Chapter LXIV
I was reminded of Trudy's words about driving the pilgrims away the next week when I went with Charles to Joppa, for apart from listening to the various men who spied for es-Sid we accomplished nothing. Truly, whoever ruled in the port cities, they could not bring the pilgrims, only frighten them off by their squabbles. Each day, it seemed, the guides who waited impatiently on the beach grew in number.
"God help any pilgrim who comes now," Charles said to me, watching our rivals as they prowled restlessly on the beach. "That lot will tear him in pieces."
"By the prophet, that is true," I said, for the men seemed to spend their time in arguing and even fighting with one another. "Inshallah they will tear each other to pieces and leave the pilgrims untouched for us to gather in."
We laughed and turned back to the game that Charles was teaching me, in which you moved counters along pathways between three squares. He had stones and I had pieces of shell and if either of us put three of the counters in a row, we could take them from the board and the first to remove all his counters was the winner.
"Tomorrow we can leave," Charles said some minutes later when he had won yet again.
"Who is coming to replace us?" I asked.
"Well, it was Hilmi and Karl last week," Charles narrowed his eyes, trying to recall. "Do you know who it was the week before that?"
"I think it was Hamed," I said, "and Phillipe."
"No," Charles shook his head. "It wasn't Phillipe, because he gave me this on the tiltyard." He gestured with his left hand, where the bruise was still visible.
"Then it must have been Konrad," I said, "so it will be Phillipe and Babrak coming to relieve us."
"I can hardly wait," Charles said, shivering and pulling his cloak around him. "Last night I dreamed that I was in the hammam in Jerusalem, in the hot room."
"Don't!" I protested.
Charles grinned. "I know. It's horrible waking up with the cold eating into your bones."
It was well past midday when Phillipe and Babrak arrived and we cursed them for their delay, for we could not reach Jerusalem before dark and would have to spend the night with the brothers of Latrun or in the open.
When we reached Jerusalem we stabled our horses and then went straight to the hammam, soaking in the hot water and letting our bones thaw out for the first time in a week. Fatima was waiting for us on our return and told me that Trudy wanted to see me.
"Ah, the faithful squire!" Charles laughed. "Really, Fuad, you might as well learn to play the lute and turn troubadour."
I laughed with him, then hastened up the stairs, my heart beating. It was not uncommon for es-Sid to invite a couple of squires to his appartment in the evening to talk, drink wine and play chess, but when Fatima bade me alone it was a sure sign that es-Sid was away and I could look forward to sitting by Trudy's side as she worked at her embroidery or holding her in my arms as we talked.
"Father's gone to see the king," Trudy said when I entered the room. "Have you got your cloak?"
"No, Trudy," I said, approaching her in the window seat. "It is still wet."
Trudy made a sign to Fatima who ran out of the room and returned with one of Sid Guy's cloaks.
"Here, come and sit beside me," Trudy said. "I'm perishing."
I spread the cloak on the seat and Trudy came and sat beside me, pulling the cloak around our shoulders to make a warm and cosy tent. Fatima sat opposite us in the window seat and wrapped Trudy's cloak around herself.
"What has es-Sid gone to see the king about?" I asked when we were settled.
Trudy shrugged. "Oh, some business about Guy de Lusignan. I don't know what. Tell me about your trip."
There was nothing to tell different from any other trip, but somehow that didn't stop us spending a pleasant couple of hours, talking and laughing together. Fatima had a wicked sense of humour and kept us laughing constantly while es-Sitt was given more to comments that were astonishingly wise and perceptive for a girl.
Suddenly we heard es-Sid's footstep on the stairs and Fatima leaped up and ran to poke at the fire. I slipped out of Trudy's embrace and took Fatima's place on the other side of the window seat, while Trudy took up her sewing only to put it down again and run to take the cloak her father was wearing.
"Papa! Are you all right?"
I heard her voice, sharp with concern, and turned to see what had alarmed her.
