Outremer I

by D. N. Carter

  “So who are these people we are to meet?” Taqi asked quizzically.

  “All in good time, my dear son. Now come, we must be on our way. Ali, you need to change for riding,” Firgany said as he stood. He leant down and kissed Raja on the head as she feigned a brave smile but was clearly exhausted. “We shall be back within the month,” he said softly, nodded at her and then left the room motioning for Taqi and Alisha to follow him. Taqi gave Raja a hug, kissed her on the cheek and left. Alisha knelt next to Raja.

  “Fear not, aunt, I will be back this eve,” she smiled stroking Raja’s brow and pushing back her hair gently.

  “Go, fair child…and do you still have the item secreted away upon yourself?” Raja replied and quietly asked.

  “Of course.” Alisha smiled back and indicated the dagger’s position beneath her waistband.

  Several hours later, Alisha found herself riding on horseback high up in the mountains following a winding well marked path. She had just managed to change into her brown and beige riding coveralls and trousers before leaving. Loose fitting they made her look more like a man than a woman. Nicholas and Brother Baldwin were riding point up front followed by Taqi. Firgany rode behind her followed by two other Templars. Nicholas had smiled at the sight of her. With a sun hat on, her hair tucked up, she could indeed be mistaken for a boy, he laughed. It was midday and the sun was beating down but colder air was gently blowing down from the higher hill tops ahead of them. The path narrowed into a gully as it cut through a mountain pass with steep brush covered sides.

  Suddenly Nicholas’s horse stopped and reared up. He struggled to control it as Brother Baldwin pulled up beside him and tried to calm it. As Nicholas got the horse under control, he turned to face Alisha, when his face went ashen white and alarm registered in his widening eyes. Alisha looked behind her just in time to see several black dressed Bedouin type individuals, their faces masked, jump into view from behind the shrubs on the steep sides, aiming crossbows and bows at them. Immediately Nicholas rushed his horse towards Alisha as Firgany and Taqi both turned their horses and shielded her. “Ambush!” Nicholas shouted, drawing his sword. The two Templars at the rear of their group drew their swords, but just as the first knight was about to swing his sword down on the nearest masked man, he was cut down by four crossbow bolts, two to his chest, one his leg and the fourth directly entering straight through his neck. He jerked backwards and rolled off the horse, dead instantly. As three of the masked crossbow men started to reload with bolts, Firgany placed himself between them and Alisha as Taqi moved out of the way of Nicholas. Another masked man appeared to his left aiming a crossbow directly towards Alisha. Instinctively Nicholas lunged his body upwards and forwards on his horse, just as the bolt was fired directly at Alisha. Nicholas blocked the shot, the bolt hitting him on his left side just below his ribs. Alisha screamed and clasped her hands over her mouth as Firgany drew a short broadsword. Taqi looked around in near panic at what to do as all their horses started bucking and jostling.

  The Templar Knight at the rear dropped his sword as a crossbow bolt went though his forearm and three other masked men surrounded him. He looked at them with anger and pain as Nicholas slumped in his saddle. He raised his sword again, the bolt sticking from his side, Alisha struggling to keep her horse under control with one hand on the reins, the other covering her mouth. Her heart felt like it was about to explode; she looked at her father. He was checking out the men surrounding them on all sides and weighing up their options fast.

  “Fair maiden…we meet again,” the sailor from the port who had picked up Alisha’s dagger back in Tortosa suddenly said aloud as he removed his mask, smirking. He was standing upon a raised white rock. “Drop your weapons and you may just live,” he ordered menacingly. Nicholas looked around himself at the other masked men. They were outnumbered and he was injured. He looked at Firgany for guidance.

  “We surrender…we all die, you know that, don’t you?” Nicholas said. Firgany nodded he understood this.

  “Silence, fool! Not so clever now are you?” the sailor bellowed as several more masked men appeared and started to pull down the satchels and sacks strapped to the horses. One masked man grabbed Alisha; she immediately started to kick out and scream as she was pulled to the ground. Firgany looked at the sailor hard, his eyes narrowing. “Do as we say, you will live. We only want the gold you carry. Fight us, you will die and we still get the gold,” the sailor stated, calmly grinning from ear to ear as he made his way down from the rock and towards Alisha. Two men held her up tightly as she struggled.

