Assassins of Kantara

by James Boschert

Henry shook his head. The fortress on the ridge seemed to him to be quite impregnable. “Then what do you need me for, Talon?” he addressed his leader, dragging his gaze away from that of Dar’an. Talon’s young servant unsettled him.

  “Fear not, Henry. We will need everyone for this. I want you to find a good place from which to observe, and have your crewmen learn everything about that harbor down there.” Talon waved towards the north coast. “Something has changed since Max was here. He said that the castle was in a bad state of disrepair, perhaps even deserted. I don’t see any sign of that. On the contrary, why would someone repair the place if he was about to abandon it?”

  He shook his head. “Someone is repairing the castle, which means an alteration to our plans. I would like to know more. We need a good, safe place to land men at night from your ship, Henry. Memorize what you can: shoals, sandbanks, and rocks in unwanted places. It’s not hard to pick those out in these waters; they are so clear, you can see right to the bottom. Set your men to work observing shipping as it comes and goes. I don’t see any boats other than fishing vessels there today, but that could change, and I want to know when and how often.”

  “Why don’t we stay in the cove and march overland, Talon?” Henry asked.

  Talon looked at him. “I’ve not known sailors to be good walkers, but if you think that would work then I am in agreement. We can split our forces in that case, and come from the land and the sea. I will want the harbor to be in our possession before we attempt to take the castle. We will need a back door.”

  “I agree, Talon. One of your people can lead some of my men overland, and I will come in from the sea.”

  “If those are slaves working on the castle, we might be able to use them, Talon,” Junayd said tentatively.

  Talon glanced approvingly at Junayd. His men were thinking for themselves.

  “I see that you and Dar’an are of like mind,” he said. “We will have to infiltrate their camp and see what can be done.”

  He continued. “First we will scout every approach to the castle. We will do it in daytime and at night. I want to know the behavior of the sentries and how alert they are during the different watches. I also want an accurate estimation of the numbers inside the castle. We’ve seen the two villages to the north.” He pointed to a cluster of dwelling places at the distant end of the valley which ran parallel with the ridge where the castle was located. The valley was green with vines and crops. “That one will be inhabited by the farmers. I want to know their numbers. Junayd, and you, Khuzaymah, will scout them out. You should also note where we can best scale the walls and get into the castle itself. I will be doing the same here.”

  Talon sent Henry back to the ship, and then he and his remaining three men set to work to explore every inch of the area at the base of the castle and its environs. It took them two days, by which time Talon had mapped out the area of the rambling structure in his mind and had a very good idea as to where he could gain entry over the walls, despite their formidable appearance.

  Extensive repairs had been completed on the walls of the castle, and presumably on the interior. The slave gang left the camp in the valley every morning well before dawn and crawled up the hill, urged on by short-tempered overseers with whips. Even from this distance the watchers could see that many of the slaves were exhausted and weakened from lack of nourishment. One died while struggling up the steep incline towards the walls of the fortress.

  Talon tried to figure out who these men might be. To his surprise, some looked like Greeks, while others could have been from half a dozen different countries of the eastern seaboard. All were thin and ragged, all were shackled with chains. He counted six overseers and ten soldiers, who presumably lived in the camp at the valley base. At night the prisoners were shut into the compound and given slops, then the guards would settle down to a night of eating and drinking. Talon and his men, hiding nearby in the dark, watched as the guards drank themselves senseless every night. There were no sentries posted.

  They made one interesting discovery while prowling around the valley below the north side of the castle. There were two man-made caves that showed recent excavation. They ran about fifty paces into the mountain, and there were many baskets and broken tools lying about, along with piles of rocks strewn down the hill that obviously came from the tunnels.

  Then, with their food running low, Talon and his men scouted the two villages, with great care not to leave tracks or any other signs of their passage. Talon was fairly sure the inhabitants were unaware of their presence, and his men were able to go in at night and count people and houses, gaining a reasonable estimate of numbers. Then it was time to go back to the ship.

