The Harem Master

by Megan Derr

  "Yes, Highness."

  "Thank you, Lord Demir." Resisting an urge to touch his hand in gratitude, Ihsan turned his attention back to the council. "For now we will carry on. Present your arguments, councilors. I will listen with unbiased ears and do my best to act upon them wisely."

  It was Lord Galal, the Councilor of Foreign Affairs, who spoke up first. That did not surprise Ihsan in the slightest. "My lord, the harems have become little more than decoration over the past several decades. The concubines grow in number but lessen in purpose."

  "I do not think the harems should be abolished," Lord Cenk said. "But I think something must be done. The current harem has required a shifting of funds from other budgets to adequately provide for his Majesty's concubines. Funds that would have been better served going to those purposes for which they were originally allotted. Your great grandfather, Merciful Divine grant him peace, set a poor precedent in requiring a bloated harem. He returned their faith, but at great cost."

  "For my father's behavior, yes," Ihsan conceded, but a knock came at the door before he could say anything further. He called for the knocker to enter. One of the doors swung open and a soldier in the red sash of the harem guard stepped inside. Next to Ihsan, Demir rose smoothly to his feet and delivered the note. When Ruth had gone again, Demir returned to his seat.

  The councilors exchanged puzzled looks, and a couple dared to cast inquisitive looks at Ihsan. He ignored them and resumed where he had left off. "I have no intention of maintaining a large harem. The harems need to be scaled back, returned to the smaller numbers they once were."

  "Respect, Your Highness, your words cannot be matched to deed," said another councilor, Lady… Yuma, yes that was it. Councilor of the Salla Province. "Even if you honor the traditions, what of the future? This is not something we can permit to happen time and again whenever a monarch grows overindulgent. Concubines are an honor, a privilege, to be respected and treated well. They are not…"

  "Prizes," Ihsan finished. "I understand your mistrust, councilor, and concede all the points so far stated. However, I maintain that abolishing the harems is the wrong solution."

  Another councilor stirred. "Respect, Your Highness, but we have always been looked at askance—"

  "That is not reasoning I will tolerate," Ihsan cut in, slapping his hand on the table. "Foreign voices have no business dictating the traditions and practices of Tavamara; the same way we have no voice on what they do in their own countries. The only exception to that is where a practice levies great abuse upon people, which is why Tavamara abolished and forbade slavery during the Years of Blood. If the voices of Tavamara feel the harems should go, then I will hear those arguments gladly. But I will not tolerate reshaping my culture because of foreigners who do not even take the time to understand our traditions. If that is your only argument, then be quiet."

  "Yes, Highness," the councilor replied and subsided with a sour look on his face.

  "Is abolishment the only solution you have come up with, councilors, or did you come with other proposals?"

  "There are a few, Your Highness," Bulut interjected. "The proposals were submitted to me to be the neutral voice to read them only moments before your arrival."

  Ihsan doubted Bulut was anything close to neutral, not when twice now he'd been caught behaving inappropriately toward Demir. If he caught Bulut acting untoward one more time he was going to have the man's hands removed. "Very well, let us hear them."

  Bulut took a sip of his tea. "The first proposal of course is to abolish the harems once and for all. The second proposal is a heavy restriction of the harems."

  "Elaborate," Ihsan said.

  Bowing his head slightly, Bulut read, "The harems are to be limited in number and no longer to be chosen by the royal family, but selected from the general population at a young age and raised explicitly to the purpose."

  "That was outlawed during the reign of King Hashim I," Ihsan said sharply. "That is tantamount to slavery, and I will not condone such a practice."

