Then Abdullah stepped forward as well, and Talon clapped him on the shoulder. “Good man,” he said. Abdullah shot him a fearful look and answered, “God seems to be on our side, Master Talon. I will go, but I am afraid.” Talon’s own fears were threatening to surface, but in front of the crew he was determined not to show his apprehension. Reza seemed of a like mind, and just as determined to put a good face on it.
“Let’s go and save what we can,” he said out loud. “God protect us,” he added in an undertone. Talon agreed.
The four piled into the small boat, and they pushed off as men in the waist payed out the rope that could be used to pull them back. They rowed hard against the tossing seas and closed the distance between them and the Chinese ship. Their boat took on some water, but the fearful Abdullah bailed with a furious energy. Their crossing only took a few very long-seeming, perilous minutes, and then they were bumping against the railings of the ship’s waist, which was now almost submerged, leaving only the after decks above the water and a small portion of the foredeck.
Three men were there to greet them. As they came closer Talon could see that their manner of dress was quite unlike anything he had hitherto encountered, although it reminded him of the colorful court of Constantinople. The people on the deck wore expensive clothing, but it was in rags.
One was a teenage boy; another was a fit looking man in his prime, while another was much older. Talon did not have much time to observe more. The middle aged man seized the rope they tossed to him and quickly tied it to the rails and leaned over to shout in garbled Arabic, “We have to go bring woman,” which startled Talon and the others so that they all stared up at him. “Come aboard now! We cannot stay long!” Talon shouted back.
He nodded and pushed the older person forward and said something to him and to the boy. Then he vanished inside the second deck while the boy and the older man clambered down into the boat with the help of the crew and Reza. Both were shivering and soaked to the skin. They looked too exhausted to do anything but sit in the middle without speaking. Talon and Reza took off their coats and handed them over, which they accepted with grateful nods, and then sat huddled in silence. Talon and the others looked impatiently up at the space where the other man had disappeared. Despite their efforts, the sea surge was driving their boat repeatedly against the railings, threatening to break it apart if the hammering continued. It was imperative that they pull away immediately.
The sinking ship emitted a deep groan from within. They all looked at one another.
“We must leave, now!” Reza rasped.
Suddenly the other man reappeared, leading a young woman of about Jannat’s age. He carried a medium sized lacquer box and now wore a sword strapped around his waist. The crew of the boat held it as steady as they could so he could jump in. After he had placed the box on the floor, he reached up and put his hands around the waist of the young woman and lightly lifted her on board.
“Is there anyone else?” Talon asked pointing back at the ship. He repeated the question.
The man was obviously having some trouble understanding Talon, but he cocked his ear and then said, “Only us,” shaking his head vigorously.
Again Talon and the others registered surprise. No crew? Just these people, who didn’t look like sailors at all? But they needed to get away from the sinking Chinese vessel, which was subsiding into the sea right beneath them. Dandachi was shouting across to them words borne away by the wind, but he was pointing to the West at some more dense clouds on the horizon.
Talon waved back, then gestured to the new arrivals to be seated. As they were settling, he and the crew took up the oars and, as one, pulled hard in direction for their own ship, hauled at the same time by the men on the Sea Eagle. They left just in time. The Chinese ship gave a lurch and settled deeper in the water. There was another deep groan as though the ship was giving up its ghost with a long stream of bubbles from the area of the hold. The front section had disappeared, and the wreckage that had once been cordage and sails was floating over the foundering ship.
They negotiated the strip of heaving water between the vessels without mishap, other than to get very wet. The waves were still dangerous and the boat was taking water, but all of them had been soaked to begin with one way or the other, so it didn’t really matter. Abdullah frantically bailed while the others rowed and the Sea Eagle crew hauled.
At a sharp word from the middle aged man, the boy gave up the covering provided by Talon to the woman who huddled alongside them in the middle of the boat. She took it gratefully, looking not at the boy but at the man. The man himself disdained any covering and spent most of the short trip watching his ship gradually slip under more water.
Finally, their boat bumped alongside their own vessel and they assisted their passengers up the side, passing them on board to outstretched hands. The Chinese man who had the sword in his sash climbed the short ladder by himself, holding firmly onto the long lacquer box.
Talon was the last to come aboard. He glanced up at the after deck and saw that Rav’an and Rostam with Jannat were standing there with Dar’an in attendance, Their eyes were riveted on the new arrivals. Rostam was held close by his mother, and Talon smiled inwardly at his son’s intense expression of interest in all the activities. Talon gave them a small wave and then turned his attention back to the people they had rescued.
The strangers stood in a small bedraggled group, shivering around their leader who carried the box. The crew of the Sea Eagle stood around the deck gawking and talking volubly about them. The captain bawled at the crew to go about their business and to leave the Chinese to Talon. They straggled back to their posts, still watching the bedraggled group, their eyes feasting on the female amongst them.
