“I have heard about the death of Lord Abbas and Lord Bahir…but what brings you here?” Salah Ed Din demanded; too late, the boy had fainted.
“See if you can save him, Jacob. It looks bad, but I must know what he is talking about. I shall be back in a short while; it is time for me to talk to my commanders,” the sultan said as he strode out of the tent.
As soon as he finished his conference, the sultan returned with a few of his senior commanders and they sat facing the carpet where the boy lay. Jacob looked up. “God is keeping him with us, my lord, and he has said one thing.”
“What was that?” the sultan enquired.
“He said that a man called Suleiman told him to warn you about a poet named Umarah, and Lord Bahir, and some other name. He said that these men are plotting against you, but he never finished. He cried that Suleiman had saved Abbas’s wife and something about a fire. Suleiman told him to find you and to warn you that there is danger in the city of Al Qahirah. He did not know exactly what, but he is sure it is against you.”
There was consternation among the commanders. They all stared at the ragged form on the bed, now gasping for breath.
“Who is this Suleiman he talks of? Should I know him?”
“Perhaps yes, my lord, he was one of the players on Abbas’s side during the game of chogan,” one of the sultan’s officers said diffidently. “He made sure my lord Abbas was protected when he had the accident.”
The Sultan smiled and said, “Yes I remember now, the one who looks somewhat like a Frank?”
“Yes my lord, but he is a loyal servant of my lord Abbas…I mean he was.”
“But I have had messenger pigeons, admittedly two days ago, which told me about the death of Abbas. They said it was a murder by the Hashashini, Allah curse them. Although why the Hashashini would want to kill Abbas, only God knows.”
“We also had a messenger sent here by Lord Kemosiri, your honor, who said the same thing about the murder of Bahir,” another commander stated.
The boy tried to sit up, his eyes swiveling wildly as though he had heard the conversation. Jacob tried to restrain him but it was as though he was driven.
“Suleiman is hiding my Lady from them.”
“Who are they hiding from?” This question came from one of the commanders.
Gasping for air, Haytham said, “One of the men …was Lord Bahir, and another was called Umarah, but there is another. I…I cannot remember his name.” Two small tears fell from his closed eyes in frustration.
“But the sultan must be prepared for danger when he comes back,” the boy finished in a short breath and then lay back in the cradle of the physician’s arms.
The sultan leaned forward, wondering if the effort might have cost the boy what remained of his life.
“My lord, I must ask respectfully that we cease asking questions for now and wait until I have helped him recover, or he will die. As it is, he is on the edge of leaving us,” Jacob said to the sultan, who nodded in reluctant agreement.
“Bring me that messenger who was here,” Salah Ed Din said abruptly; his face was grim.
Men ran to do his bidding. Meanwhile the sultan’s lean face was thoughtful.
“Are we talking about the poet Umarah? And what has Bahir got to do with any of this?” he mused.
Men nodded uncomfortably. They were stunned by the news, but the manner of its delivery could not be more convincing.
A man rushed up to the entrance of the tent and was admitted at once. He fell to his knees as he came before the seated sultan.
“My lord. The messenger you asked about is gone. They say he left this morning.”
“Catch him! Send men after him at once! I want to know more about this messenger.”
Two of his officers and the soldier got to their feet and rushed out of the tent.
The sultan turned to look down at Haytham. “It would appear that he might have done me a great service. Allah in his kindness let him find me and deliver vital news. For this he will be well rewarded. Assuming he lives, Insha’Allah.”
He turned to his commanders and said. “Break camp. We are marching back to Al Qahirah at once.”
* * * * *
That same dawn broke over the wide expanse of the river Nile. It was almost midsummer now and the heat was already beginning to be felt even on this vast water. The floods were about to commence, which would bring new hazards to the river traffic.
Talon and Panhsj leaned on the wooden side of the falukah watching the distant river bank. They were concerned that they might have been noticed and that even now the enemy could be riding along the main road that ran almost alongside the river to try to intercept them.
