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all this, and ignoring the puzzled looks of his slower witted companions, he returned her look with one as equally insincere as he responded. “Indeed, such assistance would be most appreciated, most appreciated. And, you are correct, of course, sister, we would not wish to avoid doing our duty by the family. We shall, of course, attend the gathering, and give our views; and,” he paused and coughed delicately, “we would of course be more than willing to impart any views that yourself or the Lady Firyal would wish the family to hear.”
    The principals on both sides clearly understanding each other, Zahirah continued, as Firyal’s strength started to fail her, and outlined their thinking – and their offer – to Abdul and the others.

 
    Chapter Five
     
    “Lady, do you intend to observe the majlis ?” asked Zahirah with genuine concern in one of the few moments they were briefly alone. Although it was scarcely dawn of the day of the scheduled assembly, the sun only just touching the waters of the busy harbour, they were both already up as there was still much to do; almost too much. She knew the elderly Sheikha too well not to see behind the stoical mask now firmly back in place, right into the heart of the massive, un-healable anguish that the increasingly frail princess was suffering at the loss of her favourite son.
    The younger woman was unsurprised, however, by Firyal’s answer. “Yes, I must. We both must be there to do our best to ensure Fouad’s decision about the succession is endorsed.”
    Zahirah nodded. Despite their devastation at the loss of Fouad, they had both wanted the majlis to meet even sooner than it was now scheduled: some three days after Zahirah and Nasir’s return. They knew also, however, that until all the family decision-makers were present, it was unwise to hold one. Besides Ali and Habib, other key men such as Muqrin and Mus’id were away in the emirate’s inland oases and had to be given time to return. Both women knew that they could have rushed through Talal’s succession, made it a de facto ascension of power by virtue of their forces controlling both the citadel and the garrison’s loyalty. They were keenly aware, however, that in the absence of such important family members, his taking of that power would lack some of the legitimacy they needed for there to be fewer challenges in the future. That there would be some, of course, regardless of how his succession was managed, was something they saw as inevitable.
    They had all used the time wisely. Nasir, though frequently still barely conscious, had people brought to him in his sickroom, where he’d been quietly offering whatever inducements were needed for key backers to move behind the youthful claimant. The boy’s succession was far from assured, despite his father’s public proclamation before he left on his ill-fated mission to the Kinzan assembly – a proclamation that had been endorsed unanimously at the time by the family majlis . The need for someone to succeed the powerful war leader had arisen much too soon after that proclamation, however, for his son’s elevation to be a foregone conclusion. Even more in play than any previous endorsement was the brutal fact that in times of war men would rather be lead by a warrior than an untried boy. It was a mind-set that was going to be difficult to overcome.
    The inner group around him were well aware, though, that they had major advantages in addition to Fouad’s publicly proclaimed wish and its endorsement. The first of these was that many in the family agreed that such a strong, clear line of succession was necessary if they were to avoid going the way of other dynasties in Arabia and dissipating their strength in internal blood-letting. The pro-Talal faction was cynically aware, however, that that agreement in principle, far from precluded those same princes deciding that they and their descendants should be the ones to create that strong central line. The second