“Of course it would have been better to take them alive. Then they would not have smelled so foul on the way home, and they could have traveled with ease. But tomorrow it will be a hot day; we must start our journey early to get them to Jerusalem before they begin to stink too much,” replied the Templar knight.
“But if you had taken them prisoner, if you had taken them alive to Al Quds, what would have happened to them then?” persisted Fahkr.
“We would have turned them over to our emir in Jerusalem, who is one of the highest ranking in our order. He would have turned them over to the worldly powers, and they would have been disrobed, except for that which covers their modesty, and hung up on the wall by the rock,” replied the Templar knight, as if it were quite obvious.
“But you have already killed them. Why not disrobe them here and leave them to the fate they deserve? Why do you defend their bodies against the wild animals?” asked Fahkr, as if he did not want to give up or did not understand.
“We will still hang them there,” replied the Templar knight. “Everyone must see that whoever robs pilgrims will end up hanging there. That is a holy promise from our order, and it must always be kept, as long as God helps us.”
“But what will you do with their weapons and clothes?” wondered Emir Moussa, speaking as if he wanted to bring the conversation down to a more practical level. “Surely they must have had quite a few valuables on them.”
“Yes, but they are all stolen goods,” replied the Templar knight, some of his old self-assurance back. “Except for their weapons and armor, for which we have no use. But their thieves’ cache is in a grotto up where Armand and I have our camp. We will take heavily laden horses home with us tomorrow; keep in mind that those beasts have been plundering here for more than half a year.”
“But you are not allowed to own anything,” objected Yussuf mildly, raising his right eyebrow, as if he thought that he had once again won the argument.
“No, I am not allowed to own anything!” exclaimed the Templar knight in surprise. “If you think we would take the thieves’ treasures for our own, you are greatly mistaken. We will place all the stolen goods outside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher next Sunday, and if those who have been robbed can find their possessions, they can have them back.”
“But surely most of those who were robbed are now dead,” said Yussuf quietly.
“They may have heirs who are alive, but whatever is not claimed will be donated to our order,” replied the Templar knight.
“That is a most interesting explanation for what I have heard, that you consider yourselves too good to plunder a battlefield,” said Yussuf with a smile, seeming to think he had won another exchange of words.
“No, we do not take plunder from battlefields,” replied the Templar knight coldly. “But that should not present a problem, since there are so many others who do. If we have taken part in a victory, we turn at once toward God. If you would like to hear what your own Koran has to say about plundering a battlefield…”
“Thank you, no!” Yussuf interrupted him, holding up a hand in warning. “We would prefer not to return to a topic of conversation since it would seem that you, an infidel, know more than we do about the word of the Prophet, may peace be with him. Let me instead ask you a very candid question.”
“Yes. Ask me a candid question, and it shall be given the answer it deserves,” replied the Templar knight, holding up his hands, palm out, to show, in the manner of the faithful, that he agreed to change the topic of conversation.
“You said that the truce between us would soon be over. Is it Brins Arnat you are referring to?”
“You know a great deal, Yussuf. Brins Arnat, whom we call Reynald de Châtillon, has begun plundering again. And by the way he is no ‘prince’ but an evil man who is unfortunately allied with the Knights Templar. This I know, and I regret it. I would rather not be his ally, but I obey orders. But no, he is not the major problem.”
“Then it must be something about that new prince, who came from the land of the Franks with a great army. What is it he is called: Filussomething or other?”
“No,” said the Templar knight with a smile. “He is indeed Filus, meaning the son of someone. His name is Philip of Flanders, he is a duke, and yes, he came with a great army. But now I must warn you before we continue this conversation.”
“Why is that?” asked Yussuf, feigning nonchalance. “I have your word. Have you ever broken a vow you have sworn?”
“I once made a vow that I have not yet been able to fulfill; it will take ten years before I can do so, if it is God’s will. But I have never broken a promise and, may God help me, I never will.”
“Well then. Why should our truce be broken because of the arrival of someone named Filusfrom some Flamsen? Surely such things happen all the time.”
The Templar knight gave Yussuf a long, searching look, but Yussuf did not avert his eyes. This went on for some time; both refused to give in.
“You wish to keep secret your identity,” said the Templar knight at last, without taking his eyes off Yussuf. “But few men could know so much about what goes on in the world of war; certainly not someone who claims to be a merchant on his way to Cairo. If you insist on speaking more about this, I can no longer pretend that I do not know who you are; a man who has spies, a man who knows. There are not many such men.”
“You have my word also; remember that, Templar knight.”
“Of all the unbelievers, your word is no doubt the one most of us would trust most.”
“You honor me with your words. So, why will our truce be broken?”
“Ask your men to leave us if you will continue this conversation, Yussuf.”
Yussuf pondered this for a moment as he pensively tugged on his beard. If the Templar knight truly understood who he was talking to, would it then be easier for him to kill and at the same time break his word? No, that was unlikely. Considering how this man had behaved when he killed earlier in the evening, he had no need to make it easier to betray his vow; he would have drawn his sword long ago.
Yet it was difficult to understand his demand, which seemed unreasonable. At the same time, no one would particularly benefit if it were met. In the end Yussuf’s curiosity won out over his caution.
“Leave us,” he commanded curtly. “Go to sleep close by; you can clean up here in the morning. Remember that we are in the field, under camp rules.”
Fahkr and Emir Moussa hesitated. They started to get to their feet as they looked at Yussuf, but his stern glance made them obey. They bowed to the Templar knight and withdrew. Yussuf waited in silence until his brother and his closest bodyguard had moved far enough away and could be heard arranging their bedding.
“I don’t think my brother and Moussa will have an easy time falling asleep.”
“No,” said the Templar knight. “But neither will they be able to hear what we say.”
“Why is it so important for them not to hear what we say?”
“It is not important,” said the Templar knight, smiling. “What isimportant is that you know they won’t hear what yousay. Then our conversation will be more candid.”
“For a man who lives in a monastery, you know a great deal about human nature.”
“In the monastery we learn much about human nature; more than you imagine. Now to what is more important. I will speak only of things that I am positive you already know, since anything else would be treason. But let us examine the situation. As you know, a new Frankish prince is coming. He will remain here for some time; he has everyone’s blessing back home for his holy mandate in God’s service, and so on. He has brought a great army along with him. So what will he do?”
“Acquire riches as fast as possible since he has had great expenses.”