Part XXVII
Reyhan pulled his horse to a stop several feet away from the two arguing Tuareg and listened to the conversation, shaking his head in disbelief. His trepidation over agreeing to this meeting was almost alleviated by the humorous bickering but his intentions to announce his presence were abruptly changed by Yousef's comment.
"…in bed for seven days. It amazes me that not only do you have the strength to remain seated on a horse, but that you can manage to quarrel with me at the same time."
Drevick's head dropped forward as a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him. Perhaps Yousef had been right; it was too soon to demand his still healing body to survive a horseback ride out into the scorching desert. He should have stayed inside the cool interior of his parent's tent and allowed the pretty little serving girl named Mareeka to attend to his needs. She was enraptured by his story of how he fought the Hunud, and never once yawned during its retelling like Yousef did.
"Did you hear me?" Yousef asked and reached over nudging Drevick's shoulder. "Are you all right? Are you bleeding again? Let me…"
"No, stop fussing over me, I am fine," Drevick snapped and waved off Yousef's hands. "There is no need to fawn over me like I am a sick little boy. I just want to see Reyhan, that is all. I just want to see if my friend is alive and well, despite the rumors we heard that claimed he had died at the Hunud encampment."
"I am alive, and would appear to be faring far better than you, Drevick Moubaye," Reyhan loudly stated. He almost smiled at the look of astonishment on the Tuareg's faces as he walked his horse closer.
"Well there is a first for everything – a Medjai has managed to sneak up on two Tuareg," Yousef quipped dryly.
"This is not just any Medjai," Drevick replied with a slight smile as his eyes skimmed over Reyhan's face and body for physical evidence of his injuries and finding none. The young Tuareg then decided, with a sinking heart, that the wounds Reyhan carried were on the inside; judging by the haunted look in his eyes they were slow in healing. "I am…pleased that you decided to come."
"I must admit I was surprised to receive the message," Reyhan said.
"Will you two please greet one another properly?" Yousef muttered. "The sooner we conduct this meeting, the sooner I can take Drevick back home so he can rest."
"He has been ill," Reyhan stated the obvious as he dismounted, his gaze skimming across Drevick's face.
"That is an understatement," Yousef said as he watched Drevick's clumsy dismount.
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They faced one another as young men, skilled warriors almost in their prime, yet the small boys who still resided inside of them made them both feel awkward and shy. They stared at everything, the sky, the passing of the sun, or turned their faces into the occasional wind that blew a warm breeze across the sand…everywhere except one another.
They had endured so much, had managed to transcend hatred and prejudice, and yet were almost defeated by the death of one of their own.
"We should end our friendship," Reyhan suggested hesitantly, finally breaking the lengthening silence between them. "To maintain it has cost so much; it cost Tabari his life."
"We should," Drevick murmured halfheartedly.
A few more moments of silence passed and then Reyhan spoke up again. "Knowing you, Tuareg, has been a privilege and honor…"
"Do you remember the time Tabari found the den of desert fox cubs, and wanted to take one home for a pet?" Drevick suddenly asked, his dark eyes sparkling with mirth and fond memories.
Reyhan smiled faintly. "It took us nearly all morning to convince him not to dive into the den head first, and then all afternoon to pull him out. The cubs had latched onto his shirt, if I recall correctly, and would not let go."
"They thought he was a meal, I suppose," Drevick chuckled. "I seem to recall you had a hard time holding his leg because you were laughing too hard. You were no help then, oh mighty protector of man."
Reyhan laughed and shook his head. "Your memory is faulty. You were the one who had trouble holding onto a leg because you were laughing as hard as I. Every time we had managed to pull Tabari up a few inches, a cub would leap up and bite his tunic, pulling him back down."
Drevick nodded his head and moved closer to Reyhan, placing one hand on his shoulder. "I cannot recall who made the most noise – us for laughing, the cubs for barking, or Tabari for cursing at us using the vilest words," he said with a snort.
The smile slowly disappeared from Reyhan's face but he made no effort to dislodge Drevick's hand; it was a sign of their close friendship and he suddenly realized he didn't want to lose it. "I miss Tabari," he stated quietly.
