“I swear that I would have fought, not with his guards, but with Sinan only.”
“So he suffered you to go, and I left him also. Before I went he spoke to me, bidding me bring the princess to him privately within two hours after we had supped, as he wished to speak to her alone about the ceremony of her marriage on the morrow, and to make her gifts. I answered aloud that his commands should be obeyed, and hurried to the guest-castle. There I found your lady recovered from her faintness, but mad with fear, and forced her to eat and drink.
“The rest is short. Before the two hours were gone a messenger came, saying that the Al-je-bal bade me do what he had commanded.
“‘Return,’ I answered; ‘the princess adorns herself. We follow presently alone, as it is commanded.’
“Then I threw this cloak about her and bade her be brave, and, if we failed, to choose whether she would take Sinan or death for lord. Next, I took the ring you had, the Signet of the dead Al-je-bal, who gave it to your kinsman, and held it before the slaves, who bowed and let me pass. We came to the guards, and to them again I showed the ring. They bowed also, but when they saw that we turned down the passage to the left and not to the right, as we should have done to come to the doors of the inner palace, they would have stopped us.
“‘Acknowledge the Signet,’ I answered. ‘Dogs, what is it to you which road the Signet takes?’ Then they also let us pass.
“Now, following the passage, we were out of the guest house and in the gardens, and I led her to what is called the prison tower, whence runs the secret way. Here were more guards whom I bade open in the name of Sinan.
“They said: ‘We obey not. This place is shut save to the Signet itself.’
“‘Behold it!’ I answered. The officer looked and said: ‘It is the very Signet, sure enough, and there is no other.’
“Yet he paused, studying the black stone veined with the red dagger and the ancient writing on it.