"i will not allow you to renounce islam under any circumstances," hakim said.
she just looked back at the flames.
the minefield was all around them, all mines triggered, and though hakim was concentrating on her, his senses probed erikki, he of the knife, knowing the man was waiting too, playing a different game now that the problem was before them. should i have dismissed the guard? he asked himself, outraged by her threat, the smell of danger filling his nostrils. "whatever you say, azadeh, whatever you try, for the sake of your soul i would be forced to prevent an apostasy in any way i could. that's unthinkable."
"then please help me. you're very wise. you're khan and we have been through much together. i beg you, remove the threat to my soul and to my husband."
"i don't threaten your soul or your husband." hakim looked at erikki directly. "i don't."
erikki said, "what were those dangers you mentioned?"
"i can't tell you, erikki," hakim said.
"would you excuse us, highness? we must get ready to leave." azadeh got up. so did erikki.
"you stay where you are!" hakim was furious. "erikki, you'd allow her to forswear islam, her heritage, and her chance of life everlasting?"
"no, that's not part of my plan," he said. both of them stared at him, bewildered. "please tell me what dangers, hakim."
"what plan? you have a plan? to do what?"
"the dangers, first tell me what dangers. azadeh's islam is safe with me, by my own gods i swear it. what dangers?"
it had never been part of hakim's strategy to tell them, but now he was rocked by her intractability, aghast that she would consider committing the ultimate heresy, and further disoriented by this strange man's sincerity. so he told them about the telex and the pilots and airplanes fleeing, and his conversation with hashemi, noticing that though azadeh was as aghast as erikki, her surprise did not seem real. it's almost as though she already knew, had been present, both times, but how could she possibly know? he rushed on: "i told him you could not be taken in my house or domain or in tabriz, that i would give you a car, that i hoped you'd escape arrest, and that you would leave just before dawn."
erikki was shattered. the telex's changed everything, he thought. "so they'll be waiting for me."
"yes. but i did not tell hashemi i had another plan, that i've already sent a car into tabriz, that the moment azadeh was asleep i we "
"you'd've left me, erikki?" azadeh was appalled. "you'dtve left me without telling me, without asking me?"
"perhaps. what were you saying, hakim; please finish what you were saying."
"the moment azadeh was asleep i planned to smuggle you out of the palace into tabriz where the car is and point you toward the border, the turkish border. i have friends in khoi and they would help you across it, with the help of god," hakim added automatically, enormously relieved that he had had the foresight to arrange this alternate plan just in case it was needed. and now it's happened, he thought. "you have a plan?"
"yes."
"what is it?"
"if you don't like it, hakim khan, what then?"
"in that case i would refuse to allow it and try to stop it."
"i would prefer not to risk your displeasure."
"without my help, you cannot leave."
"i'd like your help, that's true." erikki was no longer confident. with mac and charlie and the rest gone how in hell could they do it so fast? why the hell didn't it happen while we were in tehran but thank all gods hakim's khan now and can protect azadeh it's clear what savak'ii do to me if they catch
me, when they catch me. "you were right about the danger. you think i could sneak out as you said?"
"hashemi left two policemen on the gate. i think you could be smuggled out somehow it should be possible to distract them i don't know if there're others on the road down to the city but there may be, more than likely there would be. if they're vigilant and you're intercepted... that's god's will."
azadeh said, "erikki, they're expecting you to go alone, and the colonel agreed not to touch you inside tabriz. if we were hidden in the back of an old truck we only need a little luck to avoid them."
"you cannot leave," hakim said impatiently, but she did not hear him. her mind had leaped to ross and gueng and the previous escape, and how difficult those two had found it even though they were trained saboteurs and fighters. poor gueng. a chill went through her. the road north's as difficult as the one south, so easy to ambush us, so easy to put up roadblocks. not so far in miles to khoi, and past khoi to the frontier, but a million miles in time and with my bad back... i doubt if i could walk even one of them.
"never mind," she muttered. "we'll get there all right. with the help of god we'll escape."
hakim flared, "by god and the prophet, what about your oath, azadeh?"
her face was very pale now and she held on to her fingers to stop the tremble. "please forgive me, hakim, i've told you. and if i'm prevented from leaving with erikki now, or if erikki won't take me with him, i'll escape somehow, i will, i swear it." she glanced at erikki. "if mac and all the others have fled, you could be used as a hostage."
"i know. i have to get out as fast as i can. but you have to stay. you can't give up your religion just because of the two years, much as i loathe leaving you."
"would tom lochart leave sharazad for two years?"
"that's not the point," erikki said carefully. "you're not sharazad, you're the sister of a khan and you swore to stay."
"that's between me and god. tommy wouldn't leave sharazad," azadeh said stubbornly, "sharazad wouldn't leave her tommy, she lov "
"i must know your plan," hakim interrupted coldly.
"sorry, i trust no one in this."
the khan's eyes narrowed to slits, and it took all of his will not to call the guard. "so there's an impasse. azadeh, pour me some coffee, please." at once she obeyed. he looked at the huge man who stood with his back to the fire. "isn't there?"
"please solve it, hakim khan," erikki said. "i know you to be a wise man and i would do you no harm, or azadeh harm."
hakim accepted the coffee and thanked her, watched the fire, weighing and sifting, needing to know what erikki had in his mind, wanting an end to all this and erikki gone and azadeh here and as she always was before, wise and gentle and loving and obedient and muslim. but he knew her too well to be sure she would not do as she threatened, and he loved her too much to allow her to carry out the threat.
