Chapter 4: The House of Alamgir

The night wind off of the land had faded but the smell of the arid earth mingled with the salt scent of the Mediterranean in a not unpleasant manner. Behind them the Pearl was nearly invisible in the darkness. It appeared as little more than a shadow among the darker shadows of the sea. By the time the moon rose she would be a mile out and little more than a ghost in the sea mist.

Jack looked over his shoulder at her one last time before they turned from the rocky shore and headed up the slope toward the road marked on his map. He, Hector and two of their men had been rowed ashore in the longboat and landed on the coast of Tripoli a couple of miles west of the city. It was a surprise to him when they found scrubby grass and low bushes instead of dust and sand. The earth here was not so inhospitable as he'd imagined. Quietly they made their way by starlight to the narrow track and turned east. Dressed in robes and head wraps they would blend well in the peopled quarters of the land.

In the dark it took nearly an hour to reach the city gate and their first challenge. The armed guards there made them halt. They wanted to know what four strangers were doing in the middle of the night on this road. Aaftab Aanetra, one of the men Jack had insisted on bringing, answered that they were seamen come to join the crew of his cousin's ship. This was not exactly a lie because Aaftab's cousin really was a captain here. He asked the guards to please let them pass as they were already late and hoped that the ship had not yet sailed. The guard captain inspected them by the light of a torch. He passed over the two crewmen with little more than a glance at their weapons. Barbossa he eyed warily but gave a curt nod. He came up short when he looked at Jack. He said something in Arabic and frowned when Jack only smiled.

"This man does not speak our tongue," the guard captain said. "He is an infidel?"

"He was," Aaftab replied. "He is learning the faith to save his life. He is my slave. We took him from a ship wrecked on the rocks. He will learn at sea."

"You allow a slave to bear arms?" the guard captain was mistrustful.

"Surely, brother, that is my concern. If he is treacherous I will kill him myself." Aaftab moved casually away from Jack and did not look at him.

Sweat trickled down Jack's back as he tried to look not guilty. He had thought to go for his innocent look but that wouldn't do. His not guilty look was always better in this kind of situation. It said that yes he was a rascal but no, he was not up to anything just now. The guard captain squinted at him again and spoke over his shoulder to Aaftab. Jack understood none of what was said between them. They argued back and forth to the point where the guards began to finger their weapons. Finally the guard captain spit on the ground at Jack's feet and swung his arm in a gesture indicating that the pirates should move on through the gate. They passed through the thick old wall and into a narrow street that stank of animal droppings and other things of less identifiable origin. The smell of a city.

"What was that about?" Jack demanded of Aaftab.

"He didn't like it that a slave was armed."

"And?" Jack pressed.

"He wanted to kill you." Aaftab smiled at his captain. "I told him he could if he would pay me three goats and a camel."

"He didn't have the animals?" Barbossa asked from behind.

"No." Aaftab's smile broadened. "He said the captain wasn't worth it."

Jack frowned and looked over his shoulder to find Barbossa smiling at him. "What?"

"Nothing, Jack." Barbossa continued to smile smugly. "Bear left at the next street. We need to make our way toward the docks."

They went through streets and alleys. They passed through patches of light. There were market stalls closed for the night. As they drew nearer the harbor they began passing smithy's and carpenter's shops and the homes of sail makers. Finally they came to a broad avenue and Barbossa turned down this with the stride of a man who had passed this way many times.

"Alamgir's house isn't far now," Barbossa said in a low tone even though they were the only ones in sight. "He won't be awake this time of night I think. His guards weren't the best as I remember but we should still be careful."

"You're sure about this grate?" Jack asked.

"Aye. It's small and in the back corner of the gardens." Barbossa nodded. "We just need to cross the garden without being seen and get to the second floor. I know the window."

"As long as he hasn't changed things around since you were here last." This was the riskiest part of the plan as far as Jack could see. What if the household had been shuffled around? What then? They couldn't go storming every room and demanding to know where the damn bird was being kept. Jack crossed his fingers and hoped their luck would hold.

