Eagle

Chapter 8

JULY AND AUGUST 1150: BAALBEK

‘By God it’s hot,’ John grumbled, wiping sweat from his brow. He and Yusuf rode along the dusty path that ran east from the city of Baalbek and into the foothills of the mountains. John turned in the saddle and looked back to where Yusuf’s brother Selim rode, followed by the women — Zimat, Turan’s new wife Sa’ida and four female slaves, all veiled. Abaan and two other mamluks brought up the rear, leading a packhorse. Behind them, the retreating walls of Baalbek shifted and wavered as heat rose from the parched earth. John turned forward again and rewrapped his turban, covering his face to protect it from the sun.

‘You look a proper Muslim, now,’ Yusuf told him.

‘Anything to keep that cursed sun off. It feels as if it could burn straight through my skin.’

‘We will be at the spring soon enough. It is a paradise. You will forget all about the sun.’

The road sloped gently upwards towards the mountains, and they began to pass ruins on their right-hand side — huge arches of stone, built one on top of another, supporting what looked like a road high above the ground. There were frequent gaps where the columns had collapsed into jagged piles of rubble.

‘What is that?’ John asked.

‘An aqueduct. The Romans built it to carry water from the spring into town.’

‘A road for water,’ John murmured in wonder. They left the aqueduct behind as the path swung sharply uphill and entered the shadows cast by towering cedars. After a few minutes the road levelled out, and they entered a shadowy clearing carpeted with lush green grass. At the far end of the meadow a half-fallen wall and a few marble columns — the crumbled remains of an ancient temple — stood beside the dark waters of a spring-fed pool.

‘Come on!’ Yusuf shouted. He slid from the saddle and ran towards the water. When he reached it, he leapt through the air with a whoop of joy and landed with a splash. Selim followed close behind, hurling himself head over heels into the pool. John dismounted, gathered up the reigns of the horses, and led them across the clearing. The women followed, giggling over Yusuf and Selim’s antics.

John tethered the horses to a column and left them to crop at the lush grass that grew up between the stones of the ruined temple. He turned to see Yusuf emerging from the spring, his dripping tunic clinging to his thin but muscular frame. Behind him, Zimat, Sa’ida and the other women were standing at the edge of the pool, gasping as they dipped their feet in the water. Yusuf shook himself, sending water flying at the girls, who shrieked and retreated.

Yusuf turned back to John. ‘What are you waiting for?’

John looked at Yusuf’s clinging tunic, then glanced over to where Zimat stood watching. He shook his head. ‘Later, maybe.’

‘At least take a drink,’ Yusuf insisted.

John approached the pool and knelt down. As he bent forward to drink, Yusuf shoved him from behind, and John tumbled into the pool. The shock of the freezing water took his breath away, and he broke the surface gasping. As he pulled himself out of the pool, he noticed Zimat staring.

Yusuf approached, grinning. ‘Not hot anymore, are you? Come on. Let’s eat.’

Abaan and his men had unpacked food and laid blankets on the ground in the centre of the clearing. They all enjoyed a meal of fresh peaches, bread and goat’s cheese, washed down with cold water from the spring. When they had finished, the men left the clearing to allow the women to bathe. Yusuf posted Abaan and the other mamluks on the road to protect their privacy. He left Selim with them and took John aside. ‘Come with me. I have something to show you.’

John followed him along a narrow animal track that ran uphill to the west of the clearing. The shouts and laughter of Zimat, Sa’ida and their slave girls faded as John and Yusuf headed deeper into the forest, pushing through the branches that crowded the trail. Finally, Yusuf stopped at the edge of a sunlight-dappled glade. The golden light played upon a throne of white marble, streaked black here and there by time and weather. On either side of the throne lay two bulls sculpted from stone, and upon the throne was seated a statue of a bearded man, naked but for a crown of leaves. His nose was missing, but the face was still stern and strong, with a square jaw and thick eyebrows. John’s eyes widened. The man on the throne looked just like the depiction of God painted on the stained-glass windows of his church back in Tatewic.

‘Who is it?’ John whispered.

‘Zeus,’ Yusuf replied. ‘Or Baal, as the local Phoenicians called him. Imad ad-Din says that this spring was sacred to the Phoenicians long before the Romans arrived. They built the temple and left this statue as well.’

