Byzantium

58

Still staring at the place Sadiq had indicated, I perceived a minute movement along the valley floor: a solitary figure, desert pale, picking its lone way slowly along the trail in the dusk. I strained my eyes to see more, and could, with difficulty, make out the form of a horse ambling behind the figure. Very soon the shadows would steal both from view.

"Get back!" Sadiq ordered, and I edged away from the overlook wondering how Sadiq could have seen the follower. Even after being shown where to look, the lone figure was all but impossible to see. The answer came to me then that the Amir had seen the figure because he knew it was there, was looking for it, and likely had been searching for some time.

Concealing ourselves among the tumbled rocks on either side of the trail, we settled down to wait-and waited long, but the follower did not appear. After a suitable period had elapsed, Sadiq left his hiding place and crept once more to the promontory where he lay on his stomach and gazed down into the valley for a moment before returning to call us from our places.

"Our friend has made camp for the night," he said. "It is a poor thing to travel alone; I think we must persuade him to join the companionship of our fire." The amir chose four of the rafiq to accomplish this task. "Go quietly," he warned, "for we do not wish to inspire unholy fear in our guest."

The four proceeded into the valley on foot, leaving the rest to make camp. As Faysal and the others went about their chores, the blue-black twilight stain deepened in the sky and the stars began to shine. It was full dark by the time the welcome party returned with our solitary pursuer.

They came abruptly out of the night, emerging into the circle of light provided by our campfire-two warriors, leading their charge, the third coming behind, and the fourth leading a horse and donkey. We fell silent as they appeared; Sadiq stood. "I am pleased you could be persuaded to join us," he said, speaking to the figure still in darkness.

I peered into the gloom beyond the firelight and saw a slender form swathed head to foot in a pale robe.

"Come forward, friend," Sadiq invited. "Sit with us; warm yourself by our fire, and share our meat."

The figure stood silently, but made no move to accept Sadiq's invitation. Neither did the warriors move, but held themselves stiffly, as if afraid or embarrassed to stand too near the stranger.

"Please," the amir insisted, his tone growing firm. "My next appeal may be less to your liking."

Lowering the hood, the stranger stepped into the circle of light.

"Kazimain!" I cried, leaping to my feet.

"Ah, Kazimain," sighed Sadiq, shaking his head wearily.

I went to her and made to embrace her, but among the Children of Allah, it is held a sinful thing for a man and woman to be seen touching one another, so I stood uncertainly before her, aware of the eyes on us, and Lord Sadiq's inevitable displeasure. "Kazimain?" I whispered, pleading for an explanation.

She glanced at me, her dark eyes defiant; she seemed on the point of speaking, but thought better of it, stepped past me and settled herself at the fire. Sadiq stared at his kinswoman, an expression of exasperated pride and annoyance warring on his swarthy face. Annoyance won. "You should not have come," he said at last.

Kazimain, without taking the slightest regard, extended her hands towards the fire. No doubt she had foreseen this meeting and had prepared what she would do. "One would almost think you were not happy to see me, Uncle," she observed, her voice sweet and soft.

"It was a foolish thing to do." The amir frowned. He dismissed his men to their chores, and sat down, folding his legs beneath him. He placed his hands on his knees. "There are wicked men in the hills. You might have been killed," he paused, "or worse."

Kazimain raised her head and regarded him with regal disdain. "I was ever within sight of the amir," she replied coolly. "Is his arm so short that he could not protect me?"

"You have been hiding all this time?" I wondered.

"The fire is warm," she said, holding her hands before the flames. "It is a luxury I did not allow myself." She glanced at me, the merest hint of a superior smile touching her lips. "If the amir had known, he would have sent me home."

"The amir will send you home!" declared Sadiq firmly.

Kazimain inclined her head nicely. "If that is your decision, my kinsman, I will not disagree."

"You should not have come," Sadiq said again. "No daughter of mine would ever do such a thing."

"No doubt your unborn daughters are better behaved than I," Kazimain replied.

"Your disobedience is shameful and unbecoming." The amir's voice was growing tight with frustration.

"Forgive me, uncle," Kazimain replied, "but I do not believe you forbade me to travel. How have I disobeyed you?"

