Chapter 1
From Pot Boy to Squire

Freeman Tremaine sat alone at the small round table. It was that time of year for the King's Joust; around him the tavern was full of revellers; many were more than a few over their capacity and the noise level had grown as more and more mugs of ale disappeared down thirsty throats.

The crowd was a mixed one; known Knights mixed loosely with the common towns folk; the three serving wenches were joined by the very young pot boy as the demand for ale and food grew.

Freeman was happy to sit alone; his left hand rested loosely on the leather scabbard of his sword. It was nothing special as far as anyone could see; it was the sword of a soldier and did not show his true station in life, the same could be said for his travelling clothes.

They were a mix of sturdy wool and worn leather; the jerkin had seen a lot of wear over the years he had owned it; the trews were heavy wool and his travelling boots were well worn but comfortable. Freeman Tremaine was a plain looking man and was often overlooked in a crowd; only the three rings he wore on his right hand told those in the know who he really was.

As he sat and watched the tumultuous and raucous crowd of drinkers; it was the young skinny pot boy that took his interest; there was something about the young boy that caught his attention. If someone had asked him what had caught his eye, Freeman would not have been able to tell them.

Freeman continued his watch as the night wore on; he was now only on his second ale and the platter of food stood barely touched; around him the crowd had grown noisy and a little disruptive; nothing really new for the times.

The small young pot boy had just served a table of four Knights and their younger Squires; as the boy moved away, one of the Knights; by his colours, a Teutonic Knight; reached for the boy and, with a heavy hand; grasped the boy's buttocks under his old and somewhat dirty smock.

The reaction was far more than Freeman, or as it turned out, the Knight himself would have expected from any man let alone a small pot boy in a backward little village.

Freeman watched in awe as the boy performed not just a turn; but more of a pirouette as he spun on one foot and slammed his heavy wooden tray into the head of the Knight; so much power was generated by the fast spin that the heavy tray split down the centre and left a deep gash in the cheek of the Knight.

Freeman was already moving as the loud crash of the tray brought a sudden hush to the once rowdy tavern. In three strides, Freeman was beside the table just as the large Knight regained his senses enough to grasp the hilt of his sword; it was plainly obvious to see where the point of the large sword was going to end up.

The pot boy looked stunned by his actions as the Knight quickly got to his feet; the large sword almost halfway out of the fancy scabbard. The hushed silence in the tavern drew every eye to the small boy and the angry Knight now standing over him.

In these times it was an almost certain death sentence for any commoner to strike a Knight; the future of the pot boy was very grim.

Freeman made it to the table just as the sword was halfway out; with a low growl, Freeman clamped his hand over that of the Knight; the small boy still frozen with the shock at what he had done; Freeman spoke loudly as he broke the spell.

"Hold! Sir Knight."

The Knight looked at the hand holding his sword arm in a strong grip; at first he was angry then; after seeing the three rings, he looked up into the placid face of the youngish looking man.

"This is a matter of Honour Sir."

"But who's Honour, Sir Knight?"

"What matter is it of yours, Sir?"

"From my eyes it seems the boy's Honour and chastity was offended by your touch; should it not be the boy whom is offered the apology?"

"I am a Knight of the crown, Sir; he is but a commoner, his blood belongs to me."

"Perhaps Sir Knight but, the boy belongs to me."

"How so Sir?"

"I have this minute decided to take him as my Squire; now I suggest you sheath your sword before this goes too far."

Freeman lifted his right hand from the Knight's wrist so the Knight could better see the three rings he wore; the look of shock on the Knight's face told its own story.

"My sincere apologies to you, Sir Knight; I am sorry that my state of inebriation did not allow me to see your signet more clearly."

"Then this is over and we will speak no more about it, agreed?"

"Agreed, again my apologies."

"None needed Sir Knight, it is past and forgotten."

Freeman looked at the terrified boy, the two halves of the broken tray still in his hands.

"You can drop the tray boy; I have no wish to be sliced and diced with such a weapon." Freeman smiled as he spoke so as not to scare the boy any further.

The boy dropped the broken tray without even realizing it as the man smiled at him.

"Come on boy, join me at my table; we have things to discuss and my ale is warming."

Freeman led the hesitant boy back to his table; taking one of the rough stools, he indicated the boy should sit on the other. The boy still looked uncertain and a little scared; it was not often that a common pot boy was told to sit at a Knight's table.

Freeman looked at the young boy; he looked to be about ten summers; his body looked underfed and a little dirty; the boy's hair was long and hung midway to his shoulder blades. It was unkempt and knotted and would benefit from a lot of hot water as would the boy's scant clothing.

"What is your name boy?"

The boy still looked terrified and found it hard to find his voice; his small hands were clasped tightly in his lap and his head bowed so he would not have to look the man in the eye.

Finally, after further coaxing by the stranger; the boy softly whispered.

"Eventide, Sire."

"Eventide; hmmm, an unusual name; how many summers do you have boy; to my eyes I would say Ten?"

"Uhm, no Sire, I have thirteen summers."

"Thirteen, I see; then you have some eating to do; we had better start by you eating this food on my table, I am not overly hungry and it's a pity to waste."

Eventide could not believe his ears; on the table in front of him was a veritable feast, something he had never been a party to.

The table held most of a full round of fresh bread, a large cut of cheese and a well cooked joint of lamb; Eventide's hand shook as he reached for a small piece of bread; he did not want to insult the generosity of the man by taking too much.

Freeman watched the tentative hand of Eventide take a minute piece of bread; it almost brought a chuckle to his lips but he refrained; instead he broke the bread in a large piece then piled a number of cuts of meat and cheese onto his plate then slid it over to the boy.

"Eat Eventide, this is no time to be hesitant; I need my new Squire to be healthy for what lay ahead."

"Squire Sire?"

"Did you not hear me before? I have decided I would like you to be my new Squire."

"But Sire, I know nothing of such things I would have thought a great Knight would have many good Squires."

"Not for me young Eventide; I need a Squire with fire in his belly and a desire to learn and better himself; too many nowadays are pampered brats; I want a fighter who is not afraid of any man; just like you."

"But I am nobody Sire; just a lowly pot boy with no home and no family."

"Certainly that is true Eventide; but a nobody who was prepared to die for his own chastity and virtue; that certainly means to me that you are no normal pot boy."

"I did not know he was a great Knight Sire; had I known I would not have struck him."

"You did the right thing; it was your chastity and honour that was at stake; for that alone I admire you; now are you going to be my new Squire, young Eventide?"

"I would like that to be true Sire but I have no idea what is wanted of me for such a position?"

"It is simple young man; you watch over me and my wares in exchange I teach you to read and write as well as learn arms and tactics of battle; when the time is right I will have you made a Knight."

"It is a great honour Sire but why me? I am not well born or have any family to pay my way?"

"Oh Eventide, you are too honest for your own good and that is what draws me to want you as my Squire."

As he finished speaking, the tavern owner arrived with a small wooden cudgel in his hand.

"My Lord is this boy troubling you; if so I will soon change his ways." The tavern keeper lifted the cudgel over Eventide's head in a threatening manner.

Freeman jumped to his feet and grasped the man's hand before Eventide was hurt; drawing a small dagger from his jerkin, he pushed it close to the man's neck.

"Lay one hand on my Squire and I will gut you where you stand; now back away and leave us in peace; Eventide is no longer your concern."

The fear in the tavern keeper's face was palpable as his bladder released and the rank smell of urine filled the tavern; hurriedly he left the pair to go and change his clothes; the boy was not worth losing his life over.

Freeman sat back at the table with a smile on his face; the shocked look on Eventide's face was almost enough to bring a chuckle to the man.

"Come now Eventide. Eat up; you will need your strength in the days to come; there is much for you to learn before we get to the King's Joust."

"The King's Joust Sire?"

"Of course the King's Joust; you don't think all these Knights and squires are here just for the food and ale do you?"

"No Sire, not at all; but what has the Joust to do with me?"

"Why, you are to join the Joust in the Squires Melee and I only have seven days to get you ready as well as show you your duties to me."

"Me, in a Joust Sire?"

"Of course you Eventide; you are my Squire now; don't worry, there are no real weapons used only blunt practice weapons made of wood; it is not a fight to the death. It will be good experience for you."

"Me in a Joust?"

"Yes Eventide; you in a Joust." Freeman could not help smiling; he did not expect anything from the boy but the experience would be good for him if nothing else.

"Tell me about yourself, Eventide?"

"There is little to tell, Sire."

"Humour me anyway."

"Yes Sire, well my father was a bowman for Baron Chaucer; he went to the Holy Land on crusade but never returned; I was very young at the time. I was taken in by my only uncle; he was a blacksmith and sword maker. Last summer we were raided by the Norsemen and Uncle was killed defending the village; with no one to take me in I walked this far and found work in the tavern. That's all there is Sire."

"That's a long way from the coast to here; do you know anything about your older family?"

"A little Sire, my uncle told me we were descendant from the old ones." Eventide reached into the neck of his dirty smock and pulled out a smooth circle of stone on a faded blue ribbon; on the face of the stone were two finely carved runes.

"Uncle said the ribbon is to remind us of our homeland and the power of Woad, the stone is the rune of protection from the ancient Druids who he said were a part of our old family; I do not know of the truth of this Sire; it is just what I was told by my uncle."

"A fine tale indeed; perhaps there is more truth in this than you think; now it is time you were washed and got some rest. stay here while I get the tavern keeper to ready a bath for you; you had best finish off that lamb and bread; it will take the wenches time to heat the water. I do not want my Squire to be running around with dirt on his hands."

Freeman laughed as he left the table to see to the bath water; being an obedient boy, Eventide tried to finish off the last of the lamb and bread, no mean feat for a small, skinny boy.

The bath house was at the rear of the tavern and consisted of a small room with a single tin bath at the centre; it was filled with two buckets of hot water then cold was added to the liking of the bather.

Eventide had been given a white bath cloth with a bar of strong yellow soap; there was also a hard bath brush to get rid of any ingrained dirty. Eventide was not really surprised to have Freeman follow him into the bath house after all, it was the man's duty to watch over his Squire and see that he was clean to the man's satisfaction.

It took a lot of rubbing and scrubbing along with a change of hot water before Freeman was finally satisfied that Eventide was truly clean; the boy's long hair was wet and would need a good hard combing before anything could be done with it; that would be the next objective.

All the time during the bathing; nothing had been said about Eventide's state of nakedness; he was now Squire to a Knight and that was all that was needed to be said; his new duties would now all centre around the needs of his Patron and Benefactor.

Freeman waited for Eventide to dry his small thin body before telling him to leave his long and well knotted hair damp. When Eventide had done as asked, Freeman went to his small leather bag he had carried into the bathing room; taking some implements out of the bag, he turned back to the seated and waiting boy.

Eventide saw that Freeman carried what looked like a two sided bronze comb; one side with larger teeth than the other and in his other hand he carried what looked to be a pair of sheers but far smaller than those used on sheep's wool; they were also made from a very bright shiny metal not unlike silver.

Eventide felt a little fear rise up for the first time; he prayed that the man did not intend to remove all his hair; it would be against everything his uncle had told him about the old ones.

Freeman saw the fear laden look in the boy's eyes when he saw the two implements; wanting to settle any misgivings the boy may have about his intentions, Freeman decided to ask him why he was afraid.

"Are you going to cut all my hair off Sire?"

"Do you want me too?"

"No Sire."

"Then we will not cut it all off but I do have to trim some of it so you can see better; there are also some knots that I will not be able to comb out."

"Yes Sire."

The boy seemed to be resigned at losing his hair although he was obviously not happy about it; Freeman decided to learn more about the sad look on the boy's face.

"Why don't you tell me why you want your hair long, perhaps we can come to some arrangement?"

"My uncle Sire."

"What about your uncle?"

"He told me it was a part of being with the old ones; our hair is our strength just like the Woad and the amulet of runes."

"I see, well then far be it for me to play with another's beliefs; what say we trim the front and top so you have a clear vision and we leave the back long but tie it up in braid form?"

Eventide felt better as he smiled up at the man whom seemed to understand things so easily.

"Thank you Sire; that would do well."

Freeman set about trying to take the thick and heavy knots out of the boy's long hair; after using the larger teeth he then turned the comb and once again went through the thick hair with the smaller and finer teeth.

By the time he was finished, it had taken the best part of half an hour to get the hair to a state where he could now begin to trim it back. Another half hour passed before he could step back and look at the results of his hard work; what he saw pleased him greatly.

After his bath and hair cut, Eventide felt like a new person although he was now becoming very tired; it had been a long and exciting day and it was all catching up with him. Freeman saw the boy yawn widely and smiled; it was time for the boy to rest; there would be plenty of time to get to know him better in the months and years to come.

Freeman half carried the boy to his room on the top floor of the tavern; after leaving the semi naked boy standing in the centre of the room; he went to a rough wooden cupboard and pulled out a thick straw pallet; laying it on the floor next to his own bed; he threw two thick blankets on it and pointed to it.

The boy Eventide was only too glad to fall onto the pallet and pull the thick blankets over his semi naked body; he was fast asleep before Freeman had even removed his own boots. He smiled at the already sleeping boy and quickly readied for his own bed; tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

The next morning, much to Freeman's surprise; Eventide was up at first cock crow, just like himself; after both had used the wooden bucket set in the corner and splashed their faces with the cold water in a bowl on the sideboard, Freeman looked at Eventide with a calculating eye; Eventide felt embarrassed by the searching gaze of the man who had rescued him.

"Well now, what are we going to do about some new clothes for you and you will need some boots as well if you are going to ride?"

"Ride Sire?"

"Of course, no Squire of mine is going to walk all the way to the King's county."

"But I don't know how to ride Sire."

"There's nothing to it, just sit on top of the horse and let him do the work; it's what horses are for. Now let's get you outfitted in the manner my Squire should be. Put your old smock on for now; it's not clean but better than showing your body parts to the wakening world."

Eventide did as he was asked; the feel of the dirty smock left him with a shiver; the only good grace was the thought of actually having new clothes; something that had never happened to him.

Freeman led his small charge down the stairs and into the tavern; from somewhere in the back they could hear the sound of someone starting to cook breakfast; they would return after their purchasing to eat.

As they walked through the dark tavern, they noticed that there were still those who never made it back to their homes or rooms. In one corner were two locals bent over a table snoring loudly; in another corner there was the unmistakeable sight of a young Squire with his trews around his ankles and fast asleep partially under what looked like one of the town guards; both were sound asleep and ignorant of anything around them.

Freeman had seen it all before but was amused to see the blush on his charges face as they opened the door and left the rank smell of stale ale and other nefarious goings on of the night before.

The new day was typically overcast but the freshness of the day soon had their blood working. It took only minutes for them to find the local shop where clothes were sold; as expected it was still closed but it did not seem to worry Freeman as he began to knock loudly on the closed door.

It took a little while before they could hear a grumpy voice approaching the door; as it unlocked, the shop keeper was about to complain he would not open for business for another few hours; that was until he saw who is early morning customer was.

"Good morning Sire, I'm sorry I am not really prepared for business at such and early hour."

"Well my needs are more important than your sleep; I need clothing for my Squire and we don't have much time; if you wish for my custom then let us get it done and you can return to your bed the sooner."

"Yes Sire, as you wish."

"Good man, now let's get this boy clothed. First I want two of the best underclothes you have; next two good woollen shirts and two pair of strong woollen trews also four pairs of hose; can you do it?"

"Uhm, yes Sire but the underclothes may be a little on the large size; there is not a lot of call for them in this village at his size."

"I'm sure they will be ok for now; I will have better ones made when we get to the manor."

The sleepy shop keeper walked to some shelves and began to look through the bundles of linen on one of them; after laying some linen underclothes on the counter, he next gathered the best trews and shirts he had that would fit the boy; the hose was easier and it was only a short time later that he had everything placed out for the noble and his Squire.

Freeman looked at the quality of the clothing and grimaced at the poor fabric of them; as he saw it at least his boy would have something better to wear; he would have to have him totally refitted when they got to the manor and had the benefit of the larger city to shop in.

After Eventide was allowed to dress in his new clothes; Freeman paid the shop keeper and left to find a leather worker; Eventide had been wise enough not to put on any of the new white hose, he would have to wait until they found some boots for him.

At the leather workers shop the scene was the same and again it took a lot of thumping on the door before the half asleep man answered; Freeman wasted no time in telling the man what he wanted and how quickly. Eventide was surprised at the forcefulness of his new patron.

After looking through some of the leather clothing; Freeman asked if that was all he had to fit his squire; most of it was not up to his exacting standards. As the poor man looked at the small pile of what would fit such a small boy; he looked up at Freeman and told him.

"Sire, I do have one outfit that may measure up but it is not cheap; I personally made it for another boy who sadly died before his father bought it; it may fit the young Squire."

"Let me see it; I only hope it is better quality than what you have shown me so far."

The man bowed and left for a back room and soon arrived back carrying a small bundle of black leather clothes; one look and Eventide could see how good they were; Freeman on the other hand was not overly impressed but he had little option if he wanted his squire properly clothed to travel.

There was no doubt they were of better quality but still not used to what Freeman would have used. After having Eventide try them on he relented and took them, after all, they were only two silver coins and would do for his boy as rough training wear at a later date.

The next stop was a boot makers; here they found a reasonable pair of riding boots and a softer pair for around the manor; after having the shop keeper provide a wash bowl of water for Eventide to clean his feet of the dirt of the street; Freeman had him put on a pair of the light linen hose and then his stronger riding boots.

Eventide could not believe the coin that his mentor was spending on him; so far it had amounted to more than four silver coins and yet the man still did not seem to be finished.

"What is your best weapon, Eventide?"

"I only know the staff Sire."

"Then a staff it will be for now."

Freeman led his boy towards the blacksmiths shop; it was plainly obvious that this man was an early riser; his apprentice was already at work on the large bellows as the forge heated up.

They were greeted by a large and somewhat grisly man; his huge hands were ingrained with the coke of his forge and his thick leather apron was well worn.

"Greetings Sire and young sir, what do you need of me?"

"I want a good dagger and a solid staff for my Squire; what do you have?"

"The dagger I have many of, some are more expensive than others; they are not of city quality but I think you will find them well serviceable; as to the staff, I do have one although it is a little used. I made it for my own son when he was smaller than today; it is made of good solid Yew and I personally capped both ends with cast iron. Perhaps the young squire would like to test it?"

"Very good, let him try it out while I look over your daggers."

Eventide could not believe his ears; daggers of any quality were expensive and he had little use for one or even how to use it properly; the staff however was more to his style.

When the staff was given to him, it was as though it had been made just for his hands; as he spun it around and went through his own practice round it felt good in his hands; if he was allowed to keep it he would treasure it for the rest of his life.

When Freeman looked at him; he smiled and nodded his head; freeman turned to the blacksmith.

"The staff is good we will take it; of the daggers there is only one that I find reasonably suitable; find a scabbard for it and send your boy for a belt, make sure it is properly honed and have the boy deliver them to the tavern before midday; we will be leaving then. I will have your payment ready when they arrive."

"Yes Sire, and the staff; will we have it also delivered?"

"No, we will take it with us now; make sure the rest is on time."

"It will be as you wish Sire and thank ye for the custom."

Freeman was now satisfied, his boy was clothed and booted properly for travel and would soon have his dagger for more protection although he had been surprised at the ability of the boy with the staff; he was showing all the promise he thought the boy had.

Breakfast in this small village was a surprise; there were ample eggs and well cured bacon along with a hot, sweet mead; it all went down well and it was good to see that Eventide ate well and until he was full; the boy was catching on to the fact he could now eat as well as he wanted.

Just as they finished breakfast, the blacksmith arrived with their earlier purchases; Freeman was pleased to see it all so quickly; it would allow them to get away earlier than normal and would miss all the rush of the other visitors leaving for the King's Joust.

After having Eventide put his new clothes in one of his own travel bags; Freeman led the boy towards the taverns stables where his horses were waiting; for Eventide this was to be another surprise.

As they entered the stable, the first three stalls were filled by Freeman's horses, two were his war horses and the other was his riding horse; Eventide could not believe what he was looking at.

The riding horse was nearly sixteen hands and was almost a pure white but it was the two war horses that caught his attention the most.

Eventide was hesitant about getting too close to the enormous horses; he felt that even if he stretched to his utmost he would not be able to reach their backs. Their manes, tales and hocks were all long white hair and their main colour was a dark brown almost too black.

As he looked at the enormous horses he saw that their heads looked to be even bigger than his body; tentively he looked at Freeman and then asked.

"Sire, can I ask a question?"

"Of course you can, if you don't ask questions you will never learn; anytime you see something you don't understand, just ask me; I want you to learn everything you can."

Eventide thought for a moment then asked his question, the first of many as he would find out later.

"Why are they so big and what are they; I have never heard of such giant horses?"

"Aha, your first question is a good one. Well my new squire, these are my war horses; they come from the Flemish coast and are called Percheron's; they are the finest war horses you can get. This other one is my riding horse, it is called an Arabic; it comes from the great deserts of the Holy Land."

"What is a desert?"

"Another good question, you are doing well. A desert is a wasteland of yellow and red sand; a man can travel for a hundred days and not see water. It is a dangerous and hot place; not the place for a scared man to travel."

"A hundred days without water? How can a man live there and why would you want to have horses in such a place?"

"These Arabic horses are specially bred for the hot dry climate; they also have an animal called a Camel; they can travel for days without drinking and live their lives in the middle of deserts."

Eventide tried hard to get his mouth around the word until finally he asked.

"What do Camel's look like if they can travel without water?"

"Now there is a very interesting question. Camels are like no other animal I have ever seen; they are very tall with long ungainly legs and a long neck; on their backs they have a large hump that carries their water reserves. The Saracens use them to ride and carry goods."

"Who are the Saracens?"

"They are the men we are fighting on the crusades; they believe in another god which is strange to us but they are very good fighters and can be holy terrors in battle."

Eventide thought he had asked enough questions for now; there was a lot to think on and learn, of course it did not take away the fear he felt of the two great horses; at least the riding horse looked to be a normal size.

Freeman took the boy's hand and led him towards his two war horses; he could feel the boy shaking as they got closer.

"Here let me introduce you to Ajax and Achilles; don't be afraid of them, they only eat Saracens not Squires."

Freeman laughed as he told Eventide that the horses were docile; as if to dispel any doubts as to their use; the closest one, Ajax, lifted his great head and snorted in Eventide's direction, making the boy nearly jump out of his skin; quickly Freeman jumped to calm the boy.

"That's enough you two, this is Eventide and he is going to live with us so you behave or there will be no more oats for you ever again."

Eventide could almost have laughed if he had not been so scared of the huge horses as they both dropped their heads as though they understood every word Freeman spoke.

"Now we have to get my goods loaded and then we can leave; you will ride on Ajax; don't be afraid of him, he would never hurt you and he will follow along without trouble."

The hostler arrived to help Freeman load his three large travelling trunks on the two war horses; their two travel bags were loaded onto Achilles along with one of the trunks; Eventide would sit on top of the two trunks on Ajax; he hoped his new leather trews and jerkin would protect him.

When everything was loaded and the three horse were led outside; Freeman boosted Eventide high up onto Ajax back; it took a little time to find a comfortable place and the height scared him a little; he did not want to fall from so high up.

Freeman handed up Eventide's staff after making sure the boy had his new dagger on his belt; with that done he mounted his own horse and they left the small village just as others were waking up. Freeman wanted to be well ahead of any others; they would be at his manor by nightfall so the boy would not have to suffer to long on the huge horse.

Eventide was surprised that Freeman had no lead or rope on either of the two great war horses; they both seemed to be happy to follow along behind Freeman's horse as they rode out onto the road.

By midday, Eventide was feeling the need to relieve his swelling bladder; as though Freeman knew his discomfort he pulled his horse to the side of the road and dismounted; next he reached up to help Eventide get down to the ground. Freeman almost laughed as the boy ran to the nearest tree to ease the growing pressure in his bladder; after a few minutes and with the soft sound of a groan of pleasure; Eventide walked back to his waiting mentor.

Freeman got out a small sack that held some fresh bread and cheese; they both sat under a tree and ate their midday meal with only the sounds of the nearby forest for company; Eventide found it peaceful and pleasant, it was the first time in his short life he had ever felt so at peace.

"How do you feel?"

"My legs feel sore from trying to sit on such a big horse; I can't reach all the way around his large belly."

"Yes you need longer legs for that; however it is only for the rest of the day and we will be at my manor and we can relax; there is much for you to see and a lot to learn before we go to see the King."

"I… I will see the King?"

"Of course you will, you are now my Squire; he will like you; he is a very powerful man but he likes honest people so he will like you. There are not many honest people in a King's court, all you have to do is be yourself and he will like you."

"I will see the King."

Freeman almost chuckled at the awe in the young boy's face as he repeated the phrase; it was good to see such innocence; now Freeman began to feel a new feeling of freedom from the dark dreams that had always filled his mind.

The afternoon passed slowly for Eventide; riding on the huge horse for the first time was making parts of him ache like nothing he had felt before; he only hoped it would end soon or he felt he may never be able to walk again.

Late in the afternoon, as they finally exited the latest forest; Eventide saw a great swath of farm land before them and, in the distance, a large manor house surrounded by a high stone wall. Freeman turned in his saddle and smiled at Eventide.

"That's my manor, it won't be long now and you can rest and eat your fill; the servants should be able to see us coming now and will have everything ready."

When they neared the large manor; the gates had been thrown open and all the servants were lined up in front of the large three tiered manor house. Eventide could not believe the size of the manor house; he had heard tales of such houses but this was the first one he had seen; his mouth hung open like any yokel's would.