John stepped forward and touched the weathered stone of the statue’s face. He looked up as a peel of high-pitched laughter penetrated the clearing. Peering through the trees beyond the statue, John caught a glimpse of long, athletic legs and then a firm bottom, framed between two tree trunks. Yusuf must have led them in a circle around the clearing, which they had then reapproached through the woods to the west of the pool. John flushed red and glanced at Yusuf. His eyes were fixed upon the distant trees. John looked back, and the figure was gone. More scantily clad forms flitted past. Then there was a splash and high, loud laughter. A second later, a face appeared, staring back at them from between the distant trees. It was Sa’ida, a dark bruise on her cheek. A moment later, Zimat’s face joined hers. Her eyes met John’s.

‘We should go,’ Yusuf said as he grabbed John’s arm and pulled him away.

John followed Yusuf back down the path, cursing as he stumbled over a root. His mind was still back in the clearing, filled with images of long limbs, that perfectly shaped bottom and Zimat’s face. He was still thinking of her when they reached the road where Selim and the mamluks were waiting. John stopped short when he saw that Zimat and the other women were also there. Zimat had not dried thoroughly, and her caftan clung to her left side, revealing the outline of her breast. John stared dumbly at her, and she returned his gaze. He felt himself turning red.

‘It grows late,’ Yusuf said, giving John a hard look. ‘We must return to Baalbek.’

The party returned to the clearing, where Abaan and his men packed up their supplies. Yusuf helped Sa’ida into the saddle, and John hurried to help Zimat. As he took her foot and lifted her up, she leaned over and whispered, ‘Meet me tonight, in the stable loft.’

John lay in his small room and stared out of the open window at the night sky, strewn with innumerable stars. He had stayed awake, his mind busy with thoughts of Zimat, while one by one the sounds of the villa had faded. Now, only the song of the cicadas could be heard. John took a deep breath and threw off his blanket. He was fully dressed. He went to the door and opened it, wincing as the hinges creaked. He froze, his heart pounding in his chest, and peeked out. No one had stirred. Relieved, he slipped outside, carefully shutting the door behind him. He paused to cross himself, and then crept towards the stables, keeping to the dark shadows thrown by the wall.

One of the tall double-doors to the stable was slightly ajar. John slipped through the crack into the inky darkness. ‘Hello?’ he whispered. He listened, but heard only the hum of the cicadas and the nickering of a horse, lost in a dream. ‘Zimat?’ There was no reply.

John tiptoed forward, his hand held out before him as he groped his way towards the ladder that led to the loft. He found it and climbed up, pausing at the top. He saw only the dim outline of the piles of hay. Then he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. ‘Zimat?’

‘John?’ It was her voice.

‘It’s me,’ John said as he clambered into the loft. Zimat moved towards him and in the darkness they collided, their foreheads knocking together with an audible crack.

‘Akh laa!’ Zimat cried out as she fell back.

‘Are you hurt?’ John whispered as he moved forward to comfort her, only to trip over her legs and fall on top of her. He quickly rolled off and began to apologize, then stopped as Zimat burst out laughing. Her mirth proved contagious, and John found himself laughing with her, laughing so hard that his eyes watered. Finally, they fell silent, sitting side by side and gasping for breath.

‘I am glad you asked me to come,’ John said when he had recovered his breath. ‘After our kiss, I did not think you wanted to see me again.’

Zimat glanced at him, then looked away. ‘I was afraid. I had never kissed a man before.’

‘And I had never kissed a woman.’

‘But what about the English girl?’

‘I lied.’

‘I guessed as much. I felt your knees shaking.’ Zimat turned to face him. ‘Tell me, John: what do you see when you look at me?’

John stared at Zimat, the outlines of her face only dimly visible, her eyes twin pools of darkness. ‘I see a beautiful woman, the most beautiful I have ever seen.’

Zimat turned away. ‘Is that all?’

‘No.’ John reached out and gently touched her chin, turning her face back towards him. ‘I see a generous heart; you are kind even to your slaves. And I see a proud woman, but also one who is afraid. You want more than your place in life offers, but you are afraid to take it.’

‘Yes.’ Zimat nodded emphatically. ‘How did you know?’

‘Because I feel the same.’

Zimat moved closer, her side almost touching his. ‘I am not afraid now.’

‘Nor am I.’ John took her hand in his.

‘Your hands are rough.’

‘Yours are soft, like the petal of a rose.’ John raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. Zimat giggled.

‘You missed the mark.’ She leaned close and kissed John. Her lips were moist and soft, her breath sweet.

John closed his eyes, his head spinning, then pulled away suddenly. ‘But I am a Frank. Are you sure?’

