The Moon Worshippers (13 page)

“Why have you taken the trouble? You should have let him die.” Aguirre stood looking at the Moor.

Inaki picked up the Moor’s shirt. “Have you ever seen anything like this before? Light and yet incredibly strong. It saved his life.”

Aguirre took the shirt and examined it.

“No, can’t say I have.”

“Tell the men to strip the other Moors of their jerkins, shirts and whatever else they find that is useful.”

The men came back with the shirts and leather jerkins. Most of the bows, swords and shields had been taken, but cloaks, boots and some helmets remained. These they brought back too. The men had tried to bring the horse, but he evaded capture, remaining twenty paces from whoever approached him. He stood in the meadow, munching the sweet meadow grass. He was a magnificent animal. A pure bred Arab stallion which had a black coat, tail and mane. On his back was a black leather saddle over a red saddle blanket. The reins were hanging over his head and brushed the ground. At his throat was a red tassel of silk. The men stood staring at the animal.

“What are we going to do about him?” asked one of the men, looking at the horse.

“We have to capture him,” Inaki replied.

“That is easier said than done,” Aguirre said.

“You and I will move around him with the dogs. You men form a semi-circle in front of him. We will drive him towards you. When he is near enough grab the reins and don’t let go.”

“Just like herding sheep,” said Aguirre, ironically, as he moved in a wide circle behind the horse.

“We’ll see,” Inaki said.

Once in position they moved slowly towards the horse. The dogs moved in front and at either side. The horse stood watching their approach then started moving towards the waiting men. When he was twenty paces away he broke into a canter. A man raced in and caught the reins. The horse reared and came down on the man with both forelegs. The man was knocked out cold, blood pouring from a nasty cut on his forehead. The horse raced on for fifty paces and stopped, looking back. They repeated the manoeuvre with the same result. This time the man let go and escaped serious injury.

“So much for that,” Aguirre said. “What now?”

“We will waste no more time,” said Inaki conceding defeat. “Let’s pick-up the Moor and get on our way.”

“What for?” said Aguirre. Some of the men nodded in agreement with him.

“I will find some use for him and besides he could have valuable information. And remember getting information is part of our task,” replied Inaki.

Aguirre took the Moor and put him on his back and the small party set off. After Inaki had performed some emergency repairs on the man’s head, two men supported their injured comrade. At a distance the horse followed. On the second day, the horse was still with them, maintaining the same distance.

“Bloody animal!” Aguirre said. “He’ll give us away, if he keeps following us.”

“Could we draw him into a small valley with a dead end?” Inaki said, thinking aloud.

“That’s if we could find one, but he would probably cause us a few broken bones or worse, and for what? It would be easier to shoot him.”

“He’s too beautiful to shoot, Aguirre,” Inaki said.

With that they moved on. The horse followed steadily behind them, as they moved further into the mountains. On the morning of the third day the Moor recovered consciousness. At first he would not talk, thinking that they were his attackers. However, he soon realised that they were not. He began by telling them that his name was Umar-el-Bakr, and he was a captain in the forces of the governor of Zaragoza. He was a Moor who was of minor Moorish nobility. He had been ambushed whilst returning from a journey. He offered them a rich reward, if they would return him safely to the city. Inaki informed the Moor that they were not returning to Zaragoza.

“I am your prisoner?”

“That you are,” Aguirre replied.

“What do you intend to do with me?”

“We have not decided.”

“Could I offer anything that would gain me my freedom? I am worth much gold.”

“No,” Inaki answered before anyone had time to think.

“In that case, could you tell me what became of my men and my horse?”

“Your men are all dead. They died bravely. As for your horse,” Inaki turned and pointed down the mountainside, “could that animal be yours?”

“Sultan.” Umar whispered the word.

The Moor got to his feet with difficulty.

“Sultan!” he shouted.