When the three horses stopped; one of the older men ran forward with a broad smile on his face and an enquiring eye towards Eventide;

"Welcome home, My Lord Baron; we have your rooms cleaned and ready and supper will be served in two hours. Where would My Lord like his young guest to be roomed?"

"Thank you Huntingdon; this is my new Squire; he is to be taken to the Quadroon wing; make sure it is ready for him. His word is my word, make that clearly understood to all staff. Now we will look over any waiting missives so you have one hour and a half to ready his rooms."

"As My Lord Baron commands."

The man turned and clapped his hands loudly while yelling out orders to different servants. Eventide watched as most began to scatter in all directions; as they did so a number of young men arrived and began to take charge of the three horses; Freeman jumped off his horse and then helped Eventide to the ground and waited until the boy's legs were a little more steady.

Freeman helped Eventide to walk towards the huge house; for Eventide it felt as though someone had pulled his legs apart so wide they were broken; his walk was now more of a hobble as he tried to mount the stone steps into the house.

"Don't worry my young friend I'll have a servant rub your muscles free before supper. You are just out of practice; in time you will be able to ride any horse you choose."

"After that I am worried I will not want to ride ever again Sire."

Freeman laughed loudly as he helped Eventide into his chambers where all his important work was done. Freeman helped Eventide to a large leather bound chair and watched the expression on the boy's face as he stared at all the large books and old tomes on the floor to ceiling shelves.

As he sat behind the large oaken desk and looked at the pile of scrolls and letters from the court; Freeman could not help but think his time on the road was the best part of his days; now that he had finally found a young boy worthy of being his first Squire, he began to have hope once again of a future for his many holdings; both in England and over the channel in Flanders.

Freeman read one of the last letters and sighed heavily.

"Damn, I was not expecting this so soon."

Freeman picked up a small bell on his desk and rang it; as if by magic, Huntingdon appeared at the door and bowed.

"Yes My Lord?"

"We have to go before the King tomorrow; send someone to the village and ask seamstress Bedford to come right away; I can't have my Squire dressed as he is for his first appearance. Also find one of the boys to help Eventide with his bathing tonight, he will need to know how to work on Eventide's muscles; I don't want him hobbling before the King."

"Yes My Lord. If I may, cook's youngest son is very good with freeing up muscles, perhaps he would do?"

"Is he the redhead one that attracts dirt like flies on dead meat?"

Huntingdon chuckled.

"Yes My Lord, the very same."

"Damn it, very good; tell cook that the boy is to be scrubbed until his skin shines and get that damn mop he calls hair cut short or I will use him to sweep the floor."

"Very good My Lord."

Huntingdon left still chuckling to himself as Eventide sat with his mouth agape.

"What's the matter Eventide?"

"Uhm… me… the King?"

Freeman could not help the small chuckle that escaped as he watched the stunned look on his young Squires face.

"Yes Eventide; you and the King, now I have to get some clothes more fitting to your new station made before we leave at midday; the poor seamstress is going to have her girls work all night; still it will be well worth it. I thought we may have a little more time to get you ready; still it is better to get it over with so we can start your training."

"But Sire, I don't know anything about meeting a King."

"Then this is a good time to learn, now we have to get you settled into your rooms; you just have time to bath before we sit down to eat."

Freeman rang the bell once again and, as before, Huntingdon appeared like magic.

"Huntingdon will you take young Eventide to his rooms; is that walking mud pack ready to look after him?"

"Scrubbed and trimmed, My Lord and the hearth is swept and the fire set; his bath water is also ready and waiting."

"Thank you Huntingdon, please escort our young Squire to his rooms."

Huntingdon turned to the bemused boy.

"This way please young Sir."

Huntingdon led him out of the chambers and down the long hallway; at the end were a set of double stairs; one leading to the upper left and the other to the right. Huntingdon pointed to the left stairway.

"Your rooms are to the left in the east wing, young Sir; the west wing are those of My Lord Baron. The upper floor is for the servant's quarters should you find the need to call on them at any time."

Eventide arrived at a long wide hallway at the top of the stairs; along each side were a number of doors.

"Uhm, Mr. Huntingdon?"

"It's just Huntingdon, young Sir."

"Uhm, Huntingdon; which is my room?"

"All of them, young Sir; the east wing is yours to use as you will."

"All of them?"

"All of them; now let me show you to your bedroom; young Ted should be waiting for you."

"Ted?"

"Yes he is to be your servant for the near future; he is also the cook's and my son. He's a bit of a ragamuffin but a swipe of the cane on his rear will soon make him more attentive."

Eventide was starting to like Huntingdon; the amused chuckle in his voice told Eventide he was only partially joking about caning the boy.

Eventide was led to the last room in the hallway; on opening the door he looked in with awe; the room was larger than most of the old tavern he had been living at.

Thick rugs covered the floor and a huge fire place was set in one wall with blazing logs at its centre. Beside the fire place stood a ten year old red headed boy; the boy's hair had been cut short and plastered down; his wide smile showed a missing tooth in his upper gums. He was dressed in a simple wrap around of white linen and was holding a bar of soap and a soft looking cloth.

"Squire Eventide, this is my youngest; if he plays up there is a cane on the shelf; don't hesitate to use it; he has a bad habit of forgetting himself. I will leave you in his hands for now and he can show you to the dining room when finished. You may later want to look over the rest of your rooms after supper. Teddy, you watch your manners."

"Yes Father."

"Mr. Huntingdon to you young man."

"Yes Mr. Huntingdon."

The cheeky smile on the boy's face undid any attempt at true servitude to his father's wishes. Eventide found it difficult to hold back the giggle he felt rising in his throat as the older man left his bedroom shaking his head as he left.

Eventide looked around the huge room; his small travelling bag was empty and the few clothes he had been given by Freeman were neatly set out on a side board at the foot of the massive four poster bed.

Eventide did not know what he should do and looked at the younger boy for help.

"If your Lordship would strip and get in the bath I will see to the water Sir."

"Uhm… I'm not a Lord anything; until yesterday I was just a pot boy in a tavern."

Eventide smiled as the young boy giggled and then blushed.

"Well you are a Lordship now; well a Squire anyhow and that's the same thing to me; if you would like to jump in the bath I can get you nice and clean and then see to those sore legs of yours… Squire." Again the boy giggled.

Eventide had little hesitation in stripping out of his clothes; he did not feel any embarrassment being naked in front of the boy; he had been through far worse things in his short life.

As he settled into the hot steaming water; Teddy began to wash and soap his bare skin after untying the leather thong that had held his long hair in place. Eventide began to relax and enjoy being washed; the young boy's hands were firm but not rough as he worked his way over Eventide's body; he made no attempt to do anything unsavoury.

When Eventide was clean and his hair was well washed; he got out of the bath and sat on a small wooden stool as Teddy went about drying him and then running a copper comb through the long hair until it was nearly dry.

When Teddy was finished, he indicated that Eventide should lay on the bed on his stomach; Eventide watched as the boy got a small vial filled with a yellow substance.

"What is that Teddy?"

"It's a special oil that My Lord Baron brought back from the crusades; he said it was good for sore muscles and is made by the Saracens."

Eventide lay back and waited while Teddy hopped up on the bed and began to rub the oil into his sore and aching legs although, after the hot bath they were not as bad as before.

Finally Teddy jumped off the bed; Eventide felt as though he wanted to sleep but knew he had to get up and dress for supper. Teddy began to clean up while Eventide dressed; once done he led Eventide back down the stair case and showed him into a massive dining room then left to do other things.

Freeman was standing in the centre of the large room waiting for Eventide to arrive; a large table, enough to seat twenty people was set with silver and gold ware; three large candle holders were alight and along with the wall sconces lit up the whole room.

"Well young Eventide, how do you feel now? That boy must have magic in his hands I do swear. Now then, a small change; it seems we have some visitors arriving very soon; I think you will find it interesting but we will have to wait a little for them to arrive."

Eventide could only smile and look around the huge room; he knew of houses that would fit into this one room. Around the walls were hung tapestries and long banners of many colours. Large dressers for cutlery and dish-ware lined one wall; they also acted as serving tables.

As Eventide took in everything in the room, he heard a soft cough from the doorway; he turned to watch as Freeman said.

"Yes Huntingdon?"

"His Highness, Emir Saed Ben Haman and Nephew My Lord."

A tall stately looking man walked into the room; Eventide's breath was taken away when he saw him and the young teen at his side. Eventide had never seen anything like it; both were dressed in long flowing robes of a very light weight fabric, the likes of which Eventide could not even imagine.

On their heads were a strange gold cloth wrapped around to form a sort of hat; hanging down one side was a longer loose piece that swept across to hang over their left shoulder. In a wide red sash around their waist was a large curved and bejewelled knife; it too Eventide had never seen the likes of before.

Both people wore very expensive rings and other jewellery; some with huge red, green and clear stones; Eventide could only stare open mouthed at the pair; he vaguely saw a number of others lined up behind the two.

The tall man was fairly dark complexioned as was the young teen; both had dark flashing eyes and Eventide noticed the teen had a rather strange dark line around his eyes; it was as though he had painted the colour to accentuate the brightness of the dark pupils.

The tall man bowed and did something strange with his hand; first touching his chest, then his lips and finally his forehead.

"Salaam Alahkim Baron Tremaine, thank you for offering your hospitality to us at such short notice."

Eventide was surprised to see Freeman return the bow and same gesture.

"Alahkim Salaam your Highness; you and your Nephew are always welcome at my table. May I introduce my Squire, Eventide of the Old Ones."

Eventide was surprised to see the tall man and then the young teen bow to him and offer the same greeting. With a little hesitancy he tried to follow what Freeman had done and said, even though he got a little tongue tied and found it strange to bow like the others.

The tall man smiled at Eventide and nodded his head as though he approved of Eventide's attempt; the young teen smiled more widely and also nodded in appreciation of the attempt.

"Thank you for your consideration Squire Eventide; it is not often I see such good manners from an English Squire; I hope you and my nephew will become good friends."

"Now then Your Highness, what brings you to my home; it is unusual for you to be on the road at this hour?"

"Baron, please call me Saed, we are not at court now and, after all I am imposing on your hospitality."

"Thank you Saed and please call me Freeman and my home is at your disposal; I have my servants preparing rooms for you."

"Thank you, perhaps my nephew would like to join young Eventide in his rooms; it will give them a chance to talk and I am sure my nephew will appreciate the company of another young man."

"Then say no more, it shall be as you wish. Eventide could you share your rooms with the young man?"

"Yes Sire, I will be very happy to have the company."

"Ah… how careless of me; Squire Eventide let me introduce my nephew, Prince Mahmud Sal-A-Hadin."

The Prince smiled widely as he again bowed low; almost as though it was now automatic, Eventide returned the bow and the smile.

"Let's go to the table, you both must be hungry after your travels."

The four made their way to the huge table; already there was a veritable mountain of food being laid out. Fine silver mugs of hot mulled wine were placed in front of each setting and the supper began.

The conversation was light and most of it went over the head of Eventide as he had not been to court and did not understand most of what was discussed; seeing his confusion; the young Prince leant over and began talking to him.

"Don't you find adult talk is boring; there are far more interesting things for us young ones to discuss. Do you like hunting Squire Eventide?"

"Uhm… I don't know, I have never been on a hunt and please, just call me Eventide or just Even."

"Why thank you; Even it is and I am Mahmud; after all we are going to be good friends I can feel it. Now as to the hunt, I think it would be well if we both went out with the Falcons and I taught you the good parts of hunting; would this be agreeable?"

"I think I would like to try that Mahmud. Uhm… how do you hunt with Falcons?"

"Oh this is too good; hunting with the Falcons is the greatest of all sports; we will go for two days and stay out to watch the stars in the sky at night and the sun rise in the morning; I will bring some of my people and make it a special time for you."

"I feel I should tell you a truth; perhaps you will not want to go with me then."

"How so my new friend?"

"Well I am really only a pot boy; I have no graces like royalty or Knights. This is the first time I have ever been in such a big house or eaten food like this; I am really a nobody."

Mahmud lent back to look Eventide over; there was a faint smile on his lips as he sized up the boy next to him. After giving his Uncle a smiling look he turned back to Eventide.

"Friend Even, I am not sure what a pot boy is but he cannot be lower than I was; before I was a Prince I was a goat herder. In our land you can wake in the morning a goat herder and go to bed at night a Prince; of course the opposite is also true; in the morning you are a Prince and go to bed a slave. You my new friend are no different than I; we will go on the hunt as friends and return as brothers; of this I can promise. In my lands an honest man is worth more than his weight in gold coins; and you we will fatten up so you are worth more coins."

The sound of laughter filled the dining room as the two men also overheard Mahmud's words. Eventide blushed but also felt it was not he that was being made fun of only the situation.

"Saed, you never told me what delayed your travels to the King's court?"

"Oh yes, there was a small altercation with my nephew and a young Squire; it seemed the Squire did not appreciate a Saracen sharing the same road. We tried to tell him we were not Saracens but Bedouin; still you know how ignorant some Squires can be. My nephew had to borrow a crook from one of the local herders and put the Squire on his back before he could pull his sword. After a little discussion with the boy's Knight we declared honour had been satisfied but it left us a little late to get back on the road; hence we have imposed on your well known hospitality."

"Believe me Saed, there is no imposition; it is and will always be a pleasure to host you and yours whenever it is needed."

"Thank you Freeman; it is people like yourself and this new Squire that makes me have hope for both our people in the future."

The two men continued to talk of court related things while the boys now well into being good friends, put their heads together to talk over the upcoming hunt they would take.

As the night grew on, it soon became time to go to their beds; as it turned out, neither boy felt in the slightest put out by sharing Eventide's huge bed; if anything it gave them more time to talk about things that Eventide had never thought of.

Eventide was spell bound by Mahmud's tales and stories; as they lay each on their own side of the huge bed; Mahmud began to tell Eventide a story of long ago; the sound of his new friends voice seemed to make the tale of famous Saracen Knights to have happened only yesterday and Eventide truly felt he was right there in the midst of the battle; slowly his eyes grew heavy and the lilting sound of his friends voice finally sent him off to sleep; it had been a truly magical day.

The next morning revealed a house in a hurry; Eventide did not even get the chance to look at the rest of his east wing of the house. Quickly both boys were up for breakfast and it was then decided they would all travel to court together; to say the boys were happy about the decision was obvious.

Eventide told Mahmud he was not happy about riding another horse so soon but his new friend assured him he would be alright as he would watch over Eventide personally.

By midday they were ready to leave; Eventide was surprised at the number of men and boys in Mahmud's party; there were guards with strange huge swords and long lances. A large baggage train also followed along behind; the carts piled high with all manner of things. Eventide was to learn that the Emir and the Prince had just arrived from their homeland only a few weeks earlier and were making their way to the King's court as emissaries and friends of the King.

Eventide did notice that there were many fine looking horses in the train, most were being led by hostlers and young boys dressed in baggy white pantaloons with black boots and the same wide sashes but without the big jewelled daggers.

As the day got to late afternoon; the King's city and castle appeared; within the hour they were close to the gates of the city. From the high ramparts flew multiple banners and there was a feeling of celebration in the air. As the long train entered the city, Eventide got his first view and feeling of large crowds.

Everywhere he looked there were Knights and soldiers milling around with hawkers of wares and farmers packing ready to leave the great city for the night. Eventide was amazed at the city and above it the mighty castle of the King.

The travellers continued through the city streets until they came to the mighty gates of the castle; there they saw the line of guards that protected the gate; as they passed through, Eventide noticed some of the angry looks on the faces of some of the guards when they saw the Emir and his Nephew; the times of the crusade had not been forgotten and the talk of a second crusade had brought dissent in the country.

The second crusade was being espoused by the Baronies of Normandy and the Vatican city. Eventide knew little of the politics of the time and could not understand why anyone should go and fight in a far away land when he could plainly see how good and nice his new friends were.

Freeman had only brought one of his great horses; it carried changes of clothes for both himself and Eventide; as he held his own apartment in the castle and he had much of what he would need, there was little to carry apart for Eventide.

The two boys, even after such a short time, were inseparable; they had spent the whole trip talking and laughing as they rode side by side; Eventide was only glad Freeman had found a smaller horse for him to ride; his legs did not feel as bad as the last time he was on the big horse.

When they arrived inside the castle; Eventide was surprised to see it was as big as some cities; they soon had to part from their new friends as the Emir and Mahmud turned to the left while Eventide and Freeman turned to the right towards another side of the great wall.

Freeman told Eventide they had a few hours before they would have to present themselves to the King and his court; the time was spent bathing and changing into his new clothes that had been made overnight for him. The new clothes felt strange and he could not imagine dressing like this ever before meeting Freeman.

It was just after dark when there was a knock on the door; Freeman called for the person to enter while having one hand on his sword; Eventide had his dagger in his belt and was holding his new staff in his right hand.

The young man that entered, bowed to Freeman and then stood straight as he said his message; Eventide then understood the young man was one of the King's many heralds.

"My Lord Baron Tremaine; the King wishes your presence at his court forthwith."

"Very good. Come on Eventide, time to pay the piper."

Freeman laughed at the outrageous look on the young herald's face; had the herald been older he would have known about the closeness of Freeman and the King; as it was, the comment made the herald shuffle his feet in discontent at the words of the Baron.

Following the herald into the main castle, Eventide was again amazed at the size of the place and the number of people moving through the castle hallways until they came to the central great hall.

The hall was filled with people, many of them Knights and off to one side were a large number of well dressed ladies of the court. At the far end of the great hall was a dais and the King sitting on his large throne; around the King were men of all types, many of them did not look the type to be fighters or Knights.

Surprising to Eventide were the two extra smaller thrones; to the King's left sat Saed and beside him sat Mahmud, both smiled widely as Freeman and Eventide entered the noisy hall.

As the pair walked the length of the great hall, Eventide noticed a sudden hush come over the hall; everyone was watching the man they well knew but it was the young boy at his side that had brought the hush to the noise. The fact that Freeman, Baron of Lancaster and Flanders was accompanied by a young boy who evidently was now the Knight's squire, became a note of conjecture. No one among them had ever seen the Baron with a squire before.

Freeman had explained the correct way for Eventide to greet the King. As they came to the bottom of the dais; Freeman, with Eventide following his example; knelt down on one knee and bowed their heads; Eventide heard the firm voice of the King speak.

"Welcome home Baron, it is good to see the King's Champion return; I see you have finally found one worthy of your training; please introduce us to your Squire."

Something told Eventide the King already knew who he was but he kept silent as he had been instructed by Freeman.

"Your Majesty; I would like to introduce Eventide, descendant of the old ones and newly taken on as Squire by the house of Lancaster."

"Eventide, stand and let me get a good look at you."

Eventide rose and stood with his staff in his hand; he looked at the smiling face of the King and waited for him to speak first.

"I understand you have already made friends with our most valued ally; I hope you will become better acquainted over time, they are truly valued by us."

Eventide bowed and then said.

"Thank you Your Majesty, it would be my wish also to keep my friendship with your allies."

"Well spoken young Squire. Baron, would you take your rightful place by my side and perhaps your squire would be so kind as to take his place beside his new friend."

With a small signal of his hand, the King had another chair brought to the dais for Eventide to sit beside Mahmud; the two friends smiled at each other as the rest of the court continued.

After a long time of introductions of the many Knights and other dignitaries; the King called for the great dining hall to be opened; everyone in the hall stood and then waited for the King and the Emir to leave first; just behind them walked Freeman and Eventide along with Mahmud.

Once inside the great dining hall, Eventide found himself being led to the long, wide table at the top of the hall; he noticed there were already some people there. Most were young boys and they all stood against the stone wall behind the row of tall chairs at the table. Eventide noticed two of the boys were dressed in the same clothes as Mahmud although not as fancy.

The King took the central chair with Freeman on his right and the Emir on his left; Eventide was ushered to the chair beside Mahmud but was amazed at the large amount of food spread out on the table top; he had never seen so much food in one place before.

The thing he could not understand was a strange tool on the table; no matter how he looked at it he could not fathom what it was used for. It had a handle of bone and then the rest was made of metal; it had two sharp prongs; as he looked at it, Mahmud leant over and told him it was for holding the meat instead of using his fingers; he was told they called it a fork and was something that the Saracens had used for ages but was new at the King's court.

Eventide smiled at his friend in thanks even though he had not asked; it was good to know his new friend was watching out for him. For the first time in his life since losing his uncle, Eventide felt good that he finally had a friend.

As the great feast went on and the night grew later; both boys began to feel the late hour. Mahmud whispered to his uncle and then turned to Eventide.

"Shall we leave, you can come and stay with me tonight; this will go on for hours yet and the men will drink more and more so we will not miss anything but drunken old men playing like boys?"

Eventide noticed the large smile on Mahmud's face and turned to Freeman; without a word, Freeman nodded and smiled; he had heard every word and agreed the two boys should leave to be on their own.

Eventide followed Mahmud's lead as they both stood and bowed low to the King; with a smile from the man they both left via a door behind the big table with Mahmud leading the way.

Eventide was surprised at how long it took to get too his friend's rooms, what awaited his eyes was even more of a surprise after a day full of surprises.

Mahmud's rooms were every bit as large as his own at the manor but in Mahmud's there were about ten young boys waiting.

"Who are all these boys?"

"Them? Oh they are just some of my servants, they are also good friends as you will see when we go hunting tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, can we really go so soon?"

"Of course, I have arranged it all with Uncle; he was only too happy that I had found such a good friend in this country. Now first we bath then we can talk and perhaps I will show you one of the games we like to play."

"You seem to do a lot of bathing?"

"Yes, a clean body will give you a clean mind or that is what they tell us. At home we have little water, to be able to bath like this whenever I want is truly a luxury."

"Why do you have little water?"

"We are Bedouin, or as we prefer to say 'Bedou' we are the people of the desert and water is scarce and protected by the sword and spear when found.

"I have never seen a desert; what are they like?"

By this time the many servants had poured their baths and the boys sat in the metal tubs side by side as the servants held plates of strange looking fruit for them to pick from.

Mahmud pointed to the plates of strange items.

"Try the dates, they are sweet and very nice; I am sure you will like them."

Eventide picked up one of the dark brown looking things and tentively put it in his mouth; much to his surprise he did enjoy chewing on it as the sweetness filled his mouth.

"Now to your question. The desert is a huge sea of sand and rocks; you can walk for a hundred days and not get to the edge; that is if you live that long. It is the hottest of hot places; very little grows and you have to be born there to survive in the heat and dangers."

"I think I would like to see it one day; it sounds very wild and free."

"It is that indeed and I make you this promise on my blood that one day you and I will stand side by side to look out on the great sandy desert. We will fly our Falcons and hunt the wastes for Lions and Gazelles; we will have a great time."

"So how do you find water if there is none?"

"There are many Oasis if you know where to look for them, they are small pools of fresh water surrounded by mighty date palms where you can while away the heat of the day. When you come to see it I will make you a son of the desert; that is my blood promise."

"What is this blood promise?"

"It is the most sacred of all promises for a Bedou, it means I would rather spill my own blood than not keep it; we do not make this promise lightly."

"If it is so sacred than why make such a promise to one such as me, I am nobody."

"You are my friend and one day you will be my Brother; a Brother deserves a blood promise."

Eventide suddenly felt overwhelmed at Mahmud's words; no one had ever promised him anything, let alone a blood promise.

After bathing the two boys lay down on special couches while the servant boys rubbed their bodies with scented oils until they were almost asleep. Finally, with a soft groan, both boys found the large bed and were soon asleep; although both were naked, any thoughts of unusual behaviour were far from their minds.

It was still dark when Eventide was awoken by a young hand. Looking up from under the covers; he saw the young servant held a steaming mug with a fragrance he had never smelt. Gingerly taking the small cup he sipped the strong smelling brew; he was to learn later that day it was called mint tea; he grew fond of it immediately.

Movement beside him told him Mahmud was also awake and ready for the long day ahead; it was to be Eventide's first ever hunt and he was already feeling excited at this new turn of events.

Breakfast was served in their large room; it consisted mainly of dates and other unknown fruits along with more of the mint tea. Hardly a word had been exchanged between the pair until after they had eaten; it was Mahmud that had started the conversation.

"So friend Even, did you sleep well?"

"Very well friend Mahmud; this new day has me very excited; I have never been on a hunt before."

"Ah, then we must get you dressed correctly so you can move in comfort."

Mahmud clapped his hands and two young servants appeared as if by magic. Mahmud spoke to them in his own language and they ran out only to return quickly with a pile of clothes.

For the next ten minutes, Mahmud helped Eventide dress as he was in the baggy pantaloons, shiny black riding boots, a white undershirt and a small waist length, tight, sleeveless jacket that was highly decorated with fine embroidery; as a last piece, Mahmud showed Eventide how to wind the long length of cloth they called a turban around his head.

In a polished metal dish they called a mirror; Eventide looked at himself for the first time; apart from his pale skin and blue eyes he now looked like one of the Bedou.

Mahmud clapped his hands as he excitedly exclaimed that Eventide was now a true Bedou; both boys laughed and Eventide whirled around to look at himself once again, much to the delight of his new friend.

"Now my friend Even, to cement our friendship I want to offer you a small gift; I hope you will accept it as a mark of our lifelong friendship."

"You have already done so much for me Mahmud; there is little need for gifts between us. You are the first true friend I have ever had and that is enough for me."

"Nonsense my friend; it is nothing but a small gift that would please me greatly for you to accept."

"Well if it is to make you happy then I will accept it and treasure it all my life."

Again Mahmud clapped his hand in delight, his smile was wide and Eventide felt happy that he had made Mahmud feel good.

