Assassination in Al Qahira

by James Boschert

  Kemosiri snarled a curse and lurched forward, but he did not watch where he placed his foot. It went deep into a hole in the matted weeds. He sank up to his right knee and was struggling to extract himself when something dark charged out of the cane and seized him by his lower left leg in its massive jaws. Kemosiri turned to see what had grasped him so hard and then he screamed; it was a high, desperate scream of pure terror that froze Talon where he stood. He gaped, almost paralyzed with fear.

  He watched as Kemosiri try to escape the jaws of the huge crocodile, but it had a firm grip on his leg. The beast reared back, dragging Kemosiri with it. Then it stopped and, lifting its jaws, slightly opened and then clamped down harder. Kemosiri flailed frantically at the snout of the ferocious animal with his sword to no avail, and then the reptile did something that caused Talon to gasp in horror. It began to roll over and over. This drove Kemosiri onto his face and then onto his back several times. He was covered in mud. He had lost his turban, exposing his shaved head. He lost his sword and beat feebly at the nose that was close to his groin with his fists. Then he arched back in agony as the beast crunched down on his leg and crushed the bone; his eyes stood out white in his mud-covered face. The veins on his neck raised and his mouth was opened wide in silent agony.

  “Help me, in the name of God! No! No! Aaaaaah!” he shrieked, staring back at Talon. His voice choked off as the creature shook his whole body from side to side.

  Sickened at the sight, and badly shaken, Talon recovered enough to put Kazim, who was clinging to him and crying with fear, off to the side. He rushed to try and save his enemy, but he was far too late. A scream of warning from Kazim told him that another animal had arrived. It too attacked the still living Kemosiri, who had now lost his leg and was seized by his second assailant around his midsection. It was too late to do anything to stop the monsters as they fought over the body. Escape was urgent before the fearsome creatures turned their attention to them,

  Before their eyes and with incredible speed Kemosiri was dismembered by the two crocodiles, each being ten or more feet long. Massive jaws snapping, their tails lashing and bodies heaving, they fought over the remains of what had once been a man. Talon glanced at Akhom who was trying to crawl away, drooling with terror.

  “Kazim, run for the ship and do not stop for anything. Run, and mind your step!” he shouted to the boy who was transfixed by the horror he was witnessing. Talon had to shake him hard to wake him up and pushed him to make him go. Then the boy ran on wings of terror as though fleeing something from hell.

  Talon strode over to Akhom and said, “If you do anything I shall push you into their jaws, otherwise, you may live to tell about this plot.”

  “Take me with you. In Allah’s name, please take me with you, I beg of you!” the man babbled.

  Taking advantage of the crocodiles’ preoccupation with their victim, Talon hastened to help Akhom to his feet. They staggered off towards the ships. Other men were emerging from the brakes and fleeing the island back to the ships. The terrors they were encountering on the island far outweighed the fate that awaited them as prisoners.

  Talon kept glancing back at the two crocodiles fearfully; they terrified him. He became even more concerned when one of them, looked around, noticed their clumsy flight and began to follow them. He could not believe how quickly it could move on the shaking surface. They had only twenty yards to go to the side of the ship, but the uneven and treacherous surface of the matting beneath their feet impeded their progress. The creature gained on them. Talon was on the verge of dropping Akhom to face his attacker when he heard a shout, and other men ran past him, yelling at the creature and warding it off with spears.

  It hissed its anger through its gaping, bloody jaws which displayed two sets of jagged teeth, still holding fragments of flesh and bone. With loud shouts and prods from their spears, the men held it off while Talon was assisted over the side of the ship.

  “Tie him, he is my prisoner,” he gasped, pointing at Akhom.

  Akhom was seized, and despite his cries of pain, was securely bound before anyone bothered to pull out the arrow.

  Talon stared back over the side at the men still holding back the hissing, jaw-snapping brute. Its tail lashing with anger, the crocodile was slowly driven away and must have decided that there were easier pickings elsewhere. It lumbered slowly back towards the papyrus and cane forest.

