Chapter 4...........
Samia and Hamid stayed on the boat with Carlos until late the next afternoon when Pedro came out to fetch them. They'd spent their time fishing alongside Carlos, with Samia trying to make everything seem normal to Hamid, who was in fact loving the whole experience. He was finally out on one of the big boats, and before his birthday too, now he could catch some really big fish. The sheer delight on his little face was a joy to see and before long he and Carlos were wrestling with a large catch.
Underneath the surface Samia was terrified and Carlos had sensed this. He'd valiantly tried to reassure her that things would be okay, but could offer no comfort other than the fact that Pedro would divert the men, and she should trust in that. He knew his brother well, knowing him to be as cunning and wily as they came if needs be. So when Pedro finally showed up, Samia's relief was evident to all.
"Pedro, thank God, is everything all right?" whispered Samia as he climbed on board the boat, gently pulling him over to one side so as Hamid wouldn't hear the conversation.
"Calm down Samia, I got word from Juan, Alejandro's son, an hour ago that they'd left for Tenerife, and from there we've managed to convince them that they need to go to Gomera."
"But, how do we know they won't be back?" Are you sure they've really gone," Samia cried, she couldn't risk letting herself believe that they'd really gone for good, for in doing so she'd let her guard down.
Pedro put his arm around Samia and calmed her, "Listen to me," he said. "Alejandro's friend, Hector, runs the main boarding house and Inn in Puerto de Cabras," he explained. "He's been watching them like a hawk and believe me if he says they've gone, they've gone alright."
"But what's to say they won't be back?" Samia repeated. "I know their kind, they never stop."
"Samia, there's also nothing to say that they will be back is there?" said Pedro, with a grin. "We've put the word out amongst the fishermen, and with any luck by the time they've finished on their wild goose chase they could even have been diverted to the North Pole for all we know."
Samia burst into a fit of giggles at that last remark, finally allowing herself to relax a little. The immediate danger had passed, and at least she now had some time to gather her thoughts and start to plan again for her next move, should she need to run again.
The trip back into Cotillo harbor was a lot more lighthearted than the previous days trip out. Hamid ran up and down the decks, shouting with joy as he spotted more and more fish in the crystal clear waters, and by the time they pulled into port Samia thought they'd have enough of a catch to feed them both for a month. Nevertheless, she was relieved to get her feet back onto dry land, and even more relieved to get back to her little cottage. After tucking her now 'expert' little fisherman into his bed, she wearily crawled into her own, still feeling the rocking of the boat as she fell into a troubled sleep.
In Puerto de Cabras, Hector was instantly on his guard as the imposing man walked into his Inn. He noticed immediately the strange markings on his face and hands and was soon despatching Juan back up the coast to Cotillo. Juan had taken flight before Ardeth reached the counter.
Ardeth felt all eyes upon him as he entered the quayside Inn. This was obviously a place where strangers were few and far between and this left him at a loss to know whether this would help or hinder his task.
"Excuse me," he said to Hector. "Do you have any rooms?"
Hector took a good look at Ardeth, noticing the apparent weariness in his eyes, his politeness and his general demenor. He was certainly nothing like the other strangers, for one, he was dressed in normal clothing, not the heavy red robes of the others, and he was certainly not as temperamental and demanding as the others had been. In fact he looked beat. But still, he wasn't taking any chances and so booked him into the room available nearest to his own, where he would keep a close eye on him until Alejandro got back to him.
"Thankyou," said Ardeth, his eyes almost closed with tiredness. He'd have slept on the floor if needs be.
At least he was finally here at last, and after some decent sleep he could continue his search. He took the key to his room, climbed the stairs and unlocked the door. Once inside he unpacked a few things before once again clutching the photograph to his chest as he gave into sleep, much needed sleep.
Alejandro sighed as Juan relayed the news of yet another stranger arriving. He knew he should go straight over and tell Pedro of this latest development, so with much haste, he made his way over to Pedro's door.
