And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga 1)

Lada’s fingers tightened around her sword hilt.

“I have had an offer of marriage from Constantine,” Mara said.

Mehmed could not hide his surprise. “Constantine?”

“I suspect he thinks it will soften your alliance with my father and Serbia, since it was in large part due to my influence that my father stayed out of the conflict at Varna. Losing Serbia as a vassal state would be a blow to your empire, and an embarrassment to your recent ascension to the throne. Europe does not expect much from you.”

Mehmed nodded, his face now carefully impassive. “I am surprised at his boldness. And his speed. Though I wonder at your wisdom in telling me.”

Lada did not question it. Mara had something behind this. She was too smart to let an opportunity go to waste.

Mara shrugged, tilting her head. “God has freed me. I will never marry again. I have already written Constantine a refusal, which I will sign and send as soon as I am on my way home to Serbia.”

Mara had no sword, but she had effectively used herself as a weapon. Mehmed could not harm her without risking his alliance with her father; and if he angered her, he risked strengthening Constantinople’s chances at more allies. She would not be used in any way other than the one she chose.

A sudden, fierce envy seized Lada. All Mara’s patience had paid off. She had written her own fate, free of the men who tried to engineer it for her.

Mehmed stood and inclined his head respectfully. “I shall make the arrangements immediately. We will have you on your way in the morning with gifts for yourself and your father, and a renewed peace treaty to deliver with my blessing.”

Mara stood, dipping into a graceful curtsy. Her smile for Lada this time was genuine. Then, without expressing gratitude for the escape she had crafted all on her own, she walked from the room.

“I will miss her,” Lada said.

Mehmed laughed. “That does not surprise me. She always was the most fearsome of my father’s wives.”

“And with fearsome wives on our minds…” Lada nodded toward the door, where Huma waited, supported by a eunuch.

“Concubine. Never a wife.” Huma spoke with a tremble that had not been there before. Her skin was a shade of yellow that made Lada want to look away, the full body she had been so proud of before now wasted beneath her slack robes.

“Mother.” Mehmed rose to help her sit. “You did not need to come.”

“Of course I came. You are my son. The sultan.”

Lada had expected pride, even exultation, but the words sounded as though they tasted bitter on Huma’s tongue.

“But there is no question of your future,” Mehmed said. “You will stay here, in the palace.”

“It is not my future that concerns me. We need to discuss plans. We got you to the throne; now we must ensure that you keep it.”

Mehmed shook his head, taking her hands in his. “This is not for you to worry about. I want you to concentrate on getting well.”

She continued as though he had not spoken. “We can do nothing about Orhan for now, but there is the matter of little Ahmet, your half brother. He is a threat that must be addressed.”

Mehmed shifted away from her. “I will make arrangements to send him to an estate in the country, where he will be safe.”

Huma coughed, the sound rattling between her shrunken breasts. “Safe? You want to keep your closest rival for the throne safe?”

“He is an infant.”

“He will not always be one. Think of your father, the years he wasted fighting his own brothers. They nearly pulled the empire apart. We cannot allow the same thing to happen with you and Ahmet!”

Mehmed dropped her hands and stood, glowering. “This is not a matter of we, Mother. I am well aware of the perils of the future. I will keep Ahmet safe—safely away from here, safely out of the reach of any who would use him against me, safely separated from poor Halima his mother, or anyone who would put his interests above my own. He will grow up a prisoner. Forgive me if I do not wish to dwell on it.”

Huma’s expression matched his in ferocity, and it struck Lada how alike they looked. There was an intensity to their faces, something about their eyes that pierced whatever they set their sights on.

Then Huma collapsed into herself, giving in to her illness and exhaustion. “At least tell me you have a plan for Halima. Put her to good use.”

Mehmed rubbed the space between his eyes. “Yes, yes. I am meeting with her soon. I think I will marry her to Ishak