Since her last meeting with Hamid five days ago, Jalila was anxious to clarify the facts regarding her kinship with Amal and was pleased and at the same time afraid when she received the message from Hamid asking if they could meet at the gates of Al -Zahara,an hour before sunset for a walk and talk by the riverbanks. She was apprehensive of what he wanted to say to her since he had arranged the meeting through third parties. It could mean distancing her or it could mean nothing. She decided not to dress up in a special way for the meeting.

With everything for the contest already organized Jalila was with his schedules much looser and on that afternoon had only prepared his spirit for the encounter. She left his quarters and went to the gates of the Medina where he found a smiling Hamid waiting for her. They kissed tenderly non-passionately and she felt no difference in that kiss. Hamid showed a happy countenance while she noticed a slight concern in his eyes.

— Let's walk to our favorite spot. I have something very important to tell you, but I want to wait to be sitting in one of those benches.

— Hamid, I also wanted to tell you about the information you learned unexpectedly from our last meeting.

— Do not worry. It is not about that, you do not even have to explain it if you do not want to.

— But I want to, and I look upon this as an important issue for me.

— It's all right. Let us hope we get to the river and sit down. Should you or I start first? He said smiling. My subject is important, he said taking a more serious stance. Yours is less! Therefore, you talk first.

They walked a few more minutes during which they exchanged impressions about the beauty of the afternoon and about the number of people and couples walking toward the shore like them. Finally, they came to a tree-covered refuge in which were distributed several benches built of stones scattered along the bank and which were used a lot on Sundays as the leisure of the families who gathered to talk while they drank light meals watching the river. Hamid and Jalila approached one of the farthest and closest to the riverbank and sat down.

As Hamid had said, Jalila began to speak:

— Hamid, I want you to know that I did not intend to conceal my relationship with Amal. I just did not have the opportunity, because our start was difficult and just at the time I think I was going to tell you ended up knowing in an untimely and truncated way. Saying that Jalila explained all her involvement and commitment to her family and Amal before arriving at the Palace seventeen years ago, going through her disinterest in her family plan, her real goals, and her involvement with Subh's conspiracy.

Hamid listened carefully without interruption, letting Jalila develop her argument and justification and then begun to joke making it clear to her that none of this was important now.

— So, you are a conspirator for much longer than I am.

— Now, you trickster, you made me worried about that fact, and it did not even matter for you.

— Jalila, what you got involved does not differ much from what we're doing now, even though you've revealed that you never bought the idea. But what your family wanted I can understand. As for you not telling me, I believe in you, things have rushed between us. At the stage we were in, it would not help if you revealed this to me. I did not even know if I had a future with you. You were tough and hard to soften.

— Then, since in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, if this is no problem what is so important that you wanted to talk to me?

— I see you have really forgotten about your religious ties to your family and you are a Muslim woman. Well, actually, more or less, completed Hamid. Returning to a more serious stance Hamid paused as if to order the reasoning and began:

— Jalila, I think we are in a serious danger I mean all of us who get involved in Subh's plan and this is back to you or your family.

— What do you mean?

— I am monitoring the investigations of Amal and Nasr as far as I can, and my assessment is that the question of access to the palace, to that drunken tale, is not the problem. They are already in jail and we do not hear much about them five days ago. I have reason to think that Bahadur had some suspicions about what we were doing at the Library and about Subh's involvement being something more than organizing a literary contest. In addition, he passed these suspicions on to Almanzor. I think what they want from Amal is information about these suspicions.

— What do you want to conclude about us being in danger? Amal would never say anything without committing himself, and although he was exasperated at the conversation with me, threatening Subh, that was theater, it was a defense of his self-love. She would never reveal anything.

— I have some informants. This is a very difficult thing, but I have gotten some information and I learned that if at first, he and Nasr were together, they are now in separate cells. In addition, this is a symptomatic procedure.

— What do you mean, Jalila?

— They are playing one against the other. I have heard of modern methods involving a dilemma elaborated by a court mathematician and which places the prisoners in a complicated situation without one knowing what the other will decide in relation to the proposed agreements. I risked my neck for this information. If you trust Amal so much can you give the same credit to Nasr?

— I really can say nothing about that. May we do something? I am feeling a little guilty because we are not doing anything. After all, until very recently we were working side by side and now, as you already know, Amal is kind of a cousin, away, but still a relative.