"Come it is outside waiting for you."

"Outside?"

"Of course, I could not very well bring it inside the castle walls; it would not be polite to the King; come we must go."

Eventide followed Mahmud as they wound their way down and along the many halls until they came to the great doors that guarded the main castle. As they stepped outside, the first sun beams were just showing in the morning greyness.

At the bottom of the wide stone steps of the castle keep were a large number of Mahmud's servants; from where he stood he could see another long train of his servants already leaving the castle; all the horses were packed with goods.

At the bottom of the steps, Mahmud called to one of the boys; the boy held the reins of a young jet black horse; it was no more than perhaps 13 hands; its long flowing black main and even longer tail, gently moved in the dawn breeze. Its head was smaller than most horses but its neck curved from thick strong muscles at the chest to a finer line nearer the head.

Eventide could not believe the sheer beauty of the black animal although the fire in the eyes of the young stallion gave Eventide pause to wonder how he could possibly control such an animal with his limited experience.

Mahmud stood beside him with a smile on his face; from somewhere inside his clothes, Mahmud produced a large red apple; taking his large knife from his sash, he cut the apple into four and handed it to Eventide.

"Come and greet your horse; his name is Shaitan. Give him one piece of the apple and stand in front; talk to him softly and wait for him to make the first move. Do not be afraid, I would not let anything injure you; show him you are his new owner."

Eventide held out the quarter of apple; slowly the black horse stepped forward and sniffed at the apple then again sniffed at Eventide's hand. To his surprise, the horse took the apple piece gently with his lips before chewing happily on it; all the while, Eventide spoke to him softly.

The horse finished the apple and nodded its fine head up and down as though it understood what Eventide was saying; he reached out tentively and rubbed the horse's forehead, which it seemed to enjoy.

"Good, he likes you, now it is time to saddle him."

"Don't you have to put the steel bit in his mouth first?"

"Bedou horses don't need it; you will find that only one man can ride any one horse; the steel is bad for the horse's mouth and makes them pull hard. You will have better control with your legs than any piece of steel in his mouth. Now let's find him a blanket for the saddle."

Mahmud spoke to the boy again in his own language; the boy turned to a table close by and pulled out a large wool blanket in red and yellow pattern.

"Take the blanket and let him see and smell it."

Eventide carried the large blanket to the horse and lifted it close to the horse's head; to his surprise the horse shook his head as though to say No; it then grasped the blanket in its teeth and dropped it on the ground at Eventide's feet.

"Hmm, he does not like that one."

Mahmud spoke to the boy again and he carried over a smaller shaped sheep skin with black wool. Eventide held that out for the horse to inspect; much to his delight, the horse nodded his head as though to say 'Yes'.

Mahmud showed him how to place the wool pad on the horse's back; next came a small beautifully embossed leather saddle; this Eventide placed on the horses back after it had nodded its head again. After learning to cinch the saddle tightly, Mahmud had him give another piece of apple.

The final act was a colourful over cloth; it had a strange pattern on it and a lot of long tassels along both edges; after placing this over the saddle and pulling the silver stirrups through the slits, it was time to mount.

Eventide gave the third piece of apple before he tried to mount the horse; much to his delight, the horse stood as still as stone for him. The young stable boy knelt down on all fours so Eventide could place one foot on his back to get enough height to put his left foot in the stirrup.

Once up on the horse; he leant forward and offered the last piece of apple; the horse turned his head and again took it delicately with his soft lips; as he happily chewed on the apple, Mahmud adjusted the stirrups to fit Eventide's shorter legs. When he was happy; Mahmud called for his own horse and quickly mounted.

Taking it slow he led them both out of the castle and into the open lands. They walked slowly so Eventide could get used to the smaller horse and the horse; or so Mahmud said; could get used to him.

It was not long before the two boys were trotting; for some unknown reason, Eventide felt totally safe on this new horse; it was a new feeling he had not had on the other two he had ridden. Now and again the horse would give a snuffling sound, it was as though he understood what Eventide was thinking; it was a good feeling.

Eventide was happy to move along at the trot; for now he wanted to enjoy the early morning freshness and the feel of this beautiful animal under him.

It did not take long and, under Mahmud's directions, Eventide was soon turning the horse with just leg pressure alone; the reins were held loosely in his hands and barely any pressure was used.

Eventide enjoyed the ride probably more than Mahmud who was; as he told Eventide; born on a horse. It was not too long before they came up to a group of Mahmud's servants; three of them had large leather gloves on their left arms and on each glove sat a hooded Falcon.

Eventide looked around for the rest of the servants he had seen leaving the castle but there was no sight of them; Mahmud caught his gaze.

"You are looking for the other servants, yes? They have gone on ahead to set up camp for us; tonight we sit under the stars and eat and tell stories; perhaps tomorrow we will return to the castle or; if the hunting is good, the day after. Do not worry; your Baron knows where we are and whom you travel with; this is our time to make a closer friendship so let's enjoy it; just you and I."

Eventide smiled widely; not in his wildest dreams did he ever think he would be able to do something like this.

"Yes Friend Mahmud, let's own the world for today."

Mahmud laughed loudly at his new friend's words, it was just as he expected, this new friend was going to be someone very special. The Magi back in his homeland had foretold of such a meeting and the goodness it would bring them both. Mahmud thought about the upcoming night; he truly hoped that Eventide was truly the one.

Mahmud and Eventide led the way; the three servants with the Falcons followed close behind. It was not long before Eventide realised they were now travelling faster; he was to learn it was called a canter. It proved to be a smoother ride and he quickly adjusted to the new pace.

His hair had not been plaited as it was neatly held in place with the new turban; the feeling of the wind in his face and the ruffling of his new clothes gave him a sense of true freedom; he had never thought in his wildest dreams he would feel so free.

Finally they came to the top of a rise; below them was a wide open plain of long grass with small copses of trees; Mahmud told him it was a good place to start the hunt.

Mahmud told him he would leave the servant called Salud, with him and the servant would teach him how to fly the Falcon; he explained the Salud was the only one of his servants that spoke a little English but was a good man and very patient.

For the next four hours, the two rode and flew the Falcon; Eventide was enthralled at learning about how to carry and fly the Falcon; at the end of the four hours, they had bagged three fine rabbits and Salud then turned them towards where they would have a rest and have a meal with the others.

They rode until they saw the others waiting under a huge Oak tree; there had been a small canopy set up and a large multi coloured rug laid on the ground for them to sit on. A young servant arrived to take Eventide's horse to water, feed and rub down.

Eventide was ecstatic; the thrill of the hunt, the speed and freedom of the horse and the fresh country air; all made this experience very special.

After removing his boots at the entrance, he was shown inside the canopy; next Eventide was introduced to the way of eating with the Bedou; he sat cross legged beside Mahmud; only the three teens that had carried the Falcons joined them on the carpet.

At the centre of the large carpet were two huge round platters of metal piled high with hot food; beside them were two silver trays with small glass cups and a tall glass jar with a green liquid steaming inside.

Mahmud explained about using only his right hand to eat with after he had washed them in scented warm water from a dish carried by one of the servants. Mahmud also explained about not showing the soles of his feet to another as it was deemed a great insult.

It took Eventide a little while to get the hang of eating with just one hand; the rolling of the small white seeds he was told were called 'rice' took a little practice and time; at first a fair amount landed in his lap much to the delight and laughter of the others; although none of it was malicious. Eventide just had to join in the laughter at his failed attempts.

It was a great way to eat and the green mint tea was refreshing and helped the food go down. When they had all finished eating; Mahmud clapped his hands and the servants came to clear away the trays; he was told the food left over would be eaten by the servants so there would be no waste.

Next came a silver tray with a strange fruit; Mahmud reached over and cut one for Eventide; inside it was almost the colour of blood with small black seeds.

"This is a delicacy from my home; it is called Persimmon; try it, I am sure you will like it."

Eventide took a bite and almost fell over in ecstasy; never in his wildest dreams did he ever think such a fruit existed. As the juices ran down his chin he reached for another; after two he had had enough, it was too special to be hogged down in any great number. One of the servants appeared with another bowl of warm water and a fresh cloth so Eventide could wipe off his face and hands.

As they all sat and talked, Mahmud translated for Eventide as the others except for Salud only spoke their native tongue.

It surprised Eventide to find they were extolling his efforts in the hunt and the fact he had caught three fat rabbits on his first try with a Falcon; even though Mahmud had caught ten Eventide's captures were extolled highly.

A short time later, one of the servants appeared with a strange, tall bottle like piece. Its bowl was of clear glass and filled with water; above it there were six flexible tubes fitted with metal tips; it then continued up to a narrow neck with a small conical lid on the top.

"This is called a Hookah, the water cools the smoke so it is easier on the throat, come you must join us; it will help to relax you so we can all take a short sleep before moving to the camp site for the night."

Needless to say, it took Eventide a while to stop coughing and get used to the use of the hookah; eventually he felt drowsy and, like the others; laid back with his head on a padded block supplied by the servants. As he drifted off to sleep; Eventide thought that this had to be the best day of his life; there would never be anything to top the feeling of friendship and joy he had at that moment.

Eventide woke to a feeling of someone shaking his shoulder; suddenly he remembered where he was and opened his eyes fully to see Mahmud smiling down at him.

"Come on Friend, time to go to the camp; they are readying our supper and we have an hour's ride to get there."

Eventide yawned widely and smiled at his one and only friend; shaking the sleep from his mind, he got up and went in search of his boots.

Outside his black horse stood waiting patiently for him; once mounted he followed Mahmud towards the west where the sun was sinking in a clear sky; it looked as though they would be able to sit and look at the stars all night.

It was almost dark when they came across the encampment; Eventide saw that there were two tents. One, the smaller was a dark blue colour and had many servants working over open fires. The second was very much larger and totally black in colour; apart from two lines of black riding boots lined up outside, there was no sign of anyone else.

Mahmud led Eventide to the covered closed doorway of the black tent. Under the small canopy sat two low chairs. Eventide saw that the other boots were lined up each side of the tent entrance and it appeared there must be at least twenty others inside yet there was no sound of talking coming from the tent.

Mahmud sat in one of the small chairs and indicated the other for Eventide. A servant boy knelt and helped to remove their boots and lined them up beside the others.

"Now my Friend; when we enter we have to give the greeting like you did when we first meet. I will go first as they know me then you follow. Whatever happens be brave, I will be close by to protect you."

With those words ringing in his ears; Eventide began to feel a sense of fear rising in his chest. Something was not right and he was not sure what he should do; he was a long way from the castle and, if truth be told; was not sure how to get back.

Mahmud stepped into the tent and Eventide heard him say the words "Salaam Alahkim" A rough voice answered him with the return greeting "Alahkim Salaam" next Eventide heard the soft cough that was the signal for him to enter.

With a great deal of trepidation, Eventide stepped into the black tent; as he got inside he saw that the tent was mostly dark and only a very small oil lamp hanging from the roof cast dark shadows everywhere.

Eventide could just barely make out the almost black images of others seated around the outside of a large carpet; only the lighter colours of Mahmud's costume showed him where his friend sat.

Eventide tried to do the greeting with the hand gestures as best he could. Suddenly, from one dark corner came an angry voice. Had Eventide not known that the only person that was able to speak English apart from Mahmud was Salud, he would have run for his life.

Although he knew it must be Salud; the anger in the teen's voice really scared him; this was not the young smiling and patient teen he had spent a good part of the day with; this person was really angry.

"Who allows this Infidel into the tent of brothers; speak now or I will take his blood as it should be for all Infidels'."

Eventide was ready to back out as he was sure he caught the glint of a bare blade in the person's hand. Suddenly he saw Mahmud stand up and turn towards the person with the bare dagger.

"I, Red Scorpion called this Infidel to my brother's tent."

"Red Scorpion, why would you break the covenant of the brotherhood of the Hashin and invite this Infidel into our sacred sanctum?"

"My blood tells me he is one with us."

"Then I tell you Red Scorpion, your blood is wrong. We never allow the Infidel into the brotherhood."

Eventide realised they were speaking English for his benefit; all the others were silent but he thought he made out some nodding heads when Salud spoke about his not being there.

"Brothers; I have given a Blood Promise that this boy will become a Brother. If this is against the wishes of the brotherhood then I will spill my blood here and now."

Eventide saw Mahmud pull his fancy dagger from his waist band; he was holding it in both hands and to Eventide's eye it looked as though he was really going to plunge it into his own chest.

Something took hold of Eventide; he could not bear to think his first and only friend could do such a thing. Without thinking, Eventide ran forward and grabbed the knife out of Mahmud's hand, accidently cutting his own hand in the process.

Eventide was too stunned to even notice the deep cut as he looked at Mahmud as though his friend was totally insane; all he could say was.

"Why… why for me?"

"I gave you a Blood Promise."

"But… but."

Eventide heard Salud's voice echo in the silent tent.

"Red Scorpion, your friend has courage and we can all see he would shed blood for you; will you stand for him in the trial?"

"I will stand; I so swear on my blood."

"Infidel, take a seat beside the one who is Blood Promised."

When Eventide was sitting beside Mahmud, the rest of the people began to talk in their own language; Mahmud leant over to him and whispered as to what was being said.

Suddenly three of the people stood up and began to argue with Salud; the gestures were angry and Eventide could only wonder what was being said; Mahmud leant in close and told him the three were actually defending him.

The three sat down and the discussions continued in a quieter manner. Salud stood and looked at Eventide; he could only see the teen's eyes as, like the rest of the people in the tent; they were all covered from head to foot in black clothes with only their eyes showing through a narrow slit.

"Infidel, do you think you are brave?"

Eventide could only answer as honestly as he felt.

"I do not know."

"Infidel, would you shed your blood for your brothers?"

"I have no brothers but I would bleed for my only friend."

Salud suddenly whipped out a very thin knife and threw it at where Eventide sat; it was so fast he did not have time to react and was not quite sure if he had seen it at all until there was a thin dagger buried in the carpet only inches from his crossed legs.

Salud turned to the others and spoke clearly, he then spoke in English for Eventide's benefit.

"As you can see brothers of the Hashin; he sits without fear, he bleeds for his friend; are there any who would say Nay?"

When there were no replies, Salud walked over to Eventide and took up the dagger and cut his own hand; next he grasped Eventide's and said.

"My blood is your blood to the end of time; welcome to the brotherhood of the Hashin."

Salud then removed the cloth from his face so Eventide could see him clearly.

"I stand for the Infidel; from this day on he shall be known as Shaitan Bin Izurak, the devil with the blue eyes."

Salud then went back to sit in his place as another of the people stood before Eventide and repeated the words but in their own language after making the same cut and holding his hand. Soon everyone had performed the same ceremony; Mahmud was the last and then held his hand out to help Eventide to his feet.

"Brothers of the Hashin; here stands Shaitan Bin Izurak, a new brother who has traded blood and will now take the oath of silence and secrecy. Brother Shaitan Bin Izurak, on your honour and blood; do you vow to keep all the secrets of the Brotherhood of the Hashin and should you break them, willingly give up your blood to your brothers."

"On my blood I promise."

"Brothers, you have heard a Blood Promise, does anyone forbid him entry into the brotherhood?"

No one spoke so Mahmud declared the meeting closed and that Shaitan Bin Izurak was now a brother of the blood. A great ululation went up around the tent. Immediately a troop of servants came in with many more oil lamps and lit up the tent in full.

Eventide now looked around and saw how young some of the people were; there was also a variety of skins and eyes around. Some were almost as pale as he was and others were as black as the night; all of them were smiling and began to relax.

A short time later, the servants began to bring in many large trays of food and a new drink he had not tried before; it was not long before he realised there was something strong in his small glass.

The mood got lighter and lighter the more they drank and ate. Again when the main food was finished, the large trays of fruit appeared followed soon by six Hookah; this time Eventide saw them put a dark sticky substance in the hookah that was not like the green leaf of before.

Eventide asked Mahmud what it was.

"That is the Hashish, it is where our name came from; when we go into battle it makes us fearless and our enemies tremble when they know we are looking for them."

"So it is the brotherhood of the hashish?"

"Yes and no; we will teach you our language and you will understand that sometimes the same words can mean something else; in the case of the word Hashin it also means in English, Assassin."

"Oh, so I am now an assassin?"

Mahmud laughed and told the others in his language what Eventide had just said; instantly they all laughed and shook their heads.

"My brother Shaitan, you have just entered the world of the Hashin; we will now begin to train you until you are truly one of us and become a true Hashin, or as you will an Assassin."

Eventide could only sit with his mouth open as the others nodded and smiled at him.

"Now Brother, it is time for the gift giving. Black Scorpion, it is time for the gifts."

Salud stood and went to stand before Eventide, in his hands he held a long, carefully folded black cloth.

"Brother Shaitan, I give you this gift of the turban of the Hashin, wear it with pride and remember your Brothers."

Eventide took the cloth and carefully placed it beside him. One by one the others came up and said words in their language that he presumed were the same. A black Robe, black boots, black pantaloons. Next came the trappings of the Hashin; a small pouch containing six metal vials; Mahmud told him it was to carry his poisons after he had learnt about them.

A beautiful curved scimitar in a jet black scabbard, a set of four thin throwing knives in a holder. There was also a large curved knife with a black hilt and set in a bright black scabbard.

The last gift was a thick silver ring with a black stone that had a small star inside it; suddenly Eventide recognised the ring, it was identical to the one worn by his patron Baron Freeman. Mahmud saw the recognition and smiled as he nodded his head in agreement.

Eventide now knew why the Baron was so well known and accepted by the Emir and his followers.

"So the Baron is one of us?"

"Yes, but like the Emir my uncle, they are called Elder Brothers."

"Is this why he is called the King's Champion?"

"Again the answer is yes and no. His abilities as a Knight and the fact he has been on crusade would give him that title anyhow but, he has more to do than just be the Champion; being a brother of the Hashin he also has carried out assassinations for the King, that is why he is in such favour with your King. Nearly every Knight in the land is in fear of him."

"And he chose me for a Squire."

"I am sure he saw the same thing in you that we all have seen; you have an honest heart and I think you will find you are brave beyond words. Time will tell and we are sure we will be proven correct. Now enough of this idle talk; everything you need to know we will teach you; it is time for the Hashish and a good time."

Mahmud called for the others to bring the Hookah outside so they could lay and watch the stars as they smoked. Eventide found there had been a lot of soft couches laid out under the stars. All were set close to each other so the tubes from the Hookah could be easily reached. From that moment on, Eventide could not remember much except for the brightness of the stars and clear dark sky.

Chapter 2
The Squires Melee

The next morning found the hunting party ready to leave for the castle. Mahmud had insisted that Eventide should once again dress as one of them for their return; he said it was so Eventide could get a feel for the new form of dress and would in the future, feel more at home with his new brothers.

The large hunting train did not try to hurry; they had all day and would make the castle with plenty of time to spare. Eventide even now felt at home on his small black horse; the new clothes of his friends felt light and gave him a freedom of movement he had never had with his old ones.

It was past midday when the troupe approached the outer walls of the castle. Before they entered, Mahmud told Eventide to pull up the long tail of his turban and hide his face; once that was done they then began the trek up to the castle proper. All around them were people going about their daily tasks.

The narrow streets were almost filled with shoppers and farmers as well as Knights and their ever present Squires. The group had only just turned down the final street towards the castle when Eventide felt something hit him hard in the ribs; from the crowd came loud raucous laughter.

Eventide looked down at his once clean new clothes; where his ribs now ached a little, he saw the unmistakeable dirty splotch of horse dung; he also saw the laughter coming from a group of about six Squires. Before he could react, Eventide felt a hand on his arm; it was Mahmud. It was only seconds later the Squire who had thrown the offensive dung was looking down at four very sharp lances only inches from his throat.

The Squire's voice which had been saying something about the dirty Saracen was suddenly silenced by the closeness of the sharp points.

Before there could be more trouble started, there came a loud and very easily recognisable voice as Mahmud had drawn his fancy dagger and was about to fly at the Squire from the back of his own horse.

"Hold your hand Prince Sal-A-Hadin; why do you draw a weapon on my streets?"

Mahmud bowed low from his horse and salaamed the King after which he replaced his dagger at his waist. Mounted beside the King were Saed on the left and Freeman on the right; both looked at the boys with an almost wry smile as they recognised the smaller frame of Eventide; even though he was barely visible under the disguise and showing only his light eyes through the thin gap of the scarf and turban.

"Your Majesty, my brother has been dishonoured in the most foul of ways; I was trying to decide which of two penalties should be reigned down upon the perpetrator; this Squire."

The King had not recognised Eventide in his disguise and had assumed he was just another of the Bedou boys in the very large troupe that had arrived with his friend and ally Saed.

"If that be the case, then why does not your brother take back his own honour?"

"Your Majesty, he is new to your court and is not familiar with the ways of chivalry; I wished to stand in his stead."

"That may be very honourable of you young Prince but, what had you planned with your dagger?"

"Your Majesty, I was of two minds; there was the possibility of drawing his blood and then facing your wrath for his death or; I could have taken his manhood and sent him to my uncle's harem as a eunuch. At this time I was not decided."

By now the small group of Squires were starting to look for ways to disappear; unfortunately for them, the large crowd of towns folk had moved so close they could not move; it was not unintentional that the commoners had done so; they wanted to see a Squire brought down as they had the reputation for harassing many of the common boys as they were looked upon as beneath the Squires and their Knights.

"Perhaps your brother should have the final say on the Squire's future, after all; he is the one offended?"

"As you command, Your Majesty."

Mahmud sidled his horse closer to Eventide and leaned over to whisper in his ear.

"Follow my lead; we will have a little fun at this Squire's expense. Pretend to speak to me but keep your face hidden and voice low so no others can hear you."

"What have you got in mind; I don't know anything about fighting to be able to beat him in a duel of honour."

"You won't have too; listen this is my plan; if you agree."

Mahmud continued to whisper his plan to Eventide; only the widening of Eventide's eyes indicated anything about the plan Mahmud had in mind; not only was it clever but also very devious and would break with all traditions of the joust that was to come in a few weeks.

Eventide nodded as asked when Mahmud stopped whispering, he then sat back on his horse and let Mahmud do all the talking.

"Your Majesty, my brother; who is of a gentle nature and who has decided to be magnanimous towards his attacker; would ask of you a boon?"

"Tell your guards to put down their weapons and pull back then tell me what your brother asks of me."

Mahmud gave the order for his four guards to retire and then looked back at the King; it was noticeable that Saed and Freeman were looking at the two boys with some interest and a little mirth; both knew of Mahmud's tendency for fun; even if it was a little twisted at times.

"Your Majesty, my brother would ask that the offender be given pride of place at the Squire's melee and; as he has taken the first strike against a Saracen." The inflection on the word Saracen did not go unnoticed by either of the three men. "He also asks that such bravery be rewarded with the white surplus and Red Cross of a crusader and that he be at the fore front of the charge to lead the Squires into the battle?"

"A most unusual request Prince Sal-A-Hadin, still if he is satisfied with that then so it shall be."

The King turned to the offending Squire and gave him a glare that would have caused other lesser men to wilt away.

"Squire; you have heard the boy's request; are you truly brave enough to wear the cloth of a crusader and lead the charge at the melee?"

The Squire went to one knee and almost glowed at being asked; he could not fathom why the filthy Saracen would give him such an honour after being smeared with horse dung; still the boy was only a filthy Saracen and was obviously scared silly of the Squire; he felt it was a shame the boy would not be on the field when they crushed the commoners like they did every year. He could just imagine a few extra heavy blows with his wooden sword on the smaller boy.

"As Your Majesty commands, it would be my honour to lead the charge and win the day."

"I only hope you can carry it through, young Squire. Well Prince Sal-A-Hadin; your boon is agreed and your brother's wishes shall be fulfilled."

"My brother and I humbly thank Your Majesty for his boon."

Mahmud bowed low again as the King turned his horse back in the direction of the castle; Eventide did not miss the smile on the faces of the other two men; he also did not miss the lifting of their forefingers and the slight nod they gave him as they indicated they had seen the black stone of his new ring.

Had Eventide's face not been covered, everyone would have seen the bright red blush fill his cheeks. As the three men left and Mahmud rejoined him; his new brother smiled widely and reached over to slap Eventide on the back lightly.

"My brother, there is fun afoot, come we must go and make our plans, we have much to do before the day of the melee."

Mahmud took the lead towards the castle, Eventide settled in beside him as the long train of the hunting party wound their way back to the castle keep.

After the evening meal and sitting alone in Mahmud's rooms, the two boys began the planning for the upcoming melee. Mahmud told Eventide what they would need and how they were to go about it. As the plan was revealed, Eventide became more enthusiastic and let his imagination run wild with possibilities and suggestions. It was late into the night by the time the two boys had worked out a rough plan of action.

As they settled back into the large bed side by side, Mahmud said.

"You know we are going to completely disrupt all the old laws of the melee with this plan; don't you?"

"How would I know? I've never been in a melee but your plan does sound interesting, if only we can pull it off?"

"Oh we can pull it off my brother; the surprise factor alone is worth ten men for each of theirs; now tomorrow we must start to fulfil what we have discussed and we must keep it all as secret as the King's gold."

"If this works, you know we are going to be talked about a lot and not all of it will be good."

"My brother, if this works there will not be a single person; Knight or Squire that would dare touch or confront us ever again."

With those last words, both boys settled back and fell asleep; they would need all their strength and cunning for the next few weeks until the melee; there was a lot to do and hard training for not only them but all the others they hoped to bring into their plan.

Two days later and it was time for the vows to be made by the commoners and Squires alike; as well the Knights would give their vows to honour the joust rules. The King would then tell them when and where the joust and the Squires and Knights melee would be held.

