Chapter 11: The Hammam
On the day before Prince Ahmad’s entourage was to leave on its trek to Marakh—while Hakem Rafi was searching the city for a way out and Jafar al-Sharif was searching for his daughter Selima—High Priest Umar bin Ibrahim went to the hammam with Yusef bin Nard, the priest who was to be in charge of the Royal Temple while Umar was away.
Umar had never liked Yusef bin Nard. For one thing, bin Nard had always been overly fond of astrology and prediction; to Umar, that indicated too strong an attachment to the temporal world and too little commitment to the life hereafter. While it was certainly within the province of holy men such as the prophet Muhmad at Sarafiq to read the weavings of destiny and interpret Oromasd’s design for the universe, Umar felt that his colleague