  Back at the vessel, and after a good meal, Talon described to Max and Henry in detail what he had discovered.

  “The castle is in new hands, Max. The people who were there before have been replaced or have fled, or even were killed, since Isaac arrived. I have to gain entry and find out who it is who owns the castle and get some measure of his character, the numbers of his men and how disciplined they are. It is impossible to tell from a distance.”

  Max nodded his head slowly. “It would make sense for Isaac to have this castle repaired and to install a trusted lieutenant as custodian to warn him of an invasion from his uncle Andronicus.”

  “Then I must get to know this person and see what options that presents me with,” Talon stated. “I will go back there with Dar’an and gain entry. I shall need some rope.” He paused. “There is something else we found. I believe there are mines on the land.”

  Max stared at him. “Could they be copper mines ?” he asked.

  The island isn’t called Kupros for nothing, Max. My coin is on copper. But no one appears to be working the caves at present.”

  It’s possible I am pushing through solid rock

  in flint-like layers, as the ore lies, alone;

  —Rainer Rilke

  Chapter 12

  The Castle called Kantara

  Two nights later, Talon and Dar’an stood at the base of the huge fortress, which loomed high over them in the dark. They were on the north-west side, the steepest and least accessible point. They had ascertained that the sentries rarely bothered patrolling the walls on this side at any time, perhaps believing that no one would be mad enough to attempt to climb them. They spent most of their time on the east side, where the main gates were located. Any visitor who came to this castle was forced to walk up a long, narrow trail on that side to gain entry to the strong barbican between two large towers.

  Tonight, however, the climb for the two men was up a steep hundred paces of rugged limestone rocks upon which the castle was built. This brought them to the very base of the walls. Talon had already picked away at the limestone masonry and knew that he could climb this wall, even in the dark.

  He eased his way up the slightly rounded, thirty-foot high stone wall of the tower one tenuous finger hold at a time. He took the end of a rope with him, just as Reza had done in Acre. It took fifteen minutes for him to arrive at the rampart, where he was able to hook his aching fingers over the edge. Despite the burning sensation in his arms and shoulders, he clung to the wall like a limpet and listened. He could hear people moving about in the large courtyard to the east, and the murmur of a low conversation over to his right, but there was no one on the ramparts. He eased over the top and lay motionless, listening hard and catching his breath until he was satisfied there was no one nearby to raise the alarm.

  Careful not to make any sound, he secured the rope for Dar’an. Seconds later it went taut; there was a slight scuffle on the walls, and then Dar’an’s turbaned head appeared. He slid over the rampart and joined Talon in the dark shadows. There was only the hint of a moon tonight towards the west, but the stars above were a blaze of light, allowing their night-accustomed eyes to see in both directions along the walkway and over to the next tower, also unattended.

  The two men moved like phantoms, exploring as much of the grounds as they
could in the couple of hours available and making some useful discoveries. The soldiers were quartered in the southeast in stone barracks with stout wooden doors that ran along the inside of the wall. No guards were placed at any of the entrances to the stone buildings, so they were free to move about at will. Dar’an followed Talon, taking note of the defenses and peering into the many halls that comprised the surface structures of the fortress. They stayed away from the main gate where the guards were awake, if not alert, huddled around a brazier of burning wood. The light thrown off by the flames illuminating their faces and the walls around them.

  Talon and Dar’an found the aviary where the large hunting hawks were enclosed; a few ruffled their feathers in concern, but none made any other sound. Talon also noted some kennels in the far western side. The hounds smelled the intruders and became excited. Their barking brought an irritable sentry, who kicked at their enclosure and said in a sharp tone, “Shut up, you God-damned creatures, or I’ll get in there and beat yer senseless.”

  The dogs subsided and he walked back towards the gates, muttering to himself as he passed the two men hidden in the darkness.