At the annual joust there were many parts. On the first day it was the day of the lysts where the Knights would fight with horse and lance. On the second day it was the individual fights with sword or axe. The third day of the joust was the Squire's melee and finally it was the Knight's melee.

Each day was separated by two days of feasting and entertainment by travelling troupes of acrobats and other entertainers; there were also games for the children and adults as well as copious amounts of ale and cider along with roast wild boar and other meats.

The King's joust each year was a celebration of all that was good and fun in the land and would call people from all around the country to watch and enjoy the spectacle of Knights jousting and fun at the two week long fair.

The day dawned bright and sunny; it was the height of summer and the conditions were ideal; as they were each year for the King's joust. At the large palisade where the lysts would be set up for the first day of the Knight's joust; the King and his selected advisors were sitting up on a covered stage; around the outer edge of the central ring were all the people of the land; many were high up in nearby trees to watch the spectacle of the vows.

The first of those to enter the ring and say their vow each year were the commoner boys; from the crowd there was silence as the very large group of boys shuffled into the ring; there were many ribald calls from the Squires at the rag-tag group of almost two hundred commoners; most were dressed in their best clothes; although they were not much better than their everyday wear; this also caused many remarks from the Knights and their Squires.

The King had a stern look on his face as he heard some of the remarks; he did not appreciate most of them; these were his people; they were the back bone of his armies and the suppliers of his food and weaponry.

The King raised his arms to call for silence; he looked at the large group of boys, some as young as twelve summers and others as old as seventeen summers; The King rose up and looked down at the boys of the commoners.

"Have you selected a leader for the people?"

A large well muscled young man stepped forward and then knelt down and bowed his head to his King before he looked back up and said in a strong voice.

"I am called Bernard, son of the blacksmith; I have been chosen to lead the people in the Squire's melee."

"Then Bernard, son of the blacksmith; I ask under which colours do you fight?"

For the last ten years, the commoners had never had any colours to fight under but were asked just the same as the Squires or Knights were; each year they had said nothing; there was nothing to say; instead, this time Bernard looked the King in the eye and said loudly and with a certain confidence.

"We are the King's people; we fight under the colours of the King, Your Majesty."

The King was suddenly unable to find his voice; while he was trying to avoid a tear coming to his eye, the rest of the two hundred boys knelt down and raised their right had in a fist and, in one voice said.

"We the King's people fight under the King's colours and will bring honour to our King."

The hush of the crowd was suddenly broken as loud cheering from the commoners roared out drowning any loud comments and laughter from the assembled Knights and squires.

"Then my people, I say welcome to the joust and may your valour win the day."

The large group of boys moved away to the far edge of the ring to let the squires perform their vow; there would be no disturbance of the Squire's vows by the common folk; they would show that they had honour for the occasion.

The King sat back down to listen to the vows of the Squires that would be followed by all the Knights. It was easily noticeable that the Squires were far better equipped than the commoners would ever be. They were dressed in their best clothes and armour and carried fine swords and daggers; the commoners had been empty handed and wore only the best clothes they could manage; many had no other clothes but what they stood in.

The first squire rode up in front of the King and bowed his head; each of the one hundred squires would follow the same vow as the first; it was noticed that the first was the Squire that had thrown horse dung at the disguised Eventide; only Freeman and Saed noticed that both Eventide and Mahmud were missing from the ring and could not be seen anywhere.

The first squire began.

"Your Majesty, I am Nevel Thorain; Squire to Sir Justin of Kent; I fight under his colours and will lead the Squires to victory once again."

"Squire Thorain, I hope you will do justice to your claims and fight well; I see you already wear your surplus of a crusader; may you bring honour to it and to your Knight."

The Squire bowed and turned back to join the others as the next came up to vow his place in the Squire's melee. As the last Squire turned back to join the others who were, by now well happy with themselves; there came a small disturbance below the stage where the King sat.

From out of the crowd came a smallish built boy; the King as well as Freeman and Saed immediately recognised Eventide; he was dressed in rough woollen trews, short strong sandals with criss-crossed thongs tied half way up his calves; he was bare chested and carried only a wooden staff; the King looked at him with askance on his face.

"Your Majesty, I am Eventide; Squire to Baron Tremaine of Lancaster; I stand under the colours of the King and fight for the people."

Freeman looked at Saed as if to say 'I told you something was up'

Before the King could reply; Mahmud appeared from the same place; he was dressed in the plain blue of the Bedou, even his dagger was plain and without adornment; he bowed to the King and said in a strong voice.

"Your Majesty; I am Prince Mahmud Sal-A-Hadin; I stand with my brother under the colours of the King and fight for the People."

From every corner of the ring came the cheers of the commoners; it completely drowned out any discontent by the Knights and their Squires; the fact that two boys who should have been fighting on the side of the Squires; even if they were disliked by those same boys; had blatantly thrown down the gauntlet and flouted all the rules of the joust.

For the King it was almost the proudest day of his life; there were no rules to say the boys could not fight alongside the commoners; over the years it had just been assumed that all Squires would fight the melee as one group; that unspoken rule had now been thrown aside by two small boys; this may turn out to be a good joust after all.

As happy as the King was to see the two boys declare their honour for the King and the common people; he did not hold out much hope for their future; they would now be marked for special treatment by the Squires should the occasion arise.

The King held back a particular tear that was persisting in trying to roll down his cheek as he gulped to clear his throat.

"Welcome to the joust to you both; however I have one thing that puzzles me. You say you fight under the King's colours yet you have no such colours to show me."

For the first time in his life, Eventide took the lead.

"Your Majesty; while we would like to stand under your colours, we can still fight for your honour without the colours flying overhead as they are in our hearts and that will suffice in our moment of need."

"Well said young Squire but not good enough."

The King turned to a young page boy of about twelve summers and pointed at him and then to a pole with his colours hanging on them; it was the bright red banner with a single gold lion sewn on it.

"Page, take those colours to our valiant Squires; they shall have our colours flying above them when they fight."

The young page hefted the banner and ran down the steps to stand in front of Eventide and Mahmud; before either of them took the banner, Mahmud whispered something to the pageboy. The young boy looked at Mahmud and a wide smile broke out on his face as he knelt down and bowed his head; his grasp on the banner pole grew tighter.

Mahmud looked back up at the King and smiled.

"Your Majesty, we the King's people would ask of you a boon?"

The King smiled wryly and even lifted one eyebrow.

"Again? Well ask away."

"We the King's people would ask that Page Robin be the bearer and defender of your colours in the upcoming melee?"

The King smiled broadly; what else could he say to such a forward and cunning boy as the Prince.

"Agreed, you have your boon; page Robin rise and face me."

The young boy stood up and faced his King.

"Page Robin; do you swear to bear and defend my colours with your very life if such is needed?"

In a young, clear but high pitched voice, Robin replied.

"Upon my life I swear, Your Majesty."

"Good, then I give you the title of Bearer of the King's Colours; defend them with your life and your honour."

There was hardly a dry eye in the large crowd as the boy again knelt down and swore his vow; only the Knights and Squires had a few choice words to say as to the fate of the small boy when the melee began and ended as quickly as it usually did.

In the past the longest the commoners had been able to hold out had been less than one half hour; this time the Squires had a lot more to fight for and the victory would come that much sooner; of that they were sure.

It was late in the afternoon before the last Knight had made his vows; the King then rose to tell everyone when and where; for the common boys it had been a long day and these final words only went to confirm the suspicions they had had before.

"In two weeks time the first two days of the fair will take place here; on the third day the jousting will take place in this palisade. On the third day after the first joust will take place the hand to hand combat and duels in this arena. On the ninth day the Squires melee will take place at the valley of Kent; as normal, the commoners will select their ground to defend first. On the twelfth day the Knight's melee will take place at Commons ground; sides will be selected according to ballot as is usual. Bernard, son of the blacksmith; how do you select your ground?"

Bernard stood from where he had been seated on the ground and looked at Eventide and Mahmud; after a quick nod he looked up at the King.

"Your Majesty; we the King's people would select the western end of the valley and defend your colours from there."

Even though the King was a little puzzled by the decision of the boy he had to agree; it was normal for the common boys to pick the wider end of the valley as they numbered so many more and needed the extra space to try to manoeuvre against the better trained Squires.

For them this time to elect to defend the narrow slope of the western end was beyond him, they would have no space to move and would be at the mercy of the Squires charge; still it was not his to reason why; they had selected the western end and that was that.

"Then as the rules of the melee allow, the western end is yours to defend; may luck and honour be on your side."

It was the last thing to be decided and now it was time to return to their homes; the common boys now had a little more than two weeks to prepare to once again meet their fate at the hands of the arrogant and better trained Squires.

Freeman and Saed noticed from that day on, both boys would now spend their nights in each other's rooms; they also noticed that the boys were gone early in the morning with their hunting falcons and a small troop of ten other Bedou as guards and would not return until almost dark.

The boys were away all day on their hunts; the two men were not really sure what was going on as the returning boys usually had very little to show for a full days hunting; normally it was only a few birds, rabbits or hares; barely enough to fill a couple of stomachs for so many hours spent out hunting.

The weeks passed and there was nothing but hustle and bustle as everyone prepared for the upcoming joust. As the first day of jousting arrived; Freeman and Saed saw little of the two boys; even today; the first day of competition, there was no sign of them.

The jousts were fast and furious; being only allowed to use blunted lances there were no deaths but there were a number of broken bones and lacerations. The modern joust, while a lot of the blood had been taken out with the banning of metal pointed lances; was still not for the faint of heart; falling from a horse in full armour could still do a lot of damage and not only from the lance strike.

Once again Freeman was triumphant as the King's Champion although his left shoulder ached intolerably from a good strike by his last opponent but he was still the best Knight there. Freeman did not have time to wonder where his new Squire had got to; the boy had asked to be excused from his duty as a Squire for the period as he had little knowledge of what to do for a Knight in a joust; besides, the King had provided his champion with all the squires he needed.

For the next two days, Freeman was; as the champion and best Knight of the joust; feted wherever he went; there were many ales to be drunk and stories to be told. When the day arrived for the individual competition, the King asked Freeman not to enter; he had once again proved himself and Saed had requested that he be allowed to fight in the arena for his own amusement; who was the King to forbid another crowned head his pleasures.

Saed proved to be far more than an ordinary swordsman; using his own lighter and better made scimitar; he cut a swath through the competition to step forward as the winner of the individual competition; again there were more rounds of feasting and ale; of the boys neither man had seen a sign of them; they had continued to go out hunting while everyone else was training and preparing for their own fights.

Finally the day of the Squires melee arrived. The Kentish valley was set in a tear drop shape; around the upper sides were the positions for the spectators to watch the melee. Half way along a great platform had been set with bunting and flags for the King and his guests to watch.

The valley was a long shape; at the wider end were all the mounted Squires; they could not use their horses in the charge and had to go to foot when they reached a line drawn by two white flags about one hundred paces from where the commoners would be.

The common boys were now pressed into a tight narrow section; as the watchers looked down they could see the commoners milling around in what looked to be total confusion. They had no armour and very few of what could be called weapons.

There was a murmur of doubt all around the arena like valley; the lost and forlorn look of the commoners was made worse by the high spirits and better equipment of the Squires; Freeman and Saed could still not see any sign of their two boys. They had little doubt the boys would be here; the thought of dishonour by not showing was just not an option; Freeman decided he had to take a closer and better look at the disorganised rabble below them. Something did not feel right.

The Squires could plainly see the disorganised rabble of the two hundred commoners; the jeers and laughter rang around the valley much to the concern of the common folk watching above them; it looked as though, once again their boys would be in for a hiding; of the King's colours and the two Squires there was no sign.

Freeman moved over to stand beside Saed; he also was looking closely at the shuffling rabble of the commoners.

"Do you feel this is not what it looks like my brother?" Freeman asked Saed quietly.

"Yes brother; something is not right and I am starting to put together some questions my nephew has asked me over the last two weeks."

"Funny; Eventide has also been asking me strange things as well."

"Such as?"

"He asked me to tell him about ancient battles and things like that; he even asked me to start to teach him to read and write his letters."

"Very strange; Mahmud asked much the same; what the Shaitan are those two up to; there's something going on down there but I can't put my finger on it."

"I feel much the same."

The two friends watched as a few of the squires made a line charge on their horses and then turned back when they reached the white banners; it appeared to frighten the commoners even more as they crouched down and hid their heads; only the tall thick body of Bernard could be seen moving around talking and whispering to some of the boys on the field.

On the other side of the valley stood a line of ten red banners; as the time grew closer for the melee to begin, one of the banners would be dropped to indicate the start was close; both men watched as the first banner slid down; there was now only about nine minutes to the beginning of the battle.

The Squires took another opportunity to make one more false charge before the next banner fell; the atmosphere grew even grimmer as the time ran down; it looked as though the commoner boys had been totally cowed.

It was as the third banner fell that something caught Freeman's eye; it was a group of boys sitting at the back of the others and higher up on the small slope. He looked closer and then smiled as he nudged Saed and silently pointed to the small group of about twenty boys who were dressed in rough woollen cloaks that covered them completely; it was then he saw that they were not the only ones covered by the rough cloaks.

The only thing that seemed out of place on the side of the commoners were a line of ten small carts being held by farm horses, they were stacked high with hay.

"You know brother; if they used those carts as a barrier, it may well slow down the Squires charge," Freeman said.

"I don't think it would help my brother, the Squires are trained for assaulting barricades; it will not slow them down much."

"I don't know, there's something going on here that we can't see."

Just as he finished speaking, the fourth banner fell; suddenly there was a blast of a horn that sounded much like a cow horn; what happened next stunned all those watching, especially the Squires.

As one person the boys all stood tall and threw off their homemade cloaks; underneath they wore solid looking leather jerkins; at the same time the straw was thrown from the carts and a mass of boys began to take wicker shields and long poles with a small square wooden cap on one end.

At the centre of the field a large number of smaller boys also threw off their cloaks and revealed that they were holding small bows and quivers of blunted arrows; further back, the twelve largest boys took up what looked like solidly made tall shields about six feet tall and four feet wide.

Behind the largest boys now stood twenty black clothed boys in their Hashin garb, only their dark eyes showing. Just behind the Hashin there was suddenly a small stage; at one corner now flew the green banner of Lancaster and a smaller blue banner of Eventide. On the other side flew a black flag with strange writing on it.

Up on the stage stood a small slim boy dressed in blue and green striped trews; on his feet were the leather sandals with the cross hatching of thongs tied up the calves; his chest was bare and he had bright blue swirls drawn on his chest and shoulders. Across his forehead was the dark blue woad of the Iceni and his long hair was bound back in a long single plait.

Beside Eventide stood the smaller frame of the page boy; much to every ones consternation the small boy was armed with a real steel sword and in his hands was the King's banner; it appeared he was truly going to defend it with everything he had; he also had a cow horn over his shoulder on a thin strap.

Even as they watched, the boy lifted the horn to his lips and blew three short blasts. The activity increased down on the flatter ground where the Squires would hit first. Suddenly, from disillusionment of earlier; there came a hive of activity.

What was once a down hearted muddle of boys there was now three tight lines of wicker shields; some little distance behind them and up the slope a little stood three lines of young boys with their bows at the ready.

To the right hand side of the front lines stood a figure in black clothes, a metal shield on one arm and a short wooden sword in the other. The front line of shield bearers also had short wooden swords while behind them stood two solid lines of boys with the long poles and wicker shields.

As the second last banner fell and battle was now imminent. The front row of about fifty boys formed up close to each other and locked shields; it was noticeable to anyone who took the time to see it, that the front line was all of larger boys; ones who could take the first charge and keep their feet; they were all well built boys from the farms and knew all about hard work.

The second and third lines pushed the long poles forward so the blunt wooden end rested on the top of the front line of shields; Mahmud stood to one side of the front line and gave orders and encouragement. It was noticeable that there was a certain silence now from the massed Squires; they had never seen the commoners do anything like this before and they were not sure how they should proceed.

"Tell me brother, what are those poles?" Saed asked Freeman as they watched the preparations below them.

"They are called pikes; the farmers use them for holding up the stacks of straw when they are building them; it is to stabilise the stack until it is finished."

"Ingenious, I am looking forward to see how they use them."

"So am I my brother; so am I."

Everything had happened so fast that the Squires had not had time to try and change tactics; as they tried to change things, the last banner fell; there was little they could do but charge. There was hope the sight of the horse charge would unsettle the boys in front of them; even though they could not use the horses to actually attack the line.

As the Squires charged, Freeman caught the movement of Bernard moving from his upper line down to stand beside the smaller boys with bows; as he watched he heard the long then short blast from the horn; it seemed every boy suddenly straightened up even more and prepared to fight; they were not the same group that had huddled and listlessly moved around before.

Freeman turned to Saed.

"Well it looks like we have an Athenian shield wall backed up by Persian bow lines; it's the large shields up top I can't work out and the twenty boys of the brotherhood standing behind them."

"Well as you know, the black flag is the signal for Jihad so those boys are up to something; the three lines of bowmen is new to me; there are only about thirty boys all told so it will be little effect on the Squires line. Not enough mass power but, I must say it is going to be an interesting day."

As the Squires began to walk their horses at the beginning of the charge, the commoners on the far slopes grew silent; from the Knights massed around the stage on which the King and his advisers sat, came a loud cheer and many ribald comments towards the waiting lines of commoner boys.

Freeman could not resist the temptation to rile up some of the less honourable Knights.

"Sir Justin; I see your Squire leads the charge; mayhap he will also be the first to fall?"

"I would not think so My Lord Baron; I personally taught him and he is a good student; he will break their lines and we will sit for lunch before the commoners get back on their feet."

"But you have not allowed for the interest of both my Squire and the young Prince?"

"An inexperienced boy and a Saracen? Really Baron I see no competition there."

"Perhaps then a wager would be in order?"

"A wager would be welcome but my honour says I am stealing from you Baron Tremaine; the Squires have won every melee for the last ten years; you stand little chance of winning but; if you insist I would place ten gold on the Squires."

"You have great confidence in your protégé, perhaps twenty gold would be a better indication Sir Justin?"

"If it is your wish Baron, then twenty gold it is."

Suddenly both Saed and the King spoke up almost together with finally the King taking the place of the speaker.

"Sir Justin, I and the Emir would also like to wager on our people; it is the least we can do."

At the sound of the King's wager, suddenly every other Knight wanted to get in on the wager; none were refused; Freeman turned to the King.

"Sire, if our boys do not find a solution to the Squires we could all be paupers by day's end."

"True Baron but a slight error; I will be a pauper; both you and our friend have enough land and gold to rescue me afterwards so I hope we will remain friends?"

"As my King requests; we shall both bail you out of debt should our boys lose."

The three men laughed and turned back to watch the field; with over a hundred Knights in on the wager, the three men were indeed in for a large loss if their boys failed on the field.

The Squires had started back at about 800 paces; they would increase their pace until it was a canter and then for a short distance a full gallop although they would have to slow as they reached the white markers and dismount. Grouped close to the markers were a mass of young page boys dressed in the colours of the Knights; they would take the horses off the field once the Squires had dismounted.

The Squires were lined up in two ranks of approximately fifty five boys in each; out in front as promised, rode Squire Thorain; his white surplus and Red Cross standing out on the green field. It was obvious to any there that the Squires were far better prepared for the melee; they all wore heavy padded leather jackets over which was a well made chain mail shirt; on their left arm was a large metal shield and in their right hand they carried a four foot long heavy wooden sword.

As the pace of the charge increased, the thunder of the horses hooves began to fill the narrow valley; for the defenders at the far end it must have sounded like the very devil himself was coming; yet they stood calmly and waited.

Freeman and Saed heard a soft cough behind them; turning they saw a small gesture from the King to come and stand at his side; the two men obeyed. Once beside the King and with the other advisors more interested in the valiant charge of the Squires; the King asked them both.

"Am I getting old or are my eyes deceiving me?"

"How so Your Majesty?" Freeman asked the King.

"The Squires appear to be compressing their lines as they move forward; if they continue in this fashion they will have less than thirty at the front line; it would lessen their attack by more than fifty percent."

Freeman and Saed looked closer and watched as the charging horses closed in on each other; both began to chuckle at the same time as they saw the outer horses slow and fall behind the others; the further they moved into the valley; the more fell back.

"No Your Majesty; your eyes do not deceive; those two have used the ground to blunt the charge. The sloping sides are interfering with the horse's gate and forcing them to fall behind; even now we can see how they are beginning to string out in a column instead of a strong front."

"Very cunning those two boys. I see also that they have set their three lines at the front in the ancient form of an Athenian shield wall; what worries me is why they would have those tall stronger looking boys of the third rank at the rear; surely they would better be able to hold the front line instead of the shorter boys in the first line?"

Freeman and Saed took another look at the three lines of the shield wall; the first and second lines looked to be of equal height but the front line looked to be of heavier build. The second line of boys appeared to be a lot younger but were the same height. Of the third line there was a marked difference in height and size by at least a head height; the two men looked closer.

After a few more glances at the three lines; Freeman took out his dagger and held it up level with his own eyes; after a few seconds he began to chuckle and replaced his dagger before telling the other two.

"It's the rise of the ground; where the Squires will begin their attack is rising ground; they will be fighting up-hill all the way. The first rank are boys of the same size as those in the third rank; the second rank is smaller and younger boys; why they hold the second rank is beyond me as yet but the boys must have their own reason."

"But why do they have at least six or eight boys in the first rank that are partially up the slope; they are no good there when the attack hits the line?"

The other two looked again; the King had seen something they had missed. This time it was Saed who pointed out the changes.

"Your Majesty; if we look at the second rank there are perhaps eight or ten boys up the side slope and the third rank has a few more; now if those extra boys were at some stage to move around and down, they would outflank the frontal assault; would they not? Add to the other fact that the Squires will be strung out in columns instead of a broad attacking front; then those boys up the slope will be in perfect place to raid the flanks."

The other two also now saw what Saed had described; both nodded in agreement.

"That looks to be the case Friend Saed; but what about those very young archers; there are not enough to make much of a difference?"

"True Your Majesty; but at this stage I cannot see how they will be of any use; it appears we will have to wait for developments but the boys must have thought this out if the rest is any indication."

Slowly the battle field took shape; the Squires charge had now weakened and was strung out in five or six long columns and the pace had never been able to reach its full potential. The tactics had fully blunted any hope of a strong and fear inspiring charge.

When the horses finally reached the markers, there was a certain amount of disarray in the Squires ranks; as they all dismounted and let the pages take their horses; there was a sudden loud blast from the cow horn, it was quickly replaced by a loud shout from Bernard who stood to one side of the three lines of young archers.

"Front rank ready."

By now all the Squires had dismounted and were trying to reorganise their attack lines for the foot charge into the commoner shield line which was only one hundred paces away; to anyone looking and not really understanding the lay of the ground; it appeared the Squires would have a straight run; to the three men that had seen the tactic, the squires would be moving up-hill all the way.

With the horses now off the field and the squires about to move forward; the next loud spoken order from Bernard filled the valley.

"Front rank, Fire."

Within a second the order continued.

"Second rank, Fire: Third rank, Fire: First rank, Fire."

And so it continued; the three men watched as a veritable torrent of blunted arrows took to the air; with the first line being ready to fire as the third line released theirs it was a continuous stream of arrows. While the first arrows only numbered ten, by the time they actually hit the lines of Squires, there were more than ninety others already in the air and coming down at them.

The continuous rain of blunted arrows caused the Squires to lift their shields to protect their heads and faces from the storm; without realising it, they left their bodies wide open; it also caused many of the boys to keep their eyes on the sky which created stumbles and falls which only went to make others fall over those already down.

The Squires kept moving forward but they were now disorganised and their solid line of attack was slowing; the heavy punch they hoped to hit the front line with was all but gone; from now on they would be almost on the back foot. For Squire Thorain at the front none of this was seen; all he looked at and thought about was the shield line in front of him; to his best knowledge he had the backing of a full healthy charge with the power to force through the thin line of commoners and take the King's banner.

As the torrent of arrows flew through the air; the three men on the stage smiled at the cunning use of the thirty archers; the King was the first to speak.

"Well that answers that question; the charge looks like it is broken; from now on it will be just guts and hope for the Squires."

The other two looked at the young Squires who had already fallen; they appeared to number about twenty and; apart from one unlucky lad who had got hit in the eye with an arrow; the rest were those who had been tripped or fallen over and been stepped on by their fiends. There was an obvious number of sprained or broken ankles and even a few holding injured arms where they had fallen on the heavy shields and dislocated a wrist or shoulder.

As yet the Squires had not even reached the front line but had already lost twenty men; it did not bode well for the rest of the day; add to that the continuous need to watch above for the arrows that continued to rain down on them and the line charge slowed even more.

As the line closed on the waiting shield wall; it also became noticeable that some of the Squires were tiring; their training was concentrated more on horseback tactics and fitness; the long run under fire along with the weight of the heavy armour was already taking its toll.

"Well Your Majesty," said Saed. "It appears the boy's tactics are already showing benefits; the Squires have about twenty down and probably out of the fight and a large number are feeling the weight of their armour and the rising ground so are slowing to not much more than a walk. A good commander would pull back now and reorganise his men but I doubt that will occur to the young Squire leading the way."

"I fear you are right friend Saed; perhaps this will be a good lesson for the boy; still, he has a good ninety men yet so they might still break through with their superior weapons; we will have to wait and see how the boys on the shield wall hold themselves."

The other two men nodded but were also now a little more sure that their two boys had pulled a rabble of commoners into a viable and tough fighting force; the Squires were not going to have it easy by any means.

