Free Tiger Thief by Michaela Clarke

the band of his trousers. Then, as he stepped carefully out of his hiding place his nose wrinkled in disgust. The air was foul with the stench of decay and sewage.
    Breathing as lightly as he could, he peered into the twilight, but before he could get his bearings, something hit him between the shoulder blades and he collapsed, winded, on to the ground.

Chapter Ten
SULEIMAN
    E mperor Suleiman tried to concentrate as he leaned over the campaign table, but it wasn’t easy. Rookh had brought him here to discuss their latest offensive, but instead he couldn’t stop thinking about the circus. How wonderful it must be to be free, like that boy with his beautiful white tiger! Unfortunately he knew that this could never be. He was the Emperor of the richest empire in the world. He had duties to perform, meetings to attend and armies to command.
    With a sigh he looked down at the maps that lay spread out before him. War. He knew it was a necessary evil if he was going to keep his empire safe. Rookh had explained it to him many times.
    “Yours is the richest empire in the world,” he’d said.“But it only got that way because your father stepped in to control the jinnis.”
    Suleiman had nodded. All his life he’d been hearing about these mysterious jinnis that threatened to bring him down if he so much as slept in the wrong position. Ugly, vicious creatures, everyone knew that their sole delight was to wreak havoc on the world of men. After all, it was the jinnis that had cast a curse on the Empire and brought famine to this once fertile land. Luckily, all the jinnis in the city had been enslaved, and now it was Suleiman’s responsibility to expand on the good work that his father had begun. Or so Rookh always told him.
    He was facing Rookh over the campaign table. On either side of him were two of his top generals, and in front of them all was a large map showing the frontiers of the Empire and positions of their troops. “So what do we need to do now?” he asked.
    Rookh bent down over the table. With a sweep of his hand he pointed at a green area on the map that lay far to the south of the City of Jewels. “These forests here need to go,” he said. “There are several towns in this area with jinnist sympathies.” His face twisted in distaste. “They even harbour
witches
.”
    “Oh dear,” said Suleiman. He knew all about witches. Old women who pretended to use plants to heal people, when in reality only proper doctors with a licence from the government could do that.
    Rookh unrolled a scroll and placed it on top of the map. “If Your Imperial Majesty would just sign here, thearmies can be dispatched,” he said.
    Suleiman sighed as he reached for the quill. He understood the logic behind this never-ending war. Jinnis lurked wherever there were green places. Some said they came and went from their world to our own through the roots of the trees, but he dimly remembered the gardens he’d played in as a baby, and he couldn’t help feeling curious about the forests that he’d only read about. Now as he looked down at that area of green on the map he felt slightly sick, and today, for the first time, he stopped before making his mark.
    “Isn’t there any other way?” he asked.
    Rookh looked at him sharply. “Your Majesty, are you questioning the value of our campaign?” he demanded.
    For a moment Suleiman glared back at Rookh. He was the Emperor after all, and Rookh was only his regent, but for some reason he couldn’t find a way to object. He’d been under his control for so long.
    As if sensing his reluctance, Rookh put his hand on the boy’s arm. “I know it pains you to do this,” he said. “But you must realise how important it is for the Empire to expand. The jinnis control the elements. It’s thanks to them that the earth is barren, the air is dry, the sun is so merciless and the rain refuses to fall. Only when they are
all
under our power will we be able to reverse this famine and bring life back