The horse pricked up his ears and galloped towards them. At ten paces, he stopped and walked to his master. Umar stroked his neck and whispered words to the horse that they could not hear.

“Almost shot him. If it had not been for Inaki, I would have. You can thank him for his life as well as yours.” Aguirre spat the words out. “His skill saved your life.”

Umar turned to Inaki. “Is this true, Barbarian?”

Inaki stood, looking steadily at the Moor. He made no reply.

After they had eaten, they prepared to set off.

“Can you ride, Moor?” Inaki enquired.

“Yes, but aren’t you afraid I’ll try to escape?”

“Each of the men around you has a throwing axe, some have bows. If you still think you can make it, think on this. The four dogs you see can pull a man down from a horse and are trained to kill. There isn’t a man or horse that can outrun them.”

“Where are we going?”

Inaki thought for a moment. He decided that there was no point in hiding their destination, “We seek the Sisters of the Moon.”

“Allah, have mercy. You go to your death.”

“You fear them, Moor?” Inaki smiled.

“The whole of the land between here and where they can be found is at war. If the Aragonese don’t kill you, the Sisters will. Even if you make it through, no one knows their hiding place. Your journey is hopeless. Why would you take such a risk?”

Inaki sat and looked at the Moor
. Why the concern?
He thought, he is not a coward. He decided to display total ignorance in view of the risks.

“We have nothing to fear, we are Basques. The Aragonese are our brothers.”

“Infidel, you have no friends in this land! Turn back while you can. Take me back. It is your only chance of survival.”

“No, we move on and if you value your life, you will tell us where there is a likelihood of danger and how to avoid it.” Inaki stood up, cold determination in his eyes.

Umar looked up. “I will tell you, but not because of your threats. You saved my life and for that I am in debt to you.” He paused, and as an after thought, he said: “Sultan, you know, could outrun your men and dogs perhaps not on these mountains, but certainly on the plains.” It was a statement of fact.

Inaki was about to speak, but thought better of it. There would be a better opportunity to ask him about the rumours concerning the son of the governor. He was certain of the connection now. He felt it. It was also clear that the Moor intended to stay with them, or he would not have made such a boast.

“Let’s move,” he said.

They broke camp and continued to move south. As they walked the Moor would sometimes ride depending on the terrain. There was the same bond between the Moor and the horse as between Inaki and Storm. As they proceeded, Inaki fell in beside the Moor and engaged him in conversation. Over the next few days he learnt that the province of Zaragoza extended as far as Levante in the south and that there where five major Arab kingdoms. These kingdoms were Seville, Zaragoza, Granada, Cordova and Levante. The greatest of these kingdoms was Seville. The Moors were made up of several tribes. War was a constant feature of everyday life between them and the Moor had been trained in the art of war since early childhood.

One evening, Inaki and Aguirre were sat beside a small fire. Inaki was stirring a small iron pot, in which he was brewing some medicinal herbs for the Moor. The Moor was some way off. He had unsaddled his horse and was facing east. Kneeling on the red horse blanket, he bowed and crossed his arms across his chest, praying to Allah. His religion obliged him to pray four times a day. At first the men had found this amusing, now they totally ignored him.

“What has he told you?” enquired Aguirre.

“Not much. He considers us heathens. Unworthy for nothing, but slavery.”

“Why has he made no attempt to escape, then?”

“I’ve been thinking on that question. Consider this, Aguirre, and tell me if you come to the same conclusions as I. He told us that he was returning from a journey when he was ambushed. Right?”

“Yes.”

“Then why were most of the men we saw killed facing away from Zaragoza? It seems to me that they were starting their journey not completing it.”

“Go on.”

“Well, what then was the purpose of their journey? It was not a raid, there were not enough of them, and you don’t travel around here for pleasure.”

“A messenger!”

“Exactly, but to whom and what is the message.”

“We found nothing on him,” said Aguirre, “and besides none of us can read Arabic.”