"Must I foresee every possibility?" Sadiq charged. Snatching up a small stick, he snapped it, and threw it into the fire. "This insolence is intolerable. You will return to Ja'fariya at once."

Kazimain rose. "If that is your command." She turned as if she meant to go right then.

"Ya'Allah!" muttered Sadiq. "Camels are less contentious." He looked at me, frowned, and said, "Stay, Kazimain. No one is riding anywhere tonight. Tomorrow is soon enough."

"As you will, lord." Kazimain returned to her place by the fire, the very image of meekness and compliance.

"At dawn tomorrow," Sadiq declared, "you will be escorted back to Samarra where you belong."

"I understand," she said.

We three sat together in uneasy silence for a moment. The matter was settled, and there was nothing more to say. Sadiq looked at me, and then at Kazimain, and back again; abruptly, he stood and walked away, commanding one of the men to take care of Kazimain's horse and donkey.

It was as much privacy as we were likely to get, so I wasted not a moment of it. I leaned nearer and whispered, "Kazimain, why did you come?"

"Need you ask, my love?" she stared into the fire, lest anyone see her talking to me and take offence.

"Lord Sadiq is right, it was very dangerous. You could have been hurt."

"Are you to be angry with me, too?" she asked, her brow creasing slightly.

"Not in the least, my love, I-"

"I thought you would be pleased to see me."

"I am-more than I can say-but you took a terrible risk."

Shaking her head, she said, "Perhaps, but I think it worthwhile to see you again."

She turned her face towards me at last; the firelight shimmering on her skin made my heart melt with longing. I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her forever, but I could not so much as touch her hand. I almost squirmed with desire.

"I knew," she continued, "that if you left Samarra I would never see you again. I decided to come with you."

"And now you must go back."

"That is what Lord Sadiq has said," she agreed, but the way she said it made me wonder.

Four days later, we arrived at the enormous timber gate of the slave camp that was the caliph's silver mine. Yes, and Kazimain remained with us still, for on the morning that the amir had decreed for her return, she had respectfully pointed out that if her uncle truly cared about her safety, he would allow her to continue her journey since remaining with him and his bodyguard would undoubtedly be safer than returning alone, or with an escort of only two or three. The amir countered by saying he would send half his men, and received the reply that this proposal seemed needlessly foolhardy since it would compromise the amir's enterprise.

"On the other hand," Kazimain pointed out, "while I know little of your purposes, I am persuaded that there are times when a woman's presence may be of considerable value."

While Sadiq was none too certain about this, Faysal concurred whole-heartedly. "It is true, my lord amir," he said. "The Prophet himself, grace and peace be upon him forever, often rejoiced in the aid of his wife and kinswomen, as is well known."

In the end, Sadiq allowed himself to be persuaded-against his better judgement, it must be said-to allow his niece to continue. "But only so far and until proper arrangements can be made to send you home," he vowed. Kazimain, of course, meekly acquiesced to this, as she did to all his wishes.

Although the sun remained hot, we left the heat of the lowlands behind and entered the cooler heights of the hills, climbing steadily towards the mountains. Now and then we felt a freshening breeze on our faces, and slept more comfortably at night. Day by day, we pursued the winding trail into the hills, arriving at the mine four days after leaving the valley behind.

Sure, I was anxious to gain the freedom of my friends. From the moment when, still far off, we glimpsed the white-washed timbers of the gate-a mere glimmer in the midday sun-freeing the captives occupied my every thought. And now that we stood before the very gate-yawning open as if to mock the freedom denied to the inhabitants within-it was all I could do to keep from throwing myself from the saddle and rushing headlong to the overseer's dwelling and commanding him to unchain them and set them free.

Sadiq sagely advised against such rash behaviour. "Perhaps you would allow me the pleasure of serving you in this," he offered. "The chief overseer may balk at the request of a former slave. He will not, however, find it so easy to refuse me, I think."

As he spoke, the sick hatred welled up inside me. Again, I felt the ache of oppression in my bones and the sting of the lash; I felt the shaking frustration of enforced weakness, and the exhaustion of body and soul, the waking death of bondage. I wanted nothing more than to make those who practised this injustice suffer as I had suffered.

"I thank you, Lord Sadiq," I said, drawing myself up in the saddle, "but I will speak to him myself."