"Alejandro, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" said Pedro, kicking himself instantly as he noticed the worried look on Alejandro's face. "They're back aren't they?" he questioned, as Alejandro stepped inside.
"Not them, someone else, but Hector reckons this one's different," he said.
"Different, how?" quizzed Pedro.
"This one has markings, tattoos, on his face and hands. He's quite distinctive, I'm told, and he dresses just as we do."
"Tattoos, you say?" Pedro thought on this for a moment. Hadn't Samia mentioned that the men from her tribe in Egypt were marked with distinctive tattoos.
"Alejandro, thankyou, I'll speak with Samia about this in the morning, she's had enough for one day," he said.
Alejandro nodded and said goodnight to Pedro as he left, leaving the man with a head full of what if's.
Samia woke the next morning and stretched, cringing slightly as she did. The little sleep she'd achieved last night had done no good for her muscles, everything was tense and sore. She thought maybe it had more to do with the mental state she was in. The events of the past day or so had really taken their toll on her. She'd been so sure this was a place they could finally make their home until Ardeth came for Hamid, and then what? The whole darn plan had been blown to pieces by the arrival of Lock Nah's men. She was once again back on her guard and living on her wits.
The frantic knocking on the door did nothing to quell her fears. Picking up the blade she kept hidden under her bed she slowly stole towards the door, rigid with fear, until the familiar voice of Pedro cut through the terrifying silence.
She answered the door with the blade still firmly in her hand, the terror still fixed in her eyes. Pedro sighed when he saw what state she was in, he would have done anything to help her feel safe once again, but he knew she had to hear the latest news, and he hoped that this time it would be good news for her.
"What," she yelled. "Where........."
Pedro settled her into the large rocking chair in the corner of the living room away from the door to Hamid's room, so as they wouldn't waken the boy.
"Hector says this one's different Samia," he explained, seeing the tears threatening to spill down Samia's face. "This one has markings, tattoos."
Samia sat bolt upright. "Tattoos, where?"
"Well from how Juan described him, at least on his face and his hands, yes, curious spiked tatoos on his hands, and symbols on his cheeks and forehead."
Samia held her breath, trying to digest the information and when she finally spoke, Pedro didn't understand at all.
"Medjai," she said. "He's Medjai."
"Is that good or bad?" asked Pedro, still a little confused.
He was answered by the small smile creeping onto Samia's face.
"They didn't forget us after all."
"I wonder if it's Ardeth Bay," she said absently, her face dropping suddenly as she realized what this could mean for her. "Oh Pedro, what if it's Hamid's father," she cried. "He'll take him away, but how can I............Oh what am I going to do Pedro, I couldn't bear to lose Hamid, not after all these years."
The euphoria at finally being found by the Medjai had now given way to a sense of bereavement that the time had finally come to say goodbye to her little warrior. She'd known from the very start that one day Hamid's father, Chieftain Bay would come to take him home, but she hadn't prepared her heart for the sheer pain that was now tearing through it. "Maybe it's not him?" she thought. She knew for her sanity's sake she had to go and find out.
An hour later after she'd settled Hamid at Pedro and Maria's house, she climbed into the truck and made her way to Cabras, her need to know who this man was getting stronger by the minute. Pedro had given her directions and told her to first go and see Hector at the Inn and explain who she was. She was also not to meet this man alone, she was to stay in a public place where Hector could keep an eye on the proceedings, just in case he was a fake and was out to do her some kind of harm as the others had been.
As she neared Cabras, the sick feeling in her stomach increased. If it was indeed Ardeth Bay, then Hamid would be the happiest child on earth, how could she let him see her so upset as his happiness? She couldn't, she'd just put on a brave face until Hamid and his father left for home, only then would she crawl into a corner and lick her wounds. She felt as though she were being torn in two, and the pain was unbearable.
