Something is fishy about this. The only reason he'd need to some to us about a 4th level Druid spell is if he doesn't want it known locally what he's after. My first thought would be the Emir given the context, but that doesn't quite add up.
It's possible that whatever the Emir has been using is finally giving out, but past a certain point age is a sign of power not a source of weakness. If he lasted through the Sundering of all things it seems likely it'd need deliberate sabotage to fail now.
Given all that, it seems more likely it's for someone else. We need to determine if we're going to be used as a cutout in someone's escape plan, a dodge around some sort of immortality rules similar to our own laws, or if this is just some guy trying to solicit a bribe paid in a service more valuable than the amount of currency he thinks he could get away with asking for.
The last one is probably fine, but learning we just stepped on a local taboo or some sort of political play after the fact would suck.