The Sign of the Scorpion

by Farah Zaman

  What would he do? I can’t imagine what they have to fear from that gentle, soft-spoken man.

  The teenagers spent the rest of the afternoon in their rooms. They still felt a bit tired from their flight and the long drive to the castle. Before Layla knew it, it was time for dinner. Remembering Ghazala’s advice, she donned a violet floral dress, pinning the matching scarf with a pearl cluster brooch. She did not usually make a fuss with her appearance and stuck with a few tried and true outfits, much to the despair of her mother. She was glad now for the summer dresses she had brought. They would come in handy for all the dinners ahead. Thank you, Mom.

  When they went down to the dining room, the PA and the tutor were there, and a strange man was sitting next to Ghazala.

  “This is my husband, Bilal,” said Ghazala to the teenagers. “He’s working on a new research project. He’s been very busy lately.”

  Husband? I didn’t even think she had one. I’m sure she didn’t mention him before.

  Bilal was a man of unremarkable appearance in his late forties. He had a hooked nose, a small goatee and shoulders that were a bit hunched. With his thick glasses and balding pate, he looked like an owl. He seemed ill at ease among the gathering.

  “Welcome.” He bestowed a brief smile on them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  I almost expected to hear him hoot.

  Ghazala, who was wearing a beautifully embroidered black abaya, said, “Where’s Hala?”

  “She won’t be dining with us this evening,” said Miftah. He did not offer an explanation, and no one asked for one.

  He must have given her a timeout for that tantrum at lunch.

  Layla glanced over at Hala’s stepmother. Suha was dressed in a maroon caftan, her beige scarf pinned with a lovely, silver filigree diamond pin. A touch of kohl brightened her eyes, highlighting the amazing length of her lashes. She looked relaxed.

  She’s probably enjoying the reprieve from her snarky stepdaughter.

  “Where’s Faisal?” Ghazala asked next.

  “Dhul Fikar told me Faisal left the castle earlier,” said Kareem. The PA’s long face looked tired. There were deep brackets at the sides of his mouth. With his dark suit and touch of gray at the temples, he looked like a high-powered executive, not someone who was in reality a glorified secretary.

  “He’s probably gone to Khaldun again,” said Miftah in his gruff voice. “He’s been going there quite often.”

  The meal proceeded pleasantly. Ghazala did most of the talking, with the other adults joining in. The only one who did not speak was Mrs. Haddad. The tutor had a distant expression on her face, as if her thoughts were miles away.

  Later, when Layla returned to her suite, there came a knock at the door and the maid, Nura, entered.

  “I’m here to refill your refrigerator,” she said.

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  Nura crouched down and began to replenish the boxes of juice and snacks with her small, slender fingers.

  She’s young and pretty but so serious.

  “Nura, it must be a lot of work taking care of such a large castle.”

  “It is, but there are many of us to do it.”

  “Have you worked here a long time?”

  “Yes, since I finished school four years ago.” With a wistful look on her face, she said, “I would have loved to go to university, but after my father died, it was not financially possible.”

  “You have other family?”

  Nura closed the refrigerator and stood up. “Yes. My mother and two sisters live in Khaldun.”

  “Do you like working here?”

  A pinched look came over the maid’s face. She said almost in a whisper, “I used to love it but now I hate it. Sometimes I feel like I’m in the middle of a dream and it will all go away when I wake up. But there’s no escape for me.”

  There was such a ring of despair in the maid’s voice that Layla stared at her in surprise.

  “What do you mean?”

  Fixing Layla with a fierce look, Nura said, “You shouldn’t have come here. Evil things have happened. And more evil is to come. You should leave. Or there will be no escape from the evil.”

  Chapter Three:

  In the Garden of Dreams

  “What evil?”

  Nura shook her head, her eyes wide and fearful. “I don’t know myself. But it’s around us, waiting and watching. I can feel it all the time. Leave, before it’s too late.”

