After the arrangements with Amal, Jalila directed all her efforts to organize the first meeting according to the data supplied by Subh. It was not an easy task since communications could not be frank and she has to make reference as if it all were the organization of a literary competition, a condition requiring that before the first meeting it must happen prior meetings with each invited individual to make them clearly understand the real purpose of the meeting to which they were being called.

To perform this Jalila was carrying with her only a presentation of Subh asking the addressee to accept receive her in a personal and private conversation so that the details of the "Competition" could be explained. The presentation also guarantees full accreditation to Jalila to give these explanations. In this first meeting Jalila did not set a date for the meeting, only asked for a range of probable dates possible on the agenda of each guest, and then she would set a date to be confirmed later, this time without the need for a personal meeting, just by sending an invitation.

Subh provided to Jalila a list that besides Hamid include the doctor of the Caliph and the court, the Jew Benzecry, the abbot of Tabanos Monastery, at the north of Cordoba, Juan de Herrera and Farouk an architect, an old acquaintance of Subh who participated with her librarian's enterprises in Cordoba, which was at one time a person with close links with suppliers of all kinds of materials and products. The group closed its composition of course with, Subh, herself, and Amal. Seven were the conspirators who initiated the movement in favor of the boy Caliph. Each one of them could provide diverse and different resources to be used in favor of the cause.

Jalila preferred to initiate contact with the one which she felt was more complicated. She sent Rashid to Hamid carrying the call/presentation of Subh requesting him to send information about the time and place that he could meet her because she had an important communication coming from the Sultana.

She was not sure what would be the reaction of Hamid and shared with Subh her fears because she thought he could well understand how a request for explanations was all that Jalila did not want. But Subh, seeming to know more than she was demonstrating, said that was not for her to worry about because she was sure that he would attend the invitation without restrictions.

And she was right. Rashid was soon backing with the news that Hamid would receive her in the palace in their work environment that afternoon.

Then he realized that the wall of her indifference was showing signs of collapse. He stared at the note written by Hamid providing indications of their workplace and putting on the schedule established for two hours before the afternoon prayer, which occurs in the late afternoon, before the setting of the sun and noticed a slight tremor in hands that for a few seconds made her feel destabilized. For three years she was not faced with that feeling. Damn she thought, did not intend to show any weakness, and tried to focus on the tasks that lay ahead.

The invitations to Farouk and Benzecry were much easier and already in possession of Hamid's schedule, Jalila decides respectively for the next morning and in the afternoon with them. Apparently, as happened with Hamid, Subh had held preliminary talks with the two of them.

The situation of Juan Herrera was more complicated. He talked to Subh and decided that she would go to the monastery and talk directly with the abbot and thus the invitation would be made in person, there would be an emissary to arrange a subsequent meeting. The idea of the Abbot coming for talk alone with the Sultana, without knowing anything in advance could be dangerous and inadvertently he could raise some suspicions. That would be minimized if he could be informed before, about the whole scheme of "competition", and when the literary competition program organized by Subh had already been released to the public. In this way, he would appear at the Palace at the same time which the other judges of the event's organization, that is, the doctor and the architect Hamid. This would sound like a common situation in the affairs of the Sultana.

They decided that a trip to the monastery would be held at night. The Tabanos Monastery was a double monastery, an institution that combines separately a male monastery and a nunnery under the same authority. Although prohibited by the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, the effectiveness of the ban took several years to be implemented and had weakened centuries later, and in some places, it was never applied. It would be better for Jalila to travel at night, get there early morning in the convent where she would have a rest time in women's convent and then find the Abbot. All was settled with the nuns who transited in Al-Zahara for delivery of pasta and sweets produced in the convent which was much appreciated in the palace.

Subh had a great trump card for the accession of Juan Herrera. The promise that with the Caliph his son, more than a harmonious coexistence, that she would seek to demonstrate be at risk in the government of Ibn Abi Amir, Christians could have some extra benefits and be under less control. Herrera as the spokesman for one of the most important monasteries in the history of Cordoba, including was the cradle of some of the martyrs of Cordoba could offer them the range of Christian communication net on the Iberian Peninsula. The promise of Subh was a risk that she herself was taking because she did not have a complete awareness of his son's commitment degree with Ibn Abi Amir.

Jalila scheduled her trip to Tabanos two days after she fulfilled all local presentations. In the meantime, she concentrated on his meeting with Hamid.

Jalila left the third level in Al-Zahara complex in the direction of the workplace indicated by Hamid, which was situated on the second level. He left with a margin of time of about 30 minutes concerning the meeting time. Long corridors separated levels. He passed numerous workrooms and corridors teemed with people from one side to the other transiting between the departments of the huge government complex, but after following the instructions received she found out Hamid's office in a corridor northwest of the complex and realized that judging by the position of the room, Hamid was not a kind of prestigious government official, or unfortunately had no better luck.

