Part 3, Chapters 17-18 Summary

In chapter seventeen, "Death and Dishonor," Aurangzeb takes the Red Fort in less than a day. He imprisons the Emperor in the Musamman Burj, the Octagonal Tower, where he can just glimpse the Taj Mahal from one of the windows. Jahanara is thrown into a cell with two hungry cheetahs. She finds out from her jailers that Aurangzeb has condemned Dara to death, along with Dara's young son. The charge is heresy.

Jahanara survives the night by thinking of Isa and Arjumand and hoping they are safe. She defends herself against the hungry cheetahs with an old bone. Just as she grows desperate, Ladli comes with raw meat for the big cats and information for Jahanara. Aurangzeb will not kill Jahanara for fear of angering the people and jeopardizing his hold on the throne. The next morning Aurangzeb fetches...