"perhaps this would satisfy you, erikki: i swear by god i will assist you, providing your plan does not negate my sister's oath, does not force her to apostasize, does not put her in spiritual danger or political danger..." he thought a moment, "... does not harm her or harm me and has a chance of success."
azadeh bridled angrily. "that's no help, how can erikki possib "
"azadeh!" erikki said curtly. "where are your manners? keep quiet. the khan was talking to me, not you. it's my plan he wants to know, not yours."
"sorry, please excuse me," she said at once, meaning it. "yes, you're right. i apologize to both of you, please excuse me."
"when we were married, you swore to obey me. does that still apply?" he asked harshly, furious that she had almost ruined his plan, for he had seen hakim's eyes cross with rage and he needed him calm, not agitated.
"yes, erikki," she told him immediately, still shocked by what hakim had said, for that closed every path except the one she had chosen and that choice petrified her. "yes, without reservation, provided you don't leave me."
"without reservation yes or no?"
pictures of erikki flashed through her mind, his gentleness and love and laughter and all the good things, along with the brooding violence that had never touched her but would touch anyone who threatened her or stood in his way, abdollah, johnny, even hakim particularly hakim.
without reservation, yes, she wanted to say, except against hakim, except if you leave me. his eyes were boring into her. for the first time she was afraid of him. she muttered, "yes, without any reservation. i beg you not to leave me."
erikki turned his attention to hakim: "i accept what you said, thank you." he sat down again. azadeh hesitated, then knelt beside him, resting her arm on his knees, wanting the contact, hoping it would help to push away her fear and anger with herself for losing her temper. i must be going mad, she thought. god help me...
"i accept the rules you've set, hakim khan," erikki was saying quietly. "even so i'm still not going to tell you my pl wait, wait, wait! you swore you'd help if i didn't put you at risk, and i won't. instead," he said carefully, "instead i'll give you a hypothetical approach to a plan that might satisfy all your conditions." unconsciously his hand began stroking her hair and her neck.
she felt the tension leaving her. erikki watched hakim, both men ready to explode. "all right so far?"
"go on."
"say hypothetically my chopper was in perfect shape, that i'd been pretending i couldn't start her properly to throw everyone off, and to get everyone used to the idea of the engines starting and stopping, say i'd lied about the fuel and there was enough for an hour's flight, easily enough to get to the border an "
"is there?" hakim said involuntarily, the idea opening a new avenue.
"for the sake of this hypothetical story, yes." erikki felt azadeh's grip tighten on his knee but pretended not to notice. "say in a minute or two, before we all went to bed, i told you i wanted to try to start her again. say i did just that, the engines caught and held enough to warm her and then died, no one'd worry the will of god. everyone'd think the madman won't leave well alone, why doesn't he quit and let us sleep in peace? then say i started her, pushed on all power and pulled her into the sky. hypothetically i could be away in seconds provided the guards didn't fire on me, and provided there were no hostiles, green bands, or police with guns on the gate or outside the walls."
the breath escaped from hakim's lips. azadeh shifted a little. the silk of her dress rustled. "i pray that such a make-believe could come to pass," she said.
hakim said, "it would be a thousand times better than a car, ten thousand times better. you could fly all the way by night?"
"i could, providing i had a map. most pilots who've spent time in an area keep a good map in their heads of course, this is all make- believe."
"yes, yes it is. well, then, so far so good with your make-believe plan. you could escape this way, if you could neutralize the hostiles in the forecourt. now, hypothetically, what about my sister?"
"my wife isn't in on any escape, real or hypothetical. azadeh has no choice: she must stay of her own accord and wait the two years." erikki saw hakim's astonishment and felt azadeh's instant rebellion under his fingers. but he did not allow his fingers to cease their rhythm on her hair and neck, soothing her, coaxing her, and he continued smoothly, "she is committed to stay in obedience to her oath. she cannot leave. no one who loves her, most of all me, would allow her to give up islam because of two years. in fact, azadeh, make-believe or not, it is forbidden. understand?"
"i hear what you say, husband," she said through her teeth, so angry she could hardly speak and cursing herself for falling into his trap.
"you are bound by your oath for two years, then you can leave freely. it's ordered!"
she looked up at him, and said darkly, "perhaps after two years i might not wish to leave."
erikki rested his great hand on her shoulder, his fingers lightly around her neck. "then, woman, i shall come back and drag you out by your hair." he said it so quietly with such venom that it froze her. in a moment she dropped her eyes and looked at the fire, still leaning against his legs. he kept his hand on her shoulder. she made no move to remove it. but he knew she was seething, hating him. still, he knew it was necessary to say what he had said.
"please excuse me a moment," she said, her voice like ice.
the two men watched her leave.
when they were alone hakim said, "will she obey?"
"no," erikki said. "not unless you lock her up and even then... no. her mind's made up."
"i will never, never allow her to break her oath and renounce islam, you must understand that, even... even if i have to kill her."
erikki looked at him. "if you harm her, you're a dead man if i'm alive."
at the northern slums of tabriz city: 10:36 p.m. in the darkness the first wave of green bands rushed the door in the high wall, blew the locks off, and went into the inner patio with guns blazing. hashemi and robert armstrong were across the square in the comparative safety of a parked truck. other men lurked in the alley to cut off any retreat.
