Although Calliope congratulated herself that she had been right about Achmed, she also kicked herself for not having anticipated the need for more formal clothing. Nothing irritated her more than being underdressed. Fortunately the prince was in much the same position as her, dressed as he was in a set of clothing scrounged from Markus. One of the servants who accompanied the elephant quickly dressed the prince in a silk robe, draping it over the simple pirate clothing before winding a turban around his forehead and fastening it with a ruby the size of a thumbnail, set into a gold band.

They moved through the city with considerable fanfare. Ahead of them the guards moved in an armored wedge, beating aside those who moved too slowly for their liking. The trumpets blared as they moved into a great open air bazzar where men and women of a dozen races bartered and traded. Every imaginable good appeared to be for sale. Fruit, carpets, brass, wonderous instruments, maps, swords and armor, arcana, perfume and a thousand other things beside. They were crammed into booths of canvas or wood, or simply piled in squares marked out by the flagstones. Smoke rose from brazzers where meat was being roasted, pungent spices assailed her from small eateries and cook shops. Suddenly she wanted very badly to be down amongst it all, exploring, but instead she sat beside Achmed as his elephant swayed its way up the slight hill towards the great arabesque encrusted gate which marked the entrance to the Pasha’s palace. 

They passed through into a large paved courtyard which was surrounded ornately maintained gardens. Water ran in tiled channels to fill elegant fountains which were fringed with lilies or large sinuous lotus blossoms that filled the courtyard with a subtle perfume which banished the dust. Dates and palms curled from the walls towards the sunlit center  creating covered walkways that were shaded from the sun. In the center of the courtyard a large tamaron tree stood majestically, greyish brown seed pods hanging from its branches in neat manicured clumps. A long set of steps lead up towards the palace itself. Rose petals had already been strewn along the sand stone steps and at each level a guard stood with a spear held at a perfect vertical.

“Ahhh My Lady Calliope,” Achmed said extending her a hand which she took.

“Allow me to repay your hospitality.”