Carnifex

28/7/467 AC, Hajar, Yithrab

"It's like a plague has descended upon our clan," said the family's chief, Bakr ibn Mohamed ibn Salah, min Sa'ana. "Mahrous in Anglia, Hassan in Gaul, little Ishmael in First Landing, Mohammed Khalifa, here in Hajar, Cousin Rashid to a knife from some woman he was in bed with . . . nineteen others . . . even that thoroughly misnamed little apostate houri in Helvetia, Adara, had her throat cut on the street."

"Well, as for Adara," said the brother, Yeslam, "that job we should have done ourselves."

"Of course," agreed Bakr. "But the point is, we didn't. And someone did. The pattern is too obvious to ignore, someone is trying to make our family extinct."

"And they don't care how many others they kill to do it, either," added Abdullah, also a brother and one of only two of the clan to graduate a Tauran or Columbian law school, the other being the late Adara. "How many killed along with Mahrous? More than twenty, wasn't it? So there's no protection in more guards, or in hiding behind innocents . . . not that we're not innocent . . . of course."

"Of course," agreed Bakr, very drily. "Of course." Bakr's eyes went up, scanning the ceiling as if expecting a bomb to burst through at any moment. "And you are right, 'of course.' Normal, even abnormal, security measures are fine for normal, or only somewhat abnormal, threats. But this threat—and despite the fact that every murder has been different, I am convinced there is a single agency behind it—this threat will escalate to any conceivable means to make us extinct. He must hate us a great deal."

"Mustafa!" both Abdullah and Yeslam said together. "Who does not hate us after what Mustafa has done?"

"Mustafa is a hero!" insisted Khadijah, stepmother of Mustafa and prouder of him, by far, than she was of her own children. "He fights for the Faith! He does his duty by Allah and the people!" She left out, unlike you sots who work, when you work, for mere money!

"Silence, woman," Bakr commanded. "We allowed you here as proxy for Mustafa. But let me tell you, were he here, himself, I would cut him down like a dog and offer his head and his balls to whoever is trying to extinguish us in the hope they'd stop."

All went silent then, even Khadijah who was known to be something of a shrew.

"We should have more expert assistance with this problem," said Abdullah.

"My eldest boy has a son with the army," offered Bakr. "Perhaps we should invite him. Yes, let us invite him. But let us also begin to set up a secure base, here, and call the clan home from their travels."

"It would cost much gold," observed Yeslam.

Bakr nodded, but said, "Much good the gold of this world will do us if we're killed."