They swam together for a long time, exploring more of the reef. Sikander found new things to look at every minute, and slowly came to realize that the reefs of Gadira might be one of the most interesting and beautiful environments he’d ever wandered into. Of course, his company might have colored his experience somewhat. In their last stop before heading back to the boat, Ranya removed her rebreather to grin at him, at which point he removed his to grin back and pull her close for a stolen kiss. The kiss itself was not particularly great—he tasted nothing but salt water, and their masks got in the way—but the feel of her slim body pressed close to his and the soft firmness of her breasts against his chest more than made up for the logistical problems. Her hand wandered down to give him a playful tug before she broke away to surface.
He glided up to surface beside her. “What was that?” he said, stripping off his mask.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she primly replied, and swam over to the ladder to climb back onto the yacht. Sikander made a point of swimming vigorously back and forth across the stern of the ship for a few moments more, mostly so that he could climb out of the water without announcing a conspicuous erection to everyone on board. When he judged it safe, he scrambled up the ladder and gratefully accepted the towel offered by a steward waiting for him.
“That was amazing,” he told Ranya, who was toweling off nearby. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like a field of wildflowers underwater.”
Ranya nodded. “We call them zahrabarh, sea flowers. Every planet has its own unique treasures, of course. The reefs are one of ours.” She finished with her towel, and slipped on a long white robe; Sikander realized that the air was growing chilly, and that the sun was already touching the horizon. “This might be my favorite place in the world.”
“I can see why.” Sikander toweled himself. “So what’s next?”
“We’ll be at the island villa in half an hour. We’ll have dinner and spend the night there—you’ll have one of the guest bungalows, of course—and perhaps swim or hike in the morning before sailing back.” Ranya’s smile faded a little. “Unfortunately, I really can’t stay away for more than a day or so right now.”
Shihab weighed anchor and got under way again, although this time she motored along slowly on her turbines—they were in the lee of the island, and there wasn’t enough breeze for the sails. Sikander rinsed off the seawater in an abovedecks shower, then went below to change into casual evening wear. By the time he finished and returned to the deck, the sun had sunk below the horizon, and the yacht was approaching an estate spread out along the beach of yet another bay. Some of the wooden buildings stood on piers extending out over the bay, while the palm trees and forested hillside screened the others. Festive lanterns hung from the trees.
Ranya personally showed Sikander and Darvesh to his bungalow when the yacht moored to the dock. They ate a leisurely dinner of Gadiran seasoned seafood kebobs and fine white wine on a veranda of the main house. “It’s sort of frowned upon in the more observant quarters, but the Montréalais can’t go anywhere without importing their wines, and many city-dwelling Gadirans have become enthusiasts,” Ranya explained. “In public functions at the palace, the sultan usually does not serve alcohol. Privately, wine in moderation is considered acceptable, and Socotra is a place where we may enjoy our privacy.”
After dinner, Sikander and Ranya strolled out to an open-sided bali hut perched at the end of a pier. Gadira’s moon gleamed low in the eastern sky, striking yellow-white reflections off the water. Sikander noticed that the small staff of servants remained in the main house, allowing the two of them quite a bit of space. They sat together for a long moment, gazing out at the moonlit bay.
“Thank you for sharing Socotra with me,” Sikander said. “The sailing trip, the swim at the reef, the dinner, and this beautiful place … I think my shipmates would be very jealous of me.”
“You are welcome, Sikay.” Ranya glanced back at the buildings and verandas of the sultan’s retreat, and sighed. “I shall miss it when I leave.”
“You are leaving?”
“In a few months. My uncle wants me to travel. He is sending me on an extended visit with distant relations in different parts of the Terran Caliphate.” Ranya shrugged. “I will have a chance to visit Terra, which I am looking forward to. How many people get a chance to see the homeworld of us all?”
“I haven’t yet, but I hope to one day,” said Sikander. “You sound as if you are not entirely satisfied with the arrangements, though.”
“I may be gone for two or three years.” Ranya gestured at the villa. “I worry about what I will find when I return.”
Sikander studied her features in the dim light. “What do you fear?” he asked.
“I worry whether my uncle will be in power much longer, and who will replace him if House Nasir falls,” she said in a quiet voice. “If it was just a matter of balancing the interests of the caids and the beys, I think we could manage it. But the offworld influences complicate everything. Someone is arming the Caidists with modern weapons. The Montréalais have supported our own forces for years, but now their own internal politics leave them unable or unwilling to help us meet this new threat. And I don’t know what to make of the sudden interest other powers have developed in Gadira.” She glanced back at him. “In fact, I have to admit that one of the reasons I asked you to join me on Shihab was to see whether I could learn something about Aquila’s intentions from you.”
Sikander smiled in the shadows. He had half an idea of what some of the other reasons might be, but he wasn’t particularly offended if she chose to mix some business with pleasure. One of the things he admired about Ranya was her intelligence. She was nobody’s fool; he suspected that things on Gadira might not be in such a state if her countrymen had been just a little more progressive about the notion of a female head of state.
“I don’t know what new insights I can offer, Ranya,” he answered. “Keeping in mind that I am not a diplomat … it’s my understanding that Aquila prefers the status quo. We want to see Montréal and Gadira continue their relationship, and we want to see an end of the current unrest so that Gadira becomes a safe place to do business again. I think that the el-Nasirs represent the best instrument for preserving the current balance of power, and helping you would be the easiest way to achieve our goals. Others think we ought to wait and see which faction or combination of factions gains the upper hand, and make them our new friends. I don’t agree with that point of view.”
“I am just an instrument for your goals?” Ranya asked with a mischievous smile.
“Well, you’re the one who lured me down to the ground so you could extract my secrets with your feminine wiles.”
“Feminine wiles?” she laughed. “Who says that?”
Sikander grinned. “I confess, I’ve been waiting for years to find the occasion to use that turn of phrase.”
She laughed again, and Sikander joined her. Then she sighed. “I’m sorry, Sikander. I suppose this wasn’t what you anticipated when we wandered out here. I wish I could put these things from my mind.”
“You are who you are, Ranya,” he said to her. “And I wouldn’t say I anticipated anything. Well, perhaps I hoped a little, but I wouldn’t have wanted to presume.”
“A few centuries ago, your head would have been struck off for entertaining those sorts of notions about the daughter of a sultan.” Ranya got to her feet and glanced back at the veranda; no one was in sight. Then she leaned down close over Sikander to kiss him soundly. He drank in the taste of her lips, the lovely scent of her perfume—and her sudden soft gasp as he slid one hand up under the hem of her dress to boldly caress her, counting on the shadows to conceal his movements.