She had not even entered the room, but she assumed, considering the position of the room, that it had no views of the Guadalquivir River, the windows should be facing west toward the River Guadiato, but due to the distance of about five kilometers, the river should not be at sight.

There was a knocker with a lion's head on the heavy door that Jalila used to timidly announce herself. In a few minutes the door opened and a young man, appearing about 30, who gave signs that already expecting her led to a small room, which functioned as a vestibule and then indicated that she could sit on one of the arranged pads on the floor.

Not even five minutes passed until the door leading to the entrance of Hamid's office opened and she could see him standing in the center, signaling to her to enter. It was quite elegant, dressed in a long tunic in dark green, bearing a turban on the head that left a fabric fringe falling beside his head, curled up in the vicinity of his chin and around his shoulders. After the door opened and closed behind her in about five meters that separated her from finding her former lover, she took a deep breath and tried to focus exclusively on its objective maintaining a countenance as if there was only one emissary of Sultana fulfilling an administrative formality without any relation to the common past between those two people. This was not unnoticed by Hamid who assumed also a formal stance.

- As-Salamu Alaykum, I have your presentation and understand that we are in the first phase by finding a compatible schedule to put some distinguished people in a meeting with Subh, and here, between these four walls, I can assure my commitment to reverse this situation of the Caliph's seclusion. For this, I even prepared a scheme dates that you can choose to schedule me for this call in the coming days. Having said that, passed into the hands of Jalila a small sheet of paper with the information mentioned.

- Perfect, it will be enough, and then when I complete the harmonization, I will send you the official invitation with the date and place, Jalila said holding the piece and thinking upset as Subh had forced and insisted on an unnecessary meeting since this exchange of information could have been made by messengers.

Hamid tried an icebreaker action and asked if she would accept a cup of tea as she had walked so much just to get a piece of paper.

Jalila understood the attempt at rapprochement, but her pride and annoyance with the Subh's trick made her be quick in her negative.

- Thanks, but right now I'm with my hours counted in organizing our meeting, excuse me, I need to come back.

Having said that, without thinking of an alternative that was not to leave fast the place turned and walked to the living room door and incontinent crossed the gateway reaching the corridors toward the third level of the complex, Hamid was surprised, quiet, motionless as a statue in the middle of the room.

Jalila returned with a certain node in the chest, which caused a tremor that ran through his whole body but considered that had passed without major mishap by experience. She would prove to Subh that Hamid was in the past. She wanted it that way and would not allow another interpretation. She needed to lie and relax because the next day would have two more meetings and on the following day a long walk to the Tabanos Monastery, which had been decided that it would be done at night to not draw any extra attention.

The Scheduled meetings with Farouk and Benzecry passed without difficulties and she was already in possession of the agenda of almost all, the only one missing was Juan Herrera.

Luckily a moonlit night would ease the path. Jalila left the palace dressed in a black robe and hood and followed northwesterly direction to the hills around Cordoba where was the Tabanos Monastery. It was a nice ride that in the beginning allowed the view of the Guadalquivir River and the splendor of its banks lined with residences of the noble families of Cordoba. The moonlight illuminated the entire track and there was little risk of being lost because on another occasion had made the trip at the behest of Subh for orders of sweet and folders for literary contests. The night silence was broken only by the barking of a dog in the distance and the chirping of nocturnal birds that somehow caused some chills of apprehension.

Jalila followed ahead with firm steps and at times could be heard talking loudly to herself as to announce to hidden inhabitants of the night that she was there and that they should fear more her than she feared. She had to believe that would not be influenced by the path of loneliness.

Fortunately, when fatigue began to come, just before dawn, she spotted the church towers and the moonlight casting the shadow of the foliage of the trees projected the walls of the buildings around. He took a deep breath to gain more breath and went over in memory the information that had to get to the female part of the religious complex where a nun named Maria De Las Dores would be waiting at the entrance leading into the inner courtyard of the clauses and dormitories of the female part.

The structure of the double monastery was peculiar to the church in the center flanked by two quadrangles that housed on the left the female accommodation and on the right the male ones. Both parties were entirely independent.

She followed toward the left side and noticed a faint light to which she addressed. She saw Maria de las Dores holding a lamp and positioned at the opening of the main door leading to the inner courtyard. She went following a few meters while remaining close to the wing and then arrived and entered the inner area of the convent.