"I miss him as well. But I will miss you even more if we dissolve a lifetime of memories…both good and bad," Drevick said. "The Hunud has taken so much from us and do not argue – I can see the changes in you. We have both suffered but should not allow them to destroy our bond. You and I are friends, Reyhan, and we swore an oath when we were young to always be friends…"
"Until the end of time," Reyhan finished with a sad smile. He paused for a moment, wrestling with his decision and finally came to the conclusion that he hoped was the right one. In his heart, he knew it was and that would give him some amount of peace at night.
Drevick held out his arm. "Until the end of time. Face it Medjai, you are stuck with me."
Reyhan laughed and gripped Drevick's arm in the traditional warrior style. "What have I gotten myself into?"
"Are we happy now?" Yousef's voice floated over the dune he was sitting behind. "Can we leave now or will the two of you start bawling like women over this joyful reunion?"
Reyhan looked at Drevick in surprise. "What happened to the 'good natured' Yousef?" he asked.
Drevick gave the dune obscuring the man in question a droll stare. "He was faced with the possibility of a future without seeing my handsome face every day and it changed him."
"I heard that!" Yousef shouted as he scrambled up and over the dune with an expression of righteous indignation on his face.
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As the two men started their good natured quarreling, Reyhan's heart felt a little lighter, and that brightness brought the first tendrils of hope. Like the new green shoots of a plant seeking nourishment, they spiraled up towards the sun…towards the sound of laughter…towards the light…leaving the darkness behind.
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Salma Aludra stood in the middle of her well equipped kitchen and commanded her subordinates as if she were leading them into battle. With her hands placed firmly on her ample hips she expertly orchestrated the symphony of food and drink, sending tray after laden tray out to the tables for her guests. No one dared to complain about her strenuous work ethics for Salma paid her workers quite well, her reputation as a good but shrewd businesswoman known across the Sahara.
Salma grabbed a tray filled with several steaming pots of varied flavored teas from the nearest table and handed it to a young girl. "Step lively, and do not dally. Our chieftain dines here today with his men and I will not have my good standing ruined by your need to daydream."
"Aiwa, ya sitti." The girl bobbed an awkward courtesy and hurried from the room as Salma turned to another worker and stopped her before she could go any further.
"You…what is your name again?" she asked the dark haired girl and paused for a moment, finding the young woman's dark exotic beauty quite surprising.
"Mernissa, my lady," the young woman replied and gave a slight bow.
"Look at me," Salma instructed softly and placed her fingers under the girl's chin, lifting it upwards. Her eyes roamed over the dark, mysterious eyes, the copper colored skin and the luxurious mane of hair that hung down her well proportioned frame in a thick braid. Taking the edge of her sleeve, Salma rubbed the girl's cheeks for color, grunting with satisfaction that she had managed to find a treasure amongst her serving girls. "You are assigned the main table where Chieftain Bay sits with his commanders and warriors. Do not gawk or stare at the men, be quick and efficient while serving them, and always make sure that whatever they want or need is quickly fulfilled."
"Yes, my lady," Mernissa replied stiffly as she endured Salma's continuing attempts at enhancing her appearance. "May I ask a question?"
"Aiwa," Salma replied, distracted as she struggled to rearrange Mernissa's shapeless tunic into a more appealing angle.
"How will I be able to tell that I am serving Commander al Faud and his brother?"
Salma's eyes narrowed from the odd question and she stepped back as her gaze drifted down to the hem of Mernissa's robes. "Since you are a stranger to the city, I shall answer your inappropriate question and thereby appease your curiosity. Look into the eyes, girl, look for the eyes colored like the steel of a sword. Then you will know you have found them. Now go, and heed my words."
"Yes, my lady," Mernissa murmured as she lifted the tray to her shoulder.
"Perform your task well, and tonight you will be richly rewarded," Salma called out after Mernissa, and blinked in shock when she realized that the girl was strong enough to carry a heavy tray and keep the tray from wobbling, carrying it with fluid ease for one so small of stature.