  Taqi looked at his father expecting him to do or say something. Taqi shrugged his shoulders confused. Then Firgany dropped his short broadsword to the ground, it sticking upright in the sandy path.

  “You win. Take the gold…but if you harm her, I swear you too will die this very hour,” Firgany said, his voice deep and low as the adrenalin started to flow in his veins as he stared cold and hard at the sailor.

  Hesitantly, Nicholas, his face racked in pain, was forced to lower his sword as he was surrounded by four masked men pointing their crossbows directly at him. One grabbed him and pulled him down from the horse forcing him to land hard upon the ground. He let out a moan as the bolt snapped in half. Alisha looked on horrified, her eyes wide with terror. She looked at her father. He looked up at the sky, then all around himself.

  “Look at me, Al Komaty,” the sailor shouted. “Yes, we know who you are and all about you,” he said as he grabbed Alisha’s chin and moved her head sideways to look at her profile then back the other way. Alisha pulled her head backwards but the two men holding her grabbed her hair tightly and forced her to look forwards, the sun hat falling to the ground, her hair then hanging loose.

  “Is this Reynald’s bidding?” Firgany asked as he went to stand down from his horse.

  “Stay where you are,” shouted the sailor. “And no…Reynald knows nothing of this. This is one, purely for business…and pleasure,” he continued and looked back at Alisha, stroking his finger down her cheek and licking his lips. Alisha spat at his face in defiance. Firgany’s eyes widened in alarm as Taqi went to rush his horse forwards but was immediately stopped by the men surrounding him. The sailor wiped his hand across his face, then looking directly at Alisha, licked the saliva from the back of his hand. “Oh how so sweet…I shall enjoy having you,” he jeered.

  Nicholas looked up in pain; he moved to get his arming dagger but one of the masked men stamped down upon his right arm hard whilst another pointed a crossbow directly at his head.

  “You scum Ashashin,” Taqi shouted out defiantly.

  “Us, Ashashin? No, but it serves us well people think us such,” the sailor said as he grabbed Alisha’s chin. Firgany could feel the swell of energy rising in him as anger fuelled his body ready to pounce, his mind racing on a thousand actions he could take. Could he make the leap from his horse, grab the sailor around the neck and break it? As Alisha struggled the sailor licked his tongue on her cheek. She squirmed and kicked out but to no avail. “Do we have all the gold?” he asked and turned to look at his colleagues, who were rummaging through all the satchels and bags. One stood up and raised a small bag and shook it. The gold coinage inside rattled and he smiled. “Good…then kill them all,” he commanded and grabbed the top of Alisha’s robe and pulled her along whilst the others supported her flailing legs.

  “No!” she screamed hysterically.

  Taqi reared his horse up and Firgany leaped forwards. But as Firgany dived for the sailor, he simply stood aside, causing Firgany to land on the ground hard. Two masked men immediately stood over him aiming their crossbows directly at his head. Firgany raised his arms to protect his face from the bolts as he heard both Taqi and Alisha screaming “NO!” together.

  Firgany opened his eyes briefly, as sand and grit hit his face kicked up from the feet of the two men standing over him. He could just focus on the crossbow pointed nearest to his head, and he could see the man’s finger tension on the
release trigger. His mind raced; he could knock the crossbow and the bolt would miss, but just as this thought entered his head, he caught sight of the second bolt aimed directly at his forehead. This was it. This was one fight he was not going to win. He closed his eyes, prayed Alisha and Taqi would survive and resigned himself to his fate. Everything went quiet and all he could hear was his own heartbeat. He could no longer sense his own body, it being overwhelmed by adrenalin. He opened his eyes once more to look up to see the two menacing masked faces; just their eyes visible as they moved nearer to take their shot. They seemed to move in slow motion. Both men’s eyes seemed to open wider; a whoosh noise filled the air along with a squelching sound. Then Firgany saw it…a large arrow exited the temple area of the man’s head to his right, then seemed to trail out slowly, as the fletched feathers at the rear of what seemed an impossibly long arrow exited the man’s head in a flush of red mist and parts of brain matter, the tip of the arrow instantly piercing the temple of the other man and then going straight through his head. Momentarily both men seemed to stay motionless where they were, just their faces visible in the dust and dirt. Then both slumped onto Firgany, dead. Suddenly Firgany’s head was again filled with the noise of shouting, horses neighing. Familiar sounds of battle he had not heard for some years. Temporarily confused, he tried to focus his eyes. He felt the weight of the two dead men lying upon him. Quickly, he pushed them off, grabbed the nearest crossbow and jumped to his feet.

