by Hight, Jack
Asimat sat cross-legged, a writing table on her lap and her quill poised above the paper. She looked up and smiled. ‘Yusuf! And who is this you have brought with you?’
‘My friend, John,’ Yusuf said with a small bow. ‘You sent for us.’
‘Ah yes, the civilized Frank who, you say, is immune to the charms of women,’ Asimat teased. John’s cheeks reddened. ‘Come, sit,’ Asimat continued. ‘I am glad you came. I wished to see you before you departed.’
Yusuf frowned as he and John sat across from Asimat. ‘Departed? I have no plans to leave Aleppo.’
‘Nevertheless, you shall leave soon enough.’
‘For where?’
‘Frankish lands. Nur ad-Din will tell you at the council meeting tomorrow.’
‘You are better informed than I, Khatun.’
‘Of course. I am Nur ad-Din’s wife. You see him only during council meetings or hunts. The rest of the time, he is mine,’ Asimat concluded with a wink.
‘Perhaps you could tell me, then, what I will be doing amongst the Franks.’
‘I have told you enough already. You will find out the rest tomorrow.’ Asimat turned her gaze to John. ‘Is it true that you have not yet taken a woman?’
John flinched noticeably. ‘It is true.’
‘Is it because of your religion?’
‘No, Khatun.’
‘You do not like women then?’
‘No – I mean yes,’ John said, flustered. ‘I like them.’
‘I see,’ Asimat mused, her head tilted to the side. ‘And if you did have a woman, what would you do if you found her with another man?’
John looked away. ‘I do not know.’
‘Would you kill her?’
‘No, my lady,’ John said softly.
‘What then? Imagine the woman you love in the arms of another man. What would you do?’
John’s brow knit and he clenched his jaw. ‘I – I do not know.’
‘I see my questioning has made you uncomfortable,’ Asimat said. ‘You may go.’
‘Thank you, Khatun.’
Asimat watched John leave, and then her eyes turned to Yusuf. ‘Usama was wrong. It seems your friend remains a Frank at heart. He does not have our sense of honour.’
‘Perhaps John is right.’
Asimat arched an eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You have heard what happened to Emir Khaldun’s wife, Nadhira?’
‘The girl who was stoned.’
‘It was my doing,’ Yusuf said bitterly. ‘There was no honour in that.’
‘You should not blame yourself, Yusuf. It is our law.’
Yusuf’s cheek twitched as an image of Nadhira’s mangled face flashed through his mind. ‘Have you ever seen a woman stoned?’
‘Yes,’ Asimat said quietly. They sat in silence for a moment, then her face brightened. ‘But let us talk of other things. I asked you here to tell you my good news: Allah has blessed me. I am with child.’
Yusuf was surprised to find that he was disappointed, jealous of Nur ad-Din. He lowered his gaze as he struggled to compose his features. ‘Praise be to Allah,’ he murmured, forcing a smile.
Asimat seemed not to notice his lack of enthusiasm. ‘Nur ad-Din is pleased. He will hardly let me out of his sight. He has three doctors attending to me, including a Jew who says he knows you. Ibn Jumay he is called.’
‘I have known him since I was a child. I would trust my life to him before any other.’
‘He tells me I must not drink wine while pregnant,’ Asimat pouted, then smiled. ‘But what of you? Have you found a bride yet?’ Yusuf shook his head. ‘You should be married soon, Yusuf. Shall I find a girl for you?’
Yusuf looked away. ‘That would be most kind, Khatun,’ he forced himself to say.
‘It is settled, then,’ Asimat said brightly. ‘I will speak to Nur ad-Din. By the time you return to Aleppo, I shall have found you a wife.’
‘As-salaamu ‘alaykum,’ Yusuf said, looking over his right shoulder while kneeling on the floor of his room. ‘As-salaamu ‘alaykum,’ he repeated as he looked left. His morning prayers finished, he rolled up his prayer mat and went to the window. The sun was just rising over the horizon. It was time for the council meeting. He left his room, heading for the council chamber, which sat atop the palace’s tallest tower. Nur ad-Din said it was the only place where he could be sure they would not be overheard.