They found the small grate where Barbossa had said it would be. A stone walled ditch about three feet deep lead straight to it and continued into a small garden on the other side of the curtain wall that surrounded the house and its compound. From under their robes the four men produced pry bars. They wrapped these in rags and wedged them between the iron bars of the grate. As quietly as they could the pirates heaved on the pry bars. With a few muffled grunts they eventually got one of the grating bars to bend. It creaked in the stones and suddenly gave way. Jack caught it just before it would have clattered to the floor of the ditch. In silence they all listened for anything that might betray the approach of a guard. They waited for a call of alarm but nothing happened.

With a nod Barbossa turned sideways and squeezed through the narrow gap. Jack followed him and then came the two sailors. They emerged into a small but beautiful garden of lush green plants and exotic flowers. It was enclosed on three sides by the walls of the house and on the fourth by the curtain wall they'd just come through. Crouching low they passed on between the beds of plants to the farther wall and stopped under a balcony. Barbossa smiled wistfully up at the darkened window.

"This is it then?" Jack whispered.

"I remember it well." The tone of Barbossa's voice was different from any Jack had ever heard him use before. "Watch where I go and follow me. I'll wait on the balcony. We'll go in together."

Jack frowned with a slight irritation at being given an order by his first mate but he nodded. This was no time for a dispute about who was captain. Hector stood to his full height and reached up to grasp a protruding ornament. He hauled himself up bodily and found a foot hold then reach up again. It took only a few such movements and he was over the railing of the balcony and pressing back into the shadow cast by the moon. Jack followed him up and soon they were both looking carefully into the darkness beyond a bamboo screen. From a fold in his robe Barbossa drew a long bladed dagger and slipped it between the doors in the middle of the screen. A latch moved and the screen opened noiselessly.

As quiet as church mice the two men slunk down a large passage. There were no lights in the passage itself but from the far end a faint glow emanated from the head of a stair. Doors lead off the passage on either side and Barbossa stopped at one about a third of the way to the stairs. He tested the latch and found it was secured. Again he reached into his robe and produced a large key. He pushed it quietly into the lock and gently turned it. The latch moved and they slipped inside. Here there was soft light given off by small lamps hung from the ceiling by slim chains. Silk drapes were hung from rods on the walls and fine furniture adorned the room. In a chair next to another door slept a large dark skinned man with a drawn sword resting across his knees. Jack raised an eyebrow at Barbossa but the older pirated was focussed on the guard. Scowling he moved forward and with a swift motion he struck the guard a hard blow on the nape of his neck with the pommel of his dagger. The man tumbled to the carpeted floor and lay still.

"I thought they didn't allow men in this part of the house," Jack whispered harshly.

"They don't, Jack." Barbossa sheathed his dagger and knelt next to the prostrate guard feeling the man's pulse. "This one's a eunuch."

Jack's brows shot up. "Might be kinder to kill 'im."

"Aye. But I've heard they have lovely singing voices." Barbossa smiled like a wolf. He stood and went to the door. This latch moved easily when he tried it and they stepped inside. On a bed draped with silks and fine linen lay the form of a woman. From the slender shape of her Jack thought she was young and feared they'd gotten the wrong room until Barbossa moved closer and drew back the curtain by her head. Almost reluctantly the pirate leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"'Umniya," he breathed softly. "It's Hector. 'Umniya, wake up love."

"Hector?" the woman stirred uncertainly and rolled to see Barbossa close to her. She smiled in recognition and raised her hand to his cheek. "Hector? What are you doing here?"

"I've come to ask a favor, love," Barbossa said still softly.

"Favor?" 'Umniya sat up revealing a lovely face framed by sleep tousled black hair. "How did you get here? Alamgir would kill you on sight."

"It's a bit of a long story." Barbossa took the woman's hand in his and kissed the back of it. "I wish we had time to tell you all of it."

"We?" 'Umniya's eyes passed around the room until they rested on Jack. "Who is this?"

"My captain. Name's Jack sparrow." Barbossa looked to Jack. "We've been poisoned."