Crucible of Fate

brothers a semel?”
    “No, my lord.”
    “Does one of the lines link to a yareah?”
    “No, my lord.”
    “So… brothers with equal claim?”
    “Yes, which means that both the peq and the shen have equal claim to the land, even though the deed clearly states that the house of Suyuti should inherit.”
    “But it says heir to the house of Suyuti.”
    “Yes, not simply the name, but the heir to the bloodline.”
    I understood the problem. There had been so much intermarriage at this point that there was no single person who could be singled out as the heir apparent. “And this has been going on for how long?”
    “The clashes between the two clans have been escalating over the last ten years, but lately, since Ayaz Suyuti found gold in the caverns, it has reached a—”
    “He found gold?”
    “Yes, my lord.”
    It was all clear. “And he wants to mine the gold.”
    “Yes,” Hanif replied.
    “And Chanzira wants to keep the catacombs as they are, untouched.”
    “Yes,” he assented. “Exactly.”
    “Ayaz, because he is a farmer, a man devoted to the land, sees the gold as a way to improve not only his way of life but the life of his family and friends.”
    “You understand perfectly.”
    “And Chanzira, as a person already from wealth, wants the land left undisturbed and not dredged and destroyed.”
    “Exactly. How did you know?”
    “It’s obvious,” I said, even as I wondered how in the world that dispute was going to play itself out. “But the answer isn’t.”
    “No, it’s not, and the problem is that my father, if he decides either way, will be hated by one of the groups.”
    I would have divulged to him that his father was already hated, but Hanif already seemed way too fragile, like one more horror and he would break. I had no idea the amount of therapy it was going to take—or if it was even possible—to help him.
    “Eventually my father will have to make a decision, but if they refuse to follow him, either side, my father’s base of power would be upset.”
    “Sure,” I agreed.
    “I mean, if he is not trusted by the peq, then crops are upset, livestock, and so the wealth of the tribe is affected. If it is the shen who do not follow him, then trade is upset, tourism—and we have a thriving tourist business here in Ipis, as panthers come from all over the world to see the catacombs.”
    “You have an excellent grasp of the inherent problems.”
    “I just—it seems to me that whatever choice the semel makes will be wrong.”
    “Maybe it will, but that’s part of being in power, making those hard choices.”
    “But if you were to choose instead of my father….”
    “Then I would be the bad guy in that scenario.”
    “Yes.”
    “But in Ipis your father is the law; no one would believe that he granted me this power.”
    “Unless he gave it to you.”
    “Yes.”
    “I’ll speak to him.”
    But it didn’t matter if he did or didn’t, my path was set. “How much further?” I inquired of Hanif.
    “Right up ahead, my lord.”
    I saw Taj emerge from the side of the building when we got closer and saw the men with him fan out along other walls, close, but not obviously so. They were doing their damndest not to resemble an occupational force.
    “My lord, I still can’t allow your sheseru inside.”
    “Of course,” I agreed. “Will you excuse me for a moment while I tell him?”
    He breathed a sigh of relief that I was going along. “Yes, my lord.”
    Darting over to Taj, I questioned him about the Shu.
    “Rahim is in charge, and he and the other nine men are already inside. He’s in position; he says that he can see Yuri and the two djehus. He is concerned with how you will extricate everyone without loss of life.”
    “Taj,” I said, staring into his eyes. “Tell him not to do anything, just to wait for you. I don’t want to lose anyone; it sounds as though they’ve lost enough.”
    “Are you certain? That’s not like you.”
    “I know.”
    “What’s your thought, then?”
    “I have to either make Hanif Tarek the semel here or end the line and Mikhail will be here permanently. I don’t know yet. How Hanif reacts when I kill his father will make the decision for me.”
    “Okay. So we have the okay on the semel and his sheseru?”
    “Yes.”
    “All right, then, as soon as we breach the walls, we’ll take them.”
    “If you can get to them before Jin.” I was concerned. “This was a hasty decision, and I’m going to regret it, but for right