Part III
The horse stood passively in the center of the street, and hung its head low from most likely exhaustion, as the warriors inspected the markings on the shopand and edfra. When their hands discovered the tacky maroon substance around the neck, Ardeth frowned and gingerly touched the stain, then held his fingers up for the others to see.
"See how freely it still runs? It has yet to congeal," he murmured.
"The markings indicate that the horse belongs to perhaps a tribe of renegades but I have discovered bloodied fibers of rope around the pommel," Jericho said. "Something was tied to the pommel… or considering the blood does not appear to be the horse… someone was tied to this horse and this would suggest it was against their will," he said as he twirled the reddened threads.
"Have there been any disturbances reported over the past two hours?" Ardeth called out to the captain on duty.
"There has been nothing unusual except for the report of a rifle being fired perhaps an hour ago, ya ra'is. When questioned, the warrior on duty claimed that he had been cleaning his weapon when it accidentally discharged," the captain replied.
"Cleaning a weapon while on duty…that is odd," Ardeth thoughtfully murmured.
"What do you make of this?" Jericho asked. He watched Jameel as he removed the blood covered saddle and handed it to Madjy while another guard came forward and finally took the animal to the barn area to be cooled down and fed.
"A shot was heard but there is no reason…a horse comes in bearing the marks of an enemy yet there is no rider," Ardeth mused.
"If I may, my kin…" Madjy spoke up, still slightly nervous in Ardeth's presence. "Ya ra'is, we need to go on the hunt and ride around the perimeter of the north wall to check for any breaches in security. We can no longer ignore the obvious – whether it be friend or foe, someone may have been seriously injured."
"Agreed," Ardeth said the expression on his face cold and hard. He ordered the captain to bring the horses and turned his dark gaze out to the desert, expecting to see the Rwalla lurking nearby…
The empty landscape seemed to mock his concerns.
~*~
A group of twenty warriors, led by Ardeth, thundered out of the city and rode for several feet before fanning out in a line as they began the search. Details were sketchy but the warriors didn't hesitate in their duty - their chieftain had asked for their assistance of which they freely gave without question. Since the attention of the riders was directed elsewhere, no one saw the two guards who were intently watching them, and a moment later they broke into a heated argument.
The warriors methodically covered each square foot of the desert, leaving no stone unturned, as a cloud of apprehension hung in the air. A shout went up when carrion birds were sighted pin-wheeling effortlessly in the sky above and the search intensified. The warriors then used the birds of prey as a beacon and another cry went up when a body was discovered lying at the bottom of a small hill.
The warriors brought their horses to an abrupt and dusty stop. Ardeth and Jericho jumped down, and were closely flanked by Jameel and Madjy as they crept up to the strange man lying face down in the sand. For all appearances, he was dressed in the robes that indicated an outlaw.
Scimitars were drawn as the group cautiously moved forward.
Jameel pointed his blade at the back of the man's head while Madjy cautiously stood next to him and nudged the body with one foot. When there was no reaction, he knelt down and flipped the body over.
"Allah kan ir-raHman," Madjy groaned in disbelief and turned to Ardeth and Jericho. "He is Medjai."
Jericho bent down on the other side of Madjy and almost frantically pulled at the warrior's gag, his eyes as cold and as black as the darkest night. It was an atrocity, what had been done to one of their own and he drew his dagger, slashing through the red-stained ropes that bound the warrior's wrists. He barely acknowledged Ardeth as he handed him a canteen and cradling the limp body against him, Jericho splashed cool water on the warrior's face.
Ardeth pressed two fingers against the warrior's neck and gave a heavy sigh of relief a moment later. "He lives, Al hamdu lillah."
He quickly checked the warrior for any other injuries and when bullet wound was eventually exposed, Ardeth's jaw clenched in anger.
"It is obvious that the shot came from the north tower," he snapped. "This warrior was riding towards the city and hit in the chest."
"I will personally conduct the investigation, ya ra'is," Jericho stated and looked back at the guard post. His own temper flared up when he realized that who ever had shot this warrior had planned on leaving him to his fate. Any man of honor or any warrior would never violate their oath and do such a thing.
