because this was obviously a very, very fancy heavenly whorehouse.
Then – reality kicked him in the butt.
Wherever he was, and he had no idea where nor how he had got here, it sure as hell wasn't Paradise.
He was stripped buck naked and tied to a marble column in what he recognized now as the anteroom in somebody's very fancy palace, an anteroom apparently very close to the seraglio. Standing around him were half a dozen armed eunuch guards, a snaky eyed son of a bitch in very rich robes of Chin (obviously somebody of very big importance), Bu Ali, and Mamud. "...tried to get into the seraglio," Snake Eyes was saying. "Mamud, such discipline is deplorable."
"My Lord ."
Snake Eyes raised his hand. "Spare me your excuses or apologies. Yesterday was a holy day, and Allah – Blessed be His Name – has filled my soul with mercy and compassion. Even for a Frankish dog. Had this happened tomorrow, when such excess of mercy would have left my soul, I would have taken the utmost pleasure in seeing that the death of this dog be arranged so that the pain would match the severity of the crime. But tonight... ah ... tonight. A simple little beheading." Snake Eyes smiled. "As a matter of fact ..." The smile became even greasier, the eyes even more cunning.
The damn fag is crazy , Casca thought.
"As a matter of fact, perhaps not even a beheading. My mercy is great this night. And besides, I do admire the nerve of the Frankish dog. Yet I would not want to encourage another to try the same thing. Killing him is too public a matter. Disappearance, I think. Ah, yes. Disappearance. We will send him to the copper mines of Khorramshahr. There he will be of value to us. And there no one will believe any fantastic story he may tell of trying to slip naked into the Sultan's seraglio."
Sultan! So that's who old Snake Eyes was .
"My lord ."
Again the Sultan raised his jeweled hand to interrupt Mamud. "I know, Mamud. You have an investment in this piece of Frankish offal. It is not just that you should suffer loss. Therefore, here." He tossed the slaver a small leather purse taken from the folds of his garments. "I am sure this will more than cover the value of this slave."
"You are most generous, my lord."
"Yes. I am, am I not? And you will remember that when you serve us in the future, as you have so well in the past. Now I am bored. Guards! See that the Frankish dog is taken immediately to wherever such slave dogs go."
He turned and walked out of the room.
While the eunuchs were untying him, Casca caught one glimpse of the bemused look in Mamud's eyes. He smells a rat. Wonder what in Hades this is all about...
Mamud bowed his way out of the Sultan's presence, wondering what game was being played and whether he should report this odd circumstance to Nizam al Mulk. There was definitely something most odd about the whole arrangement. Of course, he did not believe for an instant that Casca had ever even been close to the seraglio.
He never reached the slave barracks, of course. Outside the Sultan's palace Bu Ali had three of his Mamelukes, and they took custody of Casca from the eunuchs. At one point Mamud apparently started to say something to Casca but thought better of it. He had liked Kasim, but he knew it was much too risky and foolhardy to interfere in the plans of the Sultan. After all, Kasim was only a slave, a good one, but a slave nonetheless. He left, going alone down the street in the opposite direction to that taken by Bu Ali, the Mamelukes, and Casca.
Now, what...
Bu Ali had halted the group at the entrance to a dark alley. He motioned, and one of the Mamelukes took a sack from his shoulders and approached Casca. "Kasim." Bu Ali's voice was low. "Put on this clothing."
The other two Mamelukes untied him, apparently not caring whether he tried to escape or not. They merely stood silently while Casca dressed in the darkness of the alley entrance.
"Wait," Bu Ali ordered.
Some minutes later a cart pulled by a single mule
Then – reality kicked him in the butt.
Wherever he was, and he had no idea where nor how he had got here, it sure as hell wasn't Paradise.
He was stripped buck naked and tied to a marble column in what he recognized now as the anteroom in somebody's very fancy palace, an anteroom apparently very close to the seraglio. Standing around him were half a dozen armed eunuch guards, a snaky eyed son of a bitch in very rich robes of Chin (obviously somebody of very big importance), Bu Ali, and Mamud. "...tried to get into the seraglio," Snake Eyes was saying. "Mamud, such discipline is deplorable."
"My Lord ."
Snake Eyes raised his hand. "Spare me your excuses or apologies. Yesterday was a holy day, and Allah – Blessed be His Name – has filled my soul with mercy and compassion. Even for a Frankish dog. Had this happened tomorrow, when such excess of mercy would have left my soul, I would have taken the utmost pleasure in seeing that the death of this dog be arranged so that the pain would match the severity of the crime. But tonight... ah ... tonight. A simple little beheading." Snake Eyes smiled. "As a matter of fact ..." The smile became even greasier, the eyes even more cunning.
The damn fag is crazy , Casca thought.
"As a matter of fact, perhaps not even a beheading. My mercy is great this night. And besides, I do admire the nerve of the Frankish dog. Yet I would not want to encourage another to try the same thing. Killing him is too public a matter. Disappearance, I think. Ah, yes. Disappearance. We will send him to the copper mines of Khorramshahr. There he will be of value to us. And there no one will believe any fantastic story he may tell of trying to slip naked into the Sultan's seraglio."
Sultan! So that's who old Snake Eyes was .
"My lord ."
Again the Sultan raised his jeweled hand to interrupt Mamud. "I know, Mamud. You have an investment in this piece of Frankish offal. It is not just that you should suffer loss. Therefore, here." He tossed the slaver a small leather purse taken from the folds of his garments. "I am sure this will more than cover the value of this slave."
"You are most generous, my lord."
"Yes. I am, am I not? And you will remember that when you serve us in the future, as you have so well in the past. Now I am bored. Guards! See that the Frankish dog is taken immediately to wherever such slave dogs go."
He turned and walked out of the room.
While the eunuchs were untying him, Casca caught one glimpse of the bemused look in Mamud's eyes. He smells a rat. Wonder what in Hades this is all about...
Mamud bowed his way out of the Sultan's presence, wondering what game was being played and whether he should report this odd circumstance to Nizam al Mulk. There was definitely something most odd about the whole arrangement. Of course, he did not believe for an instant that Casca had ever even been close to the seraglio.
He never reached the slave barracks, of course. Outside the Sultan's palace Bu Ali had three of his Mamelukes, and they took custody of Casca from the eunuchs. At one point Mamud apparently started to say something to Casca but thought better of it. He had liked Kasim, but he knew it was much too risky and foolhardy to interfere in the plans of the Sultan. After all, Kasim was only a slave, a good one, but a slave nonetheless. He left, going alone down the street in the opposite direction to that taken by Bu Ali, the Mamelukes, and Casca.
Now, what...
Bu Ali had halted the group at the entrance to a dark alley. He motioned, and one of the Mamelukes took a sack from his shoulders and approached Casca. "Kasim." Bu Ali's voice was low. "Put on this clothing."
The other two Mamelukes untied him, apparently not caring whether he tried to escape or not. They merely stood silently while Casca dressed in the darkness of the alley entrance.
"Wait," Bu Ali ordered.
Some minutes later a cart pulled by a single mule
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