"But he'll be the next Moghul. When that happens, what becomes of her?"
"He should be the next Moghul. And if he is, her power will be gone. That's why she wants to destroy him now."
"But how can she, if he's the rightful heir?" Hawksworth found himself suddenly dismayed by the specter of Agra in turmoil.
"No one knows. But she'll think of a way. And then she'll find someone she can control to be the next Moghul."''
'But why do you care so much who succeeds Arangbar?"
"One reason I care is because of Samad." Her eyes suddenly saddened.
"Now I really don't understand. He's a poet. Why should
it matter to him?"
"Because the queen would like to see him dead. He has too much influence. You must understand that the queen and her family are Shi'ites, a Persian sect of Islam. They believe all men should bow to some dogmatic mullah, whom they call an imam. But this was never in the teachings given to the Prophet."
A curse on all religions, Hawksworth had thought. Am I caught in the middle of some Muslim holy war?