  "Respect, Highness, it is only slavery if they are pressed into service and never compensated for it," said one of the councilors. He was the Councilor of Nyne Province, but Ihsan could not recall his name. "If they apply for or are offered the position, and sign a contract…"

  "They cannot agree to or sign anything until the age of independence," Ihsan cut in. Twenty-one years was the age at which a person was legally declared an adult, when they began their third decade of life and were declared old enough and experienced enough to stand on their own. "That proposal explicitly stated chosen and raised. That implies they begin young, which means they grow up knowing only how to be a concubine. Should they choose to leave the harem, they will be ill-trained for life outside of it, which does not sit well with me. Setting firmer rules that concubines must agree, freely and without pressure, to join the harem—that I agree with. Better laws restricting the number, certainly. But I will not reinstitute what amounts to slavery so nobles can remove themselves as candidates. I am ashamed of everyone at this table for being willing to throw defenseless peasants at the problem to save themselves. I am further insulted that twenty of the smartest people in the kingdom willfully overlooked the problems with their own proposals in favor of their own selfish wants."

  Silence fell, thick with anger and discomfort.

  Ihsan took another sip of tea. "What is the next proposal?"

  "There is only one more, Your Highness," Bulut said, shuffling his papers. "That is to reinstate the harem traditions of King Ryela."

  "That is mad—" Demir broke off as everyone turned to look at him, bowing his head low. "I beg forgiveness for speaking out of turn, Highness."

  "Your livelihood and that of many concubines is at stake, Harem Master. You are the one person in this room who could not ever speak out of turn regarding this matter. If you have something to say, speak, please."

  "Thank you, Highness. You are most gracious." Demir bowed to him, then to the council. "The harems of Ryela—the harems that ended with him, rather—were ended because they are not so different from the harems you just described, save they were not limited in number, were restricted to conscripted peasants, and were open to the whole of the palace as long as those who made use of the harem contributed funds to its maintenance. That would certainly solve the budget problem, but that harem was rampantly abused. That harem is precisely why, after Reyla's death, a harem master was instituted and given so much authority over the harems, and the harems themselves changed so much.

  "I can pull records to recount for you all the instances of abuse and neglect, the numbers of confirmed runaways, the higher numbers of unexplained disappearances. Still others were retained by foreign visitors, taken away when they left, and what few accounts we have of them relate terrifying tales of concubines sold into sexual slavery in foreign countries. Respect, Councilors, why would you want to reinstitute a practice that was abolished for being much, much worse than current practices?"

  Ihsan was not at all surprised it was Galal who said, "Because we know now what mistakes were made with that system and are far enough removed from it to analyze and improve it, make it what it could be. The concubines of Tavamara were once the privilege and honor of many, not merely the royal family. Restricting them to a royal right has made them misunderstood, reduced their honored role. Much like the priests from which many of their practices are drawn, they were meant to honor many, not few."

  Yes, Ihsan trusted that line of thinking from Galal about as much as he trusted his father on anything. Something else was afoot, but he needed time to figure out what. "You make an interesting argument, Councilor, but—" He broke off as someone pounded on the door. "Enter!"

  Both doors swung open and Kitt stepped inside. Love and lust curled through Ihsan as he watched Kitt approach, dressed in the black pants and skirt, the rainbow choker around his throat, a matching string of jeweled beads connecting his nose ring to his right ear, and… nipple rings he'd definitely not had wh
en Ihsan left for his meeting, the brat. The belly piercing was also new, gleaming gold, and wrapped around his hips was a colorful rope of jewels that matched the choker. His hair had been pulled back to fall behind him in a gold tumble.

  He looked like he had been a concubine his entire life, crafted to tempt and serve. What would the council say if they knew Kitt could kill every last one of them right there, right then, before the guards outside had time to react?

  Reaching him, Kitt knelt, placed his hands out in front of him, just barely touching, and bowed until his forehead rested on them. Ihsan reached out and lightly touched his head, and Kitt rose slightly, paused to turn into Ihsan's lingering hand and kiss the palm, then rose completely. "Highness, I did as you requested."

  "What did you learn?"

  "Nothing good," Kitt replied. "Lieutenant Ruth is coming to make the formal announcement but I thought you'd like some slight warning."

  Ihsan's mouth tightened. So Arda was dead, which meant his blackmailers had deduced he was the poisoner. That meant some plan had been upset, or nearly upset, by Arda's actions. Unfortunately, they still knew nothing about the matter.