Ardeth shook his head. "Take the warrior to the healers and stay with him. I will start the inquiry among the guards on duty this day," he gently contradicted Jericho.
Jameel had been tearing strips from his robe and had offered Madjy what assistance he could to help stop the bleeding. "We need to move him now," he said as he tied off the ends of one bandage.
They carried the warrior to Jericho's horse and once the commander was seated, they lifted and settled the warrior in front of him. The warrior groaned from the movement and his head rolled to one side, the sound prompting gentle hushing noises from Jericho.
"Sahil ya ukh, sahil. You are among your warrior brothers now and we will take care of you," he murmured.
"Go, do not wait for us. I shall join you later after I conduct my investigation," Ardeth said. He reached up and touched Jericho's leg, silently wondering how the abuse of this warrior would affect his commander. It was well-known in the warrior sect that Jericho deeply cared for those in his command, and often took the death of a warrior quite hard.
"Find who did this, ya sahib," Jericho pleaded to Ardeth. "Find them for me."
He waited until Ardeth nodded his compliance and then urged Bahir into a quick walk, heading towards the city as the others followed in his wake.
Ardeth pulled Jameel and Madjy to the side and knew he had surprised both of them when he informed them that they would be helping him.
~*~
News traveled quickly through the intricate network of gossip that prevailed in the city and when Nabil had received word of Ardeth and Jericho's rescue of a warrior found in the desert, he abruptly ended the meeting.
He kept his opinions to himself, dismayed when Drevick and his subordinate Yousef volunteered to ride with them, and left Berin to handle them in case it was needed. No one could argue with that logic especially when Berin seemed to take great delight in reminding Drevick about the numerous advantages he held over the younger man, size being merely one of them.
Nabil was still inwardly reeling from the news about a half brother and when the warriors reached the healer's building, he wasn't ready for what he was about to witness.
The horses came to an abrupt stop in front of them, and Jericho shouted for assistance when the warrior in front of him suddenly slumped. People rushed forward, holding Bahir steady while others gently lifted the limp body down and carried it in to the building.
Jericho went after them as Nabil stayed off to one side, a reluctant spectator to the proceedings. He knew Berin remained by his side but never could he have been prepared for what Drevick would suddenly confirm with one simple sentence.
"Reyhan," the young Tuareg said with deep sadness, "my friend, what have they done to you?"
~*~
Ardeth, Jameel and Madjy rode back to the north guard post and contacted the captain on duty, explaining what had just happened. When questioned on the whereabouts' of the two guards, the captain seemed surprised by the actions of his warriors but quickly called for all of those on duty to report to him at once.
While waiting for the warriors to assemble, Ardeth paced in front of Jameel and Madjy, his face indifferent to the growing anger he felt blossoming inside. He would find those responsible for committing this heinous act that violated their warrior oath and the guilty parties would be punished as he saw fit.
"What about Jericho? He should be present for this," Jameel said.
"For now, it is best that Jericho remains with the warrior. Too often have I cautioned him about caring too deeply for the welfare of his warriors. Each time there is a death, a piece of Jericho is lost and if he were to witness what I am about to do, his fury would have no bounds. Tis better that I conduct this and let him tend to the one that needs him," Ardeth stated.
~*~
They placed the warrior on the nearest pallet while the healers prepared their poultices and gathered the necessary instruments to treat the numerous wounds. Despite their gentle care, the movement still produced a groan of agony and suddenly the warrior's eyes snapped open.
He started to cough and weakly struggle against the hands that firmly held him down, panic etched on his face. Jericho quickly repressed the warrior's efforts but couldn't hide his astonishment at the gray eyes that swept up to meet his gaze.
"Do not move," Jericho soothed. Each time the warrior tried to sit up, more blood oozed from his chest and shoulder wounds.
"Ribs…hurt," he rasped and fell back on to the pallet, his face quite pale.
"I will tell the healers but you must hold on, ya ukh." Jericho looked around the room, and was surprised to see Nabil, Berin and two unknown warriors watching him from the side.
"Do you have a name?" he asked, trying to keep the warrior coherent and distracted from his injuries.
