The Desert Falcon

Chapter 18, The Falcon's Ascent

"All of you are being needlessly worrisome," I answered, exhaustion seeping into me.  I released the tension that lined my jaw, repressing the throbbing sense of fading pain. "I am fine and do not need all of you to hover about."

Of course, no one heeded my word. 

Truth be told, it was frankly embarrassing. Despite my captivity thus far, I was still adjusting to being waited on hand and foot.  I valued my independence, which was accompanied by a measure of privacy and accountability to no one.  It had not occurred to me that such a thing was likely to be lost given my new circumstances.  Now, more than ever, I desired the days when I had the luxury of assuming I had it in abundance. 

I was face down upon a bed, as Jabil stood guard, against a wall, partaking in an apple that he pilfered from the bowl of fruit that was delivered to our chambers. Imai, Hamza, Miriam, and Zamia stood nearby, as they assisted with nursing the wounds on my back, Imai directing her younger sisters, as if she was a trained medic on a battlefield, which was a surprise to behold. I had passed out for two days straight and woke up only to find myself in an antechamber beside the Sultan's personal one. Sheikh Rashid did not allow me to return to my own apartments and instead chose to deposit me here beside his. When I had made to get up to leave, I was prevented from doing so by two guards at the front of my chambers. When I had inquired upon my new circumstances to Sheikh Rashid, he had simply denied me. It was close enough should he desire to see me, but private enough to afford me my own privacy.

"What you did was very foolish," Imai scolded me, her tone solemn.  It caught me quite off guard to hear her speak so. "The Sultan, needless to say, was not pleased."

"Yes because I made every conceivable effort to think of the Sultan's feelings when I tethered myself to the column and provoked Rania's wrath into lashing me," I sardonically added.  "Believe me, I did not exactly purposefully conjure this particular outcome."

"I imagine it confounds even the greatest of scholars on how you have come to find yourself in the most unfavorable and unlikely circumstances and still come out unscathed," Imai added.

I attempted to turn my head to look at her, leveling her an incredulous look. "Does it look like I managed to escape unscathed?  Should I be concerned that you are tending to me if I am starting to question your sight?"

Jabil shrugged. "At least you have your head and limbs."

Hamza snorted an unladylike snort. Zamia and Mariam glanced between the three of us as they watched us volley back and forth.

Jabil spoke. "You are recklessly unaware of the kind of power you hold. You seem to incite his anger at every turn which does not bode well for the rest of us."

Hamza, Imai and I turned in his direction. Jabil had grown bolder in his association with me. He had adjusted to the notion that I was rather bold in my speech and had taken it upon himself to do just the same, which I much rather preferred   I did not have time in my conversations to skirt around the issue, of which I had done plenty employed in Emir Saeed's stables.   Too much had been thrust upon me that my patience was steadily waning. 

No doubt, it was a much larger surprise to Hamza and Imai who had viewed Jabil like the rest of the palace guards, unassuming and brainless almost. It was a nice change to see that he had some school of thought in his head.

I sighed. Imai was careful to spread the salve that was issued by the physician on my wounds. It was too painful to wear anything constricting and most of the time, I was clothed in a loose tunic.

I silently waited, as Imai finished administering the paste. Allowing it to cool, it soothed the angry, pulsating welts upon my back. The pain had begun to ebb away slowly as the days had passed by and I was tended to. I had not had the chance to examine them myself, but if the grimacing looks on any of my onlookers faces were anything to go by, I imagined they were not pleasant in the least.