“Just the things to do, beauties. But I still will return,” Amelik threw lots of flowers for the back, having cut off them from the flower-bed with his dagger.
Maiden laughter treated kindly his hearing. Amelik smugly smiled and went to the house where Iskander entered.
Eyshan, dark-eyed, beautiful Libiyan rushed to the husband as a tender kitten, having clung to him. Jallal ran to the caravan, to be the first to watch the gifts.
Enefrey looked at the mother, then at the father to whom the loving relatives clung from all directions, quietly, sharply asked:
“Put me down, it’s discomforting to you. I disturb mother.”
“How long you weren’t here …” these three days were an eternity for her. How to tell him that she couldn’t fall asleep; that nights were stuffy and cold; that days were empty and unnecessary? Eyshan was rather afraid of the severe husband, he seemed always so far. But at the nights when he caressed her, and they became the one whole, she understood why she lived.
“Frey, go off the father” called Enefeya “Let him greet the mother.”
Iskander shuddered, kissed the temple of the son, and released him. Every time when he heard this name, he involuntarily contracted, and now it sharply lashed the memory. The man tenderly embraced the wife, kissed her.
“It was necessary to stay there for a while.”
“The sultan needs to find some other entertainments, but not to tear off the husband from the family,” because of the kiss Eyshan got dizzy, the dark eyes got languished. She wanted to drag off Iskander to the bedroom, from all, from Amelik, with his idiotic jokes, from brothers who would ask silly questions, from children, it would be time for them to go about their own businesses. But she couldn’t, she knew that the husband was tired, he needed to go to the swimming bath, then to have dinner, responding to all inquiries, and only then, perhaps, he would be able to remain with her all alone.
Amelik, magnificently smiling, approached Iskander, opened embraces.
“Leave, woman, don’t tempt on a sin! Otherwise Iskander will tell that I embraced his wife.”
Eyshan quietly departed. The friends embraced.
“Three days went so long, grow your equestrian that he can go back around in a day,” Amelik led Iskander to the swimming bath, without asking about what the man wanted to do.
“The sultan prepares the military campaign on Iceland. A rich northern island. Infidels have no chance to learn Elokh's* will,” Iskander in the bath told.
Amelik nodded.
“It’ll be possible to deport dissatisfied there, let them freeze in the North. The caravan of the weapon from Leyvan and Arabia is on the way.”
“Yes,” Iskander nodded, “I assured the sultan of our loyalty.”
“Except the gratitude of Elokh and the sultan what else will receive Al-Tol and Al-Diva?” Amelik sat in a superficial niche of the pool, allowing a concubine girl to take a breath, and she again inclined to the groin of the man, pleasing Amelik.
“Lands. The coast of the southeast and southwest will depart to us.”
“What is there, except snow?” Amelik joked, but dark eyes already thought how many trade ports could be delivered on the coast of the island, how many armories, how many …
“Woods, mountains.”
“Mountains?” Amelik became interested, thinking of the extraction of ore. “M …”
The man exhaled a groan, streaming to the throat of the concubine. No longer noticing the girl anymore, he dived into the deep bowl of the pool, coming up near Iskander. With a smile, he carried over on the wet hair with his wet palms.
“There are a lot of rivers and fish.”
“How to transport it all tp Libiya..? Unless we may arrange a trade with the whole world.”
“It’s possible,” Iskander strictly grinned, steeped in the warm water, washing away salt and foam. The man always washed himself, without the help of the servant girls.
Having gamboled in water, they left, happy and tired. They were already waited by the served table. Amelik's body was flexible, smooth, fine-molded, the sheikh Al-Tol moved as if danced, some predatory dance, Iskander's body was speckled by scars, the terrifying traces of tortures. On the breast, on the heart, was a burn, a brand, some twisted ornament, the trace of captivity into which he got more than ten years ago, in which lived for her sake. Iskander made a terrible impression, but Eyshan wasn’t afraid, her lips by heart knew his each scar on taste. There was now nothing on the men, except the towels which were wrapped up around their hips. Therefore, Eyshan couldn’t run into the dining room, she couldn’t see another man naked, except the husband.
“Come on, go, you will be given, take dark candies, and the Lokum,” Iskander heard Jallal's voice. The voices of boys, sons of the brothers and sisters reached him. Enefrey entered the dining room, behind the doors Eyshan beautifully sighed:
“To where..?”
The boy moved softly as a kitten of snow leopard; proud, as an owner of life. Iskander lifted him, seating him on the lap.
“Ah, the best equestrian of Libiya,” smiled Amelik.
Enefrey smiled to Amelik. Politely, as if doing a favor. The man cheered up. From affection of the adult behavior of the child, seized him from the knees of the father, lifting on outstretched arms up, and shaking him. Iskander knew that all worthy men of Libiya were delighted with his younger son. The sultan, Osnan whose successors were dying, often without having managed to leave wombs of mothers, said that Enefrey should have begun to be brought up as the successor of the sultan. As the honor of the family of Al-Diva would pass to the senior, let something get also the younger son. That something was the great Osnan Empire. Of course, if at the time of the old age of the sultan, nobody would give to him the worthy successor. Sometimes, Osnan ordered Iskander to arrive with the sons. The sheikh Al-Diva knew that the sultan would wish to take Enefrey for himself, for education and to the bed, therefore, the father limited their communication and meetings as he could. And, probably, there was something in animal, of the color of melted gold, Iskander's eyes that didn’t just allow the sultan to order his desire.
Enefrey from above looked at the man, obediently expecting until he coped with the surge of tenderness and would return him on the ground. Amelik without having waited for a scream usual to all children lowered him to his lap.
“Eat, Enefrey, if you're here, divide the meal with us,” Amelik told seriously.
Iskander nodded. The boy was a little discouraged, adults seldom called children at the table, and he was waited by the boys in the yard who didn’t dare to go and ask sweets because they shouldn’t have run with food on the yard, it was disrespectful. Enefrey couldn’t ask, something bothered him to do that, for Elokh’s sake, adults decided usually for him and gave everything necessary by their own.
“Thanks,” softly, sharply told the boy, “But I have no serving pieces.”
The table was served for two, Amelik proposed to eat from his plate. Iskander noticed in the younger son an impetuous arrogance as if it didn’t hold in him, and he had to cope with it all the time. The man sighed; such pride could bring many troubles. Possibly over the years, it would pass. Iskander indulged the children, their whims if they weren’t beyond reasonable. But near Iskander few had the desire to pass over the side of reasonable behavior.
“Take sweets and run,” the man told.
Enefrey swept dexterously sweets in the toy tobacco pouch, having generously given a part to the men.
“Thanks,” he softly scratched, slipped from Amelik's knees, and quickly disappeared behind doors.
Al-Tol with disappointment looked at the leaving boy, transferred dark, with cheerful reproach, eyes to the friend.
“To run with food is the sin,” he instructively told Iskander.
“There is no need for children to eavesdrop on the conversations of adults.”
Amelik sighed.
Iskander and Amelik plunged into discussions of business details of the forthcoming holy war.
*A god in the religion of Itwatt
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