Talon realized that the first thing that needed to be done was to get them below and into dry clothing. He glanced up again at Rav’an and beckoned to her. She understood immediately. The girl needed a woman’s care. Rav’an handed Rostam off to Jannat and gave him a stern warning to stay with her, then hastened down the ladder to join Talon, Reza, and their mysterious guests.
Talon could not help but admire how elegantly she negotiated the set of stairs despite the ship’s wild movements.
Rav’an’s eyes widened as she saw the condition of the girl, and at once she stepped in to take her by her arms. She led the young woman off the deck and away from the staring crew below to the women’s quarters. That left the three men standing, dripping water onto the deck and looking lost, the oldest of whom appeared to be in a bad way.
Talon called for Dar’an and told him to take the men below and give them some of his dry clothing and blankets.
“Allow them to rest in the spare store room, and then try to persuade the cook to boil some water for tea,” Talon told the boy.
Before Dar’an could lead the Chinese men away, one of the crew called out excitedly and pointed over to the other ship. It was just about to slide completely under water. The Chinese turned and hurried to the side of the Omani ship to stare. They spoke together in a fast, singsong language which no one on board could understand, but it was clear that this was an emotional moment. Everyone on deck watched in silence as the large ship slowly settled out of sight with a hiss of escaping air and roiling water. Soon it was gone into the depths, leaving behind only a couple of spars and some sail material along with other flotsam.
With an audible sigh, the Chinese man with the box under his arm put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, and all three turned away from the scene. There were tears in the old man’s eyes as they turned to follow the beckoning Dar’an.
Talon and Reza had watched with interest. “I wonder what this is all about,” Reza said. “Did you see their features, Talon? They look like those people we sometime used to see in the bazars of Isfahan, the merchants from the East. It’s their eyes.”
“I noticed it too. They all look like that, it would seem. Where is the rest of their crew, I wonder?” Talon remarked, watching the Chinese leader w
ith care. He noticed the well formed torso and the strong shoulders of the man. He affected a thin mustache, which tapered to points that hung down on either side of his mouth; a small goatee grew out of a firm chin. There was a slight balding on the top of his head. Although plainly exhausted, the man was still alert and observant.
“Well, now we have taken care of them for the moment, we should continue on our way,” Talon said. He and Reza went up the stairs to the upper deck, where they were confronted by Rostam, who had broken away from Jannat and wanted to know what was going on.
“Who are those people Papa, Uncle Reza? I saw the ship sink! Could that happen to us too?”
Talon leaned over the boy. “I think we are past the worst of the weather, Rostam, but there is still a long way to go, and we have to find out where the storm blew us. When the sun comes out the captain will know better.”
Rostam looked solemn. “The men up here said they were Chinese. Who are the Chinese, Papa?”
“They are a people who come from way east of here,” Talon said, waving his arm vaguely towards the eastern horizon.
“Are they our prisoners?” Rostam asked seriously.
Reza gave a chuckle. “No, little man, they are our guests. It was our task to save them, and your papa did his duty to God and man.”
“May I stay up here, Papa?” the boy asked, his eyes pleading.
Talon remembered the cabin and the accumulated smells. “Yes, you may, but you are to stay close to Uncle Reza, who I am putting in charge of you. If he says it is time to go below, then that is an order; I want no arguments.” He gave Reza a grin.
Rostam jumped up and down with pleasure. “Uncle Reza, I can stay!”
Reza laughed aloud. “Very well, you shall stay close to me, and we must not get in the way of the crew when they have much work to do.” He took the boy’s hand and moved off to join Jannat, who was watching from the front rail of the upper deck with an amused expression.
Talon smiled at her and turned back to the captain, who had been watching the proceedings with a benevolent smile on his bearded face. Rostam had become very popular among the crew since they had left Oman.
“Do you know how far we were blown off course by the storm, Captain?” Talon asked.
Dandachi glanced forward. The crew were hoisting the main sail, which bellied in the fresh wind. The ship immediately began to move forward at a much better pace, sending up the occasional spout of water at the bow, which would in turn send a thin curtain of spray over the fore deck.
“I shall know a little more when the sun finally comes out before too long, Insha'Allah. I suspect that we were blown north, which means we might be heading for the northern end of the Andaman Island chain. It is just north of the course I had set before the storm, so when we find them we can sail south and be back on course, Insha'Allah.”
Talon nodded. Some weeks before, the captain had shown him the chart and the notebook he held as a prized possession, indicating the islands and their route to him.
“Remember, Master Talon, I showed you the islands called Langabalus and Nicobar. These are stopping places where we would have had to pause for fresh water and provisions in any case before the last leg to Kalah Bar.”
Talon looked behind them. “Is that cloud behind us going to be a problem?”
The captain squinted back over his shoulder to the West. “I don’t think so. I’m glad to say that it looks as though it is dispersing, and you will notice the sea is also becoming much more calm. God willing, we will have a smooth night of it.” He rubbed his eyes, which were red. His weathered face showed marked signs of exhaustion.