  Talon slid down to sit on the deck, resting his head against the side of the ship with his eyes closed and gasping for breath, his arms hugging his knees. He felt a surge of relief at having escaped the jaws of the river monsters, but he shuddered involuntarily as he relived the ghastly death he had just witnessed. Max scrambled over the side nearby and hastened to Talon’s side. “What happened, Suleiman, are you hurt? What in God’s name happened out there?” Max asked as be bent over Talon.

  Max was joined by Panhsj, who appeared groggy and had a rag tied around his head and another wide bandage across his bare chest.

  “Panhsj, Allah be praised, you live!” Talon cried.

  “Allah be praised indeed, Suleiman. I am alive despite their efforts to kill me.” The big man gave a lopsided grin. Malek was calling and waving to them from their own ship. Talon noticed Khalidah standing beside him.

  Both men helped him to his feet. “Come Panhsj, Max, I have to tell her. Where is Kazim?”

  “He came over the side of the ship like a terrified monkey and ran into her cabin as though he was pursued by demons,” Panhsj said. “He is down in the cabin.”

  “I am not surprised, Panhsj. You will have to comfort him. Those…those monsters ate Al Muntaqim, the man you know as Kemosiri, right before our very eyes.”

  Talon described the events that had taken place on the reed island.

  Khalidah gasped with horror. The men wore shocked expressions.

  “I did not know his proper name until just now, only the name others gave him. He was supposed to be a friend of the family, and still he betrayed you, my Lady,” Talon said.

  “It was Kemosiri? He it was who betrayed my husband? I am glad that Allah finally decided to punish him,” she said in a cold voice. “It was him all along. He tried to dispossess my family and kill my son. This death was fitting.”

  “We must keep that man, Akhom, alive, Malek,” Talon advised. “He is the only one who knows everything about a plot to kill the sultan. You can use him to clear my Lady of any suspicion.”

  “We will do so, Suleiman, have no fear. But we found a man in chains inside the cabin of Kemosiri’s ship, my Lady. I do not know what to do about him. He claims to be a poet and an unjustly held prisoner.”

  Talon’s ears pricked up. “A poet you say? What is his name?”

  The man in question was being escorted out of the cabin and now stood in front of them.

  “My Lady, sirs,” said the poet Umarah ibn Ali al-Hakami, “Allah be praised for his mercy. Thank you for saving my life. That monster Kemosiri was going to kill me, I am sure of it.”

  Talon laughed.

  Night be long and linger

  Before my friend’s departure;

  Gently spread your black

  Wing across the glow

  Of dawn—and turn, tears,

  To rain to keep them from going.

  — Yehuda Halevi

  Chapter 29

  Farewell

  The decision to turn around and moor at Beneade was made by Malek. They could not possibly continue down river in their present condition. His men were exhausted, there were many badly wounded among them who needed urgent attention, and the safety of the Fayoum beckoned.

  He was also determined not to abandon their own damaged ship, as it would make a valuable asset if they could repair it. They could, albeit with much effort, haul the crippled ship back to the port and hope to carry out repairs. It was also important to place the prisoners in safe keeping under the watchful eyes of the men of the fort.

  The remaining enemy galley from downstream had managed
to put out the fire on board and had approached cautiously to observe the situation. When it became evident that their leader was defeated, it turned on its own length and fled downstream. Malek shrugged as he watched it disappear into the haze of the river.

  “Let them go. We cannot catch them now,” he said. “They will become pirates, and one day they will be brought to justice.”

  The men set about transferring as much cargo and wounded as possible to the captured ship, but they could not move the horses. They were in a pitiable state. Several were dead, many arrows protruding from their bodies, while others were wounded. They heaved the dead horses overboard. For a few very long minutes the men on the ships watched with horrified fascination at the gristly sight of the crocodiles savagely tearing at the carcasses in the shallow waters around the ships. The water turned red and frothed with blood.

