother can conceive of deposing her own son, until she discovers that her son is a monster. Pari, you must take charge.”
“How? The nobles won’t help.”
“Then you must find other means.”
“What has changed your mind so completely? Isma‘il has already killed far and wide!”
It was as if the princess were speaking the same thoughts that were forming in my mind.
“If Isma‘il kills Mohammad and all his children, the dynasty will be finished. I must relinquish him to safeguard the future of my country.”
Pari’s face shone with awe. “How brave you have become!”
Sultanam’s face looked like bread that has fallen flat. “This is also for myself. I do—not—wish to lose the rest of my family and be alone for the remainder of my days.”
“Of course not. God willing, you will live to see many more generations.”
I hoped Sultanam could help us catch our prey.
“Esteemed mother,” I said, “your son, the lord of the universe, is very well defended. Surely it is impossible to remove him!”
“You must try to extract information from someone who knows Hassan Beyg.”
“Such as who?” I asked.
“A prostitute named Shireen.”
“How do you know such a woman?” Pari asked.
“She came to see me a few months ago after she had begun serving members of the court. After unveiling herself, she showed me the black bruises under her eyes and the welts on her legs. ‘I pay my taxes like any honest prostitute,’ she told me, ‘and I beg you to protect me from customers who behave like madmen.’
“The culprit was the son of a khan. I directed my vizier to reprimand him, as well as to tell his father that his son would be beaten exactly as he had beaten her if it ever happened again. Shireen was so grateful for my protection that she has been feeding me information on her clients ever since. Hassan Beyg is one of them.”
I almost laughed out loud at the thought of the Shah’s favorite escaping into the arms of a prostitute.
“Can you get any information from Hassan for us?” Pari asked.
“No. Even the mother of a monster can do only so much. Go to Shireen and tell her I sent you.”
“Where does Shireen live?” I asked, my feet as impatient to march as a soldier’s.
“Near the Sa’eed water reservoir.”
“Where the rich merchants live?”
“Yes; she is very beautiful.”
The most beautiful prostitutes had to pay a higher tax than other women who sold themselves, but they also earned the most money.
Pari’s eyes filled with admiration. “Your courage is an example to all women. I will never forget your words today, yet I know your heart bursts with sorrow over your grandchild. May I visit later today and weep with you over your losses?”
Sultanam stood up tall and broad, consuming the space of two women.
“Don’t waste time grieving