Kasia drew in a breath when the slice of golden light reflected off her brother’s sword by the river. The day had come. There he stood, his army of would-be Immortals
behind him. So many. So many had come to him these eleven months to learn.
Their enemies did not stand a chance. Not against spirits such as her people had. People who fought for a Law the world could not understand.
Xerxes slid an arm around her waist. “All the other armies in the other cities should be ready too. Pythius’s sons will lead the efforts in Sardis.”
“The Lord is with us. Can you feel him, my love?”
He breathed a laugh into her ear. “Have you still not given up on converting me?”
“Never.”
“Ahura Mazda swore he would destroy me through my wives, that he would take you from me. Jehovah prevailed, as I knew he would. Prevails still.” He kissed her cheek.
“Yes, I feel him. I trust him. The king of Persia can never be a Jew—but you know I love the living God.”
“Ima, she is getting heavy.”
Kasia smiled down at Zillah and took Leah from her arms. The boys chased each other around the wall, and she bit back a rebuke. Let them run. Let them laugh. There would be
fighting enough today.
Esther glided their way, Amani gripping a hand and Artaxerxes at her side. The boy stuck close to her. Ten years with Amestris had made him wary of Kasia, but he loved
Esther. Even now, when the world knew of her heritage.
But when Darius and Artaynte took their place beside Xerxes, Artaxerxes turned his face away from them.
Some hurts, some wrongs were still unforgiven. Even in the heart of a boy who could not remember them, who only heard of them from his mother’s lips.
Xerxes tensed, shifted. “The city is waking. People are coming out of their homes.”
“Perhaps they are only going to the markets,” Zillah murmured.
“No one will go to the markets today, my sweet.” Her father rested a hand on her shoulder. “If people leave their homes, it is in search of violence.”
“I did not think any would dare.” Esther sighed. “Come, children. I will take you all inside. We will pray.”
Artaxerxes stepped forward instead of back, his eyes trained on the shadows slinking through the streets, toward the Jewish section of the city. “Why do they do it, when
they know the consequences?”
“Hatred fuels many a bad decision, my son. Remember that.”
The boy shook his head at his father’s words. “Do you not worry the Jews will be hurt?”
“No,” Kasia said, smiling when he met her gaze. She shifted Leah on her hip and nodded toward the river.
Morning light bathed her brother’s army in promise while the enemy crept through darkness. “Our salvation is at hand.”
Author’s Note
Nothing inspires me like history—but in the past, actual historical events have only played limited (if crucial) roles in my novels. In Jewel of Persia, nearly every major
plot point revolved around a recorded event. The dreams Xerxes had of his god, the deposing of Amestris (Vashti), the day of darkness at Sardis, the battles of Thermopylae
and Salamis, the ill-fated affair between Xerxes and Artaynte that led to the deaths of Masistes and his wife, and of course the events in the book of Esther. All these
things are described either in the Bible or Herodotus’s Histories. Kasia is my own creation, along with the rest of her family and servants. Most other characters come from
history, though I occasionally had to provide a name for someone described only by their association with another.
There’s some debate among scholars whether Xerxes I is really the king mentioned in the book of Esther—primarily because Amestris reigned as queen mother during Artaxerxes
’ rule. Most read the book of Esther as saying Vashti was put to death, and therefore assume she couldn’t have been Amestris. But Esther only says she was deposed and
thrust from the king’s presence, and when you put the time lines of Esther and Herodotus together, things click into place beautifully. I feel mine is a safe way to read
the Biblical account.