— It is too dangerous to get more involved than we already are. Any false move can generate an argument against us. Well, what we need to have is an alternate plan if things go astray. I mean an escape route. I thought about Sicily. What do you think?

— Do you mean you and me?

— Yes of course.

— But what about Subh, should we deal also with her?

— You may even speak, but I do not think it will do any good. I do not believe she embarks on any alternative besides General Ziri arriving in Cordoba and her son Hisham being driven to the position of real Caliph. She will not consider a failure in her plans and for us to have an escape plan this possibility must be among those considered.

— Is it so serious? Amal did not attend the decisive meeting where the plan was outlined. As far as he knows, it's just conspiracy, with no plan at all.

— That's enough for my head, yours and the rest, except Subh's, to roll. I do not really know if Almanzor would consider prosecution enough to kill Subh, but she would be ruined at court. Maybe you even survive with her, but I'm inviting you to be a part of my life if you can save her. We need to have an alternative plan and I think Sicily is a good idea. I can handle this, and I have friends there.

— Of course, if what you are saying happens to happen I want to be by your side. I wish I could still count on the closeness of Subh's friendship and I am not as sure as you are if she would not accept a kind of alternative life outside Cordoba. I agree that she has larger moorings and the largest of them her son, the Caliph. I have devoted much of my life to serving her, by choice and with pleasure, but I think I have the right to be happy. I am not such a child anymore.

— In these last months, I lived with Subh a lot and I could see his determination and I do not really think that she would leave Cordoba, considering also that in her understanding Almanzor would not try anything more drastic against her, even with the appearance of conclusive evidence of his conspiracy. As for us, we need to be attentive and with all the preparations made. In the case of the outbreak of a coup against Almanzor, we will not have much time. I think we should leave Cordoba before that happens. I do not see another way out.

— My God, Hamid, are not you rushing, exaggerating?

— No Jalila. What they are doing with Nasr and Amal I could not know much, I am still searching for more data, but it is a very intelligent game. It may last a month or more, but one of them will give way.

— Sicily, then? Some special reason for the choice, Jalila asked, trying to soften the apprehensive tone of the conversation.

— Sicily is Islamic and ruled by a Fatimid dynasty. During my stay in North Africa, despite the constant threat that the Fatimids might be interested in the dominions of the Umayyads in Andalusia, which caused the Caliphs, since Al-Rahman III, to pursue a policy of reinforcing their enemies, I did some good Friends in the dynasty. We will have ease of installation and survival. You must be prepared and know that it is a long journey of more than a thousand leagues by the river, then by land until finally reaching the Strait of Messina and making the sea crossing. We cannot take much. We will face some dangers, but we will have an escort that I am already providing in advance and that will cost me a lot of money. It's a real start.

Jalila drew a long breath and, drawing her face close to Hamid's, said with tenderness almost whispering:

— I think I have always been ready to go on with you, and I have projected that this would not happen, but now I'm sure my fate is dictated at your side. I am ready!

The night was already beginning to advance in the afternoon, and Hamid and Jalila decided to return to Al-Zahara. She accepted Hamid's invitation to dine with him at his house and they followed the riverbank, holding hands toward what would be the first true dating after they resumed their relationship. They were anxious to try to sublimate, even if only for a few moments, the risky and uncertain future that was approaching.

***

Bahija was surrounded by an entourage of caretakers who took turns giving Almanzor's brother all sorts of services, from readings, various teachings, games, games, food aid, clothing, and personal hygiene. He was not an easy patient because he had episodes of irritability. Among these caretakers was Nayara, one of the faithful people to Subh and who had been chosen to execute the sentence against Bahija.

Nayara had already encountered Farouk and received all the instructions on how to handle the Taxus Baccata in the form of serum that had been delivered to him already prepared. Bahija would not feel any pricking, for he often had ulcerations in various parts of his body caused when he was irritated caused by scratching compulsively his arms and neck. Therefore, a needle infected with the venom would not be used, as it would make it difficult to inoculate a suitable dosage. The drug would be placed on the ulcerations. Usually, the ingestion of a large amount of Taxus also causes, among other effects, the heart attack. However, is necessary the ingestion of a large amount whereas the direct inoculation of the concentrated extract into the bloodstream, although more complicated, has a guaranteed effect and faster and in a controlled manner. By choosing the right dosage, it would be possible to schedule the symptoms for a certain number of hours after inoculation.