Finally the front line of about twenty Squires hit the shield wall, or they would have if they had not suddenly been stopped short by the long hard wood of the pikes that had been pushed forward and into the very faces of the front line of squires.

Squire Thorain had been the first to have his head rattled by a hit on the forehead by the thick block of wood on the end of the long pike; it sent him to his knees as others were struck about the head or held away from the wall by the strength of the double row of boys holding the long pikes.

Those at the very front of the shield wall stood solid and ready, they knew their turn was coming. Squire Thorain was on his hands and knees; his metal helm had taken some of the sting out of the blow but he still had to shake the stars out of his head before he could rise again and charge the waiting line.

Around Thorain lay some of his friends; the strange pikes had taken a toll on the first to reach the waiting commoners and those behind had stumbled over and onto those already down; the charge had become a rabble of shouting and cursing Squires and still, the pikes did their hard work on those trying to get back on their feet.

Thorain regained his feet but, after only two steps he was felled again; this time by a heavy blow in the chest; he had forgotten in the heat of the moment to raise his shield; again he struggled back to his feet and moved forward.

To the attackers, it seemed an age before they actually met the shield wall; as more and more forced their weight against the wall it slowly began to bend but not give.

Behind the lines, the archers had now moved into a new formation of a single line; the three watchers on the stage saw a number of the Hashin run forward with replacement quivers for the archers who were now taking aim at individual targets; none of the arrows would do much in the way of harm but they were distracting for the Squires.

The centre of the front line was now bending a little further; suddenly the second and third lines stepped forward and used their shields to hold the front line and keep it solid; they did not try to straighten the line but just help hold it.

It was now plainly obvious that the squires were tiring although still trying to push forward; it was a game of cat and mouse at best; when the Squires eased off to get their breath back; the front line would suddenly open their locked shields and attack with short heavy wooden swords; not to slash but to stab at open points on the squires; when it looked as though the squires were going to return to the attack; the shield wall would close and lock once again.

The to and fro continued for more than an hour; there were now young Squires almost on their hands and knees from exhaustion and the summer heat; their heavy armour was doing them no favours.

Suddenly there was the loud blast of the cow horn; it ended on a rising note; at the end of the blast, the front line suddenly began to move in what at first sight appeared to be a break in the line. A loud cheer went up from all the assembled Knights; their Squires had broken through the front line; there would be little to hold them back now. Sir Justin raised his voice and called Freeman.

"What now Baron; I don't suppose you would like to double our wager now that the line is broken?"

From the stage it appeared differently to the three men as they looked over the whole battle field. The front line was not broken; it was obvious they had heeded the call of the cow horn and were moving not back in retreat; but to the side. The line had split at the centre and each of the two parts had moved slowly sideways until they were now covering both flanks of the squires.

Freeman looked over at the Knight.

"Doubled it is Sir Justin."

"Add ours Sir Knight," called the King.

It now could be seen that the boys of the shield wall were slowly forming a deep pocket for the squires to fight their way deeper into. The boys up on the flanks now stayed off but guarded against any of the Squires breaking out of the narrow front they were fighting on.

The second and smaller line was now holding and fighting the very tired and, in some cases, totally exhausted Squires. The younger and smaller boys along with the aid of the large friends behind them; held the line although it did bend a little at the centre.

One hundred paces back, the archers were breaking up and retreating up behind the twelve large boys behind them; from the rear appeared four black clad boys carrying what looked to be earthenware jugs; pulling the stoppers, the four boys poured something over the ground about ten paces from the twelve waiting boys above them.

Once finished, the four disappeared back behind the last line to mix with the archers who seemed to be busy with something else not quickly apparent.

With the archers safe and the four young figures now out of the way; the cow horn blew one long and two short blasts; much to the delight of the squires, the second line of young boys broke.

The three men watched with a faint hint of amusement on their lips as more cheers and yells went up from the watching Knights; their Squires had easily broken the second line; none noticed the smaller boys moving up beside those of the front lines out on the flanks and above the weakening Squires.

The pocket created by the defenders now had the Squires deep inside; looking down the three men saw that there were now only about fifty squires left able to fight; many had injuries and others were just totally exhausted to such a stage they could no longer stay on their feet and had collapsed where they were.

The third line was fresh and took a toll of the weary Squires; when the cow horn sounded for them to retire to the flanks, there were only about thirty Squires still standing. The loud cheering from the supporting Knights gave those left a new lease of strength.

At the sound of the cow horn, the third line broke and went to join their friends up the slope. The last line made their way up the slope to join those waiting from the other two lines; as they joined the younger ones, the boys from the first line moved down behind the Squires back where the first Squires had fallen and formed a double line in their rear; the Squires were now hemmed in with no escape.

Freeman nudged his friend and pointed up to the slopes where the shield wall boys were now standing.

"Look, they came prepared for a long fight."

Saed and the King looked up at the mass of boys on the slopes that now formed the flanks of the deep pocket; a loud chuckle came from them as they watched each boy take a small water flask and crust of bread from a pouch at their waist and begin to eat and drink to restore their strength.

Squire Thorain had taken many hits and seemed to ache in every part of his tired body but, he had broken the last line, now all he had was a few boys above him less than fifty paces away and the King's banner was his.

Thorain called the last of his men to him; they had one more hard push to win; even though it had now taken three hours for them to break the lines they were now in sight of victory.

The rules of the melee were that no person not in combat could enter the field without being called by one of the combatants; the boys of the first line, now started to walk towards those that had fallen early; as they reached a downed Squire, one would point his sword and ask the squire something; the Squire always nodded yes. At the nod from the Squire, the boy would raise his sword high above his head; it was the signal that the Squire had yielded and could leave the field or that a page could come and assist him to leave if he was unable to do it on his own.

Slowly the boy's double line moved forward, always closing in on those Squires standing ready to make the final charge; it did not take long before the last Squires were hemmed in and surrounded in the pocket.

Before Thorain could call for the final charge at the twelve waiting boys above them, Eventide appeared at the right end of the twelve large boys; many were surprised at the volume such a small boy could use as he called out to the remaining Squires.

"Squire Thorain; I ask you to yield the field; you cannot win this day and can leave with honour; all of your men have fought well and it is no dishonour to retire in the face of certain defeat."

Thorain looked up at the blue painted small boy; what did the boy think he was saying; he still had thirty or more good Squires and he was only paces away from a mere dozen boys that did not even have their shields up. It was a whisper from one of his other Squires that caused Thorain to turn around and look behind him.

For the first time in his life, Thorain felt a touch of fear. Both the rear and both flanks were a mass of waiting Commoners; no one could say what caused the words to come out of Thorain's mouth but they sealed his fate and the fate of the last few Squires.

They had formed themselves into a wedge shape in readiness for their last charge; Thorain grasped his shield tighter and lifted his long wooden sword; once again he was at the leading edge of his men.

"We are soon to be Knights; we do not bow down to common curs nor filthy Saracens; CHARGE."

The massed wedge began to run up towards the twelve boys; Eventide disappeared behind the larger boys and was soon replaced by all of the young bowmen and Hashin. For those watching closely it was evident that the bowmen were now scouts; they were in groups of three; one boy held a long handled two pronged pitch fork, the other carried a small round buckler on his left arm and a flail with the handle cut short; the Hashin with them carried a long quarter staff.

Saed asked Freeman what the small boys were carrying as he pointed to one of the boys with a buckler on his left arm.

"It looks like a cut down flail that the farmers use for separating the grain from the chaff; it would normally have a longer handle to generate more power for the threshing; it will be interesting to see how they use them."

Saed nodded his head as he watched the one time bowmen and his Hashin split into two and take a flank each. While all this was going on and the squires were starting their charge; the twelve boys above them suddenly leant down and lifted the huge wooden shields; it was then that the watchers saw the two long steel spikes at the base of the shields.

The twelve boys; in a display of pure power; lifted the heavy shields and drove the spikes into the ground; each shield was touching the one next to it; the boys then set two thick poles behind the shields to hold them in place; they had quickly made a large and tall solid siege wall.

Freeman, along with the other two; chuckled as he saw the siege wall erected; with the two poles and the shoulders of the twelve large boys; there was little chance the squires would breach it; what happened next made it an impossible task for the squires to win the day.

When the charging wedge was only ten paces from the daunting wall; the Squires began to slip and slide as they lost their footing; the charge died as they tried to keep their feet on the grass that had been well oiled by the Hashin after the young bowmen had retired.

On both flanks there was suddenly short sharp raids by the one-time bowmen and the Hashin; the boy with the pitch fork would run in and catch the squires shield arm between the two tines; with a twist he would open up the Squires body for the Hashin to come in with his longer staff.

On the other side, the boy with the flail used the buckler to deflect the now weak attempt with the long sword and strike four or five quick blows with the flail head; usually at the wrist or arm of the Squire. Once done and with the squire down, the three would run back to their line and let another three attack.

It became a continuous and painful skirmishing line. It took only a few minutes to bring the last of the Squires to their knees; only Thorain still stood and none of the Squires had made it to the siege line; the orders had been to not take down Thorain; injure; yes but not bad enough that he did not reach the last line of shields.

From behind the wall strode Bernard; he had even dressed in his blacksmiths leather apron. Bernard had been told by Eventide and Mahmud the final honour was to be his for all the insults to the people by the Squires.

Even though the melee had been truly won; not a single cheer went up from the commoner boys; their battle was not over until their two new friends; the young Squire and the Prince; led them to stand before the king and declare the victory.

The boys all stood silently as Bernard made his way to the exhausted and now cowed Thorain; with an open hand he cuffed Thorain hard and sent him spinning to the ground. Bernard then showed just how strong he was; bending at the waist he turned Thorain over and grasped him by the back of the neck and the seat of his pants then lifted him bodily up; turning towards the solid siege wall of shields; he rammed Thorain's face into the solid wooden wall; it was said that the sound of breaking cartilage could be heard around the whole field; when Bernard dropped the now totally stunned boy on the ground; it was apparent Thorain would never breath properly from his nose ever again; Bernard had the last word.

"You can now tell your friends, that you were the only one to reach the wall."

Bernard turned his back and stepped over beside the waiting Eventide, Mahmud and Robin; each was holding their own banner; Mahmud nodded to Bernard with a wide smile.

Robin took his cow horn and blew a long high note; immediately the mass of commoner boys began to reform. The three front lines were given pride of place at the front and formed up in three separate phalanx; behind then came the smaller phalanx of young bowmen and the twenty Hashin. Next in the parade was Robin with the King's banner then behind him and on each side were Eventide with his green and blue banner and Mahmud on the other with his black banner.

Flanking the three banners were the twelve larger boys of the siege wall; they stood six to a side. At another blast of the horn, the procession moved down the field until they came opposite the King's stage; there they formed up and Eventide nodded to Bernard; everyone had decreed that Bernard was to be the leader and take the congratulations from the King.

Bernard stepped forward until he was beside Robin.

"Your Majesty; the people return your colours and declare a victory in your name."

The King looked at the boys below him; had anyone looked closer they would have seen the two tears running into his beard; the King coughed to clear his throat.

"The victory belongs to the people and so does the banner; I declare that tomorrow night; in the great hall, every boy who fought today will appear for the feast in their honour. Robin, Bearer of the King's Banner, I would ask you why you carried a steel sword into the melee when the rules state it is illegal."

"Sire, I pledged on my life to defend the colours; had they fallen then the sword was for my own use."

"A noble gesture that shall be rewarded at the feast tomorrow night. I declare the victory of the Squires melee go to my people and, never was a better battle fought by any man or boy."

That was the final signal for the boys to release a lot of pent up pressure; almost as one voice they all raised their right hands and yelled at the top of their young voices.

"FOR THE KING AND THE PEOPLE"

The boy's voices were soon joined by the common folk who had remained silent through all three and a half hours of the melee as they all yelled and celebrated their great win after ten years of being nothing more than target practice for the arrogant Squires; there was a lot of frustration to be rid of on this day.

During the raucous celebrations, only two people saw Eventide, Mahmud and the twenty black clad Hashin disappear from the crowd of boys; they would have their own little celebration out of sight of the crowd; even Freeman and Saed would be excluded; as it turned out those two would be busy collecting a veritable fortune in gold from the assembled Knights.

Eventide along with Mahmud and the twenty Hashin hurried to their quarters in the castle, once they were all there, they sat and began to laugh and enjoy their own victory; the hookah were brought out and large platters of food and fruit appeared as they all discussed what they could have done better; it was decided that very little would have been changed.

As they all sat around laughing and joking; there came a heavy knock at the door; one of the young servants went and opened the door and immediately stepped back and to the side as a tall man dressed in the black of the Hashin strode into the room.

With little preamble his coal black eyes; the only part of him that could be seen; looked at the happy boys gathered on the floor.

"The Commander of the Brotherhood decrees that all those present will appear at his tents to the south of the castle at the setting of the sun; all those of the Brotherhood will appear as Hashin."

The tall man turned and left without an answer as there was none to give by the boys; it was a decree from the Commander; who of course was the Emir and Mahmud's uncle.

The boys all sat stunned at the turn of events; those in the know, which did not include Eventide, knew that the Commander only called all of the Hashin to assemble in one place for only one reason and that was not usually a good one; something must have gone wrong for all of them to have been summoned so seriously.

The sudden change caused the celebrations to wilt as the boys tried to work out why they had been told to attend; had it been that they had shown themselves in public without the advice of the Commander; it was a possibility and if so there would be dire consequences for all of them.

The closer the time came for them to leave for the tents; the more nervous all the boys became; none of them had ever been called before the Commander; even when they had done something a little daring or not totally honest.

The time came when they could wait no longer; Mahmud helped Eventide into his black garb; making sure everything was correct and that his weapons were placed in the right way and place even though Eventide had now had three weeks of training.

With the other twenty Hashin following them, they made their way to where their horses were being held by some of the servants; there was not a single boy that did not have a little tremble in his step as they mounted and Mahmud led them out of the castle grounds and into the darkening landscape.

It did not take long for them to see the black tents and smaller fires of the encampment; the closer they drew to the tents, the more their nervousness increased. In the camp it was almost totally silent; in front of the largest tent stood two young Hashin; they would assist in taking off the boy's boots and then enter.

As normal each boy was required to show his face before he could enter the tent; when Mahmud and Eventide showed themselves, the two waiting boys told them they would enter last. For Eventide this reminded him of the last time he was presented in such a way and what had happened; was this going to be even worse and more blood spilt?

When all the other boys had entered; the last two were allowed to remove their boots and then the helpers left them alone to enter last. As they entered the tent, Eventide saw there were four oil lamps burning; while it gave a little more light than the last time, most of the tent was still in shadow.

Eventide glanced around and saw there were at least thirty adults as well as the twenty boys now in the tent; as he walked beside Mahmud, a Hashin adult at the far end of the tent called to them.

"Red Scorpion kneel at the centre and bow to the Brothers of the Hashin."

Mahmud walked forward to the centre of the large carpet and knelt down on one knee with his head bowed.

"Shaitan Bin Izurak kneel at the centre and bow to the Brothers of the Hashin."

Eventide tried to keep the shaking in his legs from being seen; as he moved to follow Mahmud to the centre he saw that every man and boy was holding a thin cane in their lap; he hoped it was not for him.

Eventide did the same as Mahmud and bowed his head; the two boys stayed in that position as the man in black continued.

"Brothers we all know what has transpired this day; two of our number revealed our presence without the word of the Commander of the Hashin; for this they must pay a price. There is also a matter of a certain victory organised by the same little brothers; what say you on their fate?"

For Eventide kneeling at the centre and feeling very alone and afraid, the soft whisper of his friend and brother, Mahmud was good to hear.

"We will be alright; we take our punishment and then it is over; I will defend you as you did not know of the rule of secrecy so my punishment will be more than yours as I knew I was breaking our rules."

Eventide whispered as quietly as he could.

"No, we are brothers and friends; I'll take my own punishment beside you."

Before anything more could be said; the Commander called for quiet and the many conversations stopped immediately.

"Red Scorpion, you have been found wanting in using your brothers in the battle today without my consent; do you wish to speak for yourself?"

"Lion of the Desert, I would not speak for myself as I was the one to ask for my brothers help in the battle but, I would ask mercy for my brother Shaitan Bin Izurak; he is not at fault as he did not know our rules; I will stand in his place for punishment."

"Shaitan Bin Izurak; do you have words to say?"

"Lion of the Desert; if my brother is at fault then so am I; my ignorance of the rules of the brotherhood are no excuse; I stand for my punishment beside my brother."

"Then so it shall be. Each brother will take one stroke of the cane upon the back of the two and then it will be forgotten as they are valiant brothers with honour. Let me be the first to strike and the Falcon shall be second."

With his head down, Eventide could only follow the Commanders movements by sound. Eventide only hoped he could stand the pain of a cane stroke from so many grown men and not cry out like a child.

Eventide did not know how to take it when there was a simple and very light tap on his shoulder; he almost cried with relief as each man and boy did the same; just a light tap and then moved on. When the last boy had tapped both boys and moved back to his place at the edge of the carpet, the Commander, with almost a laugh in his voice said.

"Well I hope our two little brothers have learnt their lesson; now onto better things. Red Scorpion, Shaitan Bin Izurak, stand and look to your brothers.'

Both boys stood up and looked around the men and boys sitting in the tent; when they turned back to the Commander, they saw him remove his face scarf to reveal the Emir; standing next to him was the one called Falcon; when he took off his scarf Eventide saw it was Freeman; the relief was enormous.

Each man and boy removed the covering from their faces and smiled at the two boys standing in the centre of the carpet. The Commander began.

"We, the brothers, saw today a feat of arms that would go down in any scroll as a tactical victory on a level of Alexander and Sparta. The use of history to win the melee was well thought and efficiently carried out. There are many sorry squires who; even now are working hard in the stables as a penalty for losing what should have been another easy victory. Brothers, today we saw something great on the field of battle that we should remember. Our two little brothers showed courage and honour in victory and it is now time for them to get their reward. As Commander of the Brotherhood of the Hashin; I give the lands and palace of Wadhi Sufaria to our brothers Red Scorpion and Shaitan Bin Izurak for all their days. Who is next?"

Freeman stood beside Saed and began next.

"I, Falcon of the Sands ask that as I have no heirs that Shaitan Bin Izurak become my legal son and his brother Red Scorpion be forever welcome in my house and on all my lands."

Eventide could not believe his ears; he would now have a father and be heir to the lands of Lancaster and Flanders; even after hearing Freeman's words he could not believe it. Another man stood.

"I, Ben Kahlif of the Bedou and the Brotherhood, gift to our little brothers, ten horses and twenty camels; each of which they may chose to their own liking."

When the man had sat down, another rose and walked over to the two boys; in his hands he carried two very ornate scimitars in scabbards covered with expensive gems, gold and other inlays that Eventide could not identify.

The presentation continued until all but four of the young Hashin were left; the four boys rose and carried two small chests between them. Placing one in front of each boy, they stepped back and bowed low to Eventide and Mahmud; one of the boys spoke to Mahmud in their own language and then all four went back to their places.

Mahmud smiled at Eventide and told him what the boy had said.

"Our brother has gifted us with the winnings of their wagers for the battle; it seems they all wagered four gold coins on us winning and want us to have their winnings as a gift for proving them right; it also helps that most of it comes from the Squires."

Eventide looked at the huge pile of gifts; he suddenly realised most of them had been given to him alone; there were new clothes and boots, fine leather worked saddles and pads; beautifully worked leather belts with fine silver buckles; a complete black tent rolled up tightly that had taken three men to carry in.

Some of the saddles were strange in shape but Mahmud told him they were for his camels which the boys would select when they went to Mahmud's homeland sometime in the future.

Once the gifting had finished; Saed called for the servants to serve the food and drink; it turned into a very late night that the boys did not awake from until well into the next day and they still had another feast later in the great hall.

As the two boys lazed in their hot baths; Eventide asked Mahmud what the Wadhi Sufaria was and why it was given to them.

"It is a great fort; the Palace itself lies within the fort and has a hundred rooms between tham and a large courtyard for our guards. The Wadhi Sufaria is the most important of all the forts on the trade routes; it is here that the merchants gather to form their caravans and enter the great sands to cross to the large cities of the western ocean. Some call it the Great Road, some call it the Gateway of the Sands and others call it the Great Silk Road because much of the goods come from places far to the east. When the merchants reach the Wadhi Sufaria, they have to pay a tax on their goods to pass through to the great sands; Brother Shaitan, you and I are now very wealthy boys."

"But how will we ever look after it; you may be able to go there but I am here and see no way to watch over such an important place; I know nothing of commerce and taxes or even the great sands; I'm just a pot boy who has good friends and now a lot of brothers."

"Oh, you have much more than that; now that yours and my names are marked on the scrolls as the Kahlifs of Wadhi Sufaria; you are also uncle to the Emir's many children as well as being protectors of the people and merchants of Sufaria. Now we have to arrange for your servants; I have talked with our brothers and six have volunteered to be your teachers in the ways of the Brotherhood. When you return to the Baron's Manor they will go with you to help teach you all that you will need to know; the Baron has already approved them; most of the time I will have to stay here with uncle to learn about your court but I will try to get away to visit with you as often as I can. It has been agreed between the Baron and my uncle, that in three months you and I will visit my homeland where we will stay until the Squire's melee next summer. The King himself asked that we once again return to defend his colours with the people."

Eventide tried as he might to take it all in; for a pot boy only a few scant weeks ago to a wealthy titled boy now was catching up with him. Last night before bedding down, he had looked into the small chest; it had taken his breath away; he had never seen so much gold coins in one place before; he thought it would take him a full day just to count them all.

His other gifts now filled one corner of the large room that was his; how he was going to move it all was beyond his understanding but; the greatest gift of all was now having a name that others would respect, Squire Eventide Tremaine; heir to the Barony of Lancaster and Flanders and now also Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria. Eventide shook his head while still trying to fully accept what he had become.

"Mahmud, what about these children of the Emir; how is it that I am now their protector?"

"Now there is a lesson we should take while the servants rub our bodies; come, we will move to the tables to let them work."

The two boys got out of the tin baths and let the servant boys dry them off with soft clothes; once dry they both lay down on the narrow tables for the boys to massage their bodies and rub in scented oils. Eventide was almost over his shyness for getting an erection at such times although it did not stop it from happening but his blush was a little less; the servant boys did not seem to notice.

"Now then, the Emir has twenty two wives; most are political marriages; he also has a large harem of girls and boys for his own enjoyment but that's another story. Now his wives must conceive a child to validate the marriage. So far the Emir has fifteen sons and nine daughters. As I am just his nephew and my father and mother have gone to paradise; I cannot take his throne; only one of his sons can do that. Now as his eldest and closest nephew, it is my duty to protect my cousins and as you are my brother of the blood, you also now have that duty. When it comes time for one of the sons to take the throne; we will both swear to defend and protect him. By gifting the Wadhi Sufaria to us it gives us enough power and prestige to hold sway in our court; even the sons of the Emir cannot take away the Wadhi; only the death of both of us will make it available to a new Kahlif."

"So the eldest son takes over when the Emir passes and we watch over the new Emir?"

"Not always the eldest son; the court of the Bedou is even more dangerous than your King's court; it is the strongest son that will take the throne, for us we will have a special position in the court; whomever takes the Emir's throne knows that we will never try to take it from him; they know that you and I are the only ones that can keep it in his hands and that we do not covert his place; we are the only ones with no interest in ruling so they feel safer with us around than any others; even the many court officers could try to take the throne given the chance. As Kahlifs we both have all we need."

"It sounds very complicated and also dangerous."

"Yes it can be complicated and for those in the court, very dangerous when the sons get close to their majority. The oldest son is now only seven years old but over the next ten years you will see a thinning out of some of them."

"What of the daughters?"

"They cannot take the throne; they will be married off for political reasons and to strengthen ties with other tribes or kingdoms."

"It seems a strange way to live."

"For you and I it will be a free way to live; we have the richest Palace in our lands and will have a great army to protect it as well as being of the Brotherhood; you and I brother, are going to do great things; of this I am certain."

When their massage was over and Eventide was feeling a lot better than earlier; the two boys dressed; Mahmud in his own style and Eventide now in the more traditional garb of a Squire; he would much have preferred to continue to dress like his friend and brother but they were in the King's castle and it would be disrespectful in court.

The rest of the day was spent taking lessons from Mahmud in the Aramaic language of Mahmud's homeland. Eventide was surprised that he found it a little easier than he thought it would be; Mahmud said he must have a talent for language to be able to pick it up with such ease. Eventide could not help the blush that coloured his young features.

The time to leave for the victory feast arrived; as they left Eventide's room where they had spent the afternoon; a Royal Page waited for them; he told them they would be asked to enter the great hall last along with Bernard after the commoner boys had been arranged inside the great hall.

Eventide and Mahmud soon found Bernard and began to talk with him; the young blacksmith was still feeling the weight of their first victory over the Squires in ten long years.

Before they could be called into the great hall, Eventide saw Freeman approaching with what looked like a scroll in his hand; the other two boys saw him and began to move away to give the pair some privacy; before they could, Freeman called to them.

"I would ask you both to stay; we may need your witness if Eventide agrees."

"Witness to what, My Lord?" Eventide asked.

"Why young man, these documents; the King has agreed to my request for you to become my heir and adopted son; that is if you agree and sign this document and can find two friends as witness for you."

Eventide was at first confused; it had only been two days ago he had finally been able to sign his own name; as yet he could not read well enough to even begin to understand the rolled document. Eventide looked helplessly at Mahmud as though to ask for help.

