Chapter LXXVIII
With all the turmoil and upset in the kingdom it was no surprise to hear that the Sultan, may God reward him, had moved once more to attack Kerak. The summons went out to the feudal host and though Count Raymond refused to answer it, a great army began to assemble in Jerusalem. None of us went to Kerak this time; instead we were sent to various places to try and find out whether the Sultan, may God protect him, was moving against Kerak only or whether he had greater plans for taking advantage of our disunity and weakness.
For several weeks we rode in all directions: Babrak to the north as usual, Hamed to the border with Egypt, Hilmi was sent to the north as well, into the Principality of Antioch, so that he might discover if there was any threat from Aleppo. Guy kept me by him, but that did not mean that I rested but that I worked twice as hard, for every day I was sent to this one or that one - to Abd al-Wahid in Jericho, to the cobbler in Neapolis, and several times to Count Raymond in Tiberias. I do not know what was in the letters I carried, but I do know that, like Harun, I carried them sewn into the seams of my saddle.
The siege lasted for six weeks and then the sky clouded over and we knew that the winter rains were coming. Once more the Sultan raised the siege of Kerak and retreated to ash-Shams, leaving Reynauld secure in his castle. The pilgrim ships ceased to come as stormy weather closed the seas and we all returned to es-Sid's home and began to prepare for the feast of the birth of the Prophet Isa.
"Have you heard the latest?" Hilmi asked, coming into the room.
We three looked up at him.
"No," Babrak said.
"It seems that that son of Iblis, Reynauld, has attacked another caravan," Hilmi told us. "Among those he captured is the Sultan's own sister and her son!"
"How do you know this?" Babrak demanded.
"I was out with Charles when a party of Muslims from Syria rode up to the gate and demanded audience with the king. While they waited for permission to enter the city, Charles and I talked with them and they, surprised at a Frank who could speak Arabic, spoke to us freely."
"And?" Babrak asked.
"And they told us that they had just come from Kerak, where they had gone to demand the release of the merchants and their goods and compensation for the Egyptian soldiers slain."
"By God!" Hamed exclaimed. "These are brave men!"
"And Reynauld refused?" Babrak asked.
"Raynauld refused," Hilmi answered. "They are come, therefore, to al-Quds to obtain redress from the lord king."
"Have you told es-Sid?" Hamed asked.
Hilmi jerked his chin. "Not I. Charles is with him at this moment."
"By God!" Babrak burst out, "this is too much. It was only two years ago that the Sultan, may God prosper him, granted these Franks a truce - and now it has been broken by the Franks. Truly, the folly of these Nasranis is beyond reckoning."
"And if the king refuses?" I asked.
"They said nothing," Hilmi replied.
"No threats?" Babrak sounded astonished.
Hilmi grinned. "The Sultan, God give him rest, is clearly determined to show that the Franks are in the wrong, for they cannot complain that he sought to blacken their faces by making threats. He has written very politely to them, but if they reject his letter, which is both modest and reasonable, then even the Christian God cannot in reason help them."
"But the Christian God is the same as our God," I interrupted.
"Nonsense," Babrak waved his hand dismissively. "We proclaim the unity of God, these idolators worship three gods - but even if you are correct," he added hastily, forestalling any protest I might make, "Allah Himself cannot favour these Nasranis, these truce-breakers, these men who swear falsely in the name of God."
We heard later that King Guy had pretended astonishment at the news that the ambassadors from Damascus brought - and it may be true that he was astonished, for we ourselves had not heard anything of this attack and Reynauld would have good reason to keep the news from Guy, who had much to lose if the truce was broken. In the presence of the ambassadors Guy called in a scribe and wrote in the strongest possible language to Prince Reynauld, demanding in his own name and in the name of the council the release of the prisoners and sending on a copy of the Sultan's letter as well.
The king's messengers went to Kerak and the ambassadors, professing satisfaction with Guy's attitude, returned to Damascus, taking with them rich presents for the Sultan and his chief ministers as a token of Guy's good will. No reply came from Reynauld; nevertheless, by the time we celebrated the feast it was obvious that that dog, that son of Iblis, did not intend to obey the king.
