"Your brother." Janahara studied him with eyes verging on contempt. "Jadar has declared he is no longer under the authority of the Moghul." She paused to make sure the news had reached Allaudin. "Do you understand what that means? Jadar has rebelled. He's probably marching on Agra right now with his army."
"That's impossible! As long as His Majesty lives . . ."
"Jadar has declared His Majesty is no longer fit to reign. He has offered to assume the 'burden' himself. It's a preposterous affront to legitimate rule."
"Then he must be brought to Agra for trial." Allaudin's voice swelled with determination.
"Obviously." Nadir Sharif moved toward the door of the tent and stared into the sunshine for a long moment. Then he turned to Janahara. "We have no choice now but to send the Imperial army. Your intuition about Jadar last week was all too correct."
"And now you agree? After a week has been lost." Janahara had followed him with her eyes. "Now you concede that the army must move."
"There's nothing else to be done." Nadir Sharif seemed to study the parched landscape of the valley below. "Although containing Jadar may well be more difficult than we first assumed."
"Why should it be difficult?" Allaudin watched Nadir Sharif in bewilderment. "His forces were very small to begin with. And after his defeat by Malik Ambar, how many men and cavalry can he have left?"
"Perhaps you should read the dispatch." Nadir Sharif tossed the scrolled paper into Allaudin's lap. "Jadar never engaged Malik Ambar. Instead he forged an alliance. It would appear his 'retreat' north to Burhanpur was merely a ruse. He never met the Maratha armies in the first place, so he did not lose a single infantryman. Instead he intimidated Malik Ambar and struck a truce with him. There's no knowing how large his army is now, or even where he is. This dispatch came from Mandu, so he's already well on his way north. I think he'll probably lay siege to Agra within two weeks if he's not stopped."
"Merciful Allah." Allaudin's voice was suddenly tremulous. "What do we do?" Then he looked imploringly at Janahara. "I'll lead the army myself if you want."