Crucible of Fate

as-yet-unborn son will be semel.”
    I was missing something. “You are your father’s son, are you not?”
    His eyes went to the ground.
    “Hanif?”
    Nothing.
    “Look at me.”
    He lifted his chin and met my eyes with his.
    “Explain.”
    “My father has taken a new yareah, and it is with her that he will bring forth the next semel.”
    “Jin.”
    He moved up beside me.
    “I think I’m missing something,” I said and then tipped my head at Hanif. “Repeat what you just said.”
    It was hard for him to meet Jin’s pale gaze. “My father has taken a new yareah, and so the son that he sires with her will be named the new semel of Feran.”
    “No.” Jin shook his head. “Even though your mother has passed away, her—”
    “She has not passed, my lord.”
    Jin was startled and so was I. “Not passed? Your mother lives?”
    “Yes.” He was really trying to keep his face a mask of civility.
    “Then how in the world has your father claimed a new yareah?”
    “He simply said that my mother was no longer yareah and pronounced his new consort as his new yareah.”
    Jin shook his head. “He may take as many women to his bed as he pleases,” Jin said tightly. “But only the semel-aten can have a consort, or wosret, and only if she is a reah. Any semel who is not the semel-aten cannot have consorts. He may have whores, diversions, mistresses, whatever he would call them, but they cannot replace your mother as yareah, and he certainly can’t have any but his firstborn male child with his yareah be semel. Is he mad?”
    Hanif swallowed hard. “Of course not.”
    “Where is your father?” Jin was scowling.
    “He is at our home, as I explained to the semel-aten. Also, the djehu of the peq, Ayaz Suyuti, and the djehu of the shen, Chanzira Adjo, are there with him.”
    “So your father is counseling them?”
    “No,” he said softly, “your sekhem, Yuri Kosa, who you so graciously sent ahead of you, is counseling them, my lord, and trying to help them reach a resolution.”
    Yuri.
    “He is safe and well?”
    “He is, my lord,” he said oddly, haltingly, and I didn’t like it. “He is quite fit.”
    I wasn’t imagining things—his smell changed when he said Yuri’s name.
    When he widened his eyes suddenly in obvious fear, I had no idea why. “What?”
    “You’re growling my lord,” Kabore said from my left. “Excuse me, but could you tell us, when the sekhem arrived, how many men did he have with him?”
    “One.”
    I felt the rumble start low in my chest.
    “There was only one man?” I heard Jin almost gasp. “Are you certain?”
    “Yes.” He glanced uncertainly at Jin, unsure of how to address him, as he had not been introduced. I could not introduce my party to anyone but the semel first; those were the rules of hospitality. “There were just two of them—Yuri, your sekhem, and the other,” he finished fast, and then blushed.
    Yuri. My mate had allowed this man to use his first name.
    I had the sudden urge to snap the neck of the beautiful young man in front of me. But jealousy was simply another test of faith, wasn’t it?
    “As I said, he has been doing his very best to help the two djehus come to an amicable resolution, but he as of yet has been unsuccessful.”
    “I see.”
    “But he has been successful in keeping Garai Milar safe since his arrival.”
    “Safe?” I prodded.
    “Yes, my lord.”
    “Safe from what?”
    “Deoles, my father’s sheseru.”
    “You lost me. Why would the son of another semel be in danger from your father’s sheseru?”
    “Is that not the way of it, my lord? A sheseru punishes and makes the panthers of the tribe submit to him?”
    “No.” I glanced sideways at him. “Is that why my sheseru, Taj Chalthoum, was not allowed within your father’s home?”
    “Yes, my lord. Had you sent your sylvan, he would have been permitted.”
    I was so confused. “Please take me to your father and explain to me on the way what the hell is going on.”
    He shook his head. “My lord, I am not worthy to speak to—”
    “Yes, you are,” I insisted. “So my sekhem, he allowed you to call him by his first name?”
    “Oh, he was not given a choice, my lord. My father decides what rights everyone has once they are here in Ipis. He is the law here.”
    “Is he?”
    “Yes.”
    “Meaning?” I prodded.
    “Meaning that all the laws that you live by in the outside world, my lord, do not apply here in Ipis. Only what my father thinks and wants