Sharif stared at the Sultan, looking stunned. A single tear slid from an eye that no longer saw. “But why? Why did you have to kill her?”
“Because I thought it would avert this moment, because I thought I could stop you from coming here with your interstellar visitor. Clearly, I was wrong to think that I could.” The Sultan shook his head, his gaze on the floor. “I'm sorry, Sharif.”
Nadika glanced between them, realizing that the Sultan had acted out of self-preservation and not with the mere caprice of those who maintain a stranglehold on power.
Sharif's gaze refocused. “You're afraid.”
“I am.” Mehmed sighed, shaking his head. “Allah's designs for us are not always to our liking. Some people accept those designs with grace and aplomb, and they meet their fates with equanimity. Others l
