This book is a sequel to Khalifa and cannot be read as a standalone. To avoid spoilers, description and excerpt are added inside the book.
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Started: May 2, 2022.
Completed: December 3, 2022.
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cover by @xniftykayx
You can't be more generous than a woman when she loves. You give her safety and she'll be a home for you.
— Nizar Qibbani
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Eskander
He scans the letter the general from the northern borders has sent him. A pleased smile pulls his lips up to one side before he holds it over the candle and let the flames eat it away. Hafez waits patiently before him to take his orders. They stand alone in his tent at the barracks.
"Call a scriber, Hafez," Eskander instructs him. "Send a letter back. Tell the general to keep his strategy. I like it. In case there's an another attack on the borders, kill those who resist and capture those who submit. Do not compromise on the lives of our soldiers in any case. I'll ask the Khalifa to send them more gold. Buy mercenaries if a need arises, but protect our borders. I don't want an inch of the land being lost to the enemy."
"Yes, sayidi."
"Did they send the war prisoners?"
"They did."
"Do they have mercenaries in them?"
"Only a few."
Eskander hums, thoughtful, and makes his way out of his tent. Hafez follows after him.
"I'd like to buy soldiers from the mercenaries for myself if Al Hadi permits," he suggests. "Our enemy might be willing to pay for their soldiers and free them, but not for the mercenaries they hired to work for themselves."
"That's true, sayidi. But you should assess them for their skills first. Some of them have barely entered youth. They only fought for money because of their unfavorable circumstances."
"Then they can prove much useful, Hafez." He places his hand on the hilt of his sword and glances him. "I'll give them provisions they need if I'm assured of their loyalty towards me. We can always train them later on. Those boys can become more dedicated and trustworthy than the soldiers in the royal troop."
They arrive at the training grounds where the soldiers are engaged in different drills. Eskander helps guide and train them, until the midday sun is well down the sky. A messenger informs him that the caliph has summoned him after the training. Once he's done and cleaned up, he makes his way towards the palace.
When he dismounts his horses at the stables, he notices the majestic black stallion in one of the stands. In the adjacent stand is the white mare, as expected. Buraq and Hayat. He turns to the stable keeper.
"Yusuf bin Khalid has arrived at the palace?" Eskander asks him.
"Yes, sayidi. He arrived a while back with his family," he informs him.
He hands the reins of his horse to him and finds his way inside the palace. The guards greet him on his way. Upon asking about the caliph's whereabouts, he learns that he's at his chambers. Passing through the corridors towards his destination, someone stops him from behind him.
