Daggers in the Dark (Book 3 of Hanthalah)

Chapter 19

I craved that distant jewel. In full proximity of all my swords, yet out of reach.

I touched my stick – my son's stick – and whispered a prayer, my eyes never faltering from the gleaming metropolis that eluded me.

***

"The port city is our best bet," 'Amr knocked over a pebble that served to symbolize the city in question with a carved wooden horse, a piece of a board game that had belonged to the commander of a fort we'd overrun; the mahogany table we used now had also been in his private quarters. "We will encounter minimal resistance, with only a handful of fisherfolk taking up arms. That is, if they don't flee prior to our advance. The defenses are laughable. I say we take it return to the beach whence we came and set sail to Rhodes. Of course, all the while observing the commandments of war set upon us by our Prophet, peace and prayers be upon him, not to harm the women, the trees, the monks, the –"

"No," I interrupted briskly. We were hunched over the mahogany table in the command tent, studying our next move.

"No?" 'Amr demanded; eyebrows raised in fury. "Don't tell me you still harbor delusions about the city with walls."

"I harbor delusions about the city with walls."

"At least he's honest," Mundhir sat crouched in a corner, sharpening one of his blades with a whetstone.

"This is not honesty, this is foolishness," 'Amr tossed the carved horse across the tent. It landed on the far side with a thump.

Piruzan nodded in agreement. The Nubian only loomed over us, silent and watching, his dark eyes following our every movement like that of a predatory hawk.

'Abd al-Rahman was among a detachment of men left behind to guard the ships. I would only trust him with this simplest of tasks this campaign. All he needed to was ... stay put. Literally do nothing.

"What say you?" my gaze flickered over to 'Abd al-Ka'aba.

"I say there is no glory to be won in this port city," the hunger in his eyes was radiant. "If it sat on any valuables, they would have at least bothered with a wall."

Piruzan nodded.

"The valuables are the ships," 'Amr rebuked him immediately. "We are in need of more vessels, as many as we can get. We have the men for it. And there are always treasures hidden within."

Piruzan nodded.

I snorted. "And who told you that? When was that ever the case?"

"The ships won't be as valuable as you would think," Mundhir butted in. "They won't be of military stock, at least most of them. So, they won't be of much use in this expedition."

Piruzan nodded.

'Amr glowered at him from beneath bushy eyebrows. The room was so silent in the midst of that tense interaction that I could hear the sound of 'Amr's teeth grinding against each other.

"Piruzan," I blessedly put an end to the silent encounter. I also wanted to cease the Persian's incessant nodding. "What do you propose?"

He shrugged.

"It is not his to say," 'Amr snarled. "He does not stand Muslim. He is not even of the People of the Book."

The People of the Book were those of Christian, Jewish and Sabean faiths, as described in the Islamic holy book. They were followers of the previous messages of the Muslim god.

The gods forgive me, I thought.

"He is a respected individual," I snarled at 'Amr in turn. "I would hear what he has to say."