Talon shivered as a light wind picked up. He was soaked to the skin, and so hungry he could have killed for a hot bowl of soup. He decided that he needed to go below and take care of both issues, and also to check on their strange guests.
“You should get some sleep, Captain. Can you trust these men to stay at their posts while we get some rest? I shall come back on deck in a couple of hours.”
“Thank you, Master Talon,” the captain said. “Yes, if they value their hides they will do as they are told. If there is any problem, they know to wake me immediately. Abdullah and Waqqas can be relied upon.”
*****
Talon clumped down the steps to the small space that led to the various cabins. His cabin was on the port side; he noticed Dar’an squatting on the deck in front of the door to an adjoining cabin. The boy was half asleep, but he jumped to his feet when he heard Talon come to the bottom of the stairs.
“The men are in this room, Master Talon,” he said, indicating the closed door.
It was one of the extra rooms which held the spare clothes and baggage for the passengers. He opened the door quietly and looked in.
The three men were sprawled out on quilts laid out on a carpet. He noticed that the cabin was damp, but considering the ferocity of the storm they had weathered, there probably wasn’t anywhere on the ship that was not damp or soaking wet.
The middle aged man must have been a very light sleeper despite his exhaustion. He sat up and stared at Talon, who lifted a hand and then closed the door again. All he wanted to do just now was to change out of his wet clothes and get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a day of questions and answers. Just in case, however, he told Dar’an to go and see Waqqas and ask for two men to come down and guard the door. No one was to leave nor enter unless he, Talon, gave permission. He was sure that these men were simply survivors, but the alertness and obvious physical strength of the one man gave him pause. No point in taking risks when there were women aboard.
On that thought he decided to go and check in with Rav’an, two doors along. He could hear the murmur of conversation on the other side of the door, so he knocked and waited. The conversation stopped and Salem opened the door a crack. She smiled and nodded when she saw who it was.
“You may come in, Talon,” Rav’an called.
He entered cautiously, stepping over shattered furniture and the soaking carpet and cushions. The back shutters were wide open to allow fresh air into the room, but still there was a sour, lingering smell.
Rav’an’s expression was wry. “I am not sure how much we can save. Salem and the maid have done wonders , but we have much more to do before we will be comfortable again.” She smiled at Salem and the wisp of a maid at the far end of the room, then she came over to stand close to him. He took her hand in his, wanting to embrace her, but not in front of the others. She smiled in understanding.
“Where is the girl?” he asked, smiling back.
“We changed her clothes and then put her to bed on that ledge over there,” Rav’an said quietly, pointing to one of the sleeping alcoves. “She is exhausted. Fortunately, we still had some dry clothing and bedding.”
“Did she say anything to you?”
“No, nothing. She just muttered something and then went to sleep almost before we could lay her down. Are these people Chinese, Talon?”
“The captain says so, and some of the crew have seen people like this before. They all agree they are Chinese.”
“They look something like the people who come to Isfahan on their shaggy ponies, but these people seem more refined.”
“I agree, and there is a mystery here. Why were there no other survivors? Where is the rest of the crew? The leader looks capable of handling himself. He could be a warrior; perhaps a merchant? Keep an eye on the girl, my Love. I don’t want to trouble you, but I need to know who they are before I trust them to wander about our ship.” He noticed the alarm in her eyes. “Don’t worry, I am sure that all will be well. Just ask the maid to tell you when she wakes up, and keep her from leaving the cabin.”
Rav’an nodded, then came closer still, so that he caught her scent. Even after a terrifying night in all the horrible conditions, he marveled at how clean she smelled, but it made him very conscious of how filthy he was.
She kissed him on the cheek and whispered, “I am so glad that we lived through that terrible s
torm. I am glad that you were not washed overboard, my Love. I was so afraid.”
“I cannot believe that you were afraid, my Rav’an. You are my rock of courage. Still, I am glad that we are over the worst, and the captain thinks we are not that far off course, so we should come to land within a day or so.” He squeezed her hand hard and then said, “I must change out of these wet clothes and get some sleep, for I am bone tired.”
“I shall come with you and help,” she stated firmly, and pushed him out of the door. With a smile at the guards now standing by the other door with Dar’an, she led him to their own private cabin, where she insisted on helping him take off his soaking rags and dry off before helping him into a comfortable robe. Talon enjoyed the attention, but he was asleep before his head touched the damp pillow she placed for him. She stayed in the room, watching him as he slept for a long while, and calmed him with a hand on his shoulder when his nightmares started up. She had no idea what kind of demons he encountered when he went to sleep, but she had known for some time that they often waited for him. Finally he breathed deeply and fell into a profound slumber free of dreams and demons. She left him then, to go and find Rostam and Jannat.
From tomorrow on,
I will be a happy man;
Grooming, chopping,
and traveling all over the world.
From tomorrow on,
I will cook foodstuff and vegetable,
Living in a house towards the sea,
with spring blossoms.
—Hai Zi
Chapter Twelve
The Dragon's Breath Page 17