"Reyhan… Abbasi…" the warrior groaned, wrapping an arm around his midsection as he struggled to continue speaking, "I seek…a warrior…a commander…"
"There are many warriors and commanders here, whom do you seek?" Jericho asked. He gasped at the thin trickle of blood that appeared in one corner of Reyhan's mouth and he picked up a clean cloth from a nearby table to wipe it away.
"I am who he seeks," Nabil said as he suddenly appeared by Jericho's side.
"Nabil al Fa'ud…" came a weak reply.
Jericho stared at Nabil's profile and then swung his gaze down to the warrior.
Sudden comprehension dawned on him as Jericho shook his head in amazement.
Nabil watched the surprise flicker across Jericho's face but before the elder warrior could comment, he informed him of the obvious.
"It would appear that this warrior is of my blood," he stated softly.
~*~
As Drevick stood at the foot of the pallet, the healers had to work around Nabil and Jericho as they began cutting off Reyhan's filthy clothes. When the fabric fell away and the multiple bruises on his torso were exposed, colored in various hues of black and purple, Nabil's jaw clenched in anger.
"They beat him," Drevick's anguished whisper broke the tense silence.
Berin drifted over towards the Tuareg and folded his arms across his massive chest, but he still watched as the healers meticulously cleaned, stitched, wrapped and extracted all of Reyhan's injuries.
"Surprised to see the handiwork of your friends or is this from the Rwalla-Hunud?" he casually asked.
Nabil and Jericho helped position Reyhan's body as the healers applied poultices over the wounds and then wrapped them with fresh linen bandages.
Drevick bristled for a moment at the implication behind Berin's words, but it was Yousef who spoke up. "If my people had attacked him, he would be dead by now."
"This is a trick by the Hunud. He was their captive for three months. I find it miraculous that he had managed to escape but why dress him in those strange robes and gag him?" Drevick asked.
Eventually the healers left Reyhan to rest, delivering their prognosis to both commanders along with the promise that they would tend to Reyhan for as long as was necessary. It would take several days for Reyhan's recuperation but the true test would come this night when the fever would grip his weakened body. If he lived to see another dawn, his chances for survival were much better.
Despite his overwhelming fatigue, coupled with the stinging pain from his wounds, Reyhan weakly called out for Nabil and a moment later, the warrior knelt by his side.
"There is much...we need to…discuss," he said softly.
Nabil almost smiled from the comment. "We can talk with one another later, when you have sufficiently recovered. For now, you need to rest – you are safe within the walls of the citadel. The healers will watch over you."
"I would…rather have…just you, ya ukh…" Reyhan sighed and struggled to keep his eyes open.
"There is…something that I…must tell you…great importance."
Nabil leaned closer, undecided as to whether to let Reyhan rest or to let him continue speaking when it was clearly getting harder and harder for him to do so.
"It can wait until you are better," Nabil said.
Reyhan shook his head. "The Hunud…released me as a trick," he said hoarsely, and gathered the last remnants of his strength. "Why I cannot fathom but they…they will come after me…to avenge their…own."
Unable to watch his friend suffer any further, Drevick stepped forward, consequences notwithstanding and demanded that the healers do something to help his friend.
Reyhan's eyes widened at the sound of Drevick's voice and despite the circumstances, the two friends were once again reunited. Nabil watched at they clasped hands and quietly moved to one side, aware that Berin was staring at him but remained silent when Jericho joined them a moment later.
"The resemblance is uncanny," Jericho commented as they all watched the healer's settle Reyhan back against a mound of pillows designed to take the pressure from his ribs.
The physical attributes of both warriors were similar. Perhaps the color of Reyhan's hair was a shade lighter, but his face closely resembled Nabil's. The features seemed to be more refined, almost aristocratic, undoubtedly inherited from his sire. But it was the tattoos that gracefully adorned his body that proudly proclaimed his skill as a warrior…as a Medjai. Jericho judged them both to be of the same height and approximate weight but the one physical distinction that linked them through blood was the startling gray color of Reyhan's eyes.