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Mernissa skirted around several tables filled with warriors, and held tightly onto her tray as she kept her gaze focused on her assigned table. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the infamous Medjai chieftain, his handsome visage almost making her lose her grip. A brilliant white smile flashed against a face tanned by the elements and framed by a neatly trimmed black beard. Eyes as dark as the deepest catacombs of a pyramid sparkled with humor and happiness as he talked with those around him; Ardeth Bay was in high spirits this day. Mernissa instinctively knew that he was surrounded by those he trusted and cared for the most.
As she walked closer to the table, she was able to catch snippets of conversation and saw how often Ardeth would consult with another warrior named Jericho, or lean towards the other side and confer with a different warrior whose face was marked by a diagonal scar. It did nothing to detract from his appealing good looks, but enhanced them, giving him a wild, almost beast-like appearance. The conversations varied and were laced with humor, politics and a debate about changing the Medjai's choice of weapon, the scimitar, to something new.
"Jameel," a warrior called out over the din. "Tell us again what you tell all the young maidens about your love of the stars. Emir has yet to hear it."
Mernissa saw a curly haired warrior shake his head, as a boyish grin flashed across his face. "That is our secret, Madjy…"
"…spear has excellent reach. I had the opportunity to closely examine one the other day," a massive warrior commented to his friends.
"We have all had that chance, Makin," a warrior named Solman retorted much to the delight of those around them. "I do not wish to examine one ever again."
Laughter and a chorus of heartfelt agreements followed that last comment as the occupants of the table heartily agreed. The topic turned once again to other matters and as Mernissa came to the edge of the table, she stopped short when she noticed the two warriors with long, dark hair sitting in front of Chieftain Bay. When one of them suddenly turned around and looked up at her, Mernissa instantly knew she had found what she had been searching for…what she had risked her life for…the eyes…eyes as gray as the sky before a storm stared at her in open admiration, and then flickered with unease. Mernissa needed no introduction for she knew who he was, but one was suddenly given by his companion.
"Reyhan, stop staring at the serving girl and let her set the tray down on the table. I believe Dharr is so hungry that he may start eating his plate," the warrior with identical gray eyes stated with a laugh.
Mernissa clutched the tray and felt the first pinpricks of dread in her heart; Reyhan was staring unabashedly at her as he slowly stood up. Had he somehow recognized her as a Rwalla-Hunud? She wanted to step backwards but couldn't move as he reached out to touch the tray. A small smile graced his attractive face as he gently pried it from her hands. "Allow me," he murmured as he set it on the table.
"Reyhan has made a new friend," Sharif noted with a laugh, and his observation started a new topic of conversation around the table.
Mernissa, much to her dismay, felt her face burn from her discomfiture and she tried to flee, only to be stopped by Reyhan's hand touching her forearm. "Do I know you?" he asked softly, still staring at her face.
Mernissa shook her head, wisely remaining mute, as his brother also stood up. "Is something wrong, ya sitti?" he asked her. Again she shook her head and fled back to the kitchen, only to have Salma send her out again minutes later with another tray.
She heard Reyhan call to her but she ignored him, and was quite relieved that the interest the brothers had in her gradually diminished through the morning hours. Near noon Ardeth stood up and made a brief but moving speech that brought the occupants at the table to their feet. Earnestly they swore their allegiance and loyalty, a gesture made even more potent when as one they went down on one knee in profound respect and allegiance before their king.
When it came time for the warriors to leave the establishment, Mernissa found it hard not to laugh along with the other women as they watched Salma fuss over each and every man. She would envelop them in a motherly embrace, kiss their cheeks several times, examine or complain at how thin they were, and send all of them running with one simple question.
"Are you courting any young maidens for marriage yet?" was truly the catalyst that sent the brave warriors running for their lives.
Her mission completed, Mernissa seized the chance to escape when Salma was occupied by a small crisis in the kitchen, and ran out a side door. She leaped onto her horse and raced through the city streets, refusing to stop until she was safely outside its walls.
A/n double shot...;-)