"Are you Hector?" she asked quietly, as she faced the man behind the counter of the Inn. Every part of her was shaking and her legs felt as though they wouldn't move another step.
"You must be Samia, Juan said you may come here, please come this way," he said kindly, leading her into a small room at the back of the Inn.
"Hector, I have to know about this man, does he seem threatening, and what of the tatoos, can you describe them to me?" she gushed. "More importantly, did he give his name?"
"Slow down, take a breath, he's still sleeping, he said pointing to the ceiling, indicating the room above. "And no, unfortunately I didn't get his name last night, I was too interested in putting him somewhere I could keep an eye on him, I was going to ask him this morning. It was very late when he came in last night and he looked fit to drop."
"He's up there?" she mouthed, not trusting herself to speak.
Ardeth slowly opened his eyes and became aware of his surroundings, so many different places in such little time had left him needing to think back to just where he was every morning. He put the picture on the small table by the side of the bed and got up. As he looked out of the window he saw the port was already up and bustling with life. Maybe today he would find something out? Yes, maybe today?
He made his way to the bathroom down the hall and locked the door behind him. As he ran the water he realized just how dirty and grimy he was. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the hot water, laying back in the bathtub and easing his weary body, letting the hot water soothe his tired muscles for a while before taking the soap and scrubbing his body and hair clean again.
After a couple of weeks of travelling it felt good to finally get clean again. He checked the cuts on his chest and arms, and satisfied that they were indeed healing well he reluctantly left the comforting warmth of the water and towelled himself dry. He then turned his attention to getting his beard into some sort of order again, it really wouldn't do if he was fortunate enough to meet his son, to look anything less than himself.
"There's movement," said Samia. "Can you hear it?" she asked.
Hector could see just how nervous Samia was and told her that if she'd like, he'd go and see if the man was up and about.
"No, no, it's okay," she said. Quickly remembering the knee jerk reaction of a Medjai when startled, remembering that it usually included a sharp blade around the throat.
A minute later they heard the door shut and footsteps down the upstairs hallway and then another door closing.
"He's in the bathroom," said Hector as he heard the antiquated heater fire up to hiss and spit the water into the bathtub.
They sat and waited for what seemed like an age before they once again heard footsteps, with more doors opening and closing. Samia thought she would go mad if he didn't show his face soon. She wanted nothing more than to rush up the stairs and finally find out if this was Hamid's father.
Coffee after strong coffee, supplied by Hector, had done nothing to calm her nerves, and she was now more of a mixed up mess than ever, tapping her fingers on the table, tapping her feet on the floor, nearly jumping out of her skin at every noise, however small.
Upstairs in his room, Ardeth dressed into clean clothes and once again thought on his next move. The owner of the Inn had seemed very wary, even a little hostile towards him, and Ardeth was unsure if he'd co-operate willingly. That being the case, where did he start? The Island wasn't particularly large, nowhere near on the scale of say England, but it was an unknown place to him.
He decided his best course of action would be to throw himself at the mercy of the owner and plead if necessary. This wouldn't come easy to Ardeth as he wasn't used to pleading to anyone, but in his desperation, what other choice did he have?
Samia's nerves continued to be shredded as she heard the footsteps recommence, only this time they were heading ever nearer. Her hands shook even more as she heard the footsteps one by one slowly coming down the stairs. She looked tenatively to the door at the bottom, waiting for the latch to move upwards, holding her breath in anticipation. Hector had never seen anyone in quite this state before, such a mixture of anticipation and cold hard fear.
The latch clicked, and Samia lost control completely, she tried to get up far too quickly and suceeded in knocking over the table, the coffee pot, and the cups, sending them smashing onto the stone floor. She quickly dived down to try and pick them up, ending up sat in a puddle of spilt coffee on the floor. When she managed to look up into the eyes of the owner of the gray boots now stood in front of her she knew exactly who the stranger was. It was just like looking at Hamid, but all grown up.