Maria De Las Dores accompanied her through an open inner courtyard a well-kept and lawn which formed a pleasant environment, with a circular fountain in the center, surrounded all around by a circular bench also decorated with flowers on a roof that also protected its entire circumference. From this central fountain departed paved paths between the lawn directed to all four interior corridors of the building. They followed by one of the paths leading to the left-wing, without exchanging words, Jalila seemed to respect the silence of the place and avoided breaking it by starting a conversation. Encountering one of the arched doorways, halfway of the length of the wing, they entered accessing a corridor and then turned right up to a ladder by which they rose. On the corresponding runner on the second floor Las Dores stopped in front of a door and then said:

- We reserved this room for you to rest. We did not reach the first hour yet. You may rest until the third hour. Then I will come to get you to talk to the abbot and bring your breakfast. The accommodations are modest, but everything is clean and tidy. I even arranged a set of clean clothes. I also provide you with a jug of water and some cookies made in the convent. Do you need anything else?

- It's okay, I really need a break, thank you.

Maria De las Dores then opened the door for Jalila, handed him a lighted candle, made a greeting by bending the body, and walked away leaving her without uttering any other word.

The room was the exact description issued by the nun. A rustic bed garnished with a mattress of straw, pillows, sheets, and pillowcases clean a blanket was folded at the foot of the bed. Beside this a rectangular bedside table, in the same style of bed, on it an oil lamp, a small jar, and a covered pot where should be the cookies. Beneath the bedside table a urinal. In a long wooden bench located opposite the bed was placed one bowl flanked by a large jar with a lid and a set of towels. A small round table was positioned in front of the bank. The floor was made of waxed boards with red wax. Everything was very clean.

Jalila lit the lamp blew out the candle and sat up in bed reflecting on what was to be done and the risks that their love and devotion to Subh could bring. Very seldom had she left the palace, especially at night. She was about to have a negotiation with the leader of one of the most prominent religious convents of Cordoba and that was related to the martyrdom of their ancestors. After all, he was playing in some way, the role that was conferred upon him by his family. But she felt some embarrassment in that place. The time in the Palace added to more frequent contact with Islamic religious culture made neglecting their Christian practices. During these reflections, the fatigue soon made her abandon her self-criticism and indulge in a well-deserved rest.

In an unfamiliar environment whose rules she did not know, Jalila intended to be awake before the arrival of Das Dores, but the walk had left her very exhausted and so ended up wake up only when he heard a slight tapping at her door. She came to the door wrapped in a blanket. It was Das Dores, which brought a tray with fruit juice, bread, and a piece of cheese. She wondered if she was having special treatment, maybe that's why the silence of the nun. So, the seven sins also existed in the cloistered environment, she thought. She always heard that in convents there not such plenty like that. The quality of breakfast and care for cleanliness were indications that she was having special treatment. Monks and nuns were not considered champions of cleaning and bathing. She had heard that they were allowed two baths per year. Something that was very different in Islam.

- Good morning said Das Dores. I brought his breakfast, help yourself. Meet me downstairs in the staircase's lobby so you are fed and ready. Do not delay. The Abbot is waiting for you on the third hour.

Jalila had no idea how l much time she had, so kitted up very quickly, took the food almost without feeling the taste of her morning meal, and went out to find Das Dores that as she had said was expecting on the first floor.

- How were the fruits and bread? Das Dores said.

- Very good, I would have had more time to enjoy them with pleasure but I knew I could not be late.

-- Sorry about that. Did you eat everything or left some by chance? There was so much food that I left some, said understanding the hint. If desired, you can take the leftovers. Thank you.

Das Dores did not answer but nodded. They walked out of the women's pavilion through the same door that Jalila entered the morning, followed the side of the wing front door, past the church, and reaching the male quadrilateral whose inner courtyard was reached entering through a door placed in a symmetrical position to the corresponding position at the nun's architectural ensemble. Jalila was conducted by the exterior to the wing opposite the entrance to reach the premises where was Abbot's office.

Juan Herrera received her in a large room, in the same mold of Spartan accommodations that had been provided for your rest, but plenty of shelves and furniture that accommodated several books in multiples formats over which prevails the type under parchment base. Although the Arabs in Andalusia were already using linen paper, Christians were being slow to adopt the use of paper. The great development of Arabic literature was due mainly to the use, from the 8th century, of the manufacturing technology of paper, brought from China.

- God be with you, welcomed Herrera. I am very pleased to participate in Subh plans. It's time for Reconquista and everything possible to destabilize the current Islamic rule, which could be within our power, will have our support.

Jalila shivered inside though she tried not to express his surprise at the manifestation of the abbot. Nothing that Subh intended to undertake had any relation to destabilize the Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula. She was the mother of the Caliph. It was an exchange of internal command that she sought. Destabilize Ibn Abi Amir was the goal. She needed to tread carefully and began to suspect that Subh had precipitated herself in choosing the Abbot.

- Reverend Father, which was the information sent to your most reverend knowledge of the plans of Sultana?