Prince Ahmad had listened quietly to Jafar’s descriptions, and even in total darkness the somber tone of his voice indicated he was paying serious thought to the matter. “There must be a system of justice,” he said. “When I am king, criminals will be punished according to their due, but I’ll see that the innocent have naught to fear.” He paused, and added in an almost inaudible whisper, “If I am ever king.”
Umar, hearing the tone of hopelessness in the young man’s voice, changed the subject to prevent him from falling into a mood of resignation. “A discussion on criminal justice can wait for some more relaxed moment around a camp fire one night as we travel. For the moment we must bend our minds to getting out of here and finding the piece of the Crystal we need.
“In our current straits,
