Shadow of the giant

silence.
    "Because I don't know whether the voice I hear in this
garden is the voice of Alai or the voice of the men who put him into office and
control who may or may not speak to him."
    "It is the voice of the Caliph," said Alai.
    "I've read history," said Petra, "and so have
you. The Sultans and Caliphs were rarely anything but holy figureheads, when
they allowed their servants to keep them within walls. Come out into the world,
Alai, and see for yourself the bloody work that's being done in your
name."
    They heard footsteps, loud ones, many footsteps, and
soldiers trotted out of concealment. Within moments, rough hands held Petra and
were dragging her away. Peter did not raise a hand to interfere. He only faced
Alai, staring at him, demanding silently that he show who ruled in his house.
    "Stop," said Alai. Not loudly, but clearly.
    "No woman speaks to the Caliph like that!" shouted
a man who was behind Peter. Peter did not turn. It was enough to know that the
man had spoken in Common, not in Arabic, and that his accent bore the marks of
a superb education.
    "Let go of her," Alai said to the soldiers,
ignoring the man who had shouted.
    There was no hesitation. The soldiers let go of Petra. At
once she came back to Peter's side and sat down. Peter also sat down. They were
spectators now.
    The man who had shouted, dressed in the flowing robes of an
imitation sheik, strode up to Alai. "She uttered a command to the Caliph!
A challenge! Her tongue must be cut out of her mouth."
    Alai remained seated. He said nothing.
    The man turned to the soldiers. "Take her!" he
said.
    The soldiers began to move.
    "Stop," said Alai. Quietly but clearly.
    The soldiers stopped. They looked miserable and confused.
    "He doesn't know what he's saying," the man said
to the soldiers. "Take the girl and then we'll discuss it later."
    "Do not move except at my command," said Alai.
    The soldiers did not move.
    The man faced Alai again. "You're making a
mistake," he said.
    "The soldiers of the Caliph are witnesses," said
Alai. "The Caliph has been threatened. The Caliph's orders have been
countermanded. There is a man in this garden who thinks he has more power in
Islam than the Caliph. So the words of this infidel girl are correct. The
Caliph is a holy figurehead, who allows his servants to keep him within walls.
The Caliph is a prisoner and others rule Islam in his name."
    Peter could see in the man's face that he now realized that
the Caliph was not just a boy who could be manipulated.
    "Don't go down this road," he said.
    "The soldiers of the Caliph are witnesses," said
Alai, "that this man has given a command to the Caliph. A challenge. But
unlike the girl, this man has ordered armed soldiers, in the presence of the
Caliph, to disobey the Caliph. The Caliph can hear any words without harm, but
when soldiers are ordered to disobey him, it does not require an imam to
explain that treason and blasphemy are present here."
    "If you move against me," the man said, "then
the others—"
    "The soldiers of the Caliph are witnesses," said
Alai, "that this man is part of a conspiracy against the Caliph. There are
'others.' "
    One soldier came forward and laid a hand on the man's arm.
    He shook it off.
    Alai smiled at the soldier.
    The soldier took the man's arm again, but not gently. Other
soldiers stepped forward. One took the man's other arm. The rest faced Alai,
waiting for orders.
    "We have seen today that one man of my council thinks
he is the master of the Caliph. Therefore, any soldier of Islam who truly
wishes to serve the Caliph will take every member of the council into custody
and hold them in silence until the Caliph has decided which of them can be
trusted and which must be discarded from the service of God. Move quickly, my
friends, before the ones who are spying on this conversation have time to
escape."
    The man wrenched one hand free and in a moment held a
wicked-looking knife.
    But Alai's hand was already firmly gripping his wrist.
    "My old friend," said Alai, "I know that you
were not raising that weapon against your Caliph. But suicide is a grave and
terrible sin. I refuse to allow you to meet God with your own blood on your
hands." With a twist of his hand, Alai made the man groan with pain. The
knife clattered on the flagstones.
    "Soldiers," said Alai. "Make me safe.
Meanwhile, I will continue my conversation with these visitors, who are under
the protection of my hospitality."
    Two soldiers dragged the prisoner away, while the