“The river will soon be overflowing its banks, but not yet, so horsemen can still ride along that road if they have a mind to,” Panhsj remarked, pointing with his chin towards the embankments.
It had been a long, sleepless night for both of them. The family had found what comfort they could in among the bales of flax and cordage and slept restlessly, but the two men stayed awake searching the waters behind them for any sign of pursuit. Talon’s eyes were gritty with lack of sleep and those of Panhsj were red from the same.
It would be a few hours before they docked at the fort of Beneade, and that would be the most vulnerable time. Talon’s bow was strung and his arrows near to hand.
He was surprised to see Khalidah walking towards him along the side deck of the boat. Panhsj seemed to sense that she wanted to talk to Talon, so he bowed and walked back towards the helmsman.
Talon bowed to the veiled woman in front of him and could not help but admire her composure. There were not many women, he reflected, who could endure the privations of the tunnels, suffer a night in a cargo boat, and remain seemingly calm and in control.
“My Lady?” he murmured.
“Do you think it will end now, Suleiman? Will my son be safe from harm once we are at my husband’s estates?”
“Much depends upon whether the sultan comes back to Al Qahirah and how swiftly he unravels the plot against him, if there is one, my Lady,” Talon said cautiously.
“You sent Haytham the syce boy to the sultan, did you not?”
“Yes, but much can happen on such a journey…I have no idea if he was successful; that is in Allah’s hands.”
“So we could be going into a trap?”
“It is possible, my Lady. I do not know if Malek has heard about the death of my lord.”
“Suleiman…” She stopped and looked directly at him. “Did you kill Bahir?”
Talon looked back at her. He frowned. “Why do you think I did, my Lady?”
“Because of what Panhsj does not say. He has changed so much towards you, and he was very quiet when the news arrived about it the other night. He did not leave that night; however, I wonder if perhaps you did.”
Talon shrugged. “Bahir is dead, my Lady, and deserved to die; what does it matter who did it?”
“It matters to me, Suleiman. You promised me revenge. I think, no, I am sure I now have that, so your obligations to my husband are paid.”
She held his eyes. Then in a low voice, “Do you not hate, Suleiman?” she asked.
“Whom should I hate, my Lady?” Talon asked in a quiet voice.
“I hate them, whomsoever have done this to my husband and my family. Yes, I do hate them!” she responded fiercely. “But, you do not seem to; if you do, you hide it well. How then do you kill so easily?”
“I am a slave, my Lady. It is my duty to protect you,” Talon answered in a wooden tone.
She stared at him for a moment longer, then she sighed as though accepting that she could not penetrate his reserve.
“I would give you back the freedom that was taken from you. I do so now, but I also beg you to stay with me until my son is safe and can inherit, without fear of being murdered. Will you do this one last thing for me, Suleiman?”
Her veil had slipped a little, exposing more than just her eyes, and he could see
her perfect features clearly in the light of the dawn. Her eyes pleaded with him.
He smiled grimly. “I cannot refuse you, my Lady…I could never do that. Yes, I shall stay by you. I ask only that one day you allow me and my companion Max to leave.”
Her eyes were solemn. “You have my word on it. May Allah bless you, Suleiman, for you are a good friend.”
She turned and pointed. “Look, there is a blue heron! Jasmine,” she called. “There is the heron. I am sure it is one of those that live not far from Beneade.” Then she smiled at Talon, and he realized that he was no longer a slave.
The ragged and filthy children came at her call and stood with them at the bows of the falukah watching the life along the river as they sped south. They were unrecognizable from their former clean and well dressed condition, but there was a lighter mood in the air as they contemplated the hoped-for safety of the estate at the Fayoum.
Talon left them to join Panhsj, leaning against the side and watching the shore line intently. “We are not far from Beneade,” he remarked.
