Enough to Buy an Army

An excerpt from my work-in-progress, The Word of the Enemy

From time to time I’ll post excerpts from my work-in-progress for premium subscribers. The Word of the Enemy is a sequel to my novel The Thread of Reason and tells the story of the civil war that shook eastern Islam following the death of the Sultan Malik-shah and his vizier (prime minister) Nizam al-Mulk:

The staircase augered deep underground. The aroma of damp earth greeted their descent. At last they reached the bottom of the stairs. A massive wooden door filled the arch in front of them, heavy with iron studs and guarded by four soldiers clad in full armor. They snapped to attention upon the arrival of the governor and the two emirs, the ends of their spears thudding smartly on the pavement. The governor removed a wooden key from his belt and turned the lock. Taking hold of the iron door ring he paused dramatically. Then he said, “Gentleman, behind this door lies the entire treasury of the Great Seljuq Empire. Three million gold dinars, more money than you’ve ever seen in one place. Be prepared to be amazed.”

Qumach wasn’t amazed.