by David Penny
“Take care of him. Take care of them both.”
“You take care of him.”
Thomas shook his head. “If I don’t come back you must promise to raise him to be strong and make up his own mind. My daughter too.”
“She has a name,” said Jorge.“Use it. Amal. It was gifted her by Lubna. She would want you to use the name.”
Thomas recalled Lubna’s last words to him in the moments before her final breath. The gift of a name for their child. Jorge was right, he must use it.
“Look after Amal, then. And if I don’t return, raise her as your own. You told me Belia wants children, then I gift you both of mine. Ask Usaden to accompany you when you leave Malaka. You will need someone strong when I’m no longer there.”
“You will return,” said Jorge, but Thomas knew it was more a hope than expectation. He turned and walked away. He had men to kill, and a coldness in his heart he hoped would never soften until the last of them could do no more harm.
Usaden was waiting for Thomas as he descended the hillside. He fell into step beside him.
“You are sure of the men who did this?” Thomas asked, not looking at the Gomeres, who had grown to become a friend.
“The son of the greybeard,” said Usaden. “Yes, I am sure. I saw it with my own eyes. Will struck the father, but his son struck Lubna.” They walked for a time in silence, shadows growing around them. After a time Usaden said, “I could not stop it, could not reach them. We will kill them slowly.”
“I will kill them slowly,” Thomas said. “I have a more important task for you. Look after those who live. Continue to train Will. He needs to be strong enough to survive in this world.”
“I would rather be with you.”
“And I would rather you be with them.”
Thomas walked on after Usaden stopped. He didn’t look back, but knew the man would stand still as a statue until he could no longer see him. And then he would do what had been asked.
As would Thomas.
Historical Note
For the purposes of fiction I have greatly compressed the timescale of events in 1487 that led to the fall of Malaga. Spanish troops arrived at the walls of Velez-Malaga on April 16th, blockading the mouth of the Wadi al-Cuevo. The fighting was sporadic until Velez surrendered on May 2nd, leaving Fernando and his troops to move against their main target of Malaga.
The subsequent siege and blockade was one of the longest and most vicious of the entire war against the Moors, trying the patience and stamina of both Fernando and Isabel. It began on May 7th and continued until the city surrendered on August 18th, a period of over three months. Hamid al-Tagri retreated to the Gibalfaro fort (then called the Rabita), from the safety of which he refused to surrender. However, he had no option but to admit defeat two days after the city fell.
Such an extended siege would make the timescale of The Fortunate Dead unwieldy and severely impact Thomas’s investigation, and so I have deliberately compressed both the time period and events that occurred.
What is known as recorded fact is that the citizens of Malaga took to eating whatever food they could: horses, mules, dogs, birds, even leaves from the many trees. It is also hinted at that Yusuf, the younger brother of Muhammed XII, did indeed conduct guerrilla raids on the Spanish with a small band of men and lost his life during the final chaotic fighting in Malaga.
Yusuf’s uncle, al-Zagal, brought a large Moorish force from Granada to attack the Spanish but was ambushed in the dark, with many of his men killed and others fleeing for their lives. While he was attempting to relieve Malaga, his other nephew and elder brother to Yusuf, Abu Abdullah, Muhammed XII, launched a coup and replaced him in the Alhambra, cementing a hold on power that would last until January 1st 1492. But those events lie in the future for my characters.
An earthquake was recorded as occurring on April 14th, 1497 — far too cataclysmic an event to ignore while writing this book. A day or two later, torrential rain washed away sections of mountainside already weakened by the shaking of the earth and flooded the streets of Malaga. Having spent time in Spain during the occasional torrential downpours, it has given me a small inkling of what this must have been like, and much of the description of the rain and its aftermath comes from personal experience.
I created the structure of the Malaga Guild for the purpose of this story. Medieval Guilds were present throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East at this time, and were well-established. It seems unlikely that some form of organisation to control the significant trade flowing through the city would not be in place.
Various online sources indicate, though with no great certainty, that Isabel and Fernando resided at Auta Fort to the north of the small town of Riogordo during the siege of Velez-Malaga, before moving their headquarters closer to Malaga. If it ever existed, Auta Fort no longer shows as even a pile of stones, and the references to it are vague, although more certain indications are that the Spanish King and Queen did make the Riogordo area their base for a period of time before the main assault on Malaga. As I own a small house in this area, I have indulged myself by bringing Thomas Berrington and Jorge past my own front door on their way to and from Riogordo.
For the purpose of this story I have taken liberties with some horticultural timings. Around the town of Riogordo the almonds are in blossom during early February, not April, but the sight of them is so wonderful I had to include reference to them. Please forgive me, and if you ever have the chance to visit the Axarquia region early in the year you will see what I mean — waves of grey-pink almond blossom coat the hillsides. However, wild asparagus can be picked for most of the year and is both abundant, if you know where to look, and delicious.