Freeman was quick to pick up Eventide's distress;

"Don't worry too much Eventide, there is time yet and if you wish for your brother Mahmud to read it for you then I will wait but, if you are to sign it, it would be better to do so before entering the great hall."

Freeman gave the rolled document to Mahmud and stepped back as the boy unrolled the scroll and quickly read it through. Once finished he looked at Eventide.

"It is good, you should sign it with your name; it will give you presence in the King's court and in your lands."

Eventide took the scroll and looked for a desk; at the side of the hall was a small table, he laid the scroll down and carefully wrote his name as he had just learned, next Mahmud took the quill and signed his name in the Aramaic script. As Bernard did not know how to write; he dipped his thumb into the black ink and laid it on the scroll; Mahmud carefully wrote his name in the English script beside the thumb print.

Freeman came up and, after placing a large gold ring on Eventide's small finger, he looked at the finished scroll; taking a small flask from his cape; he dusted fine sand over the ink to help dry it; once completed he rolled the scroll and returned to the great hall. The three boys looked at each other until Mahmud said.

"I suppose we should call you Baronet Eventide now."

"Wha…" Eventide was looking down at the large gold ring; it had the crest of the Baron on it and, although it was just a little loose, Eventide wondered how many more rings he would have to wear; the gold in this one alone would keep a farming family in food for more than two years.

Before any more could be said; a page appeared and asked the three to enter the great hall one at a time starting with Bernard; he also told them how to behave when they entered; Mahmud already knew but the other two were looking nervous; it would not do to make a mess of their introduction to the King in front of more than one hundred and fifty Knights of the Realm.

A man dressed in black with a long black staff came up to Bernard and smiled at the nervous boy.

"Come, it is not as bad as you think."

The man led Bernard down the long walk to the stone dais at the far end; on each side were long tables; seated on the benches were all the other boys of the battle; behind the long row of tables were more that held the Knights; the boys had been given the central place of honour for the evening.

The man in black took Bernard to the bottom of the stone steps and banged his staff three times on the stone floor.

"Your Majesty, I have the honour to introduce Bernard, son of the blacksmith and Commander of the people's army under the King's Banner."

Bernard went to one knee and bowed to the King as the man stood above him.

"Arise Bernard, Commander of the People's army and defender of our colours; it is we that should be bowing to you for your well planned and executed victory in our name."

Bernard stood up with his mouth agape; he was sure the blush he felt on his cheeks could be felt around the great hall.

Next the man led in Mahmud; the same three knocks and then he said.

"Your Majesty, I have the honour to introduce his Highness, Prince Mahmud Sal-A-Hadin, Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria and a loyal ally."

Mahmud bowed low and performed the movements of his salaam to the king.

The smile on the King's face could be seen by everyone. Even from his place at the entrance; Eventide could hear the mutterings of the Knights; it appeared they had very much underestimated the young Saracen. There was not a Knight there that did not know the importance of the Wadhi Sufaria on the trade routes of the known world.

"Welcome Kahlif Sal-A-Hadin; it is our honour to welcome one of the architects of our victory and a favoured ally of our people."

It was now time for Eventide to enter; he followed closely behind the man in black and tried to keep the shaking in his knees from being seen by everyone else; what he was to hear only made it worse for his knees.

"Your Majesty, I have the honour to introduce Baronet Eventide Tremaine, heir to the Barony of Lancaster and Flanders, also Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria."

The King turned and looked at the Emir sitting at the large table behind him; Saed just smiled and shrugged his shoulders as thought to say 'What could I do'

"Welcome Baronet Eventide Tremaine; again we must thank you for your aid in the planning of the victory in our name. I would ask all three of you to sit with us so we can discuss your tactics in the great victory."

Mahmud took the invitation in his stride, Eventide was a little nervous and Bernard was just plain shocked to find out he was going to sit at the King's table. Slowly the three boys made their way up the steps and around behind the long table; much to Bernard's surprise, Freeman stood from his chair beside the King's larger one and indicated for the boy to sit there while he took the next one with Eventide beside him; Mahmud took a seat beside Saed on the King's left.

Once the King had taken his place he clapped his hands and what seemed like a horde of servants appeared carrying large earthen jugs. It did not take long for all of the large silver goblets to be filled with strong sweet mead; the King stood up and raised his goblet.

"Knights of the Realm; I ask you to stand with your goblets and offer a full toast to the victors of the melee; We are sure that you have never seen such a victory at any joust held in these lands. To the victors."

Every Knight lifted their goblet and called out in a roar; "To the victors" they then all emptied their goblets and returned to their seats as a number of servants appeared to refill them. Immediately Mahmud stood with his own goblet raised and looked out at all the boys below.

"Your Majesty, we your humble servants would like to answer your generous toast; boys of the People's army and defenders of the King's colours, I ask you to stand and raise your goblets. To the King and the generosity of the Knights of the Realm."

All the boys rose along with Bernard and Eventide as Mahmud spoke; when he called the toast they all repeated it.

"The King and the Knights of the Realm."

All the boys then drained their goblets as the Knights had done; no mean feat for smaller boys not used to the stronger mead of the King's court; amid a few hiccups, the boys sat down as the Knights thumped their fist on their tables in a sign of appreciation; the boys had shown a sign of honour even though the Knights and Squires had shown them little; it was to be a good lesson for some of them.

As the toasts had been taking place; a number of servants had carried in more tables and placed them in a line at the bottom of the steps; more servants appeared with colourful bundles and small chests; then some chairs had been placed behind the table at intervals; the chairs were soon filled with men that looked like clerics and had rolls of parchment and quills before them. The King called for silence.

Eventide looked down at the long rows of tables in the centre of the hall; it was plainly evident that the boys had not fought the battle unscathed; he could see five or six with thick bandages around their heads; four of the smaller boys from the second rank had an arm in a sling. Quite a number had black eyes and many more had scraped knuckles and even one boy had a badly broken nose but the wide smiles took away any pain they may have been feeling.

The King rose once again as the clerics got settled.

"Knights of the Realm, defenders of our colours, as with any army; the soldiers must be paid for their service and honours given to those who have shown valour in the face of the enemy; it is now time for us to pay our dues. Soldiers of the first rank of swordsmen, rise."

The fifty boys who had held the first line all stood from where they were seated.

"As you were the first to hold the line against the full charge of the enemy and due to the donations of the Knights wagers I decree that each of you shall receive the sum of one King's gold coin in payment for your services; you are also to give your name to one of the clerics and take from them the red sash with double chevrons of a Yeoman of the King's army. Upon reaching your majority, should you wish to join our army you will be given such rank when you start your training."

The standing boys could not believe what they had just heard; a King's gold coin was the largest and most valuable in the Realm, it was more than a farmer could earn in two years; added to that if they wanted to join the army when they reached eighteen they would already be a junior officer. Stunned, the fifty boys made their way to the long tables and began to give their names and receive their reward; each one of them proudly placed the red sash over their shoulder and went back to their place at the table.

When the last boy had taken his place at a table, the King stood once again.

"No less valiant were those boys of the second and third ranks, although we could all see they were used as a delaying force, they still fought with valour and great heart; to those soldiers of the second and third rank, we gift one King's gold and the red sash with one chevron so that, if they wish to join our army on their majority, they will do so as swordsmen of the first rank."

The hundred boys of the two ranks stood and made their way to the tables and began the long process of giving names and receiving their rewards. While all this was going on, the goblets whether they were Knight or boy, were kept full; when the last of the shield wall boys sat down it was time for the King to rise again.

"We now ask for the archer skirmishers to rise."

When the thirty boys were standing, the King continued.

"We have seen many battles where the archers were not as effective as you all were; at first we thought you were too few in number to make any difference yet you forced many of your enemies to the ground by your steadfast fire and even more went down when you changed to skirmishing; your reward is as follows; you shall all receive one King's gold coin and the blue sash with gold bow of the King's archers; should you reach your majority and enlist in our army, you will be called First Rank Archer."

The boys could not believe their ears, as they went to the tables and gave their names and received their reward, some said they saw a tear in many of the very young boy's eyes. The last archer boy took his seat and the King rose again.

"Page Robin, come forward."

The small boy walked out before his King, while he was not overawed by the occasion, he was still nervous at being singled out; after all he had done nothing but hold the banner and blow the horn.

"Page Robin, from this day on you will no longer be called Page; from this day on you are to be the sole bearer of our banner at all occasions; your title from this day on will be Squire of the King's Colours; where we go you will follow with our colours, your single duty is to those colours and no other. As with those who fought, you will receive one King's gold coin; also you will now wear the gold rosette with ram's horn to mark your station and will receive twelve silver coins per year for life."

Robin almost felt his knees give as the King finished his speech, with shaky steps he went to the table to give his name and receive his reward then went back to sit at the table with the other boys; before he could do so the King's voice called to him.

"Squire Robin, our colours hang beside this table; it is there your new duty lies; you will join us up here."

Robin was now ready to faint as he turned about and shakily walked up the stone steps and took his place on a chair near the end of the table but only an arm's length from the very banner he had carried in the melee.

"There now are only two more presentations to give out and then we can feast the night away. Of the two both are as important as the other yet we find ourselves in a quandary for one is sure and certain yet the other is far more complicated so we will go forward as we first planned. Commander Bernard, come forward."

Bernard left his chair and walked to the front of the dais so he could see the King's face before him.

"Bernard, son of the blacksmith, from this day you shall be known as Squire Bernard the Black, you shall wear on occasion the gold rosette of the King's Commander of the People's Army, also the blue rosette with crossed swords as a Junior Officer of the King's Guard and the red rosette for Valour; upon your majority, should you wish to join our army you will be given rank and take position in the King's Guards. As your father would miss your aid at the forge, it shall be given the mark of Royal Approval. Along with these titles I gift ten King's gold as dues for the Commander of the People's Army and a further fifty silver coins as reward for showing valour, honour and courage on the field of battle."

Bernard could not find any words, he was still trying to take in what the King had just said as that same man led him to the table below to get his rewards and rank; afterwards he did not even remember how he got back to his seat at the table; only the sound of the King's voice brought him back to reality.

"We would now ask Kahlif Sal-A-Hadin, Baronet Eventide Tremaine and our twenty Bedou allies to come forward."

When they were all standing at the bottom of the steps, the King continued; it was noticeable that the twenty boys of the Bedou were now dressed in the dark blue of the Bedou and not the black of the Hashin and their faces were revealed and not hidden.

"It is here that we are in a quandary; we are not sure what reward should be offered to the architects of the battle which; I may remind our Knights; was the longest melee ever fought in any joust we can remember. We find it difficult to reward the architects and our twenty young allies. We are sure that they already have wealth more than they would need; also they have titles that far exceed most in this hall. We could not offer good horses as they already ride the best that are known to man and we are sure they have more in their stables. After long consideration we could think of only one thing that they did not have but richly deserve. To this end we have written out and signed with the Royal Signet a King's Passport for each of you. This will entitle you to free and full travel within our Realm without hindrance or delay; it also entitles you to food and lodging in any village, town, city or castle without delay and at the expense of the King's treasury; should you be in need of an army, you are entitled to call on any Knight of the Realm for assistance that cannot be denied. We hope that you will also be prepared to script the melee for the next joust as you did for this one. We would be interested in how you would perform for us once again."

The King walked down the steps and; with a cleric following him; he handed each of the boys his own Royal Passport; the parchment was rolled in a fine leather cover for protection and had a heavy Royal Seal attached to a red ribbon tied around it.

When the last Passport was handed to the last Bedou, all the boys bowed low and were then allowed to return to their seats, Eventide and Mahmud went back to the top table as the King also stood at his chair; with a clap of his hands, the King called for the feast to begin.

The feasting and many games went well into the late night hours; when the servants came in next morning, they were surprised to see so many young boys asleep on the floor of the great hall; all of them showed the signs and smells of too much mulled wine, ale and mead; there would be many sore heads later in the day. It took more than an hour to get all the boys out and on their staggering way to their homes.

Chapter 3
Lessons

Eventide was awoken by the loud sounds of laughter and the extra loud yelling of a familiar voice.

"Wake up brother; the sun is past its meridian and yet you lay in your bed like some common wench of the night."

Eventide felt the hands of more than one person on his shoulders as he was forcefully dragged from his bed. His head felt again like a blacksmith was pounding on his anvil. Eventide tried to struggle but was outnumbered and felt too ill to make much resistance.

Eventide was dragged bodily to the large tin bath and unceremoniously dropped in the cold water by a much larger and very much blacker boy; the other boys could not speak through their laughter as they watched the total look of horror and disbelief on the face of the smaller boy.

The frigid water soon had Eventide jumping out; unfortunately one foot caught the edge of the tin bath and flipped him onto the cold stone floor; much to the delight of all the boys watching. Eventide was now belly down with his very wet butt in the air; his night gown soaked to such a degree that he looked to be totally naked.

The large black teen smiled widely and spoke something to the other boys as he showed his perfect white teeth in a mile wide smile.

Eventide spluttered and shivered as he tried to retain some modesty; once back on his feet he looked at the still laughing Mahmud and asked.

"Wha… what did he say?"

"Ishmael said that your boyish charms would delight even the most jaded of Sheiks." Mahmud began to laugh again as a bright red blush filled Eventide's cheeks.

"Do not worry my brother; Ishmael would not let anything happen to you that he did not favour first."

This comment only brought more laughter from the assembled boys after Mahmud translated for them all.

"Come now brother, there is no more time for fun and games; your Baron has decreed that you will leave for his manor in the morning so we have to get everything ready for you to travel. I have one of my servants checking your horses and these six will be going with you as both your guards and teachers. The good Baron has agreed that in three months time; when I will be finished my lessons at the King's court; that you and I will travel together to see your estate in our homeland. Before then you have much to learn and these six will be your teachers in all things Bedou and Brotherhood."

Mahmud paused as he saw the shocked look on Eventide's face.

"What?" Mahmud asked.

"Uhm… horses? Don't you mean horse? And why would I need guards; I can see where a teacher would be advisable but the need for my own guard seems a little too much."

"Ah little brother, you have much to learn; you are now Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria, that automatically means you must have a personal guard at all times; it is expected and normal. The horses are a part of those owed you by your elder brother; he has given six of those owed you from the Emir's stable so that your guards can ride alongside. A Kahlif cannot have his personal guard on foot when he is mounted; how will they protect you when the need arises?"

"Well alright, if that is the way then I am not the one to disagree although I cannot see anyone wanting to attack me for anything."

"Last evening I was watching the faces of the Knights while everyone feasted; there are at least ten who would take your head given the chance, and that also means there is possibly ten Squires of the same mind. Were you to be captured; the Baron would have to pay a hefty ransom. Of course there would be ten Knights and ten Squires that would not wake from their sleep the next day if that happened. Now then let me introduce you to your teachers."

Mahmud paused to let Eventide finish pulling on his dry trews and thick shirt.

"You well know Salud; he will be your teacher in our language and customs as well as those with the dagger and Scimitar. This Moorish fellow is of course Ishmael; he is from the far south of our land; he will teach you about tracking the spoor of man and beast as well as the fine art of seduction. In that field he is very accomplished I can assure you. He will also teach you how to lighten a man's pockets. Next is Achmed, he will teach you to be supple and hone your body so that you can move in ways not meant for man; he will also teach you the art of poisons. Next we have Demetrius; he is from the Greek Islands and will teach you about the Thugee scarf as well as how to throw knives. This one is Mohammad; he will teach you the arts of fighting from horse back as well as the art of our bow. Now the last is Medan; he will show you how to disappear in plain sight and how to climb high walls with nothing more than your hands and feet and in total silence; he will also show you how to deceive even the hardest of locks."

Eventide looked at the six smiling faces as they nodded to him; Mahmud continued.

"We have found a good wagon for all your goods and gifts; it will be manned by your four servants from my house; they have all volunteered to look after you and your personal goods and chattels with their lives, so you have no worries about them. When you feel you need more servants we can hire them or we can wait until we go home and you can buy a few dozen or so slaves."

Eventide did not realise the pounding in his temples had receded while Mahmud was going over everything until Mahmud said.

"Now it is past Meridian, let's find us some food and begin our brother's training; first it will be language; the sooner you can understand the easier your lessons will be."

At the mention of food, Eventide's stomach gave a dry heave; after swallowing a couple of times he followed his brothers out of his rooms and down the long passageway; he was not sure anything would stay in his stomach after the feast last night and the rude awakening he had received this morning.

The midday meal was lighter than Eventide expected it to be; a hot beverage soon had his head and stomach in better shape. When the light meal was done, all eight boys went to look for Eventide's new wagon; it was soon found in a side courtyard being loaded by four mid teen boys; each one seemed to know what he was doing but Eventide could not understand the amount of baggage laid both inside and outside the wagon.

Eventide turned to Mahmud.

"This can't be all mine; I don't have all that much property."

"Of course you do; did you not receive gifts from the brotherhood? Did you not also receive gifts from the King and the court? Did you not also receive small gifts from myself and the Emir? Well here it all is, now let's leave the servants to pack it all away while we go and start your language lesson for today."

It seemed that no amount of disagreement was going to change the way Mahmud felt; Eventide could plainly see that nearly all of the gifts received for Mahmud now filled his wagon along with the ones he had got. For Eventide; a boy who had very little in life; it was hard to accept the fact others thought him worthy of gifts; it was indeed a strange new world he was now living in.

Four of the boys said something to Mahmud and then left while the others found a comfortable tree to sit under and begin Eventide's lessons. The lesson was not easy but, much to Eventide's surprise he really enjoyed it although Salud, Mahmud and Ishmael were tough teachers and insisted that he repeat words and phrases over and over until he had the right accent and inflection.

From where the small group sat they could hear the far off cheering where the Knight's melee was being held; for them, their special day was over and behind them; they would not feature in another melee or joust until next summer.

Occasionally they would see a beaten Knight returning to the castle, usually on a litter; the Knights melee was even harder and more fierce than the Squires; the loss of a life was not unknown.

As the boys sat and the lessons proceeded; around mid afternoon three of Mahmud's servants appeared with large trays holding light foods and drinks for those sitting under the huge Oak tree in the summer heat; for Eventide it was good to get a break from the lessons. He sometimes felt his head was spinning as he tried to learn the strange words, accents and inflections of the Aramaic tongue.

As the sun sank and dusk was getting closer; Mahmud called a halt to the long lesson; it was time to return to the castle where they could hear the beginning of the revelry for the winning Knights; the boys did their best to avoid going anywhere near the celebrations. They would all dine together in Eventide's room this night; tomorrow would be a long day for their new friend and he would need his rest.

Eventide discovered that, even after only this; his real first lesson; he could sometimes understand some phrases when Ishmael was speaking. It appeared the long lesson was already having a little benefit. Supper was small and served in Eventide's rooms; the other four boys had joined them for the evening meal and Eventide listened carefully to what they said and how they spoke.

He was surprised at how much he partially understood although finding the words to speak himself was still difficult; he was sure he was missing some very important things and jokes if some of the laughter was anything to go by; even with either Mahmud or Salud translating for him.

It was not a late night as all knew that Eventide would have to leave early if he was to make it to the manor before dark the next day; travelling with the wagon would be far slower than the way he had arrived just on horseback. They had been told by the Baron that he would leave ahead of them as he had urgent business at the manor that would not wait; he had told Eventide that he was sure the boys would make the journey without his help.

The next morning; just as the first rays of the new sun appeared in the east; Eventide's small caravan prepared to leave the great castle. As they traversed the gateway, the guards all signalled to him and wished him a safe journey; there were many that had seen the squire's melee and had been impressed with Eventide's efforts.

The four horses pulling the heavily laden wagon were sturdy and seemed to have little trouble with their load; Salud rode alongside Eventide at the head of the caravan with the two other boys behind them. The wagon was next and also held the four servants boys; at the rear were the other three brothers.

It was a leisurely pace but still fast enough to cover good ground before midday; as they came to a woodland; Eventide called for a halt to eat their midday meal before entering the woods; the sun was warm and the shade of several large trees gave an ideal place to sit and eat.

It did not take the four servants very long to have a light meal made ready; two of the brotherhood kept guard while the others ate and then took their turn while two more watched over them. All the time they were sitting and eating; Salud taught Eventide phrases and language while the others listened intently and occasionally made corrections to the accent.

Within the hour; everyone had eaten and the horses fed and watered; they could now enter the woods and be on their way; the last push to the manor would be longer and they would not arrive until after dark.

The rough road wound back and forth through the heavy woods; as they came around one particularly sharp corner; Eventide saw a large log of wood across the road; behind it stood a tall man in a hessian mask that had two eye holes cut into it; in his hands he held the largest bow Eventide had ever seen and the arrow was pointed right at Eventide's chest.

"Hold up youngster; where is your purse and what is a Christian boy doing travelling with Saracens in our woods?"

As their horses came to a sudden stop; Eventide lifted his hands but the other boys reached for their weapons; a word from the figure stopped them immediately.

"Hold your hands; you touch them weapons and you will all die; look around you."

The boys took a few seconds to look about; behind them and on both sides stood what appeared to be young men with the same large bows all aimed at them; altogether there were eight men with hessian masks. The boys were not totally outnumbered but they were at a distinct disadvantage.

"Well me lad; where be your gold; I knows that Saracens carry large purses and that wagon looks near full of goods?"

Eventide pulled himself up as tall as he could for his stature and laid a hand on the fancy dagger at his waist.

"I will not give my property to outlaws."

"Then you will die lad, and we will take it anyhow."

As the man drew the great bow back to its fullest and prepared to release the long arrow into Eventide's chest; a young voice came from the darkness of the trees.

"Stay your hand Father; that is the Woad Warrior; the one that led us in the melee."

"The young Warrior? Then why did you not tell me earlier boy?" The man turned to the young teen running out of the trees and then back at Eventide as he eased off the string of his large bow.

"My apologies young Lord; had I known I would not have stopped the likes of you and your friends; give us time and we will remove the log from the road so you may continue on your way."

The young teen from the trees walked up to Eventide.

"I am Gerard my Lord; please forgive my Father; he did not know who you were."

"There is little to forgive Gerard but I am a little confused as I do not know your face or why you would be with a band of outlaws when you have already received a reward from the King himself?"

"It is complicated My Lord. I was in the front rank at the melee as were many others and I know it would be difficult for you to know every face; as to outlaws; well that is a long story."

"We have a little time; perhaps you would enlighten us?"

"This is my family; these others are my brothers; as you can see there are a number of us and three sisters await at our hut along with our mother. Our Lord Baliol ejected my father from his lands even though he was the best farmer on the Lordship's land. When father would not let my youngest sister go to the great house as a servant, His Lordship sent soldiers to throw us off. We have been living in the woods in a small hut for more than five months and cutting wood so we can buy food to fill out bellies."

"But what of your reward; that would keep you in food for some time, even with such a large family?"

"Tis true My Lord but with fourteen mouths to feed it would not be for long and there would be little left to buy a hog or two. It is father's dream to buy our own land one day and return to farming but it now seems so far away."

"Tell me about those bows, I have never seen one of such size?"

"Oh they are from our home county; we call them Longbows; they are stronger and can outdistance any bow made elsewhere if you have the knowledge and strength to use them; had we had them at the melee we could have stopped the Squires while they were still on horseback."

"A good weapon indeed; why do they not use them in the King's army?"

"My Lord Baliol would not allow them in his guards; he called them a peasant's weapon and not fit for honourable Knights and soldiers of the King's army."

"Then the man is a fool, now enough of that; as I see it there are three things I can do; one is to report you and have all of you drawn and quartered but, I am not a blood thirsty type of boy so that is not the answer. Next I can just forget all of this and we can all be on our way after giving you a few more gold coins to help you for a while but, that is the easy way and not an answer to your troubles. This leaves me with only one answer; you must go back to your family Father of Gerard; collect what you have and make your way to the manor of Baron Tremaine. When you arrive just ask for me at the gate; I will talk with the Baron and we will see if something can be done to help you with your life and get you a farm of your own."

Gerard's father looked up at the young boy on the horse above him; forgotten was the bow in his hands or any intention of hurting the boy and his Saracen friends; now there was only a look of inquiry.

"Young Lord, how would the Baron listen to one so young; we all know that Baron Tremaine has no family?"

"He does now; he adopted me so I am his son and heir, I hope he will listen to me and we can all come out of this better off."

"Then young Lord, my family and I shall be at your gate at dusk tomorrow; you have my word on it and; should you ever need our services then all you have to do is call. My family is now forever in your debt and our bows stand ready at your command."

"Thank you but I am sure I have enough guards; I look forward to seeing you and your family at our gate tomorrow at dusk."

"It shall be so Young Lord. Boys get that log out of the way for our Young Lord to be on his way. We have other work to do now so hurry it up."

Eventide nodded his thanks and, after the log was removed; he and the others waved back as they left the large group of young men, teens and their father behind; they would have to increase their pace a little to make it to the manor near dark.

It was the weight of the wagon that slowed them down and it was not until after dark that the small caravan made it to the top of the last rise before the manor; Below and still about one hour away, the members of the small caravan could see the torch lights of the manor in the distance.

Eventide called a halt at the top of the rise to light their own torches; two were placed either side of the wagon front and the other two were held by the two Hashin who were now leading the party from the front with Salud and Eventide behind them.

As they were about to move off for the last stretch to the manor; in front of them, and seemingly from the very ground itself; rose two torches, they were soon followed by two more and then two more until there were twenty moving torches in two columns. They looked to be floating on air until Eventide's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could make out the dim shadows of the soldiers on horseback under the light.

In the darkness they had not been able to see the lower ground of the valley and could make it out only when the riders rose over the crest. Immediately the other Hashin came to the front and arranged themselves either side of Eventide with the two torch bearers on the outside so that Eventide was hidden in shadow.

