‘A caladrius, Your Magnificence,’ I explained, remembering the text written below, ‘is a bird that can foretell whether a king who is sick will live or die. If the caladrius looks at the patient, the sickness is drawn into the bird. It then flies up into the sun and is burned away and, with it, the sickness. But if the caladrius looks away when he sees the ill king, then death is certain.’
Haroun’s expression did not change. He turned the book around in his hands and continued to look through the pages. I wondered if I should have been more tactful in my explanation, then thought to myself that a translator in the royal library would eventually produce a full translation of the text written below the pictures, and that the caliph might see it. It was wiser to be honest.
The caliph reached the end of the book, and looked up at me again. ‘Many of the animals shown here I recognize. Some are already in my collection. But others are not.’
On his right the young Abdallah looked pleased, doubtless glad that he had told his father that it might be worth looking through the book I said I was carrying.
‘You are to be congratulated on delivering the bears alive – and the other animals – from such a great distance,’ said the caliph.
I bowed in acknowledgement.
‘It is pleasing that your King Carolus and I have a shared interest,’ Haroun continued.
I cleared my throat and spoke as humbly as possible. ‘My Lord Carolus has a menagerie, though not as varied as your own superb collection. He instructed me to say that if you could send him unusual animals he would be very grateful.’
‘Did he mention any particular animal?’ asked the caliph.
A clear memory sprang into my mind: Carolus showing me a picture in the book and saying that, if the opportunity arose, I was to ask the caliph if he could supply such a creature for the royal collection.
‘Your Magnificence, King Carolus mentioned one creature of particular interest to him. It is shown, I believe, on the eighth page of the book.’
The caliph turned to the correct page, and studied the illustration for several moments. ‘I find something familiar about this animal but can’t place exactly what it is. Perhaps you can explain further. What is written underneath?’
He passed the book to Abdallah and listened approvingly as the lad read out: ‘“The Griffin: It has the body of a lion but the wings and head of an eagle. Some say it lives in the Indian desert, others in Ethiopia. A griffin will tear a man to pieces or carry him to its nest to feed its young. Griffins are strong enough to carry away an entire live ox.” ’
The illustration showed a fierce, predatory creature with a cruel hooked beak and huge wings sprouting from the shoulders of a lion-like body. Its paws had long curved talons.
‘That must be the same as our simurgh, that some call the rukh,’ said the caliph gravely.
Mohammed, the crown prince, leaned in and spoke quietly in his ear. I did not like the sly expression on the youngster’s face as he sat back straight and watched me.
‘Naturally, I shall be happy to oblige your King Carolus,’ announced the caliph. ‘This animal is known to us, though only by hearsay. It is a great bird so fierce and powerful that it can even carry away elephants in its claws.’
He glanced approvingly at the crown prince. ‘My son reminds me that the rukh is found in the lands south of the Zanj.’
The caliph turned his full attention back to me, and his tone of voice left no doubt that he was giving orders. ‘I too would like to add a rukh to my animal collection. You and your companions have shown great skill in these matters and I will ask Nadim Jaffar to make arrangements for you to travel to the land of the Zanj and on to where the rukh lives. Bring back at least two of the creatures. One will be for my collection, the other to take back to King Carolus.’
I could only bow. The private audience had taken a totally unexpected and unwelcome direction and there was nothing for me to say. I had an uncomfortable recollection of Carolus telling me to find a unicorn.
The caliph spoke to Abdullah. ‘I think our new emissary to Zanj should keep the book until he returns from his voyage. It may be useful.’
My hands shaking, I took the bestiary from Abdullah, and my consternation must have been obvious. The caliph looked down at me with the suspicion of a twinkle in his eye. ‘You can place it with my royal library on your return, Sigwulf, and do not look so dismayed. Iskander travelled to the far ends of the earth, even to the Land of Darkness. In our Holy Book, it is said that he even reached the fountain of life. Take him as your example.’
With those words the caliph rose to his feet and the curtain that divided the room began to close. But before it drew completely shut I caught a brief glimpse of a grin of malicious triumph on the face of Abdallah’s rival, the crown prince.
*
The moment Osric and I got back to our lodgings in the Round City, I sent for Abram. ‘Where’s the land of the Zanj?’ I asked the dragoman when he arrived.
He gave me a surprised look. ‘On the coast of Ethiopia. Far south.’
‘Have you ever been there? Or any of your people?’
He shook his head. ‘Not that I know of. Why do you want to know?’
‘The caliph is sending us beyond the land of Zanj to bring back animals to add to his menagerie,’ I said sourly.
Abram was visibly relieved. ‘Then I’m afraid I won’t be of any help to you. I have no knowledge of the languages of the people along that coast. You’ll have to ask for a different interpreter to be provided.’
‘But you know what the people are like?’
‘Only that they are black.’ He looked at me quizzically, ‘And what sort of animals are you expected to bring back?’
Osric answered for me. ‘The caliph called it a rukh, or simurgh. It’s similar to the griffin pictured in the Book of Beasts.’
The dragoman regarded us with a mixture of incredulity and amusement. ‘Do you think that such a creature really exists?’
‘It’s not for me to say,’ I told him. ‘The expedition was the crown prince’s idea.’
The dragoman made a sharp intake of breath. ‘What do you mean by that?’
‘I’m sure that it was young Abdallah who persuaded his father to grant us a private audience. But it was his half-brother who suggested sending us to bring back a rukh from Zanj.’
Abram spoke slowly and carefully. ‘Sigwulf, be careful. You’re on dangerous ground.’
I waited for him to go on.
‘I warned you earlier about the rivalries around the throne,’ Abram said. ‘Abdallah pleased his father by bringing you and Osric before him with the mysterious book. That would have made the crown prince jealous. Mohammed has devised a way of discrediting Abdallah by sending you off on a mission that he hopes will fail.’
I hesitated, trying to think how it might be possible to avoid going in search of the rukh when Osric spoke up. ‘The rukh can’t be any more dangerous to catch and handle than a pair of ice bears. Walo should be able to cope.’
Abram’s response held more than a hint of condescension. ‘I admire your confidence,’ he said meaningfully. ‘If a rukh does exist and is so easy to obtain, I’m surprised that there’s not one already in the caliph’s menagerie.’
Chapter Sixteen
Musa was able to provide a few more details about the rukh when Osric and I went to see him in the royal library. We found him in the same airless room as before, surrounded by books and scrolls.
‘I never thought that there would be any use to the librarian’s list of animals mentioned in our books,’ he admitted, ‘but I was wrong.’
‘Our former dragoman doubts the rukh even exists,’ Osric told him.