  The sharp smell of horses guided them to the stables, but Talon shook his head when Dar’an wanted to go inside. Without doubt the horses would know they were there and might alert the stable hands, who might be more responsive than the guards had been.

  They slipped from shadow to dark shadow until they came to the main keep at the center of the castle complex and eased open the great doors that led to the main bailey, which would house the lord and his family, if indeed any lord lived here. There were no guards here either which indicated that the Castilian was feeling very secure in his mountain eerie. However, Talon had noted that a guard was posted at the very top of the building, probably fulfilling the original function of lookout to sea, having seen him walking slowly back and forth earlier.

  Two huge hounds got up and ambled suspiciously towards them. Talon felt a moment of panic. While he had not forgotten about the hounds, he had assumed them to be all together in the kennels, safely locked up. The Greeks kept them for hunting, as did the Franks; but in the Moslem world hounds were kept firmly away from where people ate and slept, and Talon had forgotten to allow for the differences in customs. These two must be special hounds of the Castilian he surmised, even as he wondered what might happen. The only thing he could think of was to whisper to Dar’an, “Show no fear and go down on one knee. Greet them. Just be ready for anything.”

  His heart pounding and his hand hovering over the handle of his knife, Talon whispered to the two huge animals that came warily towards him. One of them growled low in its throat, and Talon gripped his knife, but the other wagged its tail and approached them to sniff the hand Talon held out. It allowed him to reach forward to scratch its jaw, then moved just enough for him to scratch under it ears. Talon eased out a long breath of relief.

  “Do the same with the other one,” he ordered the terrified Dar’an. The other hound, seeing that its companion was unconcerned, came up to Talon and demanded to be rubbed as well. It ignored the petrified Dar’an, who remained frozen to the floor. Talon was now making much of the brindled hounds, and they wagged their tails furiously. One even pushed its nose into his chest in a friendly gesture and grunted with pleasure. Still in a state of complete disbelief, Talon patted them on their shoulders and risked murmuring endearments to the two huge creatures. Much to his relief, no one in the darkness of the hall behind the hounds woke up to come and investigate.

  Rising slowly and gesturing for Dar’an to do the same, Talon—accompanied by the interested hounds—stepped warily towards a flight of stone stairs. They passed the remains of a generous meal on large wooden tables. Giving the two hounds a large bone each, then a last pat on the shoulder and bidding them stay, Talon led the way up the stairs. Then they had to get past a number of sleeping servants, huddled under blankets on the floor of the main upstairs chamber. It was a tribute to Reza’s training that Dar’an never put a foot wrong and they made it all the way up to the second floor without disturbing anyone.

  Making their way along a corridor, they passed several chambers where snoring indicated that the occupants were fast asleep. Eventually they arrived at the imposing entrance of what Talon took to be a large bed chamber. They could hear loud snores as they approached. A servant lay on the floor across the threshold, but he slept on as Talon eased the door open. Signaling Dar’an to keep an eye on the recumbent servant, Talon stepped over the man and found himself in a stuffy room: all the shutters were closed, and it stank of sweat and other stale, unpleasant smells, including the rank odor of the guarder robe recess near the window.

  He slipped up to the bed and drew aside the thick curtains that enclosed it. A large man was lying on his back, snoring lustily, his mouth a dark hole in his bearded face, his arms akimbo and his large belly quivering in time with each labored breath. Curled in a ball to one side was another equally large body, a woman, snoring also, though the sound was muffled. Evidently this Castilian did not share the prevalent view in Byzantium that clean, fresh air was good for one’s health.

  Talon inspected the room stealthily, assessing the layout of the chamber, and then he left, stepping silently over the sleeping manservant again, who snuffled by the doorway. He glanced out of a window and realized that he and Dar’an had been in the castle for over an hour; it was time to leave. Tapping Dar’an on the shoulder, he pointed downstairs. They slipped back down to the main hall and out the doors, closing them silently on the two hounds, who wanted to come and join them.

