His Revenge

➺Chapter Twenty-Four

➺Chapter Twenty-Four

Zaeem met with Azrael the next day. The King offered him information regarding Lord Usman's whereabouts and they discussed various ways to handle the affair. However, after half an afternoon, they had yet to reach a strong conclusion.

"His mansion is surrounded by three acres of forest where he likes going for a hunt every now and then," Azrael said as he explained the area Usman resided in. They'd already gone over the interior of the mansion and when that hadn't helped, they turned their focus on the outside.

"How many animals can there be in only three acres?" Zaeem scoffed. He was tired and he wanted nothing more than to leave that room. Azrael was really not the best company.

"Enough to keep an old man entertained," Azrael shrugged in response. "That's not our concern though. What you should know is that you can easily use this forest to your advantage. You could hide there until it's safe for you to come out and-"

Zaeem tapped his fingers against the table. "Do you really think it would be wise for me to just walk into his house and demand he return my son?"

"No. That's not what I'm suggesting though."

Irritation spiked inside Zaeem. "This is ridiculous." He shoved the blueprints away. "We've gone through this over and over again and we haven't figured out a single route I can take."

Azrael glared at him and leaned back in his chair. Silence settled over the two conflicted men. Neither was willing to bend- Azrael wouldn't offer his aid and Zaeem would not cooperate otherwise. The minutes ticked by. A spark of an idea went off in the King's mind.

"Wait," Azrael's expression lit up as he sprang forward. "I've got it. Mustafa is supposed to take his title within a year. The only way he can though is to get engaged. Otherwise, he won't be able to convince the masses that he will eventually provide an heir who will take the lordship after him."

"How does that concern me?"

A wicked smile spread on Azrael's face. "I will offer my sister."

Zaeem's eyes widened. "You're going to sacrifice your sister?"

Before Azrael replied to that query, he called forward a guard and whispered something in his ear. The guard nodded once before leaving the room. Zaeem didn't dwell much on it. He was still reeling from the fact that Azrael would be willing to marry a sister off to that bloodthirsty man.

"I have too many of them," Azrael said nonchalantly, turning back to the conversation at hand. "But no. She will not be sacrificed. On the night of the engagement party, since Lord Usman and Mustafa will be attending to guests and the servants will be preoccupied as well, you'll take one man from my service and find your child. Once he's safe and out of the mansion, you will kill Lord Usman and Mustafa as you initially planned on their way back to their house after the party is over."

Zaeem frowned as something clicked in his mind. He narrowed his eyes. "Why do you always press that point? What do you gain from their deaths? Shouldn't you be stopping me from killing your beloved lord?"

"I hate Lord Usman," Azrael's lips curled into a sneer. "He knows too much and he's too overconfident. If I overstep him, he'll use those secrets to ruin my family name. I don't know if you've figured this out yet, Zaeem, but we hold honor and pride above everything else. Carrying Aimen's blood is no small thing and I will not have anyone try and tarnish it. Her memory deserves better than that. And since Lord Usman already directly insulted her by hurting her descendants, my hatred for him has increased."

Zaeem narrowed his eyes slightly. "There's something else."

"Nothing that would interest you," Azrael replied sharply.