  The Franks worked to make a thick cable from whatever spare rope could be found which they linked between the ships. It was exhausting work and took a long time to complete, by which time it was late afternoon.

  It was a battered pair of ships that finally made it to the pier of Beneade. A crowd of curious people were gathered to watch them arrive. Tired men jumped onto the wooden planks and made the ships fast. Then the laborious process of unloading the remaining horses and the wounded took place.

  Once this exhausting task was completed, Malek went below to bring Khalidah on deck with Jasmine. They were joined by a very subdued Kazim.

  Talon hoped the boy would get over the awful shock he had been subjected to. He himself was not sure how long the dreadful images would remain with him. He talked about it with Panhsj, who told him, “You might be surprised to hear, Suleiman, but when a child is as young as he, they often do better than older boys or men.”

  Talon had nodded. He understood better than Panhsj knew.

  Khalidah looked back at the ship as she stepped onto the pier, then her eyes found him and she paused for a moment. She raised her hand in a small salute, a tired smile on her lips, before following Malek to the waiting horses. Talon told Malek that he and Max would stay with the ships for the time being and work with Henry to tidy up the ruin left behind from the battle.

  “You will have enough to do at the estate without worrying about the ships, Malek. We will take care of everything, do not worry. Henry and Max know what they are doing.”

  Malek agreed. He wanted to have the family safely installed in their estate, if indeed it still existed, and as soon as he could. The ships were an added responsibility he was glad to hand over. Still, he looked at Talon for a long, speculative moment. “I will see you soon, my young friend. Look after things for me. Peace be with you.”

  “Peace be with you, Malek.”

  Promising to follow as soon as possible, Talon and Max watched them leave with the larger part of the soldiers as an escort. The poet went with them, bound and under the watchful eyes of two of Malek’s best men. The man looked fearful and subdued; he knew his fate was close to being sealed. Kazim waved back at them as he rode proudly alongside Panhsj, who was keeping a sharp eye open for any hint of danger. They did not know how they would find the estate or what unwelcome guests might be there.

  Talon, Max and Henry held a brief conference as they chewed on some bread and dried goat’s meat, leftovers from the trip north, and tried to work out what they had to do.

  “We now have two crews of rowers, one group free and one still slaves, but they are my people; I went below and had a look at them,” Henry remarked as he chewed a mouthful of bread.

  “You know, Suleiman, we could simply leave now and no one could stop us. They cannot sail the ship we came north in, it is dangerously full of water, even now. We could transfer our crew to the one we captured and leave.”

  “Talon will not do that to these people,” Max said.

  “You called him, Talon, I heard you, just now!” Henry said, surprised.

  “Yes, he is called Talon, and he is a Frank like you and me, but while we are here he is Suleiman, Henry. We will explain one day.” Max said in a low voice.

  “No matter, Max,” Talon said. “Henry, keep calling me Suleiman for the moment. It is better. You are right; we have an opportunity to leave and Malek knows this as well as we. But…I respect that man a great deal, and after all we have been through with him and his brother, I simply cannot leave, no matter how much I want to, and Max will tell you how much.”

  “Henry, before God, I see these people in a different light after what we have been through together. We owe it to Malek and the Lady to help them get to Al Qahirah and the safety of the Sultan’s protection. Then we can leave. Isn’t so, Talon?” Max said.

  Talon nodded. “Lady Khalidah still has to present herself to the Sultan and explain her side of the story, Henry. We can help with that, so it is important that we see them safely to Al Qahirah.

  “You both know about the poet and his involvement. He is our prisoner and will have to face torture and death. His testimony will exonerate the Lady Khalidah and ensure that her lands are not confiscated. Kazim will have his inheritance. I want that for the sake of Abbas, who was a good man…even if he did throw me and Max into prison.” He gave a wry grin at the memory.

  “Will that man, Malek, keep his word and allow us our freedom?” Henry asked nervously.

