Jamal simply looked at her, before choosing to ignore her again. Roksna was surprised by his actions. He had done it twice in thirty minutes and it was getting on her nerves. What was with him and the treatment he was giving her?


    Jamal readjusted his clothing at the sleeve, pretending that he hadn’t heard what Roksna said. He was boiling with anger. He had arrived at his sultanate only to find the shore empty, devoid of any security. His brain had immediately told him that they could have easily been besieged if it was an army from another sultanate that found that weakness against them. Turning to the second inmand, he spoke.


    “Why was the shoreline not guided?”


    The man trembled as he answered, “I left people here for security. I didn’t realize that they cked off, Sultan.”


    “You didn’t realize?” Jamal barked in anger. The other man fell to his knee immediately.


    Roksna became afraid of the man she was looking at. This was no longer the man she had spent time with on the ship. In ce of the jovial man was a terrifying man.


    “I want everyone you assigned as guards of the coast here immediately,” Jamal barked.


    In five minutes, all the men were on their knees in front of their Sultan. Roksna counted about 30 men. She was wondering how he would punish them when he spoke.


    “For neglecting their duty, kill them all.”


    Roksna gasped and heard the women from her tribe do the same. If it was sultan Selim, he would have made them train harder or let them parade continuously for a week or two. This was extreme.


    “Sultan, you can’t kill them. They are the best men I have,” Sodeeq told the Sultan.


    “You mean had? They neglected their duties, which means they were tired of living. Kill them all,” Jamal said.


    “These men have families they are responsible for,” Sodeeq tried again, hoping that would pacify their Sultan’s anger.


    “If any of their family members dare to even make a sound or mourn for them, kill them too,” Jamal said, turning to the general.


    “But…,” Jamal started.


    “Anyone who questions my authority over this decision from this moment would be killed along with them,” Jamal ordered.


    Everywhere became as silent as a graveyard. Roksna realized that everyone was afraid of losing their lives. Even Sodeeq who seemed to be a friend of the Sultan was immediately quiet. This means the Sultan meant the threat he just issued and no one can change his mind. But Roksna knew she couldn’t just watch the men die. True, their offense earned them a punishment but not to the point of dying.


    “That’s more like it. And just in case my order wasn’t clear enough, I meant to kill every single one of them including the second inmand.” Roksna heard the sultanmand again.


    Roksna saw Sodeeq open his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he shut it again.


    “How can you just order the death of men like they were chickens to be ughtered for a feast?” Roksna spoke up.


    Jamal narrowed his eyes at the speaker of the word wishing he could somehow control her to keep shut. She was bound to bring trouble as she opened her mouth.


    “This is my sultanate and I can rule it however I want,” Jamal answered her.


    “True, it is yournd but it belongs to the people as much as you. If no one was here, you wouldn’t have anyone to rule over and you won’t be a sultan then,” Roksna answered him back.


    She heard the people exim, but ignored them. She saw Sodeeq pointing to his neck, trying to remind her of the Sultan’s words.


    “I don’t care how your Sultan ruled over there but here at Wadai’, my words are final. And women aren’t allowed to talk here, for whatever reasons,” Jamal told her.


    “My Abbu was a great Sultan, unlike you. How many of your men would be willing to die for you or with you if your sultanate ever faced an attack?” Roksna asked just to spite him.


    “If you don’t shut up this instance woman, you will be joining the dying men,” Jamal warned her in a tone that was chilly enough to send cold down the spine of the men.


    “Although you are the Sultan, you don’t have the right to punish them. They belong to the general, he should punish them. Why else would and need generals if not to help the Sultan build the army?” Roksna asked.


    “Take her out and flog her thirty times. Then take her to royal concubine Miriam as her ve. Every other one of the captives should be assigned as you deemed fit,” Jamalmanded the head of servants.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    Two hefty men stood at Roksna’s sides each. Before she could protest, they dragged her with them.


    “You can’t kill them. They are still your people. You must spare them,” Roksna screamed.