  Layla shivered as the maid walked out the door. Nura had sounded like an oracle of doom. What evil could she be talking about? She had to be crazy in the head.

  As Layla lay in bed later, she could not push the maid’s ominous warning out of her head. Her ears were cocked for the slightest sound and she almost jumped out of her skin when a tree branch scraped against the window. It sounded like phantom fingers trying to open it. She stared at the outline of the furniture in her room. What menacing shapes they take on in the dark when one’s imagination is working overtime.

  When she finally fell asleep, it was to dream she was being chased down the dark hallways of the castle by a shadowy figure.

  The next morning, Layla told her brother and friends what the maid had told her.

  “What evil could be going on here?” asked Adam. “We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

  Zahra said, “She’s probably a bit crazy.”

  “Yes, just ignore here,” said Zaid.

  Layla was more than happy to do so. After a long, leisurely breakfast, they decided to go exploring, starting with the forecourt. Bright sunlight streamed onto the gray tiles, reflecting off the windows of the vehicles and sending heat waves shimmering above. Daylight revealed in more detail what darkness had concealed on the night of their arrival. Beneath the portico, were low wooden benches for sitting.

  Layla looked up at the castle. It did not look as creepy as it did at night. A tower rose at each end to embrace the sky while its dark, colossal façade seemed to take on a softer cast in the morning sunlight. The teenagers stopped a few moments to admire a blue Mercedes-Benz in the parking lot. The red Saab Layla had seen last night was not among the vehicles there.

  They turned around when they heard a meow. An exotic silver-colored cat with black stripes and green eyes came slinking towards them. It stopped several feet away and stared at them with a disdainful look, its tail waving from side to side.

  Layla walked over to it. “Hello, you wee little beastie. You’re a beauty, aren’t you?”

  The cat hissed. At that moment, there came the low humming throb of an engine. Layla watched as the red Saab she had thought about earlier came speeding into the forecourt. Spooked by the sound, the cat ran across the path of the approaching vehicle and, like most animals were wont to do, stood frozen as the car came closer.

  “Bilqis!” a voice cried in warning. “Bilqis!”

  As Tariq came running across the forecourt, Layla, who stood closest to the cat, darted forward, grabbed the petrified animal, and dashed to the side. The Saab slowed down before proceeding to the parking lot. Faisal stepped out of the car and came up to them, a scowl on his face. He looked somewhat the worse for wear. His jeans and blue short-sleeved shirt were rumpled, and his hair mussed. Bleary eyes and a dark stubble on his chin completed his unkempt appearance.

  Tariq rounded on him.

  “How could you be so reckless?” he cried. “You almost ran over Layla and Bilqis.”

  “Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” snapped Faisal, his nostrils flaring. “And young lady,” he turned a scathing glance on Layla, “it was foolish of you to jump in front of me like that.”

  “I’m sorry.” Layla was still trembling inside with reaction. “I was afraid you’d run over the cat.”

  “That wild creature would have been no great loss, believe me,” said Faisal before turning on his heels and st
alking into the castle.

  “Are you alright?” Tariq asked Layla. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

  “I’m fine. Just a bit shaken.”

  “Thank you for saving Bilqis.” Tariq took the cat from Layla. “She’s usually faster on her feet than what you saw.”

  “Tariq, why did Faisal call your cat a wild creature?” asked Zaid.

  “Bilqis is not an ordinary domestic cat. She’s half wildcat.”

  “She won’t scratch me if I pet her, will she?” asked Zahra.

  “La. No. Bilqis is not very friendly, but she’s tame.”

  “She’s as regal as her namesake, the Queen of Sheba,” said Adam.

  “She is, isn’t she?” Tariq smiled for the first time since they met him. The smile erased the sadness from his face, giving them a glimpse of a carefree, teenage boy. Like Adam and Zaid, he was also attired in jeans and a T-shirt.

  “How long have you had her?” asked Layla.