"I must ask that all of you leave for now so my patient can rest," one of the healers kindly asked them. He gently ushered Drevick away from Reyhan's bedside and propelled them all toward the door.
"If you wish to visit him again, may I suggest a visit near dusk to check on him?"
"Shukran, healer," Nabil said. He gave a slight bow and exited with the rest of the warriors. They congregated out in the street, each of them silently contemplating what Reyhan had revealed to him prior to losing consciousness.
And Nabil felt sure that none of them wanted to admit that Reyhan's fear may come to fruition – the Rwalla-Hunud would indeed avenge the death of one of their own.
Reyhan was still in danger.
~*~
Jameel and Madjy stood off to one side, silently watching as Ardeth walked through the ranks of the warriors both on- and off-duty for the day, asking each of them to present their rifles.
Jameel thought their presence was required to observe and mediate if need be, but considering the potentially volatile mood of Ardeth, he wondered if they would be needed to intervene.
Ardeth performed the same ritual with each warrior; once the rifle had been presented he would sniff the barrel to determine if it had been recently fired. When Ardeth approached the last two warriors in line, Jameel thought it odd that they seemed nervous as they obeyed their chieftain's order. Ardeth examined the first warrior's rifle and tossed it back, gesturing for the second warrior to hand over his weapon.
The warrior hesitated for a fraction of a second and his actions were duly noted as Ardeth narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He raised the barrel and sniffed, his unforgiving gaze never leaving the warrior's pale face.
"Have you had a need to fire this weapon today?" Ardeth asked mildly and held the weapon chest-level.
"La, ya ra'is, I-I have not," the guard stammered.
Suddenly Ardeth swung the butt of the rifle out and it caught the guard in the mouth, rocking him back on his heels. The warrior awkwardly regained his balance and a thin trickle of blood came down from the corner of his mouth as he stared at Ardeth in astonishment.
"You lie," Ardeth stated softly. "I will ask you again- did you have a need to fire this weapon today? Was there an unseen enemy lurking in the dunes or hiding behind an acacia tree perhaps?"
"Aiwa…I…I had forgotten but it went off earlier today when I was cleaning it," the guard quickly amended and his cohort quickly nodded his head.
The rifle swung out again and caught the guard in the midsection with a sharp jab that made the air rush from his lungs. He doubled over in pain as Ardeth looked down upon him like a dark avenging god.
"And pray tell, did you see if you shot anything?" Ardeth growled.
"There was a rider…" the second guard gasped but was immediately silenced by the first.
"We saw nothing, ya ra'is," he said to Ardeth.
"Again you lie," Ardeth spat.
Madjy tried to intercede but Jameel wisely held him back with a hand on his shoulder and a firm shake of his head. It was rare indeed to see Ardeth disciplining a warrior and somewhat unsettling but it was necessary. They all lived by their warrior code, and would die by it – to dishonor it was to tempt a fate worse than death.
"I swear upon my oath that I do not believe I shot the rider," the second guard wheezed.
Ardeth spun around and rammed the butt of the rifle into the guard's stomach. Twirling it end over end and swinging up, he clipped the chin, the blow knocking the warrior onto his back. Before he could recover, Ardeth stood over him, viciously jabbing the rifle into his groin.
"If there is one thing that I cannot abide, it is a liar," Ardeth hissed over the guard's howl of pain. He glared at both warriors. "Consider this as your dismissal. You are to gather your things and return to your tribes for further action. Now get out of my sight. You both disgust me."
"I protest your decision," the first guard boldly stated as he helped the second guard stand. "We did not disobey any orders and shot what we had thought was an enemy. Go and search for the body, you will see the markings of an outlaw…"
"What I saw was a warrior, one of our own brothers, bound and gagged, beaten and wounded. What happened was not an act of honor or a mistake, but one of cruelty. You both acted without thought or regard for your deeds. Had you alerted the captain to the rider approaching, his identity would have been revealed without bloodshed," Ardeth snapped.
"Do you wish to challenge my decision with a tribunal?"
"Aiwa, we do!" the second guard shouted and lunged at Ardeth. "We did nothing wrong!"
