Swords of Arabia: Betrayal (17 page)

Zahirah
and
Firyal,
watching
carefully,
saw
that
a
crucial
stage
of
their
strategy
had
worked.
Sultan’s
entirely
unexpected, and
uncharacteristic, attack
on
both
Badr
and
Talal,
so
strongly
backed
by
Sahir,
had,
as
planned,
stopped
dead
in
its
tracks
Badr’s
swiftly
growing
momentum
towards
the
throne.
Their
attacks,
allied
to
the
carefully
timed
and
totally
unexpected
appearance
of
the
ex-prisoners,
along
with
Nasir’s
warm
welcome,
had
given
the
Talal
faction
a
sorely
needed
breathing
space.
More
importantly,
it
had
unsettled
many
in
the
room.
The
two
arch-plotters
were
particularly
pleased
to
see
that
it
had
especially
rattled
the
now
combined
supporters
of
Badr
and
Faisal.
So
far
their
massive
gamble
was
paying
off.
Whether
the
rest
of
their
careful
planning
would
now
succeed,
or
uncoil
hideously
and
destroy
everything,
was
now
out
of
their
hands
and
they
could
only
sit
silently
and
watch
the
drama
unfolding
the
other
side
of
the
screens.

“Welcome
back
amongst
us,
brother,”
said
Faisal,
smiling
and
bowing
his
head
slightly
towards
Abdul,
as
he
attempted
to
recover
the
ground
lost
first
to
Sultan’s
and
Sahir’s
outbursts
and
then
to
the
stunningly
unexpected
appearance
of
the
quartet.
“I
was
just
saying
before
you
arrived,
I
support
Badr,
our
brother,
as
the
only
candidate
strong
enough
to
take
Fouad’s
place.
The
only
one
able
to
lead
us
against
ibn
Saud
and
any
who
threaten
us.
The
only
one
strong
enough
to
hold
us
all
together,
ensure
we
stay
united.
I
would
believe
you
would
agree
with
this
and
join
us?”
he
ended,
his
confident
manner
making
the
question
in
his
voice
the
merest
formality.

Abdul,
despite
his
miscalculation
of
a
couple
of
years
previously,
was
an
astute
political
operator
and,
looking
round
the
large,
airy
room,
he
could
see
that
the
gathering
had
reached
a
turning
point.
The
atmosphere,
though
still
far
from
unanimous,
was
increasingly
moving
toward
a
majority,
if
not
a
consensus,
for
Badr.
He
knew
that
the
support
of
his
own
small
group
would
deliver
his
half-brother
his
victory.
With
a
smile
of
triumph
toward
the
screens
he
adopted
a
serious
expression
and
began
to
speak.

“The
one
advantage
of
being
thrown
into
a
cell
is
that
one
has
no
distractions
from
daily
living.
And
one
has
much
time
to
reflect
on
just
on
how
much
of
one’s
life
is
outside
one’s
own
control.
We
all
pay
lip
service
to
it
being
in
Allah’s
hands
but
many
do
see
ourselves
as
having
some
role
to
play
in
its
direction...”

“Well
said,
brother,”
interrupted
Faisal,
approvingly,
though
a
trifle
impatiently.
Like
the
others
he
could
sense
the
prize
was
within
Badr’s
grasp,
and
without
him
having
scarcely
spoken;
a
triumph
indeed.
A
triumph
that
would
bring
rich
rewards
to
those
who
helped
him
attain
it
and,
he
hoped,
retribution
for
those
who
didn’t.
But his
brief
and
pleasant
reverie
suddenly
started
to
dissolve
for
reasons
he
was
momentarily
unable
to
understand.
Then,
what
Abdul,
who
had
continued
speaking
over
his
interruption,
was
actually
saying
hit
him
with
a
force
that
literally
knocked
his
breath
from
his
lungs.

“I
believe
we
should
confirm
the
family’s
previous
decision, though
one
taken
in
our
absence,”
he
added
with
only
the
faintest
trace
of
bitterness,
“and
confirm
Talal
as
our
next
Emir.”

Chapter Eight

If
previous
surprises
had
stunned
the
room
into
speechlessness,
Abdul’s
announcement
had
entirely
the
opposite
effect,
and
the
gathering
exploded
into
a
roaring
wall
of
sound,
or
rather,
many
opposing
walls
of
sound,
each
ricocheting
into
each
other
and
around
the
large
room.
Total
confusion
reigned
and
Abdullah
was
seemingly
powerless
to
stop
it
as
many
voices
were
all
raised
at
once
and
all
were
yelling
differing
messages,
each
grouping
almost
screaming
at
the
others.