Samia and Hamid stayed on the boat with Carlos until late the next afternoon when Pedro came out to fetch them. They'd spent their time fishing alongside Carlos, with Samia trying to make everything seem normal to Hamid, who was in fact loving the whole experience. He was finally out on one of the big boats, and before his birthday too, now he could catch some really big fish. The sheer delight on his little face was a joy to see and before long he and Carlos were wrestling with a large catch.
Underneath the surface Samia was terrified and Carlos had sensed this. He'd valiantly tried to reassure her that things would be okay, but could offer no comfort other than the fact that Pedro would divert the men, and she should trust in that. He knew his brother well, knowing him to be as cunning and wily as they came if needs be. So when Pedro finally showed up, Samia's relief was evident to all.
"Pedro, thank God, is everything all right?" whispered Samia as he climbed on board the boat, gently pulling him over to one side so as Hamid wouldn't hear the conversation.
"Calm down Samia, I got word from Juan, Alejandro's son, an hour ago that they'd left for Tenerife, and from there we've managed to convince them that they need to go to Gomera."
"But, how do we know they won't be back?" Are you sure they've really gone," Samia cried, she couldn't risk letting herself believe that they'd really gone for good, for in doing so she'd let her guard down.
Pedro put his arm around Samia and calmed her, "Listen to me," he said. "Alejandro's friend, Hector, runs the main boarding house and Inn in Puerto de Cabras," he explained. "He's been watching them like a hawk and believe me if he says they've gone, they've gone alright."
"But what's to say they won't be back?" Samia repeated. "I know their kind, they never stop."
"Samia, there's also nothing to say that they will be back is there?" said Pedro, with a grin. "We've put the word out amongst the fishermen, and with any luck by the time they've finished on their wild goose chase they could even have been diverted to the North Pole for all we know."
Samia burst into a fit of giggles at that last remark, finally allowing herself to relax a little. The immediate danger had passed, and at least she now had some time to gather her thoughts and start to plan again for her next move, should she need to run again.
The trip back into Cotillo harbor was a lot more lighthearted than the previous days trip out. Hamid ran up and down the decks, shouting with joy as he spotted more and more fish in the crystal clear waters, and by the time they pulled into port Samia thought they'd have enough of a catch to feed them both for a month. Nevertheless, she was relieved to get her feet back onto dry land, and even more relieved to get back to her little cottage. After tucking her now 'expert' little fisherman into his bed, she wearily crawled into her own, still feeling the rocking of the boat as she fell into a troubled sleep.
In Puerto de Cabras, Hector was instantly on his guard as the imposing man walked into his Inn. He noticed immediately the strange markings on his face and hands and was soon despatching Juan back up the coast to Cotillo. Juan had taken flight before Ardeth reached the counter.
Ardeth felt all eyes upon him as he entered the quayside Inn. This was obviously a place where strangers were few and far between and this left him at a loss to know whether this would help or hinder his task.
"Excuse me," he said to Hector. "Do you have any rooms?"
Hector took a good look at Ardeth, noticing the apparent weariness in his eyes, his politeness and his general demenor. He was certainly nothing like the other strangers, for one, he was dressed in normal clothing, not the heavy red robes of the others, and he was certainly not as temperamental and demanding as the others had been. In fact he looked beat. But still, he wasn't taking any chances and so booked him into the room available nearest to his own, where he would keep a close eye on him until Alejandro got back to him.
"Thankyou," said Ardeth, his eyes almost closed with tiredness. He'd have slept on the floor if needs be.
At least he was finally here at last, and after some decent sleep he could continue his search. He took the key to his room, climbed the stairs and unlocked the door. Once inside he unpacked a few things before once again clutching the photograph to his chest as he gave into sleep, much needed sleep.
Alejandro sighed as Juan relayed the news of yet another stranger arriving. He knew he should go straight over and tell Pedro of this latest development, so with much haste, he made his way over to Pedro's door.
