Part II
Nabil shook his head and reached over to restrain Berin from going after the Tuareg warrior. The meeting was not going as well has he had expected. Then again, he could hardly blame Berin for his actions.
Old beliefs die hard and the Tuareg were still the enemy and both Medjai warriors felt that they had a lot to atone for.
"I came here to share information that will hopefully save a life," the Tuareg in charge snapped. He surged against the hands of his men that held him back and jerked himself free.
"I should have known the sanctimonious Medjai would be too stupid to listen, preferring to pass judgment first," he added on.
"We have not rendered any judgment," Berin growled and reached for his scimitar, a grim smile dancing across his face. "We already know what you are and I welcome the chance to send your soul to hell."
The other Tuareg warriors answered Berin's challenge with one of their own as angry shouts filled the room and they simultaneously pulled their weapons free. It didn't seem to matter to the combatants that the Medjai were outnumbered by four, blood was going to be spilled and war would soon ravage the land.
"Haji! Enough!" Nabil shouted. He stepped in front of Berin just as a Tuareg had launched forward with the intent of burying his blade deep within the sub-commander's chest. Nabil blocked the deadly blow with startling ease with his own blade and the room abruptly fell into a stunned silence.
"I highly doubt the Tuareg called for this meeting just so they could die by our hands, ya ukh," Nabil calmly talked to Berin but his gray stormy gaze impaled the Tuareg with its intensity.
"Perhaps we should let them speak."
"I would rather kill them," Berin smirked. His arm held his scimitar point out, silently taunting anyone to come close enough to feel its lethal bite.
"And I would rather tell you about the fate of one of your own and the danger that he is in," the Tuareg leader stepped forward. He slowly sheathed his blade and glanced over his shoulder, smiling slightly when he saw his men reluctantly do the same.
"You mentioned something about saving a life earlier," Nabil reminded the warrior.
"I did and if the rumors and reports are true, they have released him as a trick but will be coming after him and soon, charging him with a crime he did not commit. And nothing," his gaze slashed to Berin and then back to Nabil, "not even the coveted skill of your most experienced warriors will protect him from their wrath."
"You speak in riddles when we cannot allow the time for such childish games," Berin growled impatiently.
The Tuareg leader surprised the Medjai by ordering all of his men except his second in command to leave the room, a gesture of good will that he was relieved to see had been well-met. The two imposing warriors that stood in front of him hardly seemed impressed with his action but nevertheless sheathed their weapons. They waited expectantly for what he had to say and he drew in a deep breath, his gaze focused on the commander.
"Three months ago, a Medjai was captured by the Rwalla-Hunud," he began.
~*~
Ardeth and Jericho found Jameel and Madjy in the south end of the city, eating their midday meal in a local kitchen well-known for its good food and the motherly attention that the owner paid her customers.
For the sake of comfort, Ardeth had forgone the traditional robes of a chieftain and reverted back to the warrior style of dress. Long, flowing black robes molded his muscular physique and emphasized his underlining strength. Belts and bandoleers adorned his broad chest, crossing over the other in an 'x', and his scimitar was strapped to one side. His turban partially covered the long, thick wavy hair that hung down to his shoulders and the face-covering hid the unintentionally harsh expression on his face.
Once they had tethered their horses to a nearby post, Jericho reached over and tapped Ardeth's shoulder.
"You may want to remove this," he gestured to the covering with a slight grin. Although he was older than Ardeth, and therefore his elder, Jericho was one of the rare warriors that had managed to attain a relaxed camaraderie with the chieftain. He often used humor as a way to defuse a tense situation.
"While Jameel has had the privilege of enjoying your company in less formal situations, this will be the first time Madjy has seen his king outside of the warriors' forum. You're going to scare the poor boy," he said with a chuckle.
Ardeth blinked in surprise and pulled down the covering. "Are you saying that my presence is intimidating?" he asked with a grin.
Jericho motioned for Ardeth to precede him. "Aiwa," he simply replied.
"I am not intimidating," Ardeth quickly denied, and then frowned when he heard Jericho's snort of disbelief.
"You are his sovereign, and according to the ancient chronicles, you are a legend come to life," Jericho droned on, his dark eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Madjy will fairly tremble in your presence," he continued with a chuckle.
