he carried a curved desert sword – a scimitar. He wore Kingdom tunic and trousers, but elected a traditional desert man’s head cover, a black cloth wound as a turban, its length allowed to drape below the chin, from right to left, the end thrown across the left shoulder. He had a dark beard and the swarthy looks of Jazhara’s countrymen, a fact confirmed as he reached them and said, ‘Peace be upon you,’ the traditional greeting of the people of the Jal-Pur.
Jazhara replied, ‘And upon you be peace.’
‘Welcome to my workhouse, my friends. My name is Yusuf ben Ali. How may I serve?’
James glanced back at the labouring children. ‘We’ve heard how you work around here. This place is being shut down.’
If the man was surprised at this pronouncement, he didn’t show it. He merely smiled. ‘Oh, you’ve heard, have you? And what exactly did you hear?’
Jazhara said, ‘We’ve heard about your working conditions and how you treat children.’
Yusuf nodded. ‘And let me guess, you heard it from a young girl, perhaps less than a decade in age? Or was it a young boy this time?’
‘What do you mean?’ James asked.
‘My dear sir, it was all a lie. My competitors have taken to paying children to accost guardsmen and other worthy citizens. They ply them with stories of the “horrors of Yusuf’s shop.” And then they vanish. My shop is then closed down for a few days while the Prince’s magistrate investigates, and my competitors flourish.’
Jazhara said, ‘But we’ve seen the working conditions inside.’
Ben Ali glanced over at the ragged youngsters and shook his head slightly. ‘My dear countrywoman, I may be unable to provide for the children as I would like, but even I have a heart. They have a roof over their heads, and hot meals, and clothes. It may not be the extravagance that you would be used to, but, as the wise men taught us, poverty is food to a righteous man, while luxury can be a slow poison.’ He inclined his head towards the children. ‘We work late tonight. This is not unusual in my trade, but I assure you most nights these children would be safely asleep. When this shipment is done, I shall send them to their beds and they will be free tomorrow to sleep; then, when they awake they shall have a day of rest and play. What would else you have me do? Put them back on the streets?’
Children working to support their families was nothing new in the Kingdom. But this smacked of something close to slavery and James wasn’t convinced this man Yusef was what he seemed. ‘What about up there?’ he asked, pointing at the stairs.
‘Ah, the second floor is under construction – we make improvements. It is not safe at present to see, but when it is done it will expand our capacities, and will include better quarters for the children.’
James was about to speak, when Jazhara said, ‘James, may I have a moment alone with this gentleman?’
James was surprised. ‘Why?’
‘Please.’
James glanced from Jazhara to Yusuf, then said, ‘I’ll be outside.’
When he was gone from the building, Jazhara lowered her voice and said, ‘You work for my great-uncle?’
Yusuf bowed slightly. ‘Yes, kin of Hazara-Khan, I do. And I wished to speak to you alone. You did well sending our young friend away. A Kingdom nobleman is a complication. Does he know your great-uncle’s position?’
Jazhara smiled. ‘As Governor of the Jal-Pur, or as head of Keshian Intelligence in the north?’
‘The latter, of course.’
‘He may suspect, but what he knows is not the issue. This place is what matters. Is what the young girl said true?’
‘The Imperial treasury hardly provides enough support for this operation,’ said Yusuf. ‘I must supplement my means; this shop is very successful, primarily because the labour is almost free.’ He looked at her disapproving expression and said, ‘I’m surprised at you. I expected a great-niece of Hazara-Khan to value practicality over misguided morality. Deceit, after all, is the first tool of our trade. What I do here aids me in my work.’
‘Then what the girl said was true. Does my great-uncle know about this?’
‘I have never bothered to inform him of the details of my operation, no. But he appreciates my results. And now that you are here, they will be greater than ever!’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It is well known of your falling out with your family and your choice to study magic at Stardock. Only your great-uncle’s power has shielded you from those in the Imperial Court who think you a potential risk. It is time for you to grow up and face your responsibilities. You are a child of the Empire, a citizen of Great Kesh. Your loyalties must lie with them.’
‘My loyalties also lie with this court, and the Prince. I am the court mage, the first to be appointed to this position.’
Yusuf studied the young woman’s face. ‘Sometimes the ties of blood must be held above the ties of hollow words.’
‘I am not a spy!’
‘But you could be,’ insisted ben Ali. ‘Work for me; grant me secrets from the lips of Krondor’s courtiers and make your family proud!’ His expression darkened. ‘Or disgrace your country, your family, and continue as you are. Your great-uncle can provide only limited protection if you swear that oath to Arutha.’ He paused, then added, ‘These are harsh choices, Jazhara. But you are now an adult, and the choice, as ever, must be yours. But know that from this point forward, whatever choice you make will change you forever.’
Jazhara was silent for a long moment, as if considering the merchant’s words. Finally she said, ‘Your words are harsh, Yusuf, but your actions have shown me where my loyalties lie.’
‘Then you will help me?’
‘Yes. I will honour his teachings and the ideals of my nation.’
‘Excellent! You’d best leave now, before your friend becomes suspicious. Return again when you’re settled into the prince’s court and we shall begin.’
She nodded and walked towards the door. She passed the still-labouring children, one of who looked up at her with eyes dulled from lack of sleep. In those eyes, Jazhara noted a flicker of fear. When she reached the door, she glanced over her shoulder at the smiling spy and the three guards who stood nearby.
James waited at the end of the alleyway. ‘Well?’ he asked as she approached.
‘Yusuf is a spy for my great-uncle.’
James could barely conceal his surprise. ‘I don’t know which I find more astonishing; that he is what you say, or that you’ve told me.’
‘When I left my father’s court and trained at Stardock, I set aside my loyalty to Great Kesh. What my great-uncle does, he does for the betterment of the Empire.’ With a nod of her head to the entrance to Yusuf’s shop, she added with a steely edge to her voice, ‘But this one seeks to line his pockets with gold from the suffering of children, and his service to the Empire is of secondary concern, I am certain. Even were I in service