Jameel, Madjy and the captain of the watch immediately surrounded Ardeth as other warriors grabbed the two offenders. The guilty warriors struggled to reach Ardeth, shouting obscenities and petitions for a trial even as they were subdued and eventually dragged away.
Ardeth stood calmly in the center of the chaos, his body stiff with anger as he watched the offenders disappear around the corner of the walkway. Jameel and Madjy flanked him on each side, their actions a silent statement of solidarity and Ardeth turned and quietly thanked them all for their support.
Yet his mind strayed back to the warrior that lay inside the healer's building, fighting for his life…
~*~
The residents of Asyut never stood a chance and the tranquility of their afternoon was suddenly shattered by the ominous roll of thunder off in the distance. A great cloud of dust rose up in to the sky as hundreds of black horses thundered across the plains, and their riders urged them to run impossibly faster. Long, razor-sharp spears were held level to the passing ground, aimed as if to strike at the very heart of the citizens in the small town.
A cry of alarm went up as women screamed and frantically grabbed their children as they sought protection. Men rallied and valiantly tried to repel the attack but were cut down with vicious ease. The earth shook as the horses bore down on them, their sharp hooves trampling everything in their path…
…the destruction was impartial and complete – every man, woman and child.
It was over in a matter of minutes, and nothing but the charred remains of Asyut was left as the buildings and homes went up in flames. Bodies littered the streets and the ground ran red with rivers of blood.
In the center of the town, the black riders gathered and their horses twirled and pranced, blowing foam from their nostrils. An eerie chant rose up into the thick, acrid air and the Rwalla-Hunud celebrated their victory as one.
Hundreds of spears banged heavily against the earth over and over again, as the riders grew frenzied, the bloodlust from the massacre lending them an almost demonic strength. Horses whinnied and screamed, rearing back on their haunches as the world was slowly consumed in the colors of red, black and yellow.
Tendrils of smoke rose into the sky, an ominous memorial to the town that once stood near the banks of the Nile – Asyut was no more. The wind blew in from the west and within its currents it carried the grim news to the inhabitants of the Sahara that the Rwalla-Hunud were coming…
~*~
A/N – Uh oh, either people have been extremely busy in RL and haven't had a chance to relax and read some fanfic or Ardeth doesn't pull them in like he used too. Do I have to resort to offering some sweet bribes, ie a tin of chocolate biscuits like Nakhti? LOL
Or is it because I'm updating too fast and not giving everyone a chance to catch up. *heavy sigh*
Let me know you were here and hit the review button, my friends. I've often said your comments and observations serve as inspiration for future chapters. Shukran!
Shout-outs:
Karri – Thanks for the review, my friend and while coming over to the LOTR fandom sounds tempting, I still have plenty of Medjai stories to tell. A trial run intrigues me and I may lurk over there to see what's up and what kind of trouble I could get Aragorn in to…lol *ponders* What authors should I read, I wonder? [wink at you and Deana lol]
This was a calm chappie indeed but you are so right, it's the calm before the storm. As Nabil struggles to come to terms with Reyhan, the Hunud continue their attacks and will eventually force Ardeth to make a decision he may regret.
Dawn – It was great fun to show the lighter side of Ardeth in the previous part and after all the crap I put that man through, I thought a little humor would be appropriate. Nuthin' like a happy, smiling Ardeth to make one's heart beat faster. Lol Thanks for reading and there will be more attacks, the Hunud won't give up that easy…but the climatic conclusion will may leave you speechless.
Nakhti – as and ye shall receive an update. LOL Reyhan is indeed alive but how will he react when he learns he's the reason the Hunud are at the Medjai's doorstep?
Bless you for your research and since you appear to be a bubbling fountain of knowledge, I may have to tap in it from time to time, if you don't mind. I love using quotes and phrases sprinkled in a story to set the mood for the forthcoming chapter.
I got your email, btw, and shall respond shortly but more importantly [drops voice to a whisper and looks around]…where can I get a tin of those chocolate biscuits?
Additional sidenote – if I'm using Arabic that no one understands the meaning behind or forget to explain something, let me know. Shukran!