  He could see Taqi kicking out with his feet still upon his horse as masked men tried to pull him off. Quickly Firgany took aim at the man pulling the hardest and fired the trigger. The bolt let loose flew fast and straight directly into the base of the neck of the man. He dropped instantly. The other men looked over as Firgany picked up the other crossbow. Taqi kicked one in the face hard knocking him out as Nicholas yelled at Firgany to look his way. Quickly Firgany looked over to see the sailor holding a large knife to Alisha’s throat backing away with the other masked men and purse of gold coins.

  “Let her go and you can take the gold,” Firgany shouted aiming directly at them.

  The sailor grinned pulling Alisha’s head back further revealing her white neck. He pushed the knife closer, scratching her throat, a small trickle of blood started to roll down her neck immediately.

  Suddenly from behind Firgany, he heard more horses approach down the gully track. A dust cloud pushed ahead of the riders as they came around and into view. More masked men on horseback.

  “Fight!” shouted Brother Baldwin as he crawled towards his sword on the ground.

  Firgany raised his aim again at the sailor, determined to at least kill him too before they could be taken. Alisha was pulling with both hands on the sailor’s forearm but he was too strong.

  As Firgany raised his aim, he took a deep breath and steadied his shot. He started to apply pressure to the trigger trying to ignore the men rapidly approaching from behind him. Alisha stopped struggling and stared at him, she nodded slightly. Suddenly the sailor jerked slightly, his eyes widened, his jaw dropped. Almost instantly and hardly visible, a large arrow had sliced straight through his neck at the base of his skull, entering from his right side and exiting on the left. So fast was the arrow it had hardly been visible, just the hint of a flash and pink mist of blood shooting out from the left side of his neck, severing his spinal cord instantly. Alisha jumped forwards as the other masked men behind her turned and ran down the pathway, some diving for cover in the bushes, the sailor collapsing to his knees first, his eyes wide in shock, then falling face forwards dead into the dirt. Alisha ran towards Firgany part hysterical as Taqi jumped down and rushed to their sides as the other horsemen pulled up fast. Several horsemen dismounted and rapidly drew large sabre swords. Firgany pulled the crossbow around to aim at them whilst pulling Taqi in close too. But the masked men just ran straight past them and headed off after the other masked men. Two of the men on horseback drew their recurve bows, and immediately started firing off arrows aimed at the fleeing men that were running away down the track. One fell instantly as he was hit in the back, one fell to his knees as an arrow struck his leg, but as he turned to look back, one of the pursuing men sliced down hard upon his head with his large sabre sword, splitting his head almost in two killing him instantly. Alisha buried her head into Firgany’s chest hard.

  She kept her head and face buried in her father’s chest for what seemed an age. Slowly things began to quieten down and only then did she dare look up, her father still part aiming the crossbow, Taqi with his arms tightly wrapped around her shielding her between himself and their father. She looked to her right to see both Nicholas and Brother Baldwin crawling in the dirt towards them trying to help each other. As she looked up through the settling dust, she saw a tall man approach them. He was as big as her father, dressed completely in black like a Bedouin, but with a large Burnash silvered helmet surmounted by what looked like a dark red, almost crimson, cloth band. He was heavily tanned, brown eyed, with a large black beard. Alisha was confused and she thought her heart would fail her. Her knees were shaking and her teeth chattering uncontrollably. She wasn’t sure if she had wet herself. She felt for her dagger. She was suddenly filled with anger at herself for not even remembering she had it. The tall man in black approached, flung open his large black overcoat and raised his arms up in an open and welcoming manner, his face breaking from one of a stern hardened man to a broad smiling one. Alisha was nearly sick. She felt the tension drop from her father’s body as he suddenly relaxed.