Two mamluks stood at the entrance to the narrow, spiralling staircase that wound up to the council room. They searched Yusuf for weapons, then waved him through. He hurried up the stairs, glancing through the window slits as he passed. The hill on which the citadel sat fell away steeply below the tower, and the buildings of the town appeared tiny at this height. The stairs ended at a thick wooden door, guarded by another mamluk. The guard nodded to Yusuf and pulled the door open.
The council chamber was round and twenty feet across, with arched windows on all sides. Cushions had been placed along the wall, but the half-dozen emirs present were not sitting. Yusuf recognized Usama speaking with the fat-faced eunuch, Gumushtagin. Khaldun stood just apart from them, scowling grimly. There were black rings under his eyes. Yusuf crossed over to him. ‘Salaam, Khaldun. I have not seen you for many days. You have been well?’
‘Well enough.’
‘I am sorry about Nadhira.’
Khaldun’s face twisted into a grimace. ‘Sorry? For what?’
Across the room, the door opened and Nur ad-Din entered, followed by Shirkuh. The emirs fell silent. ‘Welcome, my friends,’ Nur ad-Din said as he crossed the room and took a seat against the wall. ‘Please, be seated.’
The emirs sat in a circle in order of their seniority. Usama and Shirkuh sat to Nur ad-Din’s left and right. Yusuf found himself directly across from the king. ‘I have called you here because I have received important news from the Frankish court,’ Nur ad-Din said and looked to Usama.
‘While last in Jerusalem,’ Usama began, ‘I learned that the Frankish king, Baldwin, is secretly gathering troops in the Kadisha. On my way home, I passed through Tripoli, where I saw many Frankish knights arriving from overseas. And I heard rumours of raids against the Bedouin who live on the borders of the Frankish kingdom.’
‘Raids?’ Gumushtagin asked. ‘That would violate our treaty with Baldwin.’
Nur ad-Din nodded. ‘War is coming at last. I will send word to the emirs and sheikhs telling them to gather their men. We must prepare to strike!’ The assembled men nodded their agreement.
‘Where will we attack?’ Yusuf asked.
‘Acre,’ Nur ad-Din said. ‘We shall take the Franks’ main port, cutting their lands in half and dividing Jerusalem from Tripoli and Antioch in the north. With Acre in our power, we can then turn south to take Jerusalem. Their kingdom will fall.’
‘Inshallah,’ several of the emirs murmured. Others slapped the floor to show their approval. Yusuf cleared his throat. ‘Excuse me, malik, but if we strike at Acre, will this not leave Aleppo exposed?’
The emirs glared at Yusuf, but Nur ad-Din nodded. ‘You are correct, Yusuf.’ He turned to Shirkuh. ‘Tell them our plan.’
‘We will divide our army in two,’ Shirkuh explained. ‘I will command a force in Aleppo while Nur ad-Din will lead a larger army from Damascus. My men will march through the Kadisha valley towards Tripoli, in order to distract the Franks and block them from attacking Aleppo. When the Frankish forces move against us, then Nur ad-Din will move on Acre, taking the castle of Banyas along the way.’
Nur ad-Din grinned. ‘The Frankish army will no doubt leave the Kadisha and march to relieve Acre. When they reach the city, my forces will engage them, and Shirkuh’s army will then attack them from behind.’ He clapped his hands together. ‘They will be crushed between us.’
‘A brilliant plan, malik,’ the eunuch Gumushtagin said.
‘We will be rid of the Franks once and for all,’ Usama agreed.
Yusuf frowned. ‘But we cannot violate our treat
y with the Frankish king based on rumours alone.’
‘No, Yusuf,’ Nur ad-Din agreed. ‘We need more than rumours. That is why I am sending you to Frankish lands to find the truth of the matter. You will leave tomorrow.’
Yusuf bowed at the waist. ‘I am honoured to serve you, malik. With your permission, I will go now to prepare my men.’
‘Take no more than a dozen mamluks, not enough to attract attention,’ Nur ad-Din told him. ‘And do not take the Frank, Juwan.’
‘But he is captain of my khaskiya. It is his duty to protect me at all times.’
Nur ad-Din frowned. ‘I know you think him loyal, but he is an ifranji. He will cut your throat and run to the Franks at the first opportunity.’ Several of the emirs nodded their agreement.
Yusuf met Nur ad-Din’s eyes. ‘Forgive me, my lord, but you do not know John as I do. I trust him with my life. He will come with me.’