  A bleak look came over Tariq’s face. “A little before I came to live here three years ago. We lived in Rafah Province before my parents died. Bilqis’s ancestors came from the mountains there. I really appreciate what you did. If there’s any favor I can do in return, you must tell me.”

  Layla remembered Shaykh Sulaiman’s words. “There’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

  “What is it?”

  “I’d like you to be friends with us and show us around.”

  “Of course, I can do that. I have lessons with Mrs. Haddad in the mornings from Monday to Thursday. I can show you around in the afternoons. Meet me in the domed hall at three this afternoon.”

  “We sure will,” said Adam.

  “Why are you still having lessons?” said Zahra. “Your grandfather told us you’re going away to university soon.”

  “Yes, in mid-August, the day before you all leave to go home. It’s been our family tradition to attend university in England. That’s why Grandfather hired an English tutor for me and Hala. Mrs. Haddad’s a bit strict but she’s very educated. She’ll be leaving when I do. She and Hala don’t get along very well, so she didn’t want to stay. We’re making the most of the time we have left. I must go back to the classroom before she wonders why I’m taking such a long break. See you at three.”

  They watched as he and Bilqis walked across the forecourt and vanished through a door they had not even noticed before.

  When they met with Tariq in the domed hall at three that afternoon, he took them on a tour inside the castle. There were five levels but only two were livable spaces. On the first floor was a huge kitchen, a servants’ lounge, the dining areas, and the domed hall in the middle. Tucked next to the domed hall was a mosque. It had the same soaring ceiling as the rest of the castle, with a thick carpet and calligraphy on the walls. Shaded windows ensconced it in a cocoon of tranquility. The mosque could be accessed from inside the castle as well as from the forecourt.

  At the other end of the first floor was Shaykh Sulaiman’s suite and those of his nurse and PA. There was a large office on that side as well and the classroom where Mrs. Haddad did her teaching. On the second floor were the family suites. Tariq gave them a quick look inside his. It was much larger than the guest suites. In addition to the sitting room and bedchamber, he had a study room with a computer and bookshelves that were crammed with books.

  “We’re going to the recreation area next,” he said, leading them back to the stairs.

  On the first floor, he took them through the hallways to a back door that opened into a huge, square-shaped courtyard. Coming from the coolness inside the castle, the blast of heat was almost a shock. Layla shaded her eyes from the sun as she stared around. The courtyard was paved with beige ceramic tiles and lined with giant terra cotta urns of blooming flowers. Date palms and olive trees rimmed its circumference, their branches barely moving in the humid air. Scattered under the shade were wicker chairs here and there. Dominating the center of the courtyard was a gurgling, three-tiered stone fountain. On either side of the courtyard were more apartments.

  Tariq said, “As you can see, the castle is u-shaped, with the main building in front and these two connecting ones at the back.” Pointing to the wing on the left, he said, “Your suites are at the top there and can be reached from the main building. The recreation area is below.” Pointing to the wing on the right, he said, “That wing also has guest suites at the top. The servant quarters are below. Most of the servants commute from Khaldun but some of them live in. At the back of the courtyard is the orchard.” He pointed to a green wall of trees.

  “We had no idea we were coming to a castle,” said Layla as they stared around the charming courtyard.

  “There’s a few of them in the region. This one was built in the sixteenth century by the reigning Sultan of Ghassan. That was during the Ottoman period, so it’s over five hundred years old. It was built of black basalt rocks. There have been some changes by other sultans but most of what you see is the original castle.”

  “I noticed there’s a wall around it,” said Adam.

  “Yes, in the old days, it protected the castle. There were several postern or hidden gates that allowed the castle folk to come and go secretly. These days, there’s no invading army to be afraid of. Just wild animals.”

  “Yes, we heard an animal screaming the first night we came,” said Layla. “It was scary.”