  “As salamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu [may the mercy, peace and blessings of Allah be upon you],” the tall dark man said politely and softly, to Alisha’s surprise. She shot a look at Taqi, who was looking on just as confused.

  “Wa alaikum salam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuhu [and may the peace mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you]…my dearest old friend,” Firgany sighed then gently eased Alisha off of his chest, looked at her and Taqi. “Are you both okay?” he asked. Alisha and Taqi just nodded. Firgany turned to face the man in black, outstretched his arms and greeted him with a hug. Both patted each other on the back for several moments. Firgany then stood back still holding the man’s forearms and looked at him. “It has been too many years, my good friend,” Firgany said, clearly relieved.

  “Indeed it has. And your family, it has grown?” the man replied and looked at Taqi and Alisha.

  As he looked at them, several other black dressed men approached Nicholas and his brother knight on the floor. Alisha looked alarmed.

  “Do not concern yourself or worry. We shall take very good care of them,” the man said, smiling.

  Alisha quickly rushed over and knelt beside Nicholas and moved so she could rest his head upon her lap. In pain he looked up at her. His face was rough with several days’ worth of stubble growth but she stroked his face gently. She looked on nervously as one of the men in black started to look carefully at the broken crossbow bolt sticking out from his side. He immediately placed a circular bandage around the protruding bolt shaft, applied pressure and started to pour a liquid over it.

  “Will he be okay?” Alisha asked hesitantly.

  The man looked up, his stare focused and sharp, his face covered except for his eyes. “He will live. The bolt has missed his organs. But we must treat it now to stop any infection,” the man answered in a clipped and broken tone.

  Nicholas sighed heavily with relief. Looked at Alisha as she looked down at him, her eyes wide, and her pupils large. Tears welled in them.

  “Thank you, Nicholas. Thank you…you saved my life. What can I ever do to say thank you?” Alisha asked as a tear fell from her face onto his. He smiled, looked at his friend, who was having his arm treated on the spot.

  “To steal just one kiss will be reward enough,” he replied smiling, then flinched in pain. He rolled his eyes momentarily but then opened them again to look into her eyes.

  Firgany and the old man in black came and stood nearby looking at them. Alisha sen
sed them behind her. Ignoring them, she leaned down closer to Nicholas, stared into his eyes for a moment, then gently kissed him on the mouth, her soft lips sending a shiver through Nicholas. Alisha lingered the kiss, cupped her hands around his face, and then slowly broke away. She opened her eyes again to see that Nicholas was looking at her intently and smiling.

  “Alisha, one more thing…” he said and clasped her hand, sweat running from his forehead.

  “What…what is it?” she asked, searching his eyes as the pain was clear in them.

  “Permission to pass out…,” he said quietly, closed his eyes, then passed out but still smiling. Alisha immediately looked up and behind at her father.

  “Father, will he be okay?” she asked, alarmed, as tears fell from her face.

  Firgany looked at the old man in black, and then at the man tending to Nicholas, who nodded yes he would. Taqi knelt down next to Nicholas and placed a hand upon his shoulder. He looked at Alisha and placed his other hand upon her shoulder as she started to sob. Taqi looked at up at Firgany puzzled.

  “My son, Taqi, and my daughter, Alisha…this is my friend Rashid al-Din Sinan,” Firgany stated and indicated with his hands an introduction.

  Taqi immediately stood up and approached his father and looked at Rashid quizzically.

  “But, Father…is this not the Grand Master of the Ashashin at Masyaf, then?” he asked, perplexed, and looked at the tall old man dressed in black from head to toe. Taqi looked at Nicholas and the other Templar, who was looking up concerned.

  “Yes, it is indeed, my dear son. And but for his timely intercession this day, we would not now be standing here,” Firgany answered as Rashid politely bowed and then acknowledged the injured Templar.

  “Do not be alarmed, young Templar. You will be well looked after I can promise you that…and returned safely to your fort at Castle Blanc,” Rashid said politely. The Templar lowered his head relieved.