"No, my dear, I am not." Es-Sid turned to Fatima. "Bring me some wine; I need it badly." He turned back to Trudy then looked beyond her and saw me. He smiled slightly and beckoned to me to come closer. "I would never have believed it if I had not been there myself."
"Believed what, Sid?" I asked, sitting down at the table opposite Guy.
"I was at the council tonight," Guy said. "That idiot Reynauld has sent word that he is recalling half the garrisons along the border between Damascus and Oultre-Jordan. I know he needs men in Kerak, but weakening the border is just an invitation to the Sultan to walk in."
He drank deeply from the cup which Fatima brought him and put it down on the table. "And there is news from Cyprus," he said. "Isaac Comnenus has taken it in rebellion against Andronicus and has sent to make an alliance with us against Byzantium - and those idiots are in favour of it. They'll antagonise the Emperor and gain nothing from Isaac, the fools."
There was nothing we could do about these matters, however much we discussed them and soon they were forgotten as we busied ourselves about other things. The dispute between the king and those he had banished dragged on with no sign of reconciliation and week followed week. Easter came and went and we were busy with the pilgrims who now came in increasing numbers, so busy that I did not give the notice that I should have to the news Abd al-Wahid told me one day when I had taken a party of pilgrims to the place of baptism.
"Have you heard?" he asked after we had greeted one another. "The Sultan, may God prosper him, has recaptured Jebel Ajlun."
"Al-hamdu-lillah," I responded automatically, for in those days when the king was a child the Franks did nothing but quarrel and all the news was of one success after another for the Sultan.
There was much other talk and the pilgrims were more than usually troublesome, so when I returned to al-Quds I forgot completely about this particular item of news and though I told es-Sid many other things, I did not tell him of Jebel Ajlun.
It was nearly a month later that I went to Jericho again and again left the pilgrims to refresh themselves in the city while I went and spoke with Abd al-Wahid.
"By God, the Sultan, may God give him a long life, does not waste time," Abd al-Wahid said as we refreshed ourselves with bread and dates after prayers. "Last time you were here I told you that he had recaptured Jebel Ajlun; well, now he has appointed Izz ad-Din Usamah to be the governor there."
I shrugged. "Someone must govern. Who is this Izz ad-Din?"
"You don't know?" Abd al-Wahid paused with his hand half-way to his mouth. He leaned back and laughed loudly. "By the prophet, Fuad, surely you have heard of Izz ad-Din Usamah who was formerly governor in the Sultan's possessions near Beirut?"
I shook my head. "I am only a poor bedu," I joked. "What should I know of these great ones."
"Only that he was in charge of the iron mines there and now he is in charge of the iron mines of Jebel Ajlun."
"There are iron mines there?" I was surprised.
"Of course," Abd al-Wahid assured me. "In fact, they are of such importance that I am told that the Sultan, may God preserve him, is sending workmen and materials to build a castle there to protect his new acquisitions."
Now at last I became interested, for if the Sultan, may God defend him, spent good money to build a castle then the mines must indeed be important. I questioned Abd al-Wahid at length about this matter, but he knew no more than he told me at the first.
I reported the matter to Charles as soon as I rejoined the group and his face grew long, for he had heard of these iron mines and knew already of their loss, for several weeks previously he had spoken to one of the survivors - though there were very few of them. When the Sultan's men captured the mines the Muslim slaves digging the ore there had been set free and replaced by the Christians taken captive in the attack.
In the morning we told es-Sid about it and he sent Babrak to ash-Shams with a present of new dates from Jericho for ibn Hamza. When he returned he told us of his journey, how he had passed through a huge deserted city with a great ring of pillars rising out of the ground and half a day's journey beyond that came to this Qal'at ar-Rabadh, a rugged hilltop swarming with men and animals.
"It is a most strong place, Sid," Babrak wrinkled up his mouth. "It is set right on the edge of the Great Valley so that the garrison will be able to look down and see even the jackals that come to drink at the river."
"How close is it to being finished?" Guy asked.
"Already the walls are high enough that it will only be taken by a siege," Babrak said.
Guy shrugged. "Then it is beyond us."