"Will you stop?" Ardeth shook his head and laughed as they stopped at the gate that led to the outdoor eating area of the building. Through the wrought iron fencing, they could see that Salma Aludra's kitchen was doing a brisk business today. Most of the small tables were occupied; the majority of the patrons being people that lived in the surrounding neighborhood. The two warriors that Ardeth and Jericho were looking for were easily spotted at a table situated in a far off corner.
Unable to resist as they wove their way through the courtyard, Ardeth had to add one last jibe, "I knew I should have overruled the Elders' decision and built that dungeon anyway. Then I could have you thrown in there to test out one of the cells," he muttered.
Jericho was saved from replying when the owner of the eatery spied her newest arrivals and stopped to stare at them in astonishment.
"By my ancestors' tombs, now here is a warrior that my poor eyes have not seen in many a day," Salma Aludra said as she theatrically placed a hand over her heart.
Ardeth winced slightly, and braced himself for what was to come next. "Sallim 'ala Salma," he said with a slight bow. "I agree it has been far too long since we last…"
"And what is this?" she interrupted him and as fast as her ample figure would allow, hurried over to Ardeth, her hands gesturing at his body. "You are far too thin to suit me. Have you not been eating properly? Do not reply, I can answer that question just by looking at you."
"Sallim 'ala Salma," Jericho parroted with a grin, clearly enjoying the scolding Ardeth was receiving from the old woman. "I see you are in good health."
Salma glared at Jericho as she enveloped Ardeth in a motherly hug, and then pushed the warrior back, still inspecting his appearance with a critical eye.
"I am not speaking to you, Commander ibn Sakhr, since you have failed to live up to your promise. When was the last time my humble establishment was honored by your presence?" she asked and patted Ardeth's ribs.
"A thousand pardons for my lapse," Jericho murmured and bowed to Salma, slowly backing away. He coughed to hide his laughter as Ardeth danced away from Salma's hands.
"Both of you will have something to eat right now," she ordered them and gestured for the servers to bring something from the kitchen.
"Salma, I am here to speak with two of my warriors," Ardeth slowly and carefully extracted himself away from the older woman's hands. He turned and hissed at Jericho. "You are leaving me to fend for myself, eh?"
"And where is it?" Salma gestured to Ardeth's left wrist as the warrior's backed away. "Where is the binding thread that symbolizes the union of a man and woman? You are still unmarried?"
"I am running," Jericho whispered back to Ardeth and then impulsively grabbed his chieftain by the collar of his robe. "Never let it be said that I would leave you to a fate worse than death."
"Oh merciful Allah, grant me the divine patience when dealing with these two obstinate warriors." Salma lifted her hands in supplication to the heavens.
"You love me, old woman…admit it," Ardeth grinned despite the fact that he was stumbling backwards as Jericho dragged him along.
"Never," Salma waved her hands at the retreating warriors. "I will never admit such a thing. Now stop wasting my time and let me get back to my business. Oh hulu Allah, he is still unmarried."
As Ardeth and Jericho approached Jameel's table, they could still hear Salma lamenting in the kitchen about the distressing state of affairs, and that her king was still without his queen.
~*~
"Do we tell the captain on watch?" the first guard asked as he lowered his rifle. The body was lying motionless on the sand, and the horse was now running towards one of the gates.
"We can wait until our shift is over," the second guard replied nonchalantly. "The warriors at the front will take care of the horse, most likely thinking it was lost from a Tuareg raid or passing caravan."
The first guard stared at the carcass, not sure what bothered him more – the ease he had felt in squeezing the trigger or the callous attitude from the other guard.
"What about the body?"
The second guard laughed, shook his head and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "What body?"
~*~
"How did you come by this information and how do you know about Abbasi?" Nabil asked.
For the past hour, both he and Berin had listened in amazement to Drevick's tale and its many tendrils.
A secret friendship between enemies.
The presumed fate of the missing warrior.
And… what an ancient and powerful enemy was plotting and preparing to do.
"You can rest easily in knowing that all of my information was gleaned from outside sources - there are no spies within your tribes," Drevick said.
"For the full identity of the warrior Abbasi, do I get to beat it out of you?" Berin asked hopefully with a wicked gleam in his eyes.
Drevick's eyes widened at that comment and although he quickly assured his subordinate there was no need for alarm, he prayed that the scowling sub-commander would be so easily appeased.