“That means that the message is so important that he carries it in his head. What is more, it is to be delivered somewhere ahead of us, otherwise, he would have tried to escape by now.”

“To the Aragonese king. We know he’s somewhere in these mountains.”

“No, it was the Aragonese that killed his men and nearly killed him.”

“Who then?” Aguirre said, scratching his head.

“The Sisters of the Moon?”

“Of course, but what is the message?”

“I’ve no idea, but I mean to find out.”

“How can you do that? Torture!” Aguirre had an evil glint in his eyes.

“NO! I’ve a much better plan. Just follow my lead and keep your mouth shut. This brew will get us all we need to know. Believe me.”

The Moor finished his prayers and moved over to the fire. Inaki dipped a wooden beaker into the pot and handed it to Umar.

“Time for your medicine,” he said, handing the beaker to Umar.

He had made the same brew for several nights and Umar took it readily and began to drink it slowly. The two men watched in silence. Umar, felt the silence, and looked at them and sensed that something was wrong. His heart filled with fear.

“What have you done?” he said dropping the beaker.

“Poisoned you,” Inaki replied in a matter of fact voice.

“Don’t worry, it’s painless. Your legs will go first and then it will reach your heart.”

“Why? You would receive a rich reward in Zaragoza for me. Why, in the name of Allah, have you decided to kill me?”

“You have become too much of a liability to us. If the Aragonese captured us, they will think that we are on your side, and besides you are slowing us down and your horse is too prominent. For all these reasons it is simpler to kill you.”

“But why now?”

“We are in the mountains and can move faster without a prisoner.”

Umar panicked. “My legs, I can’t feel my legs!”

Inaki waited while Umar grew more frightened by the minute.

“There is an antidote,” Inaki said, as if thinking aloud.

“Give it to me, please have pity!”

“Why?”

“By the Blood of Allah, are you not human? Have pity I beg you!”

“As far as you are concerned we are little more than animals. Why should we show pity?”

Umar groaned and fell back. He could feel the poison moving up his body. Aguirre grinned evilly. He was enjoying this. The men sat in silence, watching with a look of disinterest on their faces. Hopelessness and resignation came into Umar’s eyes. Inaki chose his moment carefully.

“Tell us your message and I will save you.” Inaki spoke the words slowly and deliberately.

Umar’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“Never mind,” said Inaki, “speak quickly. You don’t have much time.”

“I carry a message to the Sisters. The governor agrees.”

“Agrees to what?”

“To Charlemagne taking the city.”

“Why?”

“They hold his son on Charlemagne’s behalf. He will die if he does not open the gates.”

Inaki got up and moved to Umar’s side. He placed some leaves in his mouth.

“Chew these,” he said, “you will soon feel better.” He moved away and beckoned Aguirre to his side.

“You cunning fox!” Aguirre said as he reached Inaki. “What was the antidote?”

“No antidote. Just wild mint,” said Inaki.

“What did you really poison him with?”

“Hemlock,” said Inaki, “just enough to make him think I had. The mint will take away the bad taste in his mouth. By morning he will have totally recovered. Now we must consider what he has told us and plan. We will question him further in the morning.”

“You devil,” said Aguirre, slapping Inaki on the back, “he will treat you with more respect from now on, that’s for sure.”

The next morning they questioned the Moor. He was a changed man and Aguirre had been right. He treated Inaki with the utmost respect. They soon learnt that two Benedictines had brought the governor the message of his son’s capture. These had been tortured and beheaded by the governor. However, before they died, they had revealed who was holding the boy. Although they did not know the location of his captors, they had named a go-between that they were using: a man who lived in a mountain village and traded with the Sisters. Umar’s mission was to find this man and agree to the terms for the boy’s release. The boy was the governor’s only son. He was to be protected at all costs. If Umar failed to carry his message, he would lose his head. That’s why he had not tried to escape. He stood more of a chance travelling with the Basques. Once near the village, he had planned to slip away.