“We should keep my Lady and the children out of sight, for when we come in closer to shore a sharp eye would see us from some way off, I fear,” Talon answered as he rested against the handrail.
“What did my Lady need of you?” Panhsj asked him, his eyes watching the river bank.
“She gave me my freedom, but asked me to stay,” Talon told him.
Panhsj’s face was inscrutable. “I know this much about you now, Suleiman. You might have agreed to stay. But it is only for a while, and then you will leave…”
“Yes, my friend, but not until we are both sure that she and her children are safe.”
Panhsj gripped his hand. “Allah be praised! Then I will not feel so alone,” he said with a grin. “Go and ask her to endure one more discomfort and we shall ensure that they get to the estate safely.”
Talon walked slowly back to where Khalidah and the two children stood; they too were leaning over the side watching the shoreline. Kazim was pointing at the east side at some long black objects lying on the muddy beach.
“Bahir told us about those creatures, Mamma. They can eat a horse whole!”
Talon smiled; at least their minds were off their perilous situation for a few minutes.
Jasmine gave a theatrical shudder. “They look like monsters. I hope we never see them doing that to an animal,” she said.
Khalidah patted her on the shoulder. “We will keep away from the shore and only take a boat. Then Insha’Allah we will be safe,” she told Jasmine with a smile.
Talon bowed to Khalidah. “My Lady, I have to ask one more thing from you before we land. Please go the center of the boat and hide there until we are sure we do not have an unpleasant welcome at Beneade.”
Before long the small fort and cluster of houses that made up the village of Beneade came into sight. The men on the boat redoubled their intense scrutiny of the boats nearby, the banks of the river and even the fort itself. The mud walls of the fort gave little away. There was the usual bustle going on around it of a small but busy trading corner. The river that ran from Fayoum began here; hence there were many fishing boats and small cargo falukahs plying back and forth.
Talon could see bales of flax lying on the wooden jetty. There were salt ingots stacked high on the bank nearby. Some of the flax bales were being manhandled down into a boat that would carry them north for conversion to the linen cloth much needed in the city of Cairo. Another boat was loading salted fish and grain. Talon did not see anyone staring at them suspiciously, but that did not mean there wasn’t anyone interested in their boat.
The boatmen skillfully brought their falukah alongside one of the more deserted areas of the quay and tied up. Jumping ashore and watching the busy quay with narrowed eyes, Panhsj kept his hand on his sword and told the two men with him, Hanif and Aahmes, to move along the quay to ensure that there was no one waiting for them on the river bank. After a tense few minutes, Hanif came back and waved, indicating that the way was clear.
Talon immediately assisted Khalidah and the children onto the quayside and they hurried along the boards, passing curious laborers and boatmen who must have wondered about these ragged people who were disembarking in such a furtive manner. However, no one wanted to ask the huge menacing Nubian any questions.
As they were clear of the small crowd, Panhsj ran ahead of them to the open gateway of the fort. There he used the authority of his deceased master to procure horses for them.
They waited in a group near the main gate for the horses to be prepared, the men standing in a protective circle around the family. Talon had been watching the docks, searching for any clues as to the presence of a spy, when he saw something that bothered him.
Two men were pushing off in a small boat. Nothing unusual in that, but his suspicions were aroused because of the intent way one of them was watching the group by the gate. He showed far too much interest in them for Talon’s liking.
He decided to be sure. “Stay here!” he called out to Panhsj and ran towards the two men who, having seen him coming at them, scrambled hurriedly about their boat and pushed off hastily into the water. One of them was already on board and fumbled frantically to release the bindings for the sail which now dropped, and the small light boat surged forward out onto the river as the wind caught it. The second man, after pushing the boat out, fell into it and joined the other man hauling on the sail. They looked fearfully over their shoulders at Talon, who was by now on the beach.