"My people are scattered across the land, warrior, and not all of us are as bloodthirsty as our reputation dictates. We often are impartial witnesses to the events that transpire in the desert or towns, yet we often choose to remain silent in regards to them. We have no desire to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves. We have been aware of the fate of Abbasi for quite some time, but after my pleas to my father for aid fell on deaf ears, I decided to act on my own."
"What tribe does Abbasi hail from?" Nabil asked impatiently, tired of the impromptu history lesson and speech.
"He comes from the Twelfth and more importantly, after our ill-fated meeting, he was going to journey to the tribe of the Fifth to see you, Commander. He wanted to meet his half brother," Drevick stated quietly.
Nabil's eyes blinked in surprise. "What did you say?" he asked incredulously.
"Reyhan had intentions of seeking an audience with you, once he had learned of his heritage prior to his ume's passing. He never knew the existence of an older brother…never knew that you were related and he wanted nothing more than to hopefully be reunited with you. You are all that is left of his family."
"But the Rwalla-Hunud intervened and has somehow framed Reyhan for the murder of their warrior," Berin surmised. He placed a comforting hand on Nabil's shoulder, astutely guessing at the inner turmoil his friend must have felt.
"My assumption would be that one of their own did it since they would enjoy nothing more than to see two very old adversaries go to war against one another. That would leave them unfettered to fulfill their own plans. With my people and the Medjai engaged and each depleting their resources, the Hunud could then sweep in and wipe out all resistance from both nations with a few well-timed battles and raids."
"And become the predominant power in the desert," Berin concluded hoarsely. He glanced over at Nabil, his heart aching for the look of disbelief on his saHib's face.
"Please believe me when I say that my primary concern is for Reyhan," Drevick pleaded quietly. "I have already lost one friend. I do not intend to lose another."
"So you came here looking for our support in this matter?" Nabil asked. He shoved a hand through his hair, still refusing to believe that Reyhan was his half brother. The treachery of his English father had left a bitter memory in his heart, a wound that had finally healed but now had been carelessly reopened by one simple act.
Reyhan wanted to meet him…
"I came here to save a life, and to warn you of the Rwalla-Hunud's intentions," Drevick replied. "They want war, and it is my belief that they will somehow use Reyhan as the catalyst."
~*~
At first Salma was a troubling but well-intentioned presence as she hovered around the table, and made certain that all the warriors had been fed well. She gleefully ignored Ardeth's growing sighs of impatience for a good while before finally leaving them in peace.
Ardeth and Jericho took turns questioning both of the warriors, but eventually grew frustrated when neither one could elaborate any further than what they had already stated in their report to the captain on duty.
Ardeth was almost ready to give up when a messenger appeared at the table and delivered a note. He opened the parchment and frowned a few moments later, the coincidental timing of it not lost on him.
"Bad news?" Jericho asked.
"Kull min intu ija ma'I, a horse has appeared at the gates located near the north end of the city and the saddle is covered in blood." Ardeth said and rose up from the table. "Considering the events of last night, I find this most troubling indeed."
~*~
Translation:
Kull min intu ija ma'I – roughly means all of you come with me
~*~
A/N – I'm so very happy to see these reviews and greatly appreciate the feedback and the interest expressed to still read my stories. You've made this old lady quite happy. Lol
On to the shout-outs:
Dawn – Ardeth will indeed react to one of his warriors being so callously shot, laws yes we loves a forceful Ardeth. Is it a bad thing that I'm listening to the ROTK soundtrack as I write the parts for this story? *eg*
SerenaFehr – The Rwalla-Hunud are ruthless and blood thirsty and in the coming parts, we'll see how far the push the great Medjai Chieftain before he pushes back. Thanks for reading. *g*
Jax – Ask and ye shall receive, I almost caught myself current with your lovely fanfic. Fluff is good for the soul, even for one as evil as me. *eg*
Thanks for reading.
As for the Euripides quote, welll…um I did a search for it because I had always heard the impartial phrase blood is thicker than water, and it's always especially true when dealing with in-laws. LOL If you want, I can send you the link for the site that contains thousands of other cool quotes as well.
Ladybug1 - *blinks* I do believe you're the first person that's ever called a pair of my characters jerk-wads and I'll take that as a compliment. LOL And shukran for letting me "play" with your crew…as always…
Karri – thanks for the review and make sure your buckled in to your seat and hanging on for dear life. This story and the Rwalla-Hunud are heavily influenced by LOTR and of course, inspired by the movie soundtracks.