Chapter 40: Cooked And Eaten

When the unfortunate Italian was fully recovered from his operation, he was taken into a small annexe to the harem where the newly recruited eunuchs were schooled in their duties, until the Chief Eunuch deemed them capable of looking after the Emir's wives and concubines. A gruelling time followed for Ernesto, for three reasons. He was not a young boy who can learn things quickly; he spoke only the most rudimentary Kobekistani; and his background did not include the concept of slavery, so he was always aware that he was not there of his own free will.

The problems he had often centred round the use of the small dog-whips carried by all the harem eunuchs. Naturally, whipping someone is a skill which needs to be learned, and so the trainees had to practice. The only available bodies for this purpose were each others' and Ernesto came in for more than his fair share of being whipped, because the others were almost all young boys, so the oldest were whipped the most.

All things pass, however, and the day eventually came when the Chief Eunuch pronounced him ready to go to work in the harem. All the trainees, when they left the school annexe, served for a time in the kitchens where any mistakes they made would not be seen by the higher ranking members of the harem, so Ernesto had no opportunity of seeing Rubina, or Nabiha as everyone in the harem called her. Because he had been castrated as an adult, and because the Chief Eunuch had exhorted the Chief Medical Officer to do so, the testicles had been removed without impairing any of the other functions of the body, and so Ernesto was still capable of an erection and so of satisfying a woman's needs, without the contact amounting to full sexual congress by the Kobekistani system of casuistry. He was, therefore, kept quite busy by those women of the kitchen staff who were not cut and sewn, and the Chief Eunuch expected he would be in much demand when he moved into the concubines' area of the harem.

The Emir had ordered that the Chief Eunuch notified him before moving Ernesto into the main harem, and this was duly done.

"Don't move him until tomorrow," ordered the Emir, "and meanwhile prepare a special meal for Nabiha. Take the man's testicles and have them minced and made into a small hamburger. She is to eat it fried with chips this evening as her main meal. Tomorrow, ensure that she and the man meet in the harem."

"As the Master wishes," said the Chief Eunuch, who now understood why Ernesto's balls had been kept frozen.

"What is it?" asked Nabiha, when the hamburger was put before her.

That does not concern you. It is the Emir, may he live for ever, your Master's express wish that you eat this meal. It was prepared specially for you," said the Chief Eunuch.

"I don't want it," she said.

"There are easier ways of disposing of you than by preparing a special poisoned meal," said the Chief Eunuch, correctly diagnosing the reason for her reluctance.

Then he called Zeinab over, "Here, Zeinab will be your taster. Select a small portion for her to eat."

"What is it?" asked Zeinab.

"It is a special meal which the Emir, may he live for ever, ordered for Nabiha and which she fears is poisoned. I told her that our Master would not waste the time and effort of having her poisoned when there are so many easier or more amusing ways of killing her."

Unhesitatingly, Zeinab ate the small portion she was given. Seconds later she clutched at her throat and fell to the floor. Nabiha screamed abuse at the Chief Eunuch and then bent down to try to help Zeinab. When she pulled the girl's hands from her face, she realised that Zeinab was convulsed with laughter, and trying to get up.

"Fooled you both," said Zeinab, giggling still with girlish glee.

The Chief Eunuch was not amused and said so forcefully, so Zeinab left them, well aware that she had better be on her best behaviour for the next few days. Nabiha ate the meal without further comment, though she did not much like the taste. She surmised, quite wrongly, that it was pork, which was only very rarely available in the harem, since it was forbidden to so many of the women by their religious scruples.