Talon hesitated for a moment, but then notched an arrow and, taking quick aim, sent it speeding on its way. However the men were by now too far out, and apart from a distant shout of alarm from one of them as they realized what he had done, they were safe. The arrow dropped into the water a few paces behind them. They shook their fists at Talon, although they were careful not to stand up and present him with a better target.
Talon saw no reason to send another arrow after the first but he was sure that these men were heading back to whomsoever had sent them, with the news that the family of Abbas had come home. He watched them for a few moments more as their boat joined the other water traffic on the river and was soon out of sight. Finally he turned and hurried back to the fort to be met by a concerned Panhsj, who asked what had happened.
“I think they were spies who will sail back to the city and report that we have escaped and that my Lady is now here,” Talon said angrily.
Panhsj sighed, “I had hoped for more time before this happened.”
“I too. Allah’s will, but we needed some time for the family to get over their ordeal. Now we have to think of a way to either defend the estate or go somewhere else.”
“The first thing we need to do is to get them home,” Panhsj said.
They sent Aahmes off at a gallop to alert Malek of their arrival, and to ask him to come and meet them with an escort. Then the group set off at a fast pace to get as much distance as possible between them and the great river.
It was but a half hour later that they saw dust ahead of them and stopped warily to see who it might be. They need not have worried; it was Malek in full battle regalia accompanied by a contingent of mounted men carrying lances, and they were galloping hard towards them.
Talon noticed someone else with Malek. It was Max, looking more like an Egyptian with his loose turban and clothes, but there was no mistake, it was Max. His heart leapt; his friend looked fit and well. Malek reined up, looking grim, and bowed from the saddle to Khalidah, his keen glance taking in their filthy and disheveled condition.
“Allah be praised that you are safe, my ladies, and you, my lord. We have not known anything for days and I feared the worst.”
“We would not have even lived had it not been for Suleiman and Panhsj here, Malek. God be praised that we are home, although my husband has perished along with many others…at the hands of murderers,” Khalidah told him, but her voice was steady.
Malek looked his shock. “We had heard that there had b
een an accident, my Lady, but not that my lord had been murdered!”
“They broke his back in the game, and then he was murdered in our own house,” Khalidah stated shortly.
“May Allah in all his mercy speed his soul to paradise, my Lady. Our loss is beyond mere words and our tears shall flow like a river,” Malek intoned, clearly horrified. He dashed some tears from his eyes and became focused.
“My Lady, I am sorely unhappy to find you in this condition, but how this came to be will have to wait until we have you safe in the walls of the estate. We are deeply honored to welcome you home.”
With a tight smile to Talon and Panhsj he escorted them to waiting horses. Surrounded by the guards, they quickly covered the remaining miles to the estate, where they were greeted by the entire population, who clapped and ululated and called to the weary travelers as they dismounted. During the short ride back Talon and Max did not have the chance to talk, but rode alongside until they too dismounted.
Khalidah and the children were whisked away by her wailing womenfolk, who were horrified at their condition. They disappeared into the house where the cries and wails finally became muted by its thick walls. Max and Talon embraced hard.
“Ah, but it is good to see you, my young friend,” Max said quietly, but his smile was huge.
“I have missed you sorely, my brother,” Talon greeted him.
Then they turned and faced Malek, who embraced Panhsj. Malek had tears in his eyes when he opened his arms for Talon and his embrace was hard. He banged Talon on the back just like his brother used to do.
“There is much to tell, Malek, and little of it good,” Talon told him.
“And there is still danger which you need to understand,” Panhsj growled, after he had gripped hands with Max.
“My Lady will be well looked after, as will the children. I do not think she will want to talk until later in the day, so we can eat and talk about this, including…including my brother,” Malek added, his face tight. He was stricken. Panhsj had told him of Bilal’s fate as they rode. Nonetheless he clapped his hands for a boy to come running. The syce had taken the horses and they were walking towards the time honored place where they had always eaten in the past.
Assassination in Al Qahira Page 31
