Abu and the katib held a short, spirited discussion, whereupon Abu turned to Cait and announced, 'Katib says you are not to offend his master the prince with such a ridiculous offer. These are Christian knights, not camels. Ten thousand is the price for which noble fighting men are redeemed. He will not accept less than eight thousand dirhams.'
'While I intend no disrespect to Prince Mujir ed-Din,' Cait replied smoothly, 'I must point out that one of these men is injured, and all of them suffer from lice, starvation, dysenteria, and God knows what else. I doubt whether his highness the prince would buy camels in a similar condition. Six thousand, tell him.'
'Seven thousand and five hundred dirhams for each man,' countered the katib when Abu had translated her words.
'I think it is still too much,' Abu confided in a low voice. 'These men have been here a long time. Stay at six.'
'Six thousand and not one dirham more,' said Cait through her dutiful translator. Looking around the prison, she added, 'I do not see anyone offering a better price. Therefore,' she smiled, 'I advise you to accept mine.'
'Twenty-five thousand for all four,' countered the katib serenely.
'Very well,' said Cait. 'Twenty-five thousand for these four,' she held up a finger, 'and freedom for one more of my choosing.' She paused, and added with a smile, 'Twenty-five thousand silver dirhams, katib, or nothing. I leave the choice to you. Personally, I think twenty-five thousand dirhams would be very useful in helping repair the earthquake damage to his majesty the prince's reception hall.'
When her words were relayed to him, the katib rolled his eyes. 'Yu'allah!' he sighed. 'Very well, which is it to be?'
Addressing Rognvald, she said, 'Is there any man here with a young family waiting for him at home?'
The knight thought for a moment. 'There are two that I know of,' he said, and pointed out two knights, who eagerly rose and stood expectantly.
'Do either of you have a daughter?' Cait asked in Latin.
'I do,' replied one of the men.
'How old is she?'
'Six years this summer,' answered the man.
'When did you last see her?'
'Three years ago.'
'I will buy your release on one condition,' she said. 'You must abandon any claim to wealth or rank in the Holy Land and return home to your family without delay.'
'God smite me if I do not fly from this hellhole the moment I am released,1 replied the knight, unable to keep the quaver of excitement from his voice.
'Swear it,' she insisted.
'Upon my soul and every hope of eternal salvation, I hereby abandon any and all claims to wealth and rank in the Holy Land, and vow to return home by the swiftest means possible.'
'Very well,' replied Cait. 'If you like, you may accompany us to the coast where you will find passage aboard a ship to take you home.'
'You kindness shames and overwhelms me,' replied he knight. 'I thank you, my lady. I am your devoted servant.'
'Your safe return to your family is sufficient.'
Turning to the katib, Cait indicated the man and said, 'That one is to be included with the others. They are to be allowed to wash and given clean clothes. Understood?'
The katib bent his head in acknowledgement and the bargain was sealed. Turning on her heel, she walked quickly from the chamber, steeling herself against the piteous clamour of the captives as they cried out to be released. She did not stop until she was outside the prison and drinking in the fragrant air of the prince's courtyard once more.
'Please tell Prince Mujir ed-Din that I thank him for indulging my request so admirably. And I will thank Wazir Muqharik to command the captives to be readied for their release by midday when I return with the money.'
'It shall be done,' replied the katib when Abu had delivered her words.
The party then left the palace and returned to the inn where Caitriona had taken rooms. Leaving Abu and Otti to keep watch in the courtyard outside, she and Haemur brought out the chest containing the items carefully selected for the purpose from among the treasures Duncan had assembled to pay for their pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Alethea watched as her sister withdrew a gold bowl rimmed with alternating rubies and sapphires, and a ceremonial dagger with pearl-studded handle and crystal blade.
'Now what are you doing?' Thea asked, yawning with boredom.
'I am selling a few things to pay for knights,' Cait explained, passing the objects to the ship's pilot, who placed them in a cloth bag which he knotted and tied.
'Are you going into the city?' asked Alethea. 'I want to go. I hate staying here alone. If you are going, I am going, too.'
'No,' replied Caitriona crisply. 'We are staying here.'
'I cannot see why we need knights anyway,' grumped Alethea.
'I told you, it is not safe for us to travel alone,' replied Cait. 'We need the protection of a bodyguard.' With that, she and Haemur returned to the courtyard, where Cait instructed Abu Sharma to accompany Haemur to the principal marketplace in the city and negotiate the best terms possible for the sale of the precious objects. 'We need at least twenty-five thousand dirhams, as you know,' she said. 'Bargain well, and I will give you a dirham for every ten you receive over the necessary amount.'
'Done!' cried the young physician. 'Place your full confidence in me, sharifah. We shall return in triumph.'
'Otti,' she said, turning to the seaman, 'I want you to go with Haemur for protection. Let no harm come to him. Understand?'
The simple seafarer nodded dutifully, and took his place beside the pilot. She watched them depart, and then went back to her room and lay down on her bed with eyes closed, hoping to escape the heat and noise of the busy streets outside the inn.
It was no use. The barking of dogs, the braying of donkeys, and the restless fidgeting and sighing of Alethea kept her awake. So, abandoning the attempt, she rose and, taking her sister with her, went to find the innkeeper to arrange for a special meal to be served that evening for her soon-to-be-released warrior band.
CHAPTER SEVEN
'Sharifah!' cried Abu Sharma, his voice loud in the courtyard. 'Come quickly!'
Cait awakened at the sound. The chamber door was open to the courtyard outside. 'Thea!' she muttered.
Rising, she pulled on her shoes and hurried out to find the courtyard filled with the horses, camels, and baggage of a caravan of Arab merchants newly arrived in the city. The travellers, dressed in dark robes and pale yellow turbans, were standing in the yard overseeing the unloading of their pack animals while the innkeeper passed among them with cups of lemon water and tiny honey cakes. The sun was hovering above the rooftops, and the heat of the day slowly fading.
'Here, sharifah,' Abu called again. 'Come and see what I have done for you!'
The young physician and the old pilot stood holding a small wooden casket between them. Otti loomed behind in an attitude of hovering protection. Haemur was grinning like a child with a naughty secret, and Abu was puffed up and strutting like a cockerel. Alethea stood nearby, gawking at the Arab travellers in their opulent, richly patterned robes. The younger men among the merchants were, in turn, ogling Alethea who, owing to the heat, had put off her mantle and come out wearing only her undershirt; her long smooth arms were exposed and her legs bare from her shapely calves to her slender ankles.
'Thea! Get inside,' Cait ordered. To Abu and Haemur she said, 'Bring it in. There may still be a few people in Damascus who have yet to learn our business. Perhaps we might keep it that way.'
The two men lugged the chest into Cait's room, and lay it at her feet. The others crowded around as Abu pulled the hook from the hasp and swung the lid back on its hinges. 'Behold!' he cried. 'Silver and gold for her majesty!'