Chapter 8: Night and Fire

The heat of the day had passed into the cool of night. 'Uthman walked slowly in the shadows of the olive trees. He hated the nights when he must patrol here. He could feel the spirits of the dead in the shadows under the trees. Sometimes he could hear them sighing out their despair. He feared they would come for him. His mother had warned him of such things when he was a boy. His father had said it was all nonsense. Woman's superstitions. But he believed his mother. She had warned him of the nights of the sickle moon. She had said the sickle moon gave the spirits swords to strike the living. No mortal blade could ward off such a weapon. Only Allah could protect you on such a night and He would protect only the faithful. Those he despised would fall under the blades of the dead. 'Uthman shivered. As he passed into another shadow his eye was drawn to a flicker of orange in the night. He feared to look at it. It could be the eyes of a spirit. But no. Their eyes would be cold and white. Not orange. He looked.

Over the plain of sandy scrub and irrigated crops the flickering light showed about a mile off. Small flickers of flame flashed near the light. What could it mean? 'Uthman puzzled over the sight a moment. Suddenly the orange light flared up into a full blaze. There was a farmer's hut in that direction he remembered. A fire! The hut was burning. 'Uthman turned and weapons and accouterments clattering he sprinted for the main gate. As he ran he called an alarm. The gate was standing open when he reached it. The other guards greeted his cries with looks of fear.

"What is it, 'Uthman?" demanded Fayiz. "Bandits? Are they attacking?"

"I don't know!" 'Uthman gasped out, chest heaving and cold sweat on his brow. "There is a fire! A fire at the farmer's hut to the south. It could be bandits. I don't know."

Other figures moved in the torch lit courtyard behind the gate. They had heard the shouts of alarm and were coming quickly to see what was the matter.

"What is going on?" Captain Fathi asked loudly but in a calm voice. 'Uthman told him what he'd seen and pointed toward the farmer's hut. The captain looked. He judged what he saw then turned to his men that had gathered. "Saddle the horses! Get your weapons! We must ride to help the farmer. Be quick!"

The men stood startled for a moment but quickly shook it off. In confusion they scrambled for the horses and for their weapons. Men stumbled into each other and tripped over tack dropped by other men. Eventually they were all mounted and Captain Fathi lead them from the courtyard gate toward the distant farmstead. 'Uthman and Fayiz stood staring wide eyed at the horsemen galloping across the plain.

"What do you think they will find, Fayiz?" 'Uthman asked his friend.

"I don't know," Fayiz said.

'Uthman turned to his friend ready to ask another question but his eyes grew wide with fear. Fayiz frowned questioningly at 'Uthman but before he could speak the sword of a spirit clove into the side of his neck and sent him sprawling in the dirt of the road. 'Uthman screamed in terror for his life. He ran for the open gates and the safety of the courtyard. The spirits pursued. The other guard had drawn his sword at 'Uthman's scream but it was too late. A spirit stabbed the man through the heart and he too fell. 'Uthman dropped his musket and ran for the doors of the great house where another guard stood with his own musket ready. 'Uthman flailed his arms but the man wouldn't move. He wouldn't get inside the house and away from the spirits that had come. The other guard raised his musket to fire but a shot rang loud in the courtyard and the poor man fell on the steps tumbling limply to the bottom. Taking the steps in a single bound 'Uthman pounded on the iron bound doors begging the master to let him in. He begged and pleaded and even threatened but the door stayed resolutely shut. Inside he could hear scrabbling footsteps and something being dragged in front of the door. 'Uthman was on his knees nearly sobbing in fright when he felt the hard, deadly grip on his shoulder.

"The falcon," snarled a spirit. "Where is it?"

'Uthman groveled, begging to be spared. His head dropped to the stones at the feet of the spirit as tears ran down his cheeks.

"Bloody hell!" Pintel cursed. "Wha's 'e goin' on 'bout?"

"He thinks we are spirits," Aasim told Pintel. "Some of these people are very superstitious."

"Ask 'im where abouts the falcon is," Jack commanded.

"Where is the falcon?" the spirit demanded again. "Tell us and you will be spared."

The falcon? 'Uthman didn't comprehend. There were no falcons here. Not enough for them to eat really. What could the spirit want with a bird? Suddenly he felt the grip of the spirit on his throat and he began to pray.

"Where is the treasure your master brought in a few days ago?" the spirit demanded. "Is it in the strong room?"

'Uthman nodded. Of course the box had been put in the strong room. Tamir kept all of his valuables in there. 'Uthman knew that his time was over. He should never have come to the House of Tamir. He should have stayed on his father's farm and herded sheep. He felt the hand on his throat move to the back of his collar and begin dragging him across the stones of the courtyard. 'Uthman began praying again. When he was thrown to the ground he looked up to discover that he was in front of the big door to the strong room. He watched as one of the spirits smashed the lock with a pick. Couldn't the spirit have simply walked through the wall? What did the spirits want with the chest Tamir had brought? 'Uthman looked around slowly realizing that these were not spirits. How had they come from the darkness then? He saw one with snakes for hair and eyes that seemed to float in black sockets. Sorcerer! Sorcerers could do much that spirits could. Were these men sorcerers? If they were only men he should flee and get help. If they were sorcerers though he would be killed before he could get away. They'd struck down the other men with ease. What would they do to him?

The big man that had dragged him across the courtyard and the one with snakes for hair went into the strong room with a torch and began searching. He saw the man with snakes for hair pick up a handful of something from a small chest and shove it into his pocket.

"Jack," snarled Barbossa. "Do ye think we have time for that?"

"Help yourself, Hector," Jack said with a gleam of golden teeth. "In for a penny and all."

"Per'aps yer right, captain," Barbossa said smiling and stepped through the door to help with the search.

'Uthman watched as the three men rummaged through the strong room. He began to slink backwards but stopped when he heard the click of a pistol's pawl. The squat man with no hair growled something at him. 'Uthman didn't understand but he stayed stalk still looking into the muzzle of the pistol.

From inside the strong room came a cry of delight and the sound of more scrabbling. The three men came out into the courtyard again. 'Uthman turned his eyes toward them and saw they carried the chest Tamir had been so careful with. The one with snakes for hair said something to the bald one and then 'Uthman remembered no more.