  Max chuckled. “That is the main reason we must not desert them yet. Be sure of one thing, Henry, Malek will keep his word,” he said, clapping Henry on his thin shoulders. “Now we must make the other ship clean, and release the men chained below. Henry, come with me, and you, Talon, take some rest. I don’t think you are over that scare with the crocodiles yet.” He gave a theatrical shudder. “My God, but that must have been horrible.”

  “He was a terrible man, but even he deserved a better death than that,” Talon agreed, shaking his head.

  Henry went across the deck to the other ship with Max and they disappeared down the hatch. The sound of shouts and cheers from the slaves who had been informed of their freedom came back to Talon as he stood on the aft deck of their ship watching the sun set behind the low hills that defined the Fayoum.

  He was tired. The fighting and stress of the battle and the macabre death of the man who had haunted them for so long had left him drained. He had sustained superficial wounds in the fighting—his chain mail had deflected much of the effects of cutting weapons—but he felt bruised all over. He thought of the gentle hands of the girl Aicelina in his father’s house, who had put soothing balm on his bruises after a terrible battle for survival. He wondered if he would ever have someone do this for him again.

  They had to plan their next move. They were still not sure whether all their enemies were dead or captured. His thoughts went to the city of Al Qahirah and he began to wonder how they could slip by the sultan’s ships and get out to sea. He needed to talk to Malek about that. There was no doubt that Malek would allow them to go, but they could not implicate him in the escape or Malek’s head would fall. Talon ruminated on this as it was getting dark; he yawned and turned to go below to sleep: he felt he would sleep like the dead, oblivious of the bustle and movement on both ships that would go on deep into the night.

  He was about to enter the cabin when he heard a voice calling from the pier. Men called out and a young voice responded, followed by the patter of running feet on the planks of the pier. The next moment a figure ran into the lamplight, his light turban waving behind him. Talon gasped, it was Haytham. Talon strode to the side of the ship and embraced the boy as he almost threw himself at him. They held onto each other in a tight embrace.

  “I thought you were dead!” Talon said, stepping back and holding the laughing boy at arm’s length.

  “Peace be with you, Suleiman, but I thought you were all dead! Allah be praised, it is not so. I could not believe my eyes when I saw Malek and the lady Khalidah. They told me you were here!”

  “Is all well at the estate?”

  “All is well, which is why I am here. My
Lady and the children are safe and my…my lord Malek bid me to tell you to come in the morning, he wishes to talk and plan.”

  Thoughts of sleep disappeared. Talon looked at Haytham with delight.

  “There is much to tell on both sides, Haytham. We will drink tea and talk. I need to know that you reached the sultan.”

  “I did, Suleiman! I was almost dead and so was Rakhsh.”

  “Ah, Rakhsh, is he well?”

  “He is well, and I have brought him to you, Suleiman. He is a wonderful animal.” Haytham sounded so wistful that Talon laughed.

  “Haytham, know this, he is yours.”

  Haytham gasped and stared at him as though he could not believe he had heard this.

  Talon laughed again and said to the boy, “I give him to you, but…there is one condition.”

  “What…what is that, Suleiman?” the boy asked apprehensively.

  “That you cherish him.”

  Tears ran down Haytham’s cheeks. He reached for Talon’s hand and whispered. “Suleiman, may Allah be kind to you. You know I love that horse. I have slept in his stables these long months while I did not know where you were.”

  Talon cleared his throat. “We must talk no more of it. You have to tell me about your adventures, and especially what the Sultan did once you told him of our troubles.”

  Max joined them later for a happy reunion and the three, fatigue temporarily forgotten, talked of all that had happened.

  Talon was most interested in the time when Haytham had been asked to attend the sultan with the man called Al Muntaqim present. He made the boy describe the man very carefully and only then did he turn to Max and say, “It is one and the same man. It was Kemosiri, alias Al Muntaqim, now I am sure. I feel that my Lady is safe. Other than the poet, who will tell of the full plot, there is no one else we need to fear. For the sultan, that might be another matter.”

  Max sipped his tea and nodded. “This makes it easier for us to leave.”