Eventide and his caravan waited on the hill top for the guard to arrive; as they drew closer, the two columns slowed to a walk and approached the small caravan with care. At the head of the columns was a single rider; seeing the small group, he stopped and tried to look into the shadow where Eventide sat.

"I am captain Merideth; Guard Commander of his Lordship Baron Tremaine's House Hold Guard; are you My Lord Eventide?"

"I am Captain." Eventide replied although he doubted he would ever get used to being called a Lord.

"My Lord Eventide; My Lord Baron has sent us to look to your safety; he was worried when you did not arrive before dark; there have been reports of brigands and outlaws on the King's road during the Joust.""I am sorry Captain; we had a small delay and took too much time over our midday meal, but we do now feel safer under your command."

"Thank you My Lord, if you will allow us to form up on either side, we will escort you to the manor in safety."

"Thank you Captain, we are happy for your presence; it has been a long day."

The soldiers lined up on each side of the small caravan and they all began the trek to the waiting manor; to say they were happy for the company and to finally be so close to a hot meal and a warm bed would have been an understatement.

As they finally entered the high walls of the manor, the boys saw it was all in a bustle as servants tried to ready everything for the newcomers; on the steps of the manor house stood Freeman; even from his distance, Eventide thought he saw the Baron's shoulders almost slump in relief at seeing his new son arrive safely. Freeman waited patiently as the boys finally slid off their horses and stretched their tired limbs from the long day.

The six Hashin bowed low and salaamed to Freeman; Salud then spoke to Freeman in Aramaic.

"Greetings Elder Brother; we have brought your son home safely as requested."

Much to Eventide's surprise; Freeman answered in perfect Aramaic after also bowing to the six younger ones.

"Greetings little brothers; I thank you for delivering him safely; my home is your home; welcome."

Freeman waited for Eventide to get over his little shock at Freeman's ability with the foreign language; as he waited he opened his arms and said.

"Come on my son; you must be tired and we cannot keep the kitchen waiting; you and your brothers must be hungry and tired."

Eventide climbed the stone steps and stood in front of Freeman and; for what seemed the first time in his life; he stepped forward and hugged Freeman around the waist; even better was the new feeling of two strong arms surrounding his slender body and hugging him tightly back.

"It's good to be finally home… father."

Freeman squeezed just a little tighter after hearing that simple word; for the first time in years he felt the stirrings of contentment filling him. At last he was beginning to feel complete and so far the boy had proved to be just what he thought he would; a fitting son to watch over and teach. His lands would be safe in this boy's hands when he finally passed on.

Before Freeman led the boys away; Salud spoke to him.

"Elder Brother, I must have our brother's servant's see to the horses; your stable hands will not be able to be near them until our brother introduces them properly; we would not want any of them harmed."

Freeman looked at the seven horses and then it dawned on him that Salud had said they belonged to Eventide; he looked at the smaller boy still held tightly in his hug.

"These are your horses, son?"

"Uhm… yes father; they are part of the gifts from the brotherhood."

"Ah yes, I remember now; well you are well on the way to being master of your own destiny; and the wagon; it seems loaded a little heavier than just the brother's gifts?"

"Brother Mahmud would not accept most of his gifts and insisted I accept them instead."

"As it should be among brothers; he is well situated and you are just starting out so it is only fair he pass on to you anything that will help. Now come on, you seven need to eat and rest."

Eventide reluctantly let go of the warm and satisfying hug so he could follow Freeman into the manor house; instead of the great dining hall they went into a smaller one where a table was set for eight. Freeman took the chair at the head of the table and indicated for Salud to take the one at the bottom; he insisted that Eventide should sit on his right hand as the pride of place for a son of his.

It was almost noon before the boys rose to their first day at the manor; as they sat at the same table to eat the first meal of the day; Eventide asked where the Baron was; after being told by one of the servants that the Baron was at the stable; Eventide quickly finished up and, followed by his brothers, went in search of his new father.

When he entered the stables; Eventide saw that Shaitan had not been unsaddled or groomed like the other horses; he looked around until he saw Freeman talking to an older man; he went up to them.

"Father, Shaitan has not been unsaddled yet."

"So I see son, stable master Garrik has told me that no one can get near him; even your own servants fear him."

Eventide looked around at the faces of the young grooms; all showed fear in their eyes whenever they looked at the black horse; that is all except one. He was a young boy of about ten or eleven summers and sat on a stool tending to tack; his right foot was twisted and it was obvious the boy was lame in that leg.

"Stable master, who is that boy?"

"He is my youngest My Lord; Shaun be his name but he is lame and can only repair or look after tack; his leg makes it difficult for him to ride anymore."

"He shows little fear of Shaitan."

"He has little fear of any horse My Lord; he says they can do no more to him than is already done so there is little for him to fear anymore."

Eventide walked down the stable to where the boy sat watching the others; his eyes often straying towards Shaitan.

"Shaun, I would speak with you."

The boy jumped to his feet as best he could and bowed low as he touched his forelock in respect.

"My Lord?"

"You show little fear of my horse Shaitan."

"He is not to be feared My Lord, only respected and perhaps a little bribe would not go astray."

"Yet the other boys cannot get near him."

"I tried to tell them My Lord, but they do not listen to me because I am lame and too young to know."

"I see, well how would you settle my horse and take care of him?"

"First My Lord, I would show little fear as there is little fear to show; next I would speak to him of good things to settle his manner and third I would offer a small bribe while we became friends."

"And how would you offer such a bribe if he will not let you close?"

"The bribe has to be a part of respect it is not difficult if one believes."

"Then master Shaun, I challenge you to befriend my horse Shaitan; should you accomplish this feat then you will be held as Groom to him and him alone; all other duties will be set aside and he will be your only concern; should you accomplish this task you will receive two silver coins from my hand each month; it is all now up to you; do you accept my challenge, son of the stable master?"

Shaun bowed low and touched his forelock again.

"I accept My Lord, but on one condition?"

"Aha… I like a boy with conditions; speak up young Shaun?"

"Should I be in error then I am buried in sight of the stables?"

"Done; now let me see you succeed as I am sure you will." Eventide smiled at the look on the young boy's face; there was a fire in the lame boy and Eventide liked it.

Freeman pushed all the others well back from the stall where the jet black horse stood eyeing the young boy; as they all watched, Shaun began to sing softly to the horse as he limped one step at a time closer. Shaitan watched the small lame boy; after snorting a couple of times; he stamped his foot a few more times and then looked as though he was listening to the soft song.

To those watching, the song sounded like a child's lullaby; slowly Shaun moved forward; when he was no more than five paces away, he produced a red apple from his smock and; with a small knife he cut it into four. With one piece of apple on his small hand; Shaun limped a little closer while still talking softly. When he was standing well within the danger zone; Shaun stopped and bowed his head while holding out the piece of apple.

Shaitan looked at the small child and then sniffed the apple; with gentle lips he reached out and took the offering while Shaun stood motionless but still whispering softly. From that moment on it was as though the two had been friends for life; Shaun whispered while Shaitan ate; in no time at all, Shaun had the saddle off and was bent underneath the black horse brushing its belly with a stiff brush; all the while he kept up the soft talking while rubbing the horse with his free hand.

Eventide moved up to the horse and laid his hand on its strong neck.

"So Shaitan you have got a new friend and forgotten me?"

The horse seemed to understand every word and so shook its head in the negative but turned his head and gave the small boy a nudge as the brush worked tirelessly.

"Well Groom Shaun; your place is assured; Shaitan is now your only concern and you will line up each month with the other workers for your silver; I hope in time we can get you back on a horse so you can accompany us when needed."

Shaun stopped his brushing and bowed to Eventide.

"Thank you My Lord; I would look forward to such a time."

As Eventide and the others left the stables; he began to tell Freeman about his meeting with the farmer and his sons and what he had offered and when they may arrive. Freeman looked at his new son with a new respect; the boy had shown common sense and there was a possibility of having a good farmer on his land.

The land around the manor had been used little and would take a strong man to tame it to farming but it could only be to the betterment of the manor lands if the man was as good as his word.

"Well done my son; that is the sort of thinking that makes great men. I look forward to meeting this man and his family; I am also interested in these new bows you speak of; if they are as good as you say, then we may have something to improve our armoury and army."

"I think so Father; he seemed like a genuine and honest man." Eventide made no mention of how they had met or what had transpired; some secrets need to be kept untold.

For the rest of the day, Eventide did not see any of the Hashin; they were all away somewhere and he spent most of his time at his new task of learning to read and write; it was a tiring task but he stuck with it as Freeman patiently worked with him.

It was just at dusk and the six Hashin had reappeared with smiles on their faces; as they were all ready to sit down for their evening meal; Captain Merideth entered the hall and stood waiting to be asked to speak; which came almost immediately.

"Yes captain?" Freeman asked.

"My Lord; there is a man called Bodan, a farmer, at the gate; he is asking for the young Lord, he is accompanied by a number of others; one of the boys is wearing the sash and chevrons of a Yeoman."

"Bring Bodan and the Yeoman in here to the table; have the others taken to the kitchen and make sure they are well fed; have the house keeper find rooms for them in the servant's quarters."

"Yes My Lord."

The Captain left only to return a little later with both Bodan and Gerard by his side; the two newcomers carried a long bow in their right hand although it was unstrung as a sign of no intent; the older man also carried what looked like a very long plain but soft leather case over his left shoulder.

"My Lord, farmer Bodan and his son Gerard as you wished."

"Thank you Captain. Master Bodan; would you and your son take a seat with us and join us for supper?"

"It would be an honour My Lord, but I am sure the likes of us do not deserve such treatment."

"I can assure you Master Bodan that I am serious; I have a feeling that you are much more than a plain farmer and, as we are about to eat I would like you and your son to join us while we discuss our differences."

"As Your Lordship commands and I give my thanks for your generosity."

"Come and sit here on my left; it will be easier for us to talk. I understand you have met my son and his friends from the Holy Land?"

"Yes My Lord; we met in the King's great forest."

As they began to eat, the conversation stayed light; the Hashin made sure that Gerard was included in the talk and even praised him, through Salud; for his standing in the first rank and holding the Squires for over an hour; which was longer than they thought the boys would be able to do.

As the meal drew to a close; Freeman asked Bodan about himself and why he had been dispossessed by Baron Baliol. At first Bodan was reluctant to speak of another Baron in the presence of one that was of the same rank but, after a little urging; he relented and began his tale.

"My Lord, if you will forgive some of what I have to say about another Noble, I will tell you everything I know and have seen."

"There is no need for forgiveness; I well know about the Baron's way of life."

"Thank you My Lord; well we are not from here; and nor are many other families that work his lands. We are mainly from the area called the Reaches and Moors. I must admit that I was known there as a Clan Leader and Keeper of the Black Bow. I am sure you know of the Reaches and Moors as you have been there before; your name is not unknown to us."

"Ah yes, the Reaches, but I was quite young then."

"Yes My Lord; when I saw you there you were about fifteen summers and were on the hunt for Kendrik the Moor Runner."

"You saw me all those years ago?"

"Yes My Lord, my brother was even part of the hunt; I wanted to go but as Keeper of the Black Bow I was not allowed."

"He was quite the escape artist was Kendrik, I would have liked to meet the man given the opportunity; how he was able to run twenty horsemen for five days and still disappear is beyond me, even today. Do you know he was the only defeat I have ever suffered?"

"I will let you into a secret, My Lord; you were not fighting or tracking a single man; there were more than twenty other young men involved."

"But how could that be? We would have seen if it was a different man when we got close to him; which we did often and then he would disappeared, only to reappear about thirty paces away and lead us on another chase. Each time we closed on him he would do the same thing over and over again."

"My Lord; what you were chasing was a succession of young men; all were dressed the same as each other as is the fashion of the Moor Runners. Their clothing is made from tanned goat skin for its light weight and toughness; their boots come from the coast of the Celts where they have the sea cows come ashore. The skins provide water proof boots which; as you know; are needed on the Moors. Unless you are face to face with the Runner, you could not tell one from the other and that is what they did too you. When one disappeared, he would hide in the heather or a tarn then another would appear where you least expected. As to meeting Kendrik; you did; you even spoke with him."

"I did?"

"Yes My Lord; you were on your way home after five days; as you travelled you met an old man by the side of the road; his cart had a broken wheel; you forced your men to help him put the wheel back. When it was done the old man offered you two apples from his cart; one for you and one for your horse; that was Kendrik."

"But that was an old hunch backed man not the young man we were hunting."

"Kendrik has a way of not looking like he truly is. He told me later that you had impressed him greatly; when others thought only of themselves in times of danger; you stood and saved your horse from the shaky ground at the risk of your own life. Even though you lost five men you never gave up until there was no other option and you had to try to save those that were left; even then you put your men before your own safety. Even today he holds you in high esteem and talks of you when the subject arises at meetings."

"I would certainly like to meet him again now; he must have many good tales to tell about the Moor Runners?"

"He has indeed My Lord and perhaps one day you just may."

"Now pray tell me about this Black Bow you are the Keeper of?"

"Well My Lord, the bow is both a symbol and a trial for any man or boy of the Western Reaches. It is the most powerful bow made by any clan or man. The bow we carry today is the third one made; it is now nearly five generations old. The bows are made in such a way that they can last for ten generations if looked after correctly; some even say it has magic from the old gods built into it; but about that I would not know."

Bodan paused to look around at the rapt attention being paid to his story; that is all except for Gerard who had heard the legend of the Black Bow all his life and, on reaching his majority of eighteen summers would become the next Keeper; that is if he passed the trial of manhood.

"You must understand My Lord; the Black Bow is made for only one use and no other. When a boy gets to the age of thinking he is a man, then he can request to take the trial of manhood; it is by the power of the bow that this is decided. Should the boy fail the trial of which he can only attempt once in his lifetime; then he is either banished from the lands of the Reaches and Moors and must never set foot in them again; or he can meet his death at the hands of one of his family; the final decision is his after failing the attempt."

"I would suppose most call for banishment, Master Bodan?"

"Not so My Lord; most ask for a quick death; banishment means that even should they find a wife and have sons, none of them will ever see the Reaches or Moors again; for our Clan that is unthinkable."

"A very drastic solution Master Bodan."

"It is a hard and dangerous life in the Reaches My Lord."

"So it would seem, and is the trial a secret or can you explain it for us?"

"There are no secrets My Lord, only in the use of the bow and how a boy can tame it; but that is all in his training and self thought. Most bows from other counties are 4'6" in length and pull at 50lbs; for us they are used as a boy's first bow on which he will train until he is old enough and strong enough to have a man's bow. A man's bow is 5' 3" and is pulled at between 75lbs and 85lbs."

There was a short pause while Bodan thought over what he would say.

"Our bows are not made as others; with the other counties they make a bow from a single piece of Yew; it is tapered and the centre bound with leather for the hand grip. Ours are made from laths of Yew and Blackwood. For a boy's bow there are three laths; two outer laths of Yew and a central lath of Blackwood; we then added a central grip of Oak. A man's bow is made from five laths; three of Yew and two of Blackwood with the grip of Oak. The Black Bow is made entirely of Blackwood with Oaken grips."

Again a pause.

"Now the Black Bow is 6' long and pulls at 120lbs; it must be used not only with strength but with the power of one's mind and soul; without those last two then the boy is doomed to failure. Each year on the boy's naming day from the age of ten summers; he is asked by his father if he is ready to take the trial. This question is asked each naming day until his majority at eighteen summers; if the boy has not taken the trial by that age he is automatically banished and his name struck from the tales and records; he becomes a non person."

"A harsh sentence Master Bodan."

"As I said My Lord, it is a harsh land. Now the trial is conducted with four arrows; that is all that is carried with the bow. One arrow is fletched with green; that is for the great Mother of the Earth. Next is one fletched with white; that is for the great Father of the Heavens. The next is fletched with the stripes of the hawk and carries the call of the bird for all to hear; it is to scare away the dark thoughts that fills men's minds and bodies. The last is fletched in red; it is the arrow of ascension from boyhood to manhood; it must fly true and strike at the heart where all man's fears die."

Freeman looked at the last son of Bodan; the boy had about 15 summers and; while he had sturdy shoulders and very strong looking arms; his lower body was slender and he looked a little top heavy although he moved with a fluid gait.

"So, if your youngest passes his trial he will then be the Keeper; if there is only one bow then how can those still in the Reaches be tested with you so far away?"

"They must travel to where I am at and have their trial there."

"What would stop them from returning home and saying they have passed when they have not even tried?"

"It is the honour of a man. If a boy lied about doing and passing the trial; he would know it was a lie; that lie would sit heavy on his shoulders and his demeanour would show that; if he passed it truly he would walk in a different way, one of accomplishment and surety; it cannot be disguised by a lie."

"It sounds like a tough trial and even more severe penalties?"

"As I said My Lord; the Reaches are a tough land and must have strong men and leaders. For my youngest it is a great sacrifice; there are two things in this world he ever wanted; one was to travel to the Holy Land and the other was to become a Moors Runner, however fate has placed him on the road of being the next Keeper of the Black Bow when he reaches his majority."

Again Bodan paused to think over his next words.

"As it would be I already have three sons that are Runners, my eldest, a boy in the middle age and the next one above Gerard; the others are all good farmers and hard workers as well as being good bowmen so I have been well blessed. May I ask of yourself My Lord?"

"We eat at the same table Master Bodan and therefore talk as friends; of course you may ask of my life if that is what you choose."

"I am greatly honoured by your hospitality My Lord and so I would ask only in friendship; I notice you have no wife yet you have adopted a son on the cusp of manhood; did your good wife pass over to the other side?"

"This can be a long tale Master Bodan; perhaps we should let the boys go to entertain themselves while we talk more?"

Bodan nodded and smiled at his youngest in agreement; the others stood and thanked Freeman for the meal and Bodan for his company; although the Hashin boys did so through Salud as they spoke no English. Bodan was surprised at the courtesy of the Saracen boys; he thought he would have to ask how they came to be in this land at all, if given the opportunity by his Lordship.

Once the boys had left, Freeman began his tale after calling for hot mead to be served to himself and his guest.

"As you know, at fifteen summers I had my ass kicked by the men of the Moors and Reaches."

Bodan nodded but could not help the chuckle that came to his throat; he noticed that His Lordship was also chuckling.

"I was the second son and my father, then the Baron of Lancaster; I knew that my older brother would hold the title and lands. My Mother had passed at my birth but she had left me a small holding in her homeland in Flanders of few acres so I would not be destitute nor have to beg from my brother should the time come. To this end; when I was nineteen summers, I asked my father for permission to venture to the Holy Land on crusade; of course as the second son he had no hesitation in allowing it as my elder brother would never be allowed to go as he was the heir apparent."

Freeman paused to sip the hot mead then continued.

"As you well know, a young man being freshly released from the oversight of his parent is likely to be a little over adventurous; and so I was. There was a call from the Knights of the Cross to venture into Saracen lands and claim palaces for themselves; and the good Church of course. Being one of too higher spirits I signed their pledge and off I went to a great adventure. There were more than one thousand Knights and twenty thousand soldiers; most wore the Red Cross of the Holy Church; not being one who is over fond of the Church I wore my family colours of Green."

Again a pause to sip his mead and think back to those early times to refresh his memory.

"We travelled for twenty five days without sight of palace or Saracen; by this time there was the beginning of dissention in the common ranks as thirst and hunger took hold; the twenty sixth day soon stopped that. We had camped the night at the beginning of a long sandy valley; the hills rose on both sides and were also of soft sand. We had just finished our breakfast and the baggage train was in the middle of breaking camp when the Saracens appeared on the two hills above us. The men tried as fast as they could to form a defensive line and the Knights called for their war horses and got mounted. Being as I was, young and always in a hurry; I found myself in the front rank of the Knights and at the head of the first charge. As we charged towards the mounted Saracens we found the soft sand slowed us greatly and blunted our charge; their number suddenly increased beyond count but for us it was already too late; I did not even get to strike one Saracen before a lance slid off my thigh armour and pierced my groin; the pain and fear was so great that the blackness overtook me before I even fell from my horse. Many hours later I began to gather my wits again; the air was filled with the smell of blood and death; I could hear the sounds of scavengers feeding on the corpses of the men, but there was another sound; the sound of strange voices; there were also human scavengers robbing the dead."

Bodan watched as the famous Baron shuddered with those old thoughts; he kept his silence.

"The pain in my groin was such that I must have cried out louder than I thought for it was only moments before a dark clothed figure was standing over me; all I could make out was dark clothing and a pair of dark eyes staring at me from behind a cloth that covered his face entirely. The figure called out in a language I could not make heads nor tails of; within moments there were others staring down at me; this was only the beginning of a long stay in the hands of what I then thought were the Saracens."

Another long pause for more mead and to take breath occurred before Freeman continued.

"For some reason, one that I was to learn of much later; the first figure decided to take me with them; two men stripped me of my armour and an old man appeared to take a look at my wound; there was another long discussion before he took out a curved knife and completed the work of the lance; much to my horror and pain; I passed out again and awoke to find myself in a large dark tent with the old man watching over me. From somewhere else in the tent I could hear fast and sometimes furious discussions going on; I was to learn they were talking about my future."

Freeman paused and thought back to that time in his life when everything was about to change but as yet he was not aware of how much.

"They turned out to be of the Bedouin as others call them; they looked upon the Saracens, Sunni, Hadish and other tribes as much lower than themselves. They had few options; one I could be enslaved, sold and used in the mines or, as I had lost my means of creating children; I could be used as what they call a eunuch, in their harems; which is where their concubines are held. Another option was to be tortured and left in the great desert but I was saved from that as I was wearing green and not the Red Cross; what happened was only due to the young man that had found me. He was of a similar age as myself; he stood finally and said something to the others that stopped all arguments and discussion immediately; I learned later he had given what they call a Blood Promise; for the Bedou it is so serious and sacred that it is a promise until death; even if the promise is fulfilled it is still for life. The promise is not only upheld by the one that makes it but is binding on all other Bedou."

Again a long pause and a few more sips from the freshly filled cup.

"The young Bedou had claimed me as a brother; this brought me into the family of the Bedou; his name was Saed, others know him today as the Emir who is at the King's court right now. Once I was considered fully healed; Saed took me under his protection and began to teach me the ways of the Bedou; within a year I was also included in their sacred society of which I am still a member; that is also for life. So master Bodan, as you can see the possibility of a wife and sons is not viable for me and that is why Eventide is now my son and heir."

Freeman watched the thoughtful look on Bodan's face as he finished his story; of course it was only the bare facts and the true story was much longer with many more situations that the man did not need to hear.

"Master Bodan, I would ask if you would consider showing me the advantages of your bows in the morning; perhaps once that is done we can discuss more about the possibility of finding you some free farmland to work?"

"My Lord, it would be my honour to show you our bows and what they can do; perhaps you might have a guard or two that would like to compete for honours against us; it would make for a better understanding of our chosen weapon?"

"Agreed; now then let us finish off this flask of mead and then get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow will be adventurous and revealing to both of us."

The two men sat and made small talk while they drank the flask dry; it was by now the middle hours of the night as they made their way to their rooms; Bodan being shown by one of the servants where his family was sleeping; of his youngest son there was no sight or sound; all he could do was hope for the best that he was safe.

The next morning there was an air of excitement in the manor; the long open swathes of grassland outside the wall was letting go of the last of the morning mist as the sun rose in the clear sky. A large number of the guards were gathering near a freshly cleared area where a table had been set up for the Baron to sit and watch and food and fruit had been laid out for those who wanted it.

Bodan sat with the Baron as his sons stood behind him and looked at the guards; four of the guards were more noticeable for their large strong right arms; a signal that they were and had been bowmen for a lot of years. A line marked with white ribbon had been set ten paces away from the table; fifty paces from the line sat a wooden frame with a large hessian bag packed tightly with straw. The target bag had a cloth with three wide circles painted on it. The outer line was yellow; the middle line was blue and the round spot in the centre was red. The red spot was no more than a hands span across.

When it looked like all those that wanted to attend had appeared; the Baron stood up and began to speak.

"My guardsmen, sons of Bodan the farmer; this is a test of skill with your chosen weapons, the bow. This is not a confrontation, it is a friendly competition; if there were some among you that wish to lay a wager, I will not stop it. Yeoman Krain, have you selected the four that will take the line for your team?"

"Yes My lord."

"Are you happy to start at fifty paces?"

"Yes My Lord but, if I may ask permission to use our war bows when the distance increases; these practice bows have little else after fifty paces?"

"Master Boden is that agreed with; of course you may also change bows if desired at any time?"

"It is agreeable My Lord."

"Who would you have for your team Master Bodan?"

Freeman expected the man to select his best including himself on his team; much to his surprise, and the amusement of his large guards, Bodan instead said.

"I would select my four youngest My Lord; they well need the practice."

"Are you sure Master Boden; it seems a little unfair to put young teens against grown men who are mostly battle hardened and well experienced."

"My Lord, this is a friendly competition, if my youngest sons are beaten then they will have to practice harder in the future; it would be no dishonour for them to lose to better men and may even give them a little humility in their future lives."

For some reason, Freeman did not think that was likely to happen; there was a faint hint of pride and also fun in the man's voice.

"Very good, all is agreed; each archer will fire one arrow at the target; those with the most shafts closest to the centre wins that round; from then on the target will be moved back twenty five paces and will continue until only one archer remains; he or they will be said the winners and all wagers will be paid without anger or threat."

Freeman sat down and watched as the four young teens stood back and bowed to the guardsmen; allowing them to be first to use the target; it was also an acknowledgement of the guardsmen's age and experience. It did not go unnoticed by the other guards and a few nods of respect went to the four boys.