"Alejandro, what brings you here in the middle of the night?" said Pedro, kicking himself instantly as he noticed the worried look on Alejandro's face. "They're back aren't they?" he questioned, as Alejandro stepped inside.
"Not them, someone else, but Hector reckons this one's different," he said.
"Different, how?" quizzed Pedro.
"This one has markings, tattoos, on his face and hands. He's quite distinctive, I'm told, and he dresses just as we do."
"Tattoos, you say?" Pedro thought on this for a moment. Hadn't Samia mentioned that the men from her tribe in Egypt were marked with distinctive tattoos.
"Alejandro, thankyou, I'll speak with Samia about this in the morning, she's had enough for one day," he said.
Alejandro nodded and said goodnight to Pedro as he left, leaving the man with a head full of what if's.
Samia woke the next morning and stretched, cringing slightly as she did. The little sleep she'd achieved last night had done no good for her muscles, everything was tense and sore. She thought maybe it had more to do with the mental state she was in. The events of the past day or so had really taken their toll on her. She'd been so sure this was a place they could finally make their home until Ardeth came for Hamid, and then what? The whole darn plan had been blown to pieces by the arrival of Lock Nah's men. She was once again back on her guard and living on her wits.
The frantic knocking on the door did nothing to quell her fears. Picking up the blade she kept hidden under her bed she slowly stole towards the door, rigid with fear, until the familiar voice of Pedro cut through the terrifying silence.
She answered the door with the blade still firmly in her hand, the terror still fixed in her eyes. Pedro sighed when he saw what state she was in, he would have done anything to help her feel safe once again, but he knew she had to hear the latest news, and he hoped that this time it would be good news for her.
"What," she yelled. "Where........."
Pedro settled her into the large rocking chair in the corner of the living room away from the door to Hamid's room, so as they wouldn't waken the boy.
"Hector says this one's different Samia," he explained, seeing the tears threatening to spill down Samia's face. "This one has markings, tattoos."
Samia sat bolt upright. "Tattoos, where?"
"Well from how Juan described him, at least on his face and his hands, yes, curious spiked tatoos on his hands, and symbols on his cheeks and forehead."
Samia held her breath, trying to digest the information and when she finally spoke, Pedro didn't understand at all.
"Medjai," she said. "He's Medjai."
"Is that good or bad?" asked Pedro, still a little confused.
He was answered by the small smile creeping onto Samia's face.
"They didn't forget us after all."
"I wonder if it's Ardeth Bay," she said absently, her face dropping suddenly as she realized what this could mean for her. "Oh Pedro, what if it's Hamid's father," she cried. "He'll take him away, but how can I............Oh what am I going to do Pedro, I couldn't bear to lose Hamid, not after all these years."
The euphoria at finally being found by the Medjai had now given way to a sense of bereavement that the time had finally come to say goodbye to her little warrior. She'd known from the very start that one day Hamid's father, Chieftain Bay would come to take him home, but she hadn't prepared her heart for the sheer pain that was now tearing through it. "Maybe it's not him?" she thought. She knew for her sanity's sake she had to go and find out.
An hour later after she'd settled Hamid at Pedro and Maria's house, she climbed into the truck and made her way to Cabras, her need to know who this man was getting stronger by the minute. Pedro had given her directions and told her to first go and see Hector at the Inn and explain who she was. She was also not to meet this man alone, she was to stay in a public place where Hector could keep an eye on the proceedings, just in case he was a fake and was out to do her some kind of harm as the others had been.
As she neared Cabras, the sick feeling in her stomach increased. If it was indeed Ardeth Bay, then Hamid would be the happiest child on earth, how could she let him see her so upset as his happiness? She couldn't, she'd just put on a brave face until Hamid and his father left for home, only then would she crawl into a corner and lick her wounds. She felt as though she were being torn in two, and the pain was unbearable.
