The Shah rubbed his chin with some shock. Why did Raven allow this woman to peck at her toes like some kind of preying bird? With a wave of his hand he could banish Rebekah from the gardens. But he did not want to anger Raven. After some reflection, he realized that his daughter was only responding to her personal desires and that that was the ultimate prerogative of the king’s daughter. With that realization, he let out a pleased roar and pardoned Rebekah for the spectacle she created.

Raven helped Rebekah up. “Grandmadar,” she whispered, “he wouldn’t let me wear my mint tonight.”

Rebekah removed a sprig from her ear and stuck it next to Raven’s rose.

“When I grow,” Raven whispered, “I’ll have a mark just like yours.”

Rebekah clamped a palm over her granddaughter’s mouth. “Bite your dumb tongue back. What do you think this is? To ward off the Devil, who lurks in every corner. Don’t let him cremate your flesh like mine.”

“Grandmadar.” Raven held her head high and pointed to her father. “You see that throne? One day I’ll occupy it, and you’ll sit on my right.”

25

The once-passionate nights of love and wrestling turned into an almost mournful battle, as if the king were slipping back to his old, weary days. Gold Dust wondered if Hazel-Boy had come back into the Shah’s life. It was not a secret that at trying times, he sought Hazel-Boy for comfort and pleasure. Surely, a eunuch must satisfy the Shah in ways no woman could. Hazel-Boy was not her rival, but her mentor, friend, and protector. To her demand that he tell her if the Shah had lost his desire for her, Hazel-Boy replied that lately the king seemed lethargic and tired.

But with Raven his vigor was boundless. He summoned her to the Hall of Politics, where he sat twice daily and granted audience, receiving complaints, petitions, personal grievances, and announcements of births and deaths.

He invited her to the sitting of the Royal Court of Justice with the vizier, various elderly mufti of the law, and visiting emissaries from other provinces. Criminals were tried; citizens came with complaints to be heard or boons to be asked. The Shah, his vizier, and other officials listened to the charges, pleas, and supplications. The final decree belonged to the Shah, who specified damages to be paid to a plaintiff or extracted from a defendant. Raven waited impatiently for the final judgment.

To her great disappointment, he dismissed the whole affair of a petty thief, and the case closed forever. “You are too lenient,” she scolded.

He patted her white hair. “What would you have done?”

A glint of iron sparked across her eyes. She pointed to the terrace outside the hall where a giant brazier warmed up the surroundings. “I’d place a large cauldron of bubbling oil on that and put it to use on convicts who bring false charges, spiteful complaints, or give untruthful testimony.”