  Hopefully Demir and Haluk would learn something useful.

  "Thank you, Kitt," he said softly and curled one finger beneath his chin, tilting Kitt's head up to kiss him softly. "I'm sorry to have left an unpleasant duty to you."

  "My honor to serve you, Highness," Kitt replied and bowed again when Ihsan withdrew his hand.

  Just as Ihsan looked up to address the council, Ruth stepped through the door. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "Highness, Council, I beg pardon for the interruption, but I come with distressing news." He looked up, and at Ihsan's nod continued. "Per the concerns of His Highness Prince Ihsan, I searched for Lord Arda in a few peculiar locations and found his body discarded among the dead gathered by the night collectors."

  The council exploded with outraged cries and demands for explanation. Ihsan rang his bell until silence fell. "Close the doors. Sit, Lieutenant. Tell us everything."

  Ruth rose, closed the doors, and then walked the length of the table to sit immediately to Ihsan's right. "Highness, Council, I found Arda's body hidden amongst the bodies of the unknown, quite purposely buried at the bottom of one of the carts." His mouth flattened, complexion paling.

  On Ihsan's left, Demir moved quietly forward, took the unused cup from the nearest councilor, and poured tea from Ihsan's pot. Bowing his head briefly, he passed the cup across the table. At Ihsan's nod, Kitt took it and handed the cup to Ruth. Looking briefly started, and then grateful, Ruth lifted the cup and took a long swallow, seemingly uncaring that it was hot. "Thank you, Highness. Arda's throat had been slit, and the body stripped before being dragged out and hidden. I am not an expert by any means, but I believe he has only been dead a few hours. Guards have been sent to seal his room pending instructions from Your Highness."

  "Thank you, Lieutenant. Report to the Captain of the Guard, and say nothing to anyone else. When he has been apprised of the situation, he is to report to me in my private chambers. After that you are free to return to your duties, Lieutenant, but be prepared to be summoned at any moment."

  "Yes, Highness." Ruth back away from the table, bowed low, then rose and left.

  Ihsan turned back to table. "Councilors, this meeting is postponed until further notice."

  They nodded almost as one. "Yes, Highness."

  "Say nothing to anyone about what you have learned. If you know anything about this, no matter how trivial the information, come to me with it at once. Steward, no one is allowed to leave the palace without my express permission."

  "Yes, Your Highness."

  "I would also appreciate if you would go and personally apprise my father of this, Steward. Thank you. Lord Demir, come with me." He rang the bell three times, ending the meeting, then rose and left, Kitt on his right, Demir on his left.

  "You should have guards with you at all times," Kitt said.

  Ihsan snorted, casting him a brief look. "You know better than anyone how useless guards can be when the assassin is paid enough."

  "Better to have the bodyguards than not," Kitt replied. "I do not want you hurt, and Haluk and I cannot be with you at all times."

  "I can handle myself, as you well know."

  "He's right, Highness," Demir said quietly. "A competent man with guards will still last longer than a competent man alone. Let Captain Fatih select them; he will assign trustworthy guards. Though you've not been given a warm reception, most people are happy to have you home. Everyone else would be reassured to see you are protected, especially when word of Arda's death gets out." His mouth twisted. "Which should be in a matter of minutes since whatever your orders, the council will whisper."

  "Of what use to me is a council that cannot keep their collective mouth shut?" Ihsan asked. "I will have Captain Fatih select bodyguards if it matters that much. But I want you and Haluk to approve his choices, Kitt."

  Kitt nodded but said nothing further as they reached Ihsan's suite. Sabah and Haluk looked up from where they were playing taaki at the table. Sabah frowned. "Did the meeting go so poorly?"

  Ihsan shook his head. "The meeting is postponed because Arda was found dead. Kitt, tell me what really happened." They sat down at the table as Sabah cleared away the game and Haluk poured them wine. "Lord Demir, join us." Ihsan smiled briefly. "You have been dragged into our schemes, unless, of course, you prefer to leave now."