“You’ve
been
bribed!”
Sahir
shouted
out,
still
acting
his
part,
though
echoing
the
thoughts
of
many
in
the
room.
Then,
as
though
realising
what
he’d
said,
he
hurriedly
apologised.
“My
apologies,
but
if
not
that
–
what?
You
were
never
close
to
Fouad,”
he
said,
belatedly
seeming
to
choose
his
words
with
more
care.

“No,”
Abdul
responded
quietly,
“you
now
speak
only
the
truth.
Nor
were
my
feelings
made
warmer
by
being
his
guest
for
such
a
period
–
and
so
I
would
tell
him,
were
he
here!
But,
kinsmen,
he
isn’t, and
that’s
my
point.
I
disagreed
with
him
on
many
things
.
So
many,
that
he
believed
me
capable
of
the
treachery
of
being
party
to
a
plot
which
involved
the
killing
of
my
own
kin.”
Here
his
eyes
rested
briefly
on
Nasir
as
he
continued.
“Nevertheless,
I
believe
we
owe
it
to
his
memory
to
try
and
achieve
what
he
wished
–
a
clear
and
undisputed
line
of
succession.
He
could
have
had
us
killed
at
any
time
these
past
two
or
more
years
and
he
didn’t.
All
know
Fouad
was
not
weak,
so
perhaps
it
was
because
he
saw
another
way
for
us
to
rule
and
be
ruled.
That
is
why
we,”
he
gestured,
indicating
the
three
other
ex-prisoners
seated
near
him,
and,
at
his
orders,
totally
silent,
“wish
also
to
try
this
new
way.”
He
stopped
suddenly
and
raised
his
hands
to
indicate
he’d
ended
what
he
wished
to
say.

After
he
had
finished,
the
room
was
momentarily
silent.
All
sensed
the
decision
now
rested
on
a
knife-edge.
A
decision
that
had
come
down
to
a
choice
between
Badr
the
proven
warrior
and
statesman
and
Talal,
untried
and
not
even
a
man.
That
the
boy’s
candidature
had
lasted
as
long
as
it
had,
was
mute
but
powerful
testimony
to
his
father’s
stature
even
in
death.
Without
that,
even
the
powerful
forces
lined
up
behind
him
would
have
been
defeated
hours
earlier
and
the
prize
awarded
to
an
exultant
Badr.

It
still
might.

Nasir
knew
suddenly
that
the
time
for
him
to
speak
had
arrived.
Seeking
a
nod
from
Abdullah,
he
took
a
deep
breath.
Nervous
though
he
was,
knowing
what
rested
on
his
words,
nothing
showed
either
on
his
face
or
in
his
voice.
He
couldn’t
afford
to
show
even
the
smallest
sign
of
hesitancy
or
uncertainty.
Abdul’s
totally
unexpected
release
followed
by
his
even
less
anticipated
support
for
Talal
had
sharply
tilted
sentiment
in
favour
of
the
young
claimant,
as
they’d
planned,
but
not
enough
to
ensure
his
ratification.
Even
more
importantly,
Nasir
also
knew
that
the
moment
had
arrived
for
the
largely
silent
Badr
to
speak.
He
knew
that
once
he
did,
Talal’s
cause
would
collapse.
Even
as
he
prepared
to
speak,
Nasir
realised
that
he’d
left
it
too
late
as
he
saw
Badr
also
gesture
his
own
wish
to
address
the
gathering.
He
knew
that
if
Badr
caught
the
attention
of
Abdullah
he
would,
by
virtue
of
his
age,
be
allowed
primacy
and
invited
to
speak
before
he
himself.

Then
fate
–
or
pre-planned
manipulation,
many
were
never
quite
sure
–
intervened.
Jabir,
a
brother
sitting
next
to
Badr,
touched
his
arm
as
though
wishing
to
speak
to
him
and
thus
distracted
the
claimant’s
attention
for
a
micro-second.
This,
allied
to
Abdullah’s
unusual
failure
to
notice
his
nephew’s
now
slightly
belated
indication
that
he
wished
to
speak,
meant
that
he
acknowledged
Nasir’s
signal,
an
opportunity
which
the
young
prince
took
quickly,
all
nervousness
forgotten,