o think of striking down the sultan, the anointed of God.
If Daoud entered this cave, he might never come out again. He might
leave it only to fall into the flames of hell. He seemed to see stars in
the depths of the cave, as if he were looking into the world beyond the
world. Somewhere among those stars, God dwelt in His paradise with those
He loved around Him, the Archangel Gabriel, and the Prophet, and Abraham
and Jesus, and the saints and martyrs of Islam.

_Is it God's will that I kill the sultan? How can I know?_

He could not know. But he did know that second only to his submission
to God, the most important thing in his life was devotion to his emir.
As Baibars said, his khushdashiya and his emir were all a Mameluke had.

He leaned closer to Baibars.

"Whoever dishonors my lord Baibars deserves instant death at the hands
of my lord's servant."

Baibars closed both eyes with a look of satisfaction.

"Have I asked you to kill--anyone?" he said.

"No, Effendi."

They sat in silence again. The desert wind hummed in the ropes of
Baibars's tent, and the poles shifted and creaked.

"If someone wished to kill Qutuz," said Baibars, "he should recall that
we are now very close to El Kahira. Once Qutuz rides on streets
festooned with silks and carpeted with flowers, once people see him as
the victor of the Well of Goliath, they will love him too much. They
would never accept his being taken from them. We could not control their
fury."

Daoud said, "Tomorrow, when he holds audience at the palace of the
governor of Bilbeis, men from all over the district with requests for
favors, with claims, with grievances, will surround him, clamoring.
Anyone could easily approach him."

Baibars nodded. "Let him be struck down before the eyes of many. Let it
be like a public sacrifice. I would rather see it done so than by poison
or ambush." His thin lips curved in a smile. "I seem to recall that you,
too, have a preference for taking vengeance in public."

"If the other emirs demand that he who killed the sultan be punished,"
said Daoud, "you will have to sacrifice your servant."

Baibars's face tightened. "They will not. They will accept what you and
I do."

"Nevertheless, if it seems needful to secure your place on the throne,
you must give the killer up. You will not have to explain that to me.
And you will still be my lord. My father."

"Ah, Daoud," Baibars said. Daoud saw a wetness in both Baibars's eyes
now, the