"Are you Hector?" she asked quietly, as she faced the man behind the counter of the Inn. Every part of her was shaking and her legs felt as though they wouldn't move another step.
"You must be Samia, Juan said you may come here, please come this way," he said kindly, leading her into a small room at the back of the Inn.
"Hector, I have to know about this man, does he seem threatening, and what of the tatoos, can you describe them to me?" she gushed. "More importantly, did he give his name?"
"Slow down, take a breath, he's still sleeping, he said pointing to the ceiling, indicating the room above. "And no, unfortunately I didn't get his name last night, I was too interested in putting him somewhere I could keep an eye on him, I was going to ask him this morning. It was very late when he came in last night and he looked fit to drop."
"He's up there?" she mouthed, not trusting herself to speak.
Ardeth slowly opened his eyes and became aware of his surroundings, so many different places in such little time had left him needing to think back to just where he was every morning. He put the picture on the small table by the side of the bed and got up. As he looked out of the window he saw the port was already up and bustling with life. Maybe today he would find something out? Yes, maybe today?
He made his way to the bathroom down the hall and locked the door behind him. As he ran the water he realized just how dirty and grimy he was. He stripped off his clothes and stepped into the hot water, laying back in the bathtub and easing his weary body, letting the hot water soothe his tired muscles for a while before taking the soap and scrubbing his body and hair clean again.
After a couple of weeks of travelling it felt good to finally get clean again. He checked the cuts on his chest and arms, and satisfied that they were indeed healing well he reluctantly left the comforting warmth of the water and towelled himself dry. He then turned his attention to getting his beard into some sort of order again, it really wouldn't do if he was fortunate enough to meet his son, to look anything less than himself.
"There's movement," said Samia. "Can you hear it?" she asked.
Hector could see just how nervous Samia was and told her that if she'd like, he'd go and see if the man was up and about.
"No, no, it's okay," she said. Quickly remembering the knee jerk reaction of a Medjai when startled, remembering that it usually included a sharp blade around the throat.
A minute later they heard the door shut and footsteps down the upstairs hallway and then another door closing.
"He's in the bathroom," said Hector as he heard the antiquated heater fire up to hiss and spit the water into the bathtub.
They sat and waited for what seemed like an age before they once again heard footsteps, with more doors opening and closing. Samia thought she would go mad if he didn't show his face soon. She wanted nothing more than to rush up the stairs and finally find out if this was Hamid's father.
Coffee after strong coffee, supplied by Hector, had done nothing to calm her nerves, and she was now more of a mixed up mess than ever, tapping her fingers on the table, tapping her feet on the floor, nearly jumping out of her skin at every noise, however small.
Upstairs in his room, Ardeth dressed into clean clothes and once again thought on his next move. The owner of the Inn had seemed very wary, even a little hostile towards him, and Ardeth was unsure if he'd co-operate willingly. That being the case, where did he start? The Island wasn't particularly large, nowhere near on the scale of say England, but it was an unknown place to him.
He decided his best course of action would be to throw himself at the mercy of the owner and plead if necessary. This wouldn't come easy to Ardeth as he wasn't used to pleading to anyone, but in his desperation, what other choice did he have?
Samia's nerves continued to be shredded as she heard the footsteps recommence, only this time they were heading ever nearer. Her hands shook even more as she heard the footsteps one by one slowly coming down the stairs. She looked tenatively to the door at the bottom, waiting for the latch to move upwards, holding her breath in anticipation. Hector had never seen anyone in quite this state before, such a mixture of anticipation and cold hard fear.
The latch clicked, and Samia lost control completely, she tried to get up far too quickly and suceeded in knocking over the table, the coffee pot, and the cups, sending them smashing onto the stone floor. She quickly dived down to try and pick them up, ending up sat in a puddle of spilt coffee on the floor. When she managed to look up into the eyes of the owner of the gray boots now stood in front of her she knew exactly who the stranger was. It was just like looking at Hamid, but all grown up.