Nur ad-Din said nothing. His golden eyes bore into Yusuf. Finally, the malik nodded. ‘Very well, but watch him close. You may go.’ Yusuf rose and opened the door. ‘Wait,’ Nur ad-Din called, and Yusuf turned to face him. ‘Do not fail me, Yusuf. Bring me my war.’
NOVEMBER 1156: ON THE BORDER OF THE KINGDOM OF JERUSALEM
John rode beside Yusuf and Turan, their horses’ hooves kicking up dust from the dry road. Behind them trailed two dozen mounted mamluks, Qaraqush at their head. They rode alongside the Orontes River, which marked the boundary between the Frankish kingdom of Jerusalem and Nur ad-Din’s lands. On the eastern side were the Muslim strongholds of Shaizar, Hama and Homs. Some way off, on the opposite side of the river, stood the crusader castles of Montferrand and Krak des Chevaliers. In between was a no-man’s-land roamed only by the Bedouin, who knew no lords, neither Frankish nor Muslim. Across the river and near the horizon, John spied a group of Bedouin on foot, driving a flock of sheep towards the water. He pointed to them. ‘Perhaps they will know something.’
‘Perhaps,’ Yusuf agreed. After nearly three months of riding up and down the border from Shaizar to as far south as Banyas, they had still found no sign of Frankish troops or raiders. Yusuf looked to Turan. ‘Wait here with the men. John and I will speak with the Bedouin.’
Turan frowned. ‘I should come with you, not the ifranji.’ Yusuf’s jaw set. He locked eyes with his brother, and eventually Turan lowered his gaze. ‘Let it be as you say, Brother,’ he murmured. John could hardly believe his ears.
Yusuf turned to John. ‘Come.’ He turned into the river, and John followed, his horse’s hooves kicking up a spray that sparkled in the bright sunlight. The river was deep here, and soon their horses were swimming, the cold water coming up to John’s waist. They crossed to the far side without incident, and their mounts climbed up the bank, water streaming off them. Yusuf looked over to John and grinned. ‘I’ll race you,’ he said and kicked at his horse’s sides, sending it galloping over the hard-baked earth towards the Bedouin.
John spurred after him, standing in the saddle and leaning forward, his head low against his horse’s neck. He came up alongside Yusuf, grinned at him, and then shot past. He pulled up in a cloud of dust upon reaching the shepherds. Yusuf joined him a moment later. The Bedouin’s sheikh – a wrinkled old man with a shepherd’s crook in his hand – stepped forward and stared at them impassively. Behind him, several of the shepherds had taken bows from their backs and were stringing them. John blinked in surprise. He had seen the sheikh before.
‘Sabir ibn Taqqi!’ Yusuf exclaimed. It was the same sheikh who had given them food and water years ago during their harrowing trip to Tell Bashir. ‘As-salaamu ‘alaykum.’
‘Wa ‘alaykum as-salaam, Yusuf son of Ayub,’ Sabir replied. ‘When I saw you last, I did not number your days long in this world. And now I find you again in great danger. There is a Frankish fortress not far from here.’ He pointed towards the horizon. ‘Qal’at al-Hisn – Krak des Chevaliers, the Franks call it. We passed through its shadow yesterday.’
‘Did you notice anything unusual? More men? Preparations for war?’
‘We kept our distance. I saw nothing.’
‘Have you heard of Frankish raids against the Bedouin?’
The sheikh shook his head. ‘I hear little. We have been travelling the desert from oasis to oasis. We have not visited a town in months.’
‘Thank you for your help, sheikh.’ Yusuf untied his purse from his belt and tossed it to Sabir. The Bedouin sheikh looked inside and whistled in appreciation.
‘What is this for?’
‘You saved my life. It is yours.’
Sabir shook his head. ‘I only gave you hospitality as our laws dictate.’ He pocketed a silver dirham and tossed the pouch back to Yusuf.
‘You will always be welcome at my home,’ Yusuf told the man.
Sabir nodded, then turned back towards the other Bedouin and made a clicking noise. The tribe moved on, herding their sheep past John and Yusuf.
Yusuf shook his head. ‘We are wasting our time out here,’ he muttered.
‘We could find out more in the Frankish towns,’ John suggested.
‘I cannot enter uninvited. It would violate the treaty.’
John smiled. ‘You cannot, but I can.’
