Several times Shammara had hired rimahniya assassins to enter the Temple of the Faith where Ahmad was being raised, but each time they were doomed to failure by the alertness of the priests of Oromasd. But not all her plans were so unsuccessful. Forging an alliance with the wali of police, she slowly tightened her grip on the city. Little was done without her permission, and she built slowly toward the day she could make her rule over Ravan more overt.
Shammara sent emissaries to all the neighboring kingdoms, bribing their way into favor and making allies for her on all sides. In particular she made a secret alliance with the weak King Basir of Marakh, finally convincing him to betray Prince Ahmad and marry his daughter Oma to Prince Haroun instead.
And even months before Prince Ahmad le