The present town of Velez-Malaga now sits over a mile inland from the sea, but this is a result of long work to recover land for agricultural use, in particular the growing of sugar cane which was once a major crop of Andalusia, since fallen into obscurity. At the time I write about, the Mediterranean lapped at the edges of Velez-Malaga, and the dry riverbeds that now criss-cross the area would have had a more regular supply of water flowing through them.
As ever, my thanks go to the viking sisters (who berated me in no small manner that viking is a verb, not a noun) who provided invaluable advice on how a Northman would use an axe. The reference to a leather thong came directly from Gee, with any mistake or misuse my own. They also explained how the different Northern countries had their own unique roles to play. Norwegians were the explorers. The Danes were traders. And the Swedish were the warriors and mercenaries.
Finally, I spent sleepless nights over whether someone should survive this book (I mention no name in case you happen to read this note before the book itself). I had planned their demise at the outset, but as the moment of writing those final scenes approached they became harder and harder. I did not want to lose this character, who has become as much a real person to me as those I know, but it was necessary for the continuation of Thomas’s story, however much it must have hurt him too.
Finally, my thanks to Thomas Shepherd for the map of Malaga as it would look in 1487, based on a version that can be found in Malaga Museum. Thomas has also produced an even more detailed map of Granada at the same time period, and a drawing of Thomas’s house in the Albayzin. You can find higher resolution images of both maps and Thomas’s house on my website, here.
Book 7 of Thomas’s adventures, A Promise of Pain, takes him into the Moorish hinterland of the Axarquia and Alpujarras in search of revenge. It will be released within a few months of The Fortunate Dead.
My apologies for any anguish I have given my readers. Just remember — in fiction, as in life, nobody is safe.
References
Apart from my usual sources, the following have been invaluable in writing The Fortunate Dead:
William Hickling Prescott: The History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic – Volume 2.
The Return of the Guilds: Towards a Global History of the Guilds in Pr
e-industrial Times: v. 1: Edited by Jan Lucassen, Tine de Moor, Jan Luiten van Zanden.
Granada 1492, The twilight of Moorish Spain and The Moors, The Islamic West 7th-15th Centuries AD. Written by David Nicolle, illustrated by Angus McBride. These two books (and others in the series) might be mistaken for school texts for children. But delve inside and there is a wealth of detail and meticulous research, as well as wonderful drawings and campaign maps. Both are highly recommended for an overview of the period I write about.
Place Names
For many of the Spanish cities and towns which lay beyond the boundary of Andalusia the current Spanish name has been used, except where the town had a significant Moorish past, such as Cordoba and Seville.
I have conducted research on the naming of places within Andalusia but have taken a few liberties to make the names easier to pronounce for a modern day audience. Where I have been unable to find reference to the Moorish name of a place I have made one up.
al-Andalus … Andalusia
al-Mariyya … Almeria
Gharnatah … Granada
Ixbilya … Sevilla
Malaka … Malaga
Randonda … Ronda
Qurtuba … Cordoba
Sholayr … Sierra Nevada mountains
Also by David Penny
The Red Hill
Moorish Spain, 1482. English surgeon Thomas Berrington is asked to investigate a series of brutal murders in the palace of al-Hamra in Granada.
Breaker of Bones
Summoned to Cordoba to heal a Spanish prince, Thomas Berrington and his companion, the eunuch Jorge, pursue a killer who re-makes his victims with his own crazed logic.
The Sin Eater
In Granada Helena, the concubine who once shared Thomas Berrington’s bed, is carrying his child but wants nothing to do with him. Someone is exacting revenge on evil men, but even evil men must be protected.
The Incubus
A mysterious killer stalks the alleyways of Ronda, the one town in al-Andalus considered invulnerable. Thomas Berrington, Jorge and Lubna race to identify the culprit before more victims have their breath stolen.
The Inquisitor
In a Sevilla on the edge of chaos and horror a killer stalks the streets. Thomas Berrington and his companions have to pick a dangerous path between the Inquisition, the royal palace, and a murderer.
About the Author
David Penny published 4 novels in the 1970’s before being seduced by a steady salary. He has now returned to his true love of writing with the Thomas Berrington series of historical mysteries set in Moorish Spain at the end of the 15th Century. He is currently working on the seventh book in the series.
Find out more about David Penny
www.davidpennywriting.com
Copyright © 2018 David Penny
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
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Malaka 1487 map Copyright © 2018 Thomas Shepherd, based on a version in the Malaga museum.
