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"Quick! We will hide in the passage!" Swiftly, we gathered all we had brought
and removed what signs there were of our presence. Much had already been done,
as we planned to leave. As we closed the door behind us, we could hear the
sound of hooves in the courtyard.
Crouching on the small landing in the darkness, we waited. We had left
nothing, of that we were sure, yet there would be trampled grass and evidence
that someone had been there. We hoped they would believe it had been brigands.
A subdued rustling sounded beyond the stone door, large sounds no doubt, but
faintly heard from here. Moving back, I brushed against something I had not
seen before. Another set of steps led upward. The stairwell was very small,
but moving quietly we climbed upward to reach a small room not more than four
feet wide but twelve long. There was a stone bench, a rusty halberd.
Then I saw a narrow crack where the stones should have fitted but which had
been purposely left to allow a viewer to watch what transpired in the great
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hall, and due to the collapse of walls, it also offered a view of a part of
the outer court. Snuffing our candle, we peered through.
A half-dozen men were in view, soldiers all. Outside in the court we could
see others, searching all about. As I watched, the officer in command turned
and I saw his face clearly. It was Duban.
My mouth had opened to call out when Aziza clapped a hand over it, shaking
her head violently.
"But it is Duban! He will help us!"
"They would kill you. You have been too long alone with me."
"But "
"No matter. They would kill you, anyway."
"Of course," I agreed, "I am a fool."
"Whatever you are, I love you."
Startled, I looked at her, and she returned my gaze with wide eyes. "I mean
it," she said. "Not that it will matter. They will marry me to whom they wish
if it will aid their cause."
When they had ridden away we descended the stair and went to the top of the
keep. From there we could watch over the entire countryside, and the riders
were far away now, riding swiftly toward a high road where dim movement could
be seen.
We could no longer remain here. They had found nothing, but they might
return. It was obvious someone had been moving about in the courtyard and the
garden.
"You were right," I admitted, "I should have known what they would think."
"I am important to them," she said. "They want me because I am useful for
bargaining. They hope to seal an alliance with me." She shrugged. "Women such
as I know this is what is expected, and sometimes the match is a happy one."
"And if it is not?"
"We manage, somehow. We have known what was expected of us, and some become
very clever at politics and intrigue. Some simply find a lover; some sink into
whatever life they have with their children, and often they are enough."
At nightfall we left theCastleofOthman , walking hand in hand down the slope
to the copse where the horses were tethered. The black well had left me
uneasy, and I had a premonition I had not seen the last of it, yet now I knew
its secrets, or some of them. A thing to be remembered: There among the bones
lay the largest part of my fallen candle. Such things can be the price of life
or death.
We rode, keeping to low ground and darkness, to the entrance to ibn-Tuwais's
tunnel. Once inside we heard no sound. We rode to the hidden stable, left our
horses with plenty of feed, and reentered the beautiful apartments where we
had first hidden.
No sound came from beyond the wall. We detected no movement in the house. Had
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ibn-Tuwais been taken away to be tortured or killed?
There could have been no evidence of my presence left in the house, so the
search must have been purely routine unless they had previous knowledge of my
presence. But how could that have been?
When for a long time we heard no sound, I pushed on the slab and it pivoted
gently. There was a slight scrape of stone on stone but no other sound. With
drawn sword I went through the door.
A rustle of garments, and a familiar voice. "Kerbouchard? Come in. You are
safe."
The voice was that of Mahmoud. Stepping into the room, we found him reclining
upon a divan, one of the books of ibn-Tuwais in his hand. He arose and came to
us, bowing low to Aziza.
"We feared you had been captured or killed. Ibn-Tuwais got word to us to wait
for you here."
Why did I not trust him? There was no reason for mistrust, and we desperately
needed a friend. "When you could not be found they arrested ibn-Tuwais. He has
told them nothing."
"But how could they know I had lived here?"
He shrugged. "Someone saw you, I suppose. Spies are everywhere, and as you
should know, we Berbers trust no one."
He glanced at Aziza. "Ibn-Sharaz is said to be angry over his daughter's
disappearance, and Prince Ahmed you can imagine how he feels."
Mahmoud seated himself and clapped his hands for a slave. The man who came
was strange to me, yet I recalled having seen him once. Was it in Mahmoud's
home? The slave began to spread a low table for a meal, and after our poor
fare of the past week, my mouth watered.
"You must remain here for the time," Mahmoud suggested, "and we will arrange
to get you out of the city."
Mahmoud was my friend; there was no earthly reason for not trusting him, yet
the situation left me uneasy. Mahmoud was a Berber, yet I did not believe he
had any connection with Yusuf or ibn-Haram. His friends had all belonged to
the previous ruling group, the Almoravids. I liked it not at all. In effect we
were prisoners in the house, trusting to Mahmoud for food as well as
information, and I had seen his eyes stray toward Aziza. Was it with envy or
jealousy?
Mahmoud was ambitious, and Aziza was a pawn in a struggle for power, a
struggle in which I was merely in the way. Reluctantly, I had to admit she
would be better off with Prince Ahmed than with me. At least she would be
assured of comfort, food to eat, and freedom from pursuit. What had I to offer
but love? I was a drifting adventurer, a man living by his wits and his blade.
I had neither family, fortune, nor friends.
When Mahmoud had gone Aziza came at once to me. "Of what are you thinking?"
"I do not trust him."
"Neither do I."
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"You would be safer with Prince Ahmed."
"But happier with you."
No doubt she believed what she said, yet I could only think of the city out
there, teeming with potential enemies, devoid of friends.
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