NOVEMBER 1156: TRIPOLI
John pulled a fold of his turban down around his mouth and nose to keep out the dust as he walked behind a long line of heavily laden camels. Outside Akkar, he had joined a caravan of dusky Indians bringing spices from the East. He had followed them as they marched alongside the Kadisha River, winding their way through green fields dotted here and there with distant villages or farmhouses. The local peasants – a mix of native Christians and Saracens were outside, preparing the soil for the spring planting. Beside the river to John’s left, a peasant yelled encouragement to a bony ox as it pulled a plough through the rich earth.
‘Tripoli!’ one of the Indians ahead in the caravan shouted, and John squinted into the distance, trying to pick out the city. On the horizon, he could make out the sea, golden under the late-afternoon sun. The walls of the city were just visible as a dark smudge against the glittering water. As they drew closer, the city began to take on a definite shape. A massive castle stood at the eastern end of the city wall, which stretched for a mile to the west, where it was anchored by a squat, round tower. Behind the wall lay Acre, built on a peninsula that curved out into the Mediterranean. John could make out the peaked roof of a church and two soaring minarets – now converted into bell towers.
The caravan entered the shadow of the white stone walls and headed for a wide gate flanked by guards wearing the distinctive black surcoats with white crosses that distinguished the Knights Hospitaller. The Indian merchant at the head of the camel train handed one of the guards a silver piece, and the caravan passed through with no interference. John stayed close to the last of the heavily laden camels, but as he entered the shadow of the gatehouse one of the guards stepped forward to block his way.
‘You, Saracen!’ the guard barked. ‘What’s your business here?’
John unwrapped his turban to reveal his blond hair and beard. He turned his blue eyes on the guard. ‘I’m no Saracen, friend. As for my business, I am a slave merchant, here for the market.’
The guard studied him for a moment, then nodded. ‘Go on then.’
John strode into the densely packed city, a network of narrow alleyways running between tall buildings huddled one on top of the other inside the tight space within the walls. He headed right into a dark alleyway, his boots squishing in the muck, a nauseous mixture of emptied chamberpots and refuse, all slowly draining away to the sea. It was a far cry from the cleanliness of Aleppo. He passed a doorway where an emaciated man with glazed eyes stood staring vacantly out into the alleyway – an opium addict. Ahead, the alleyway divided, running either side of a narrow building. A young prostitute, wearing a gauzy robe that revealed her budding breasts stood at the crossroads. ‘Fancy a good time?’ she asked in Frankish, then Latin and Arabic. John stopped, and
her reddened lips stretched back in a leer.
John held up a copper. ‘Which way to the port?’
The prostitute frowned. ‘That way,’ she said, pointing to her right.
John flipped her the coin and continued, following the narrow, twisting street in the direction she had indicated. As he neared the port, he heard the cries of seagulls wheeling overhead. The street broadened, and the houses lining it grew more luxurious, tall buildings of white stone replacing the wood and mud constructions nearer the walls. John entered a square and found himself facing a massive, domed church. He skirted the building and came to a broad street that ran down towards the gate that led out to the port. Carts were crowded around the gate, and merchants were loudly hawking their wares, preying on new arrivals to the Holy Land. John saw wine for sale, swords of Damascus steel and a collection of half-starved Saracen slaves. He strode passed and out into the port.
John headed left down the harbour, breathing deeply of the tangy ocean air to rid his nose of the rank smell of the city. To his right, ships were tied up along the pier, which curved out into the glittering blue sea, forming a natural breakwater that sheltered the port. Just ahead, a dozen wide-eyed, filthy pilgrims, their possessions slung over their shoulders in cloth bags, were stepping off one of the ships. John paused to watch them, thinking back to his arrival in the Holy Land.
‘You there!’ a sailor called to John from the deck of the ship. ‘Do you seek passage? We sail for Cherbourg at week’s end. A silver piece will see you on board.’
John hesitated for only a moment, then shook his head. ‘I have business here,’ he told the sailor and continued on down the harbour. To his left, a series of warehouses and taverns had been built against the city wall. He headed for the first tavern he saw, a rickety, two-storey building that leaned into the structure next to it. Over the door hung a sign depicting a fighting cock standing over a tankard of beer. From inside, John could hear a steady din of loud voices, overlaid occasionally by shouted curses or loud laughter.