‘That is why I am sure. You see me as I am. No man of my people will ever do the same.’ Zimat reached out and pulled him back towards her. John kissed her hard, and she opened her mouth to his. His arms encircled her, pulling her close against him so that he could feel the soft curves of her breasts against his chest. His hands moved down her back, then grabbed one of her firm buttocks. She gasped.

‘I’m sorry,’ he mumbled. ‘I did not mean to-’

‘No, do not stop.’ Zimat took his hand and placed it on her breast. John kissed her hungrily, while with his other hand he reached behind her back and gently laid her down in the straw. He began to kiss her cheeks, then her neck. He pulled open the front of her caftan to reveal her breasts, the dark nipples hard and erect. He took one in his mouth, and Zimat moaned softly.

John grasped her thigh, and his hand moved up under her caftan, between her legs. She reached out to stop him.

‘I must remain a virgin.’

‘I–I understand,’ John replied, his voice choked with passion. He pulled away.

Zimat reached out and drew him back down to her. ‘But that does not mean you must stop. There are other things we can do.’

John lay asleep in the straw of the loft, Zimat in his arms and her head upon his chest. She shifted, pressing herself closer against him, and he smiled. Then, his eyes snapped open at the sound of a loud wail from outside the barn. Daylight filtered in through the thin cracks between the boards that made up the ceiling. ‘What was that?’ John wondered.

Zimat awoke and sat up, pulling her caftan around her bare shoulders. ‘Ya Allah! It is daylight. I must go.’ She pulled on her caftan and headed for the ladder, then froze as another horrible cry penetrated the barn.

‘Something is wrong,’ John said, rising and pulling on his own caftan. ‘I will check to make sure that you will not be seen.’

Zimat nodded, and John stepped past her and hurried down the ladder. He cracked open the barn door and peered out. Most of the household was crowded around the well, only twenty feet from the barn doors. Basimah was on her knees, her head in her hands. Ayub and Yusuf talked quietly beside her. Slaves and servants kept a respectful distance.

‘What has happened?’ Zimat asked as she joined him at the door and peeked out.

John shook his head. ‘I do not know.’ In the courtyard, Basimah began to wail again.

Zimat turned to face John. ‘If we leave together, we will be seen. You go first. I will come out when it is safe.’

‘Will I see you again?’

Zimat flashed him a brilliant smile. ‘Yes. Now go.’

John stepped out and almost ran into Turan, who was heading along the wall towards the well. ‘Watch where you are going, Frank!’ he roared, shoving John aside. Turan started to move on but then stopped and examined John more closely. He picked a piece of straw off John’s tunic and twisted it between his fingers. ‘What were you doing in the stables, slave?’

‘I–I sleep there sometimes,’ John lied. ‘It is cooler than my room.’

‘ Hmph, with the other animals.’ Turan headed on towards the well, and John followed.

‘It was dark last night,’ Ayub was saying to Yusuf as John and Turan approached. ‘Perhaps she did not see the well and fell in.’

‘Perhaps,’ Yusuf said. His eyes narrowed as he noticed Turan.

‘What has happened?’ Turan asked.

Ayub put his hand on Turan’s shoulder. ‘I am sorry, my son. It is your wife, Sa’ida. She is dead.’ At this, Basimah began to wail again, her loud keening drowning out the cries of the rooster, which had just begun to crow the dawn.

‘How?’ Turan asked.

Yusuf’s gaze burrowed into Turan. ‘We are not sure-yet.’ ‘Do you wish to say something to me, Brother?’ Turan flared.

‘That is enough!’ Ayub snapped as he stepped between them. ‘This is a day of mourning. I will not have your petty squabbling.’ He turned to Turan. ‘I must speak with you.’ Ayub led Turan a few paces away, and they spoke in low voices. After a moment, Ayub called the head slave, Harith, over to join them.

John stepped past Yusuf and peered into the well. Sa’ida floated at the bottom, her pale, broken body barely visible in the gloom. John turned away. ‘Perhaps she killed herself,’ he whispered to Yusuf. ‘I would not blame her.’

‘No, he did it,’ Yusuf snarled, gesturing towards Turan. ‘I am sure of it.’

John nodded. He made a show of looking about, then turned back to Yusuf. ‘Have you seen your sister, Zimat?’

Yusuf’s face paled. Basimah looked up from where she knelt. ‘Zimat?’ she whispered, then her voice rose to a scream. ‘Zimat! Where are you my child!’