  Something strange flashed across Tariq’s face before he pointed to an arch-shaped entrance on the left. “That arcade leads into the ghaf grove. There are three of them total on that side. You can only get to the grove through them. As you can see, you’re the only ones in this wing. You’ve got the ghaf grove to yourselves.”

  They came to a stop before wide cedar doors and Tariq said, “This is the recreation area.”

  It was a large space built with a series of high, narrow windows that gave glimpses of the green grove outside. Inside were ping pong and pool tables, and several game machines. In separate compartments were a small movie theater, a kidney-shaped swimming pool and a gym. The gym was equipped with a treadmill and other exercise machines.

  Tariq said, “Qais, who’s a physical therapist as well as a nurse, brings Grandfather to the gym for therapy a few times a week. You might run into them occasionally.”

  “We should have a lot of fun here,” said Adam, looking about him with interest.

  “I’d love to use the swimming pool,” said Zahra.

  “Me too,” said Layla, still feeling the heat from the courtyard.

  Zaid held up a small, red bat. “I’d like to challenge you all to a game of ping pong sometime.”

  Adam gave a wolfish grin. “Only if you’re ready for a good whupping.”

  “In your dreams,” said Zaid.

  “I’ll take you to see the orchard now,” said Tariq. “And a very special place at the back of it.”

  He took them across the courtyard toward the great wall of trees. At the end, a brick pathway lay before them, forking to the right and left. Tariq came to a stop and said, “The right pathway goes to the stables and the left pathway to an old qasabah or lookout tower. In the old days, the tower was used as a lookout point for enemies coming to lay siege on the castle.”

  “It looks very high,” said Layla, catching sight of the old structure rising above the trees. It would be an interesting place to explore another time.

  “Yes, it’s very high,” said Tariq, an odd note in his voice.

  They continued forward under the cool haven of the trees. The pathway meandered in several directions. As they walked below the shady boughs, Tariq pointed out the different fruit trees to them. Along the way, they passed two gardeners hard at work, sweat streaming down their faces.

  The trees gave way to a secluded garden encircled by towering cypresses and filled with flowers in beds of assorted shapes and sizes. Among them were clusters o
f shrubbery and arbors of red, pink and white roses. In the very center stood a rock fountain, its water dribbling rhythmically onto colored rocks at the base. Butterflies flitted among the flowers while a bee droned among the shrubbery. At the back, under the shade of the cypresses, were two white stone benches.

  “Welcome to the Garden of Dreams,” said Tariq.

  “What a lovely garden,” said Zahra, her eyes lighting up with pleasure.

  Gesturing to the benches, Tariq said, “Come, let’s sit here for a bit.”

  Though they sat in the shade, Layla could still feel the sharp warmth of the sun. She breathed in the fragrant aroma of jasmine and roses. “It’s like a little paradise here. Who gave it that name?”

  “My grandmother. She loved gardening. Once, she took a nap here and had some good dreams. Since then, she called it the Garden of Dreams.”

  “It sounds so poetic,” murmured Zahra. “As if it’s an enchanted garden.”

  “Grandfather used to come here often after Grandmother died. I guess it made him feel close to her even though she’s gone. I pray every day that he continues to get stronger. I don’t want to lose him yet. This is his second stroke. Dr. Hakam says Grandfather is not out of danger yet. I’m very worried.”

  “When did he have the first stroke?” asked Zaid.

  “It was after my parents died. It took him almost a year to recover. During that time, I came to live here, and Kareem was hired as his PA.”

  “Does he have any more relatives besides the cousins?” asked Adam.

  “Some very distant ones. The cousins are the closest blood relations.”

  “Have they lived here a long time?” asked Layla.

  “Suha has been living here since she was eight. Aunt Ghazzy and Uncle Bilal have been here for the past six years. Faisal came the same time I did, three years ago. Uncle Miftah and Hala moved in after he and Suha got married two and a half years ago.”

  “The cousins don’t seem to get along with each other,” said Zaid.