  Demir took a seat, though he looked as uncomfortable as he always did when invited to sit with them. Just one more reason for Ihsan to detest his father, for the harem masers should never have cause to feel anything but welcome and at ease in the presence of their monarchs. "I live to serve, Highness, and I want to know what is happening."

  "I feel bad for Arda," Kitt said quietly, tracing the rim of his wine dish. "He did a terrible thing, but he was provoked by terror. No person should be so ashamed of what he desires that he winds up with his throat slit, hidden amongst corpses to be one more lost and forgotten. That is lower than anything I have ever done." His mouth tightened, fingers twitching, upsetting the wine dish and sending most of the content splashing across the table.

  "Kitt," Ihsan said quietly, but Kitt gave no sign he had heard, lost to his black thoughts. Damn. Ihsan looked at Sabah, who was best at bringing Kitt out of them, at least by peaceful means.

  But before Sabah could move to the other side of the table to help him, Demir reached out and nudged the wine dish out of the way, slid his own hand under Kitt's, and curled their fingers together. He then began to speak quietly—chant, rather. Words Ihsan did not understand, though he recognized them as Rittuen. Steady, even, reminiscent of monks reciting their prayers over and over, a strange, solemn song.

  After a few minutes, Kitt looked up, the barest smile on his face as he finished the last few lines with Demir. "You speak Rittuen?"

  "Only a little," Demir replied. "I know mostly prayers, meditations, and songs. Many of Rittu's sexual beliefs and practices translate well to the harem and have been incorporated over time. I did not know if that was the proper meditation, but it has always worked well at calming the more anxious concubines, especially in recent years."

  Kitt's bare smile turned into a much more familiar grin. Ihsan almost felt sorry for Demir—if it was at all permitted, Kitt would have Demir naked and moaning. If he had any means to make it appropriate, Ihsan would grant permission. "Thank you, Lord Demir."

  Demir bowed his head. Ihsan gestured to Sabah, who poured wine and rose, then sat next to Demir and held the dish to his lips. "Highness, you need not—"

  "Refuse or accept, Harem Master," Ihsan said with a smile, "but I choose what I need or need not do."

  "Yes, Highness," Demir conceded and accepted the offered wine. When the dish was empty, Sabah smiled at him and returned to Ihsan's side.

  Ihsan gestured to Kitt. "If you can, Kitt, finish telling me what you learned."

  "He was killed in h
is room, and the assassin did a fair job of cleaning up the mess, but the clean-up is as obvious to me as the blood itself. Credit to your Lieutenant, Lord Demir, when I asked where people might hide a body they preferred would never be found, he immediately thought of those carts."

  Demir grimaced slightly. "Ruth's father and grandfather were night collectors. They paid to see that he found a good position in the army so he would not get stuck with the same miserable life. He is well-acquainted with the nefarious uses of the body carts."

  "Yet you do not use him to help you smuggle out the dead?" Ihsan asked.

  "I will not risk his life that way, though he would agree if I asked," Demir replied quietly. "His life is in danger enough simply working for me, as are the lives of everyone connected to the harem."

  Because Kagan liked to take his anger out on them, no matter the true source of it. And now the council and the ambassadors were attempting to use the harem for something, though only the Divine knew what. Of what use was the harem to anyone?

  Ihsan nodded at Demir's words. "Speaking of sneaking around, I hope you and Haluk are able to learn something."

  "I will send a note to the pertinent persons as soon as I return to my office, Highness."

  "Thank you." Ihsan sipped at the sharp, tangy wine that Sabah held to his lips. "Did anything other than Kitt acquiring new piercings happen while I was in that meeting?"

  "The Havarin delegation wants to speak with you," Sabah replied.

  "They have finally emerged, at the worst possible moment, of course," Ihsan said with a sigh. "Did Arda mean to kill Lord Jove? Who was his real target or targets? I desperately need to know that. Where is Captain Fatih? Should he not be here by now? I did not think one short briefing would take so long. I would have briefed him myself."

  Sabah offered him another sip of wine, finished what was left in the dish, then rose smoothly to his feet. "I will go investigate the matter, Highness."