"Of course," the amir replied, "I leave the choice to you. However, I stand ready to aid you should your efforts fall short of the desired result." He regarded me, trying to read the depth of my intent. Then, with the air of a man passing on a dangerous duty, he summoned Faysal and three of his rafiq to accompany me. "Take Bara, Musa, and Nadr with you," he said, "and attend Aidan as you would attend me."

Satisfied with this preparation, Sadiq dismounted to await my return, saying, "Be wise, my friend, as Allah is wise."

I looked to Kazimain, who favoured me with an encouraging smile before replacing the veil. Then, turning in the saddle, I lifted the reins and rode through the hateful gate once more, and felt the slow heat of righteous wrath simmering in my heart. This day, I thought, vengeance begins. So be it.

We made our way along the narrow pathway through the close-huddled dwellings to the square of sun-blasted dirt outside the whitewashed house of the overseer. Keeping my saddle, I signalled Faysal to summon the man, which he did, calling out in a loud voice.

Word of our arrival, I expect, had been passed to the overseer the moment we reached the gates, for he appeared in the open doorway of the house, and stood looking out at us for a moment before emerging. I could see his white-turbaned head motionless in the dark as he gazed out at his unexpected visitors.

Faysal called again, and the overseer stepped, blinking, into the sun. "Greetings in the Holy Name," he said. "What is your business here?"

Not deigning to dismount, I addressed him from the saddle. "I have come to obtain the release of slaves."

I do not believe he recognized me at all, but I remembered him: he was the pit overseer Dugal had inadvertently struck, and who had directed our torture. He now stood in the sun, his small pig eyes all asquint, trying to work out how this unexpected demand might be turned to his advantage. The wrinkles of his sun-swarthy face arranged themselves in a shrewd expression. "Who are you to speak thus to me?"

"My name is Aidan mac Cainnech," I told him. "I am advisor to J'amal Sadiq, Amir of Samarra."

He stiffened at the name, the memory of his predecessor's treatment at the hands of the amir's men still sore to him. "The amir has no authority here," he declared. "Who makes this demand?"

"Protector of the Faithful, Khalifa al'Mutamid," I replied.

The chief overseer became sly. "You have proof, I presume?"

Taking the khalifa's decree, I passed it to Faysal, who leaned down from the saddle and offered it to the overseer who untied the silk band and carefully unrolled the parchment. "You can read, I presume?"

A frown appeared on his face as he scanned the document. After a moment, he lowered the decree and stared at me; this time he seemed to find something familiar in my face, but clearly could not think where he had seen me before.

"Come down from your lofty perch, my friend," he said, "and let us discuss this matter face to face."

Looking down on him, revulsion surged through me. God help me, I despised him. Oh, he was a vile creature.

"We have nothing to discuss," I replied. "I will tell you the names of those who are to be freed, and you will free them."

His face closed like a fist. "Names mean nothing here," he replied with an air of superiority. That was true, and I should have remembered. Thinking he had thwarted me, he allowed himself a smug sneer.

"It makes no difference," I responded coolly, "you will assemble the slaves and I will choose those I require from among them."

"All the slaves?" He sputtered like a pot about to boil. "But there are hundreds of slaves here-scattered everywhere in these hills. It would take the entire day to assemble them all."

"Then I suggest you begin at once."

"I would lose a day's worth of silver!" he shrieked. "Come back tomorrow," he suggested. "Come at dawn and you can see them before they begin their labour."

"Do you refuse the emissary of the khalifa?"

"You are being hasty," he said. "I must point out to you that what you ask is very difficult. There are many questions to be considered." His pained expression smoothed. "There is no need to invoke the khalifa's name; this is a matter between the two of us."

"My thoughts precisely."

"Seeing that you understand me," he said, his voice oily and insinuating, "I believe we can reach a fair agreement." He rubbed the fingertips of his right hand against the palm of his left.

"I understand you better than you know," I told him, my voice thick with loathing. Placing a hand to the jewelled daigear at my belt, I said, "Assemble the slaves at once, or lose your worthless tongue."

Turning to Faysal, I said, "I am going to wait in the overseer's house. See that this son of a rat does what is required of him."

"If I refuse?" the overseer said, the arrogant sneer back on his face.

"If he refuses," I said to Faysal, "kill him."