‘I am here!’ Zimat called, hurrying over from the direction of the barn.

‘Thank Allah!’ Basimah cried as she rose and embraced her daughter.

Turan and Ayub walked back over to the well. Turan went straight to John, grabbed his right arm, and twisted it behind his back. John began to struggle, but Yusuf shook his head. He turned to his father. ‘What is this?’

‘Turan says the Frank killed his wife, then hid in the stables. Harith has confirmed that John was not in his room last night.’

John shook his head. ‘But-’

‘Silence, slave!’ Ayub snapped. ‘Turan will stay here and prepare his wife for burial. Yusuf, you will leave now to inform Sa’ida’s father of this tragedy and to present him a gift in recompense for the loss of his daughter. You will bring him back with you, and when the two of you return, the Frank will be executed. That should appease Waqar.’

‘But John is innocent!’ It was Zimat, and all eyes turned to her. She blushed and lowered her gaze.

Ayub frowned. ‘This is no business of yours, Daughter. I have spoken. It will be done.’ He nodded towards John. ‘Take him to the cell.’

Yusuf reined his horse to a stop as the city of Baalbek came into sight. Waqar and the five mamluks who accompanied him also halted. It had taken them nearly a week to find Waqar, who had taken his herds to summer pastures in the mountains north of Hama. Yusuf had welcomed the delay. Every day he spent searching for Waqar meant another day that John would live. But now, after four days of hard riding, they had reached Baalbek.

‘At last,’ Waqar muttered. ‘I will gut the Frankish bastard myself.’

Yusuf grimaced and spurred his horse forward, riding at a fast trot. He and his men passed through the city gate and wound through the town to the villa. As he rode into the courtyard, Yusuf saw Turan speaking with their uncle, Shirkuh, who had just arrived and was still covered with the dust of the road. Turan saw Yusuf and his eyes narrowed. Shirkuh grinned. ‘Nephew!’ he roared.

‘Ahlan wa-Sahlan, Uncle,’ Yusuf said as he slid from the saddle. He put his hands on his uncle’s shoulders and exchanged the ritual three kisses on the lips.

‘You greet me as a man now,’ Shirkuh noted. He squeezed Yusuf’s arm, feeling his hard bicep. ‘And by Allah, you are a man. Soon enough, it will be your turn to join me in the court of Nur ad-Din.’

‘My turn?’

‘Your father has decided that Turan is old enough to begin his service to his lord. I have come for him. We leave tomorrow for Aleppo.’ Shirkuh looked past Yusuf to Waqar. ‘And who is this?’

‘This is the Bedouin sheikh Waqar, father of Sa’ida,’ Yusuf informed him. ‘Waqar, this is my uncle, Shirkuh.’

‘As-salaamu ‘alaykum,’ Waqar called out as he dismounted.

‘Wa ‘Alaykum as-salaam, sheikh. I mourn with you for your loss,’ Shirkuh replied, and the two men exchanged kisses. ‘Now come, all of you. Let us go in for refreshments. I am eager to see my brother.’

Turan shook his head. ‘Later, Uncle. I must speak with Yusuf.’

Shirkuh frowned. ‘But you insult our guest.’

‘My most sincere apologies, Sheikh,’ Turan said, bowing to Waqar. ‘After tomorrow, I will not see my brother again for many months.’ Waqar nodded.

‘Very well,’ Shirkuh said. ‘But do not be too long.’

Yusuf followed Turan around the side of the villa to the rear courtyard, where Turan turned to face him. ‘I have a score to settle with you before I go, little brother.’

‘And I with you.’ Yusuf raised his fists. ‘You killed Sa’ida. Admit it.’

‘Who will make me? You?’ Turan turned in place as Yusuf began to circle around him. ‘Careful, Brother, your Frank is not here to save you this time,’ Turan said as he casually cracked his knuckles. Yusuf sprang forward and snapped off a jab, catching Turan in the jaw. Turan stumbled back, surprised. ‘You little bastard!’ He brought his fists up and began to circle, mirroring Yusuf.

‘Why did you kill Sa’ida?’ Yusuf asked. ‘Did she laugh at the size of your zib?’

Turan’s face flushed red. He stepped forward and swung for Yusuf’s head. Yusuf ducked the clumsy blow and punched Turan twice in the gut before moving away, leaving his brother doubled over, hands on his knees.

‘I must have gotten close to the mark,’ Yusuf taunted. ‘Or was it that you could not get it up?’