Nayara, a female Christian slave, a contemporary of Subh also of Basque origin, who had lost her entire family by the actions of Almançor was glad to act when the opportunity appeared to her. She knew how to deal with Bahija and was not intimidated by how to inoculate the poison. She would accomplish it and would gladly fulfill the task of provoking pain in Almanzor, without the boy even realizing what had happened.

She waited until arrive the day that Bahija's bath was her turn, a situation where she would remain alone with her victim, with ample condition to perform her task. On the day before her shift, she checked for the condition of the ulcerations and with knowledge of what usually irritated Bahija, she caused an event of irritability in which he compromised several of his wounds. The poison was stored in a small goatskin like the ones used to contain the liquid soap used in the bath.

While bathing him, wearing gloves, a procedure that was normal, Nayara deposited doses of the poison on the most active bedsores in the arms and neck as if lathering him. He followed the instructions carefully, taking care to keep the places away from the water while the venom penetrated the bloodstream.

After the Bath Bahija was sent to the caretakers who treated their food while Nayara left the room delivering the used goatskin, as recommended, to a eunuch who was chosen to take the evidence outside the palace so that could be discarded.

Around the Asr prayer, Bahija began with convulsions, tremors and fell as a victim to a fulminating heart attack.

Subh had not been wrong. The impact of Bahija's sudden death on Almanzor was devastating. It was as if his brother were the catalyst for the humanity of Almanzor. Devotion to the brother was the condition that allowed him to exercise his repressed humanity in the numerous and continuous incursions against his northern enemies and in the fight against internal political enemies.

Almanzor practically moved to the part of the Palace in which Bahija lived. It cost him a long time to free his body for embalming services, a fact that even worried his most direct advisors. Then he went into a catatonic state, remaining motionless, without action, following the preparations for the funeral that were being provided by his son.

All this disturbance disturbed Al-Malik, who had to turn away from the investigations connected with the assassination of Bahadur while accompanying his father concerned and at the same time attending to funerals. The constants warnings that he did to his father, trying to bring him to the good sense, have the answer that he should have patience as time would play in their favor in the prisoners' dilemma.

An immediate effect of the tragedy was the cancellation of the Literary Contest that was scheduled to take place two days after Bahija's death. Even knowing that this would happen, Subh was aware of the instability of Ziri's support until he had received the promised resources, had decided despite this effect, to continue with this phase of the plan and due to the happenings had no choice but cancelling and postponing the event to a date still to be decided.

During these actions, the Sultana immediately began conversations with Hisham in which she dealt with the release of treasure money using various devices to persuade his son to play with the generosity he always developed in relation to the release of resources for his harem's needs. For this, she counted on the help of women close to Hisham. At the same time, Subh intended to kindle the flame of power in that meek spirit and began to have long conversations with him about the role he had to play. He emphasized that for this role he was being prepared by his father until his death. His mother said Hisham every day, that he could not fail to occupy his name in History by letting his position be usurped by Almanzor.

These were daily conversations, which were prolonged and facilitated with the removal of Almanzor from the scene as he after the funeral was in a state of torpor fueled by mourning, suffered that lasted more than thirty days until he began to gradually return to his government's activities.

Little by little she began to feel Hisham more determined, already threatened some criticism to Almanzor. The mother gained space in her son's fragile mind. The conspirators were aware that it was during this period that gold needed to be moved. The little contact of Almanzor with Hisham and his alienation from state activities would allow this. In a short time and with the help of the eunuchs and women faithful to Subh, the dangerous and delicate extraction of the eighty thousand pieces of gold was accomplished with success. As planned, the metal was secretly packed into the casks that had already been delivered by the Abbot. The operation was carried out in the enormous kitchen of the palace where honey and other delicacies were mixed with gold. Labeled casks have had no security problems to be removed from the Palace and were transported in the middle of the night, as if beginning a journey to needy communities, being sent to a sheltered spot on the bank of the river, about three miles from Al-Zahara, where they would wait conditions for a trustworthy Subh team, from the eunuchs' guard was prepared to make the journey about 200 kilometers to Tarifa, in front of Morocco, in the strait.

Almanzor had returned to Cordoba a few weeks ago, coming from a victorious campaign in which he had destroyed the principal cities of the kingdom of Leon, reducing them to ashes. It was ironic that he, by pure chance directed the attention of his Generals to a military problem in North Africa, unaware that a plan was being devised which, although with many obstacles still to be overcome, had been initiated by a transport of gold which still depended on a long journey towards the final destination which, in this case, coincided with that of his problem.