  It was only a matter of moments to reach the steps leading up to the parapet. They were just about to step out of the shadows when Talon sensed someone standing on the wall ahead of them. He put out a hand and gripped Dar’an’s shoulder to stop him, then signaled for him to stay where he was and remain out of sight; then he crept forward to investigate. He had been right; someone was on the parapet, and worse still, he was staring down at the rope, which was tied off against a protrusion on the wall.

  The whole enterprise, which had depended upon neither of them being detected, was now in jeopardy. There was nothing Talon could do but rush in before the alarm was raised. The figure had just stood up to his full height when two strong hands wrapped themselves around his face and jerked his head violently to the right. There was a dull crack; the man’s arms flailed and the body spasmed and jerked, but he made no sound; his neck was broken. Talon eased the body to the stone ground then leaned over him to check that he was dead. Dar’an joined him, shocked at what he had just witnessed. He had not known Talon possessed such killing skill.

  “What do we do with him?” he whispered shakily.

  “We have to get rid of him,” Talon said, indicating the void below. He seized the man by the shoulders. “Quickly now, before anyone else comes.”

  They hastily swung the body over the wall, and seconds later heard it thud onto the rocks below. They listened as the body bounced a couple of times and slid down the steep incline, then there was absolute silence.

  Talon pushed Dar’an towards the rope. “Go!” he commanded. He followed Dar’an down the rope and twitched its other end to release it from its tied-down point. As the rope fell, Dar’an was already looking for the body. He found it among a group of rocks a hundred feet down from the base of the wall. Talon glanced up at the dark walls of the fortress but could see no sign of anyone else, nor did he hear of any alarms.

  Now he had a difficult decision: dare he leave the body in plain sight and hope that the residents of the castle assumed the fall was an accident, perhaps brought on by too much drinking? Or should he leave them with the mystery of the man’s disappearance? Which would rouse less alarm? He shook his head; let it be the unknown, not the reminder of the unknowable.

  They retrieved the body and carried it with them as they made for the forest to the south of the castle. There were no fields here where peasants might wander, so they hid the body in some dense
undergrowth and then began the long trek back to the ship. Talon hoped the wild animals, most likely boar, would find the body and dispose of it before it could be discovered.

  They arrived back at the cove just as dawn was streaking the eastern sky. Here they stopped, and as a test Talon sent Dar’an forward to see if he could catch unawares the guard posted on the top of the cliff overlooking their cove. Minutes later, the surprised guard stood frozen with fear as Dar’an tickled his throat with the blade of his knife, a huge grin on his face. Talon stepped forward and took the man’s arm to reassure him that he was safe, then said quietly, “You must be more alert! You never know who might come by for a visit.”

  They then vanished down the path to the beach, leaving the bemused guard shaking. He was later to tell his mates, “I never heard a God damned thing! Not a whisper of danger, and then there was that crazy boy of Talon’s grinning at me with his knife at my throat! Scared the shit out of me!”

  One of the men nodded. “Sir Talon has some strange friends now. I’m just glad they are on our side.”

  Talon and Dar’an were greeted by a yawning Henry, who held a lantern high for them to climb aboard.

  “God be praised you are safe, Talon. I was getting worried.”

  “We’ll talk in the morning, Henry. I learned a lot. Good night.”

  Talon woke to find the ship silent. He surmised that Henry had probably told the crew to keep it quiet to let him sleep. He came out on deck, blinking in the bright sunlight, to find Henry and Max up on the steering deck talking in low tones. They both glanced up as Talon came up the stairs.

  “Good morning, Talon. How did it go?” Henry asked.

  “We managed to get in and look around. The place is huge! Much larger than it appears from below. I discovered that the Castilian snores very loudly, and so does the woman who shares his bed, couldn’t tell if she was his wife or not!” His two astonished friends laughed.