‘I will kill you!’ Turan roared. He charged towards Yusuf, who stood his ground. At the last second, Yusuf jumped to the side and smashed his fist into Turan’s face before tripping his brother and sending him sprawling in the dust. Turan rolled over, furious, but Yusuf was on him immediately. He slammed his knee into Turan’s gut as he knelt over his brother and punched him in the nose, feeling a satisfying crunch. He hit Turan again and again, as his older brother vainly tried to defend himself. Turan’s nose was gushing blood and his lip was split, but Yusuf kept punching. He bared his teeth as the anger and frustration built up over so many years boiled over within him.

‘You bastard,’ Yusuf growled as he swung down. ‘ Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!’ Yusuf swung again, but this time Turan caught his punch. He yanked Yusuf’s arm, pulling Yusuf off his chest. Yusuf tried to shake free, but Turan’s grip was like a vice. Turan rose to his feet and spun Yusuf around, putting him in a headlock. He pulled his forearm tight across his brother’s throat, choking him.

‘I did kill Sa’ida,’ Turan whispered in Yusuf’s ear. ‘It was that bitch’s fault my zib would not rise. And it’s your fault I married her in the first place. Shall I kill you, too, little brother?’ He squeezed tighter. Yusuf’s face was shading from bright red to purple, and he was starting to see spots of light dancing across his vision. ‘No smart replies now, eh? Can’t talk your way out of this.’

Yusuf snapped his head backwards and Turan fell back, hands over his face. Gasping for air, Yusuf spun around to face him. But the air would not come. It was one of his fits. Not now, not now, Yusuf thought to himself. He dropped to his knees, his chest heaving as he struggled for air.

Turan smirked, despite his swollen right eye and the blood running from his nose. ‘What’s the matter, little brother? Trouble breathing? And you wonder why I am Father’s favourite. You’re pathetic.’ Yusuf closed his eyes, shutting out Turan. He forced himself to breath evenly and slowly. He could defeat this. He must not try to catch his breath; it would come to him if he was patient. He opened his eyes and got to his feet.

‘Still fighting?’ Turan sneered, his teeth stained red with blood. ‘You should have stayed down.’ He surged towards Yusuf, who threw a jab, catching Turan in his bloodied nose. Yusuf slipped away and started circling. He grinned. His breathing had returned to normal.

‘I’ll wipe that grin off your face,’ Turan hissed. He stepped forward and threw a windmill punch. Yusuf ducked the blow and then unleashed a combination: two quick blows to the gut and an uppercut that snapped Turan’s head back. Turan stumbled backwards, his arms down. Yusuf stepped forward and threw two hard punches to his brother’s stomach, driving the wind out of him. Then Yusuf reared back and put all his force behind a straight cross that caught Turan square on the jaw. Turan’s legs gave out, and he sank to his knees, his eyes glazed. Yusuf looked past him and saw Shirkuh, watching impassively as he leaned against a corner of the villa.

Yusuf put his hands on Turan’s shoulders and leaned close. ‘You will admit what you did to Sa’ida.’

‘It was an accident,’ Turan mumbled, his head down. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt her.’

‘Louder, Brother. I did not hear you.’

‘It was an accident!’ Turan cried. ‘I shoved her, and she fell. She hit her head on the table.’

Yusuf’s face wrinkled in disgust. ‘You are my brother, or else I would beat you to death like the animal you are.’ He let go of Turan, who slumped to the ground and lay unmoving in the dust. Yusuf headed towards Shirkuh. ‘You heard what he said, Uncle. He killed Sa’ida.’

Shirkuh nodded. ‘Your father suspected as much. That is why he asked me to come for Turan. The boy needs to be taught a lesson.’ He gripped Yusuf’s shoulder. ‘I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself. Turan is nearly twice your size, and you made him eat dirt.’

Yusuf nodded towards the cell where John was being kept. ‘The Frank, John, taught me.’

‘He taught you well. I will speak to your father and see that he is released.’ Shirkuh drew a dagger from his belt and handed it to his nephew. The pommel was carved in the shape of a fierce eagle’s head. ‘Nur ad-Din gave this to me. He said I was like the eagle descending upon the hare, the terror of the Franks. Now it is yours.’

Yusuf drew the dagger from its sheath and the dark-grey blade glinted in the sunlight. ‘Thank you, Uncle.’

‘You have the makings of a great warrior, Yusuf. Our lord Nur ad-Din has need of men like you. Soon enough, it will be your turn to join him in Aleppo, little eagle.’