Internal: Viperpath (volume 1)

(22) Countermoves

"Huh. Now that ya said it..."

Once more the fiery Zal was metaphorically floored. The calmness bit was especially true: she had seen it at play in Isfir's shop. How Leia had managed to retain such composure in the face of her own tirade!

There must have been something more, deeper down, Zal surmised, than just her counterpart's graces; and in that moment, Das, the brother she genuinely cared for, seemed to be urging her to have a peek into whatever it could have been...

"S'pose I agree to what ya say, runt, and we are gonna pray for Mom," Zal said aloud, "we still don't know how."

"Vessy would! We could go to her again, and..."

"Nah; she's got more than 'nough for one day, I say we leave her be. Come dinner, I'll see her again I guess... but for now, I'm gonna check up on Mom."

"That's great! I'll-"

"Don't follow me!"

"I wanna! I wanna watch how Mom's response would be..."

"LISTEN! I'm the one she's wronged most often, li'l bro; I alone must come to her. She might get angry, things might turn damnably-ugly... and believe me, ya won't wanna be part o' that!"

"But-"

"Okay, look... ya wanna feel like ya got any part on how things are gonna turn out, yeah?"

Das blinked away welling tears. "Uh-huh..."

"Then pray for me, li'l bro. If this prayer thingy is as impactful as ya said... I shall survive that encounter."

Screw it all, I had survived Mom's wrath once; but 'pushing one's luck' is a thing, the Little Viper presently reflected. Only dumbasses would dare to do it, and yet... am I not a dumbass myself when it comes to holdin' back?

Why, Isfir of the garb shop might vouch for that. If he cares to.

"And..." the princeling could not resist a squeaking sob. "And if not..?"

This time Zal wiped his tears with both of her thumbs. "Know that I love ya always."

"Me... Me, too, Sis..."

***

The Lion Prince, in the meantime, was already beginning to ask around for the whereabouts of the current Grand Sheikh, Nouman. One of the courtiers that he ended up asking was a certain Aldeer.

It might be recalled that this particular courtier had also been the only one daring to voice his opposition in continuing to regard the young princes as targets for Mama Viper's future schemes, during one of her subterranean councils.

Even so, and following some private and rather intense soul-searching, Al figured that he was not yet prepared to start playing the other side of the road by tipping Yasnar off on the possible brewing scheme against his life. Suppose what Mira said about the current Prime Vazir having been a turncoat were true... Trying to rid children was one thing; having a go at traitors of such influence, quite another.

"You, sir!" Mustafa's voice, referring to him, presently brought this courtier back to reality.

"Ah- yes, excellency?"

"Do you happen to know where I might find the Grand Sheikh?"

"The... the Grand Sheikh, m'lord? Yes, I might help there, but... pray, why would you wish to see him, and today of all times? Like as not, he'd be too preoccupied with the cases at hand; on taxes, mostly."