As the guards were setting their bows and checking them over; Freeman saw movement from the corner of his eye; he smiled to himself and said nothing as Eventide and Salud went among the brothers that were not shooting to give them all a small coin bag; Freeman did not have long to wait before the smiling boys started to move among the watching guards and start to lay wagers on their four brothers which were quickly taken up.

All of the wagers were mostly of copper coins, only occasionally was a wager made in silver; a guardsman was not a rich person even thought Freeman paid his men well above normal.

Silence settled over the early morning tableau; the four guardsmen had taken their places at the line and were preparing to fire their single arrow at the large target fifty paces away.

At fifty paces the Persian practice bow was almost at its maximum range; the normal practice was between forty and sixty paces for these lighter bows. To be able to make a good shot, the guardsmen had to elevate their bows to a quarter of centre; the centre being a straight line from eye to target; a quarter being raised some twenty five degrees.

Silence was maintained as the four men fired; all four arrows hit the target within the blue line and close to the red circle; their green fletching easily seen by the onlookers. A loud roar of approval went up from those watching guards; at that range with a practice bow it was a very good shot.

Freeman watched as the four teens looked at each other and gave the faintest hint of a smile to each other. The teens next lined up; all four were using a white fletching and it was noticeable that their arrows were longer than the guardsmen's by some inches.

Now that he could see the bows plainly and ready to release, Freeman could make out the difference in style and size more easily. His guards had held the Persian bows in the usual manner of a slightly sideways grip; it allowed for the draw string to be pulled right back level with the ear before releasing.

The four boys had a straighter on stance and he saw that they only drew the bow string to their lips where they stood with the string as though kissing it. Another difference was that the four boys wore a leather bracer on their left arm and a three fingered leather glove on their right hand.

The four boys released the shafts all at the same time; they had not elevated their bows but kept them at the centre line; it did not take much for Freeman to see why. The release was so smooth that it was like fluid pouring from a large jug; the shafts flew straight and true and all four buried more than half their length in the target; all four were also only inches from each other and right in the centre of the red circle.

There was a stunned silence as the guards saw what they were now up against; slowly the other watchers began to clap in appreciation of the boy's marksmanship; the four guard archers could only look open mouthed at the results of the four boys.

Krain was man enough to turn to the four boys and bow his head as a compliment of their skill; he also smiled as he said to the boys.

"Very good; for fifty paces, now let us start to play." Krain turned back to his men. "Guards, your war bows, this has just become a true competition and I for one want to see if these lads can keep abreast."

One servant ran the eight shafts back while others measured and then moved the large target back to seventy five paces as the Guards retrieved their larger and heavier war bows from one of their friends. The Persian War Bow, the most commonly used bow of the time; was large and heavy; it was made for long continuous use in the heat of battle and had a good range of one hundred and fifty paces; some said it would fly further in the hands of a good archer.

Freeman watched as the guards watching fingered their coin purses; the use of War Bows was a distinct advantage to the guards; copper coins flowed again with the sons of Bodan.

The four guards retook their place at the line; this time they used less elevation as the bows were far stronger; the guards hit one red, two blue and one yellow; at seventy five paces it was very good shooting. The boys took their places and went through the same ritual as before; when they were ready to release; they all did so together; again four reds but this time there was only one exactly in the centre and the other three were about two inches around it.

The three older brothers looked at Gerard and wagged a teasing finger at him as they turned back to rejoin their other brothers and wait for the guardsmen to shoot at the next range.

There was again a stunned silence as those watching saw the four white fletching's at the centre circle; Krain could only look and shake his head; he had seen the boys barely use a fraction of elevation; it was starting to dawn on him that the long bows were not to be taken lightly, nor should the age of the archers.

The target was again moved back, this time to one hundred paces; as Krain thought about it, it was still well within an accurate range for their heavy bows. At one hundred paces it would need a servant to mark the hits with a painted marker; the watchers got ready for the next round; the four guardsmen were now looking very serious as they nocked their arrows and prepared to shoot.

One after the other, the guards released and stepped back; the results were still good, three blue and one yellow; a loud round of yelling from their many friends met their results; the guards stepped back with smiles on their faces as the four boys took the line.

Again the four boys scored four reds but this time they were more widely separated; the boys waggled a finger at Gerard once again as his was the closest to the centre; one even lightly slapped him on the back of the head making the others laugh at the boy's red face.

The target was once again moved back but this time Krain asked for one hundred and fifty paces instead of the one hundred and twenty five it should have been. Krain knew it took a great deal of strength to pull a bow back far enough for that distance; he was trying to tax the strength of the younger boys and also put them off by the extra distance.

For the guardsmen the range made them have to use a full three quarters elevation; the result was one blue, one yellow, one close miss and one shaft short and into the ground below the target; for that range it was still good shooting and they got another loud cheer.

The four boys walked to the line but, instead of taking their position to fire; they all placed their bows across their open palms and turned to face their father with a low bow; Freeman watched as Bodan gave them an almost imperceptible nod.

The four boys turned back to the target still with the bows crosswise in their palms; all four then bowed and stood immobile for a minute before returning the bows to the upright and taking their stance.

"What was that Master Bodan?"

"We call it the prayer of hand and eye; it is a prayer to the Mother Earth and Father of the Heavens that their hands be steady and a prayer to the Hawk for a sharp eye and the banishment of bad spirits."

"They did not use it before?"

"There was no need; before it was just a practice distance used just for training, now they are shooting for real and must hit their target."

Again the four boys drew their bows in unison; the release was just as perfect but this time they used one third from the centre. The four shafts flew fast and straight on their curving flight; the result was three red and one blue; this time the three brothers turned to the elder of the four and shook their heads sadly as they walked back with a smile on their faces.

Krain looked at the result; his men were almost at their limits although he still had a little more to give yet; his was the strongest bow in the King's army, only two other archers could pull it to the fullest and they were both in the King's Guard.

Bodan turned to Freeman and then stood and bowed.

"My Lord, would you permit me to arrange the next distance and conditions?"

"By all means Master Bodan, from what we have seen today it can only get better for all of us to see."

"Thank you My Lord. I would like the target to be placed at two hundred and fifty paces. I have noticed that Yeoman Krain is by far the better archer than the others, perhaps he will take the line for this round and he can use four shafts; I will select one of the boys and he can do the same?"

"That sounds fair, Yeoman Krain; do you accept this new challenge?"

Although he was feeling a little nervous, his honour and the honour of the Baron was at stake. At two hundred and fifty paces he would be at the full extent of his range for the Persian Bow and his accuracy would be at risk but he could not refuse.

"Yes My Lord; it is indeed a great challenge, especially for a boy of tender years; which of the four will I be shooting against, My Lord?"

Freeman looked at Bodan in askance.

"It will be Gerard, My Lord; it is his time."

Freeman nodded and watched as Krain prepared himself; all of the Yeoman's skill would be needed for this round. The watchers were totally silent, even the birds stayed quiet as the large man got ready with his first shaft.

Everybody watched as the large man's arms began to flex and the heavy muscles bunched and bulged with his efforts; as he breathed out he released the first of the four shafts; it seemed to the watchers that the shaft took forever to reach its target; it was short by less than one pace.

The next shaft hit low on the target and inches from the outer yellow; the third and forth shaft zipped and both hit in the blue; it was no mean feat at that range and the roar of the crowd filled the morning air; there was a certain amount of back slapping and congratulations as Gerard prepared for his turn.

When the celebrations calmed down; Bodan stood up from his place at the table and raised his two hands for silence.

"My son Gerard; in two days time it will be your name day; I ask you know even though it is early. Do you, Gerard of the Reaches, take the trial of manhood this day?"

Gerard lowered his bow and turned to his father; bowing his head he called back.

"Yes father; today I will stand trial."

Bodan turned to his eldest son who was carrying the brown leather case.

"Bring the Black Bow of Manhood; Gerard of the Reaches would take trial this day."

The crowd was hushed as they watched the strange goings on; only Freeman and Bodan's family knew what it would mean if Gerard failed.

The elder son stood before his father with the brown case lying in his arms as his father carefully opened it and drew out the six foot bow. At first sight of the black bow, Freeman almost gasped as he saw the great weapon; it seemed to almost hum with a hidden power as Bodan took it out and gave it to his youngest son. From deeper in the case, Bodan pulled out four arrows, one was fletched in white, one in green, one in red and one was striped like a hawks feather; all four were longer than any arrow he had ever seen.

As he received the four shafts, Gerard bowed low to his father and turned back to the line leaving his other bow in his older brothers hands; only those in the family knew that the bow would also be used to take Gerard's life if he failed; none of Bodan's offspring would ever take the option of banishment.

There was total quiet as Gerard prepared for his trial; taking up the green shaft, he held it at arm's length then raised it high and said something under his breath; next he took his stance and held the large black bow at his side; nocking the arrow, he settled into his stance and drew the bow back with surprising ease; with the arrow at his lips he raised it to two thirds of centre, paused, then released.

The green shaft flew high and far; too the surprise of the watchers, the arrow landed right at the base of the target and stuck in the ground where the right leg of the frame touched the ground. There was a sudden whispering of.

"He missed."

Freeman looked at Bodan and was also surprised to see the man nod his head in satisfaction; Freeman decided to ask about it after the boy had finished.

The white shaft flew at the same elevation and this time it landed close to the left leg of the frame; again the whisper of.

"He missed again; he will have to hit twice in the blue or once in the red to win now."

Freeman was watching the face of Bodan and again saw the nod of satisfaction.

Gerard drew the bow again, this time with the fletching of the striped shaft; this time he raised it to three quarters and, after a pause, released it high into the air.

It seemed the arrow was flying for a long time as it went high over the top of the target and disappeared into the distance; what was more noticeable to those watching was the high pitched sound of what could be a Hawk screeching as the arrow flew.

The crowd began to make calls for Krain to be declared the winner; Freeman lifted his hand for silence, the boy still had one shaft left and it was only fair he be allowed his full four shots.

In the silence that followed, Gerard knelt down and, holding the last arrow in his palms, he began to whisper what Freeman assumed was a prayer; the boy then stood, turned and bowed to his father and took his stance and prepared to fire.

There was a hush as everyone watched the slender boy draw the bow to its fullest; with his lips on the string, Gerard released the shaft in a smooth easy way; the shaft went high and straight as it flew towards the far off target. No one could see where it hit but there was little doubt it had made the target.

The servant standing far to one side lifted his painted marker and moved it up and down; no one could believe it; that signal meant the boy had scored a red; he had won the competition with that one last shot; Freeman turned to see the half smile on Bodan's face.

"Gerard, son of the Reaches; today you are a man and on your majority you will become the Keeper of the Black Bow of Manhood; your father is pleased. Boys go and collect the arrows of manhood and do not forget to pace out the shaft of the Hawk."

Krain was the first to move towards Gerard; he held out his large hand to be taken by the boy; as he shook the boy's hand he said to him.

"I have seen the best bowmen of this land and of many others; today I saw the best of them all; I am now proud to be beaten by such an archer."

"Thank you Yeoman; had you not been such an archer I would not have had the courage to take my trial so it is I that should be thanking you," Gerard replied.

"What is this talk of a trial young one?"

"It is the law of the Reaches; for me to become a man I must fulfil the laws of the Black Bow."

"But you missed with the first three, what if you missed with the fourth?"

"I did not miss with the first three; I shot them where they were meant to go; had I missed the last one I would be laying here dead right now."

"Dead! But how?"

"Had my shaft not hit the red my eldest brother would have used my own bow against me; it is the law of the Reaches."

Krain looked in wonder at the boy; this strange law was not for the faint of heart; Krain decided to ask Gerard if he could draw the Black Bow to see its pull. Gerard looked at his father for an answer.

"You are the new Keeper; it is your decision to make," Bodan replied to the look from his son.

Gerard handed the Black Bow over to Krain; even with all his greater strength; Krain could only get a half draw on the bow and he looked down at the younger teen with a new respect; for the very life of him, he could not see how the boy had drawn the bow to its fullest; not once, but four times and with great accuracy.

Krain returned the bow beaten by its great power; he promised himself never to underestimate a man or boy in the future.

"What was the meaning of the three misses, Master Bodan?"

"They were not misses My Lord; the first green shaft was to honour the Mother of the earth; the second white was for the Father of the Heavens; the third was the arrow of the Hawk and was to scare all spirits with bad intentions; the last was the death arrow; it is the one that kills the spirit of a boy and reveals the man inside. If the last arrow misses, then his brother would release the shaft he held ready for Gerard's death."

"Then I am mightily pleased the last shaft hit well; he seems a good and honest boy and I would not like to see his blood on my lands."

It was soon after that the last son came running back holding the striped shaft in his hand.

"Did you pace the flight?"

"Yes father," the boy replied.

"And?"

"Three hundred and sixty paces beyond the target, father."

"Then he has done well, only twenty paces less than my own effort and as you know my son; some thirty paces beyond you and your brothers; he will be a great Keeper."

The boy gave the last shaft back to his father and nodded; he knew that none of his brothers would be able to play anymore jokes on the youngest one; he had bested them on the one true field they all knew so well.

Later that day when it was close to the time for the evening meal; Freeman called for Bodan to meet him in his study room. It was a number of hours later before anyone saw the two men again; it was noticeable that both of them were smiling and seemed happy with the results of their private meeting.

Eventide had now had enough time learning the language of the Bedou to be able to quite well understand most of what was said although his skill at reading and writing the language was still at the level of an infant; Freeman's lessons on writing and reading his own language were of course easier for Eventide to learn although still difficult for one who had not been taught before.

Amongst all the language lessons, there was the other training for his skills within the Brotherhood; these seemed to come naturally to him and his six instructors were happy with his progress. Eventide was feeling a little nervous about this upcoming night. Ishmael had told him he would be learning the first thing about seduction; as Ishmael said; "It is one of the better parts of being a Hashin" Eventide only hoped it was true; he was about to tread into a world he knew nothing about.

Eventide was not really surprised to see Bodan at the table that night; as the meal continued, Freeman began to tell him what they had agreed upon during their meeting. Freeman and Bodan had come to an arrangement for Bodan and his family to take over the manor estate as Freeman's overseer; he would also have given to him for a small peppercorn rent, ten acres to call his own and he would oversee all of the new tenants that would come to work the estate. His rent was to be six long bows and six quivers of arrows per year for five years and the son's time to train his men. Once that was fulfilled, the land would be Bodan's and his family and he would keep his place as overseer.

Bodan had said he would have no trouble finding good farmers for the land around the manor and he had his own sons to help with breaking in the ground and also in his duty as overseer.

When the meal was done; Eventide and the six Hashin left the table and went back to Eventide's rooms. Eventide's four servants were waiting with a hot bath ready for him and the massage table was set out and ready. A warming plate was in his bed to heat up the cold sheets while Ishmael found a large soft cushion to sit on beside the bathing tub.

The other five Hashin disappeared into their own rooms and left the two boys together; there were a number of semi riballed remarks made that Eventide could now understand even though he did not really know what they meant in the context of the night.

As Eventide relaxed in the hot bath water; Ishmael began to tell him a long story of a Prince looking for love in the vast deserts of his homeland. Eventide lay back to listen; a good story that is well told was always one of his favourite things and Ishmael seemed to have the kind of voice that made for a good story teller.

As the story progressed and Eventide relaxed more; occasionally Ishmael's voice would drop slightly and Eventide had to lean toward him slightly to hear the words. Ishmael would then strengthen his voice again. At other times, Ishmael would lightly touch Eventide's bare arm or perhaps run a finger lightly up or down his forearm as he explained a part of the story.

When the water cooled, Eventide was still held spellbound by the tale of the desert Prince; Ishmael at one time was almost whispering in his ear and the soft touch of Ishmael's hot breath on his cheek made Eventide feel a light tingle in his nether regions; that is not to say he was not already feeling the effects by the hardness of his boyhood hidden under the water.

Eventide took his place on the table for a massage; always the best part of the many bathings he had to do; Ishmael continued with the story; at times his eyes flashed at Eventide and at other times he whispered words or gave a slight touch on the boy's leg, arm or back. Eventide hoped Ishmael did not know what he was doing to Eventide's young excitable body; he had never felt like this before when told a story.

By the end of the massage, Eventide's body felt as though it was enflamed and yet Ishmael seemed to not notice anything amiss. When the tale went to a soft part; Ishmael would whisper the words; when it came to an exciting part before a battle or some other part to raise the blood; Ishmael would speak louder but touch Eventide in different places that brought the younger boy's blood almost to a boil.

It was two hours later before Eventide realised he was lying on the great bed in all his nakedness; his boyhood was rigidly hard and his skin felt on fire; above him was Ishmael; a thin film of sweat on his dark skin only accentuated his fine muscular figure.

Something was slowly moving between Eventide's thighs; it felt large and very hard but his own boyhood was taking away any other thoughts; it was at a stage when he thought he should tell Ishmael he need to go and pass water, instead he felt a tingling like nothing ever before.

Without warning, Eventide's boyhood began to pulse not once, but many times; above him the bright damp face of Ishmael was smiling widely as he slowly moved back and forth between the younger boy's thighs hoping that one day he would get to taste the true delight hidden below.

When the pulsing ended; Eventide suddenly felt very tired; his boyhood did not go soft like some other times but he seemed more drained this time; there was also a stickiness on his belly that he had not had before; other times his boyhood had got hard and he had felt the shivers, there had not been any moister; this time was different somehow.

Eventide awoke with a start; he did not realise he had fallen asleep; as he turned his head he could see Ishmael watching him with wide awake eyes; their noses almost touching and their breaths mixing with each exhale.

Eventide was not sure what it was; the fact of someone holding him close or just that another person was sharing his bed with intimacy for the first time but, whatever it was he would like it to continue. A fleeting thought made him wonder if Mahmud would like to lay with him like this; holding each other close and experiencing the joy of the tingling sensations he had had.

When next Eventide awoke; Ishmael was by the side of the bed dressing. Eventide could tell it was in the late morning as the sun was high in the sky for it to be close to dawn. Eventide felt his naked body under the soft cotton of the bed cloths; his first urge was to make water and he jumped from the bed in a bigger hurry than most days.

Ishmael laughed as he watched the naked boy running for the closet set aside for the disposal of the boy's morning water; it would not be long before Eventide would be back and Ishmael would follow him down to eat a sparse meal before handing him over to Demetrius for the next part of training.

Ishmael could tell by the glow of the boy's skin that his seduction had been a success; all it would take now was to teach Eventide how he had done it without the boy even realising or understanding it from the beginning.

The following week was filled from early light until after dark with lessons; both of the Hashin and his reading and writing with Freeman who also taught him about court etiquette and the other lessons for a Baronet.

Each day had the last two hours of daylight set aside for Eventide to ride his horse; each time he went to the stable, Shaun would be waiting for him. Shaitan would be saddled and the jet black hide would be glowing with a shine to match the brightest of jewels.

One of the Hashin had also been teaching Shaun how to plait the horses black main and tie in small red and black tassels to highlight the horse. On the third day of going to the stable; Eventide was surprised to be greeted with the horse kneeling down on one front knee for Eventide to mount easier; Eventide smiled at what he saw.

"Shaun, how did you get him to do that?"

"Soft words and bribery My Lord."

"More bribery than words I would guess. Thank you Shaun, I would never have thought of that."

"It is a pleasure My Lord; also your friends have been helping me understand this type of horse; they are so different from our own."

"Yes Shaun, they are certainly that. Are you trying to practice riding again?"

"Yes My Lord; I have been trying to learn to re-sit a saddle and find a way to keep my balance; again your friends have been most helpful; it seems they have done this before for their own boys after an accident."

"From what I have been told; in the great desert, if you cannot ride then you die so they must have ways to help those injured."

"Yes My Lord; My Lord, may I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"What is the large barrel for?"

"What barrel Shaun?"

"Your friends have strung a barrel on four posts out back of the stables."

"I honestly do not know Shaun; I will try to find out while we ride today; they must have a reason for it, they always do and it usually means more pain for me." Eventide laughed as the boy smiled back at him. With Shaitan kneeling it was so much easier to mount although he had to tighten his grip as the horse stood back up.

On the long slow canter back to the stable, Eventide called to Salud and asked him about the hanging barrel; the only answer he got was a very evil look and a wide smile from the other boys; they returned to the stable in silence but the smiles were wide and knowing.

Once back at the stables; Eventide was again allowed to dismount after Shaitan had knelt for him; Shaun was quickly there to begin to remove the large colourful wool blanket and begin to remove the saddle; as he worked, Mohammad moved up beside him; Shaitan immediately turned his head to look at the teen and bared his teeth and snorted loudly through his nostrils.

Eventide watched as Mohammad bowed low and salaamed to the horse; he then said in Aramaic.

"Forgive this one Great Shaitan; I have need to give another lesson to the young one."

Shaitan looked the teen over before turning his head back which seemed to be agreeable to Mohammad. When Shaun had removed the large blanket, draped it over a waiting stand and then reversed it so the underside was open to the air to dry; Mohammad then took Shaun to the horses main and showed him something in the plaiting and tying of the tassels.

Shaun was nodding his head as Mohammad explained things through signs as neither could speak the others language. Carefully Mohammad untied one of the plaits and then went step by step to replaiting it; he then took up the tassel and measured the plait with his forefinger and showed Shaun the difference in length before tying the tassel back on.

Shaun nodded his head and then showed Mohammad his much shorter forefinger and giggled; Mohammad laughed and then showed him to use the width of the boy's smaller four fingers across the palm instead of the length of the boy's forefinger; Shaun nodded again and bowed to Mohammad which the teen returned before turning back and joining his friends.

The walk back to the manor and the evening meal was done in silence; Eventide was still thoughtful about why the six friends had put a large barrel up and what they had in mind for him; he knew it would not be something easy; with these six it never was.

The next morning, Eventide's worst fears were realised as the boys led him to the back of the stables; what he saw did not inspire any confidence. There were four post set in a square; at the centre was a large barrel with one of the strange saddles the boys had told him were for his camels.

The barrel lay on the ground and the four ropes were attached in such a way that they controlled both the front, rear and sides. The four biggest boys went to stand by the posts and gripped the ropes tightly; Salud took Eventide to the barrel and still wore the evil grin as he explained to Eventide how to mount the saddle.

When Eventide was finally seated on the strange saddle; Salud showed him how to wrap his right leg under the knee of his left and tighten his grip; next he gave Eventide a long thin cane and showed him how to hold it in his right hand and tap it against the side of the barrel.

Once all this was done; Salud stepped back and nodded his head; seconds later Eventide found himself on the ground after flying over the front of the barrel as the two boys at the rear had suddenly pulled hard on the ropes and lifted the rear of the barrel up high; all the boys were laughing, not only at the result of Eventide's loss of his seat but also at the loud and boyish yelp he let out as he hit the ground quite hard.

Salud helped Eventide back to his feet and then brushed of the dust and straw from his clothes before pointing back to the barrel; this next attempt was more successful until they lifted the front in the same manner. The same results were achieved but this time he went over the back with the same yelp; it took the boys a few minutes before they could stop laughing and help the dust covered Eventide back on his feet.

Eventide was trying to spit out a lump of dirt as Salud led him back to the barrel.

"There is no animal that rises up like that Salud."

"So little brother, you have ridden many camels then to know this?"

"Well, no but I have never seen an animal that would even kneel and then stand in such a fashion; I think you are trying to make a fool of me."

"To make a fool you must first have one who is born a fool; now little brother, back to your lesson and believe me when I tell you; a camel does indeed rise like that and some even more violently if they anger."

This time Eventide stayed on his saddle. At Salud's command, the four boys began to move the barrel in a strange waving motion; Salud had told Eventide that when he was comfortable and thought he could stay in the saddle; he was to tap the cane on the barrel and it would speed up a little.

It took ten more minutes before Eventide was feeling decidedly ill; the forward wavy motion made his stomach heave as well as a slight sideways movement that the boys managed to work into their actions. As Eventide felt his gorge rise; he leaned over the side and lost his breakfast, much to the enjoyment of the six watching boys; luckily Salud caught him before he fell into his own mess that sat in a puddle below him.

Shaun appeared from nowhere with a ladle of cold water and then went to find some fresh straw to cover up Eventide's breakfast and pad the ground a little more; the six boys had tears in their eyes as they laughed and held their sides much to Eventide's displeasure.

It took another ten minutes before Eventide could remount the saddle and start over; although he felt ill almost immediately; it was only from sheer will power that he held onto what little was left in his stomach. After a little time, the four boys sped up their actions; this time Eventide did not feel so bad as the movement was a little smoother and his stomach settled a little.

For the next two hours, Eventide sat high up on the barrel as the boys worked up a hard sweat moving it around; looking down Eventide could see he was about the height of two men above the ground; it was not a comfortable feeling to know he could easily injure himself from this height.

It was mid afternoon before the lesson finished for the day much to Eventide's relief; after being helped down; Eventide made his way back to the manor on very unsteady legs. It was with great relief that he made it back to the manor; his stomach was rumbling with hunger and his throat was dry as Salud and Achmed escorted him into the house.

Freeman took one look and could not hold back the laughter.

"I see you are learning to ride a camel; you're lucky it's only a barrel; I had to do it on the real animal, a much harder form of learning I assure you."

If Eventide could have raised a sneer he would have done so but his aching muscles and shaky legs had taken too much out of him, he just wanted to eat, drink and rest; the first two were soon completed, the last was not to be.

Chapter 4
Wadhi Sufaria

For Eventide, it seemed he had just fallen asleep when something caused him to awaken. At first he could not make out what it was; his room was in total blackness but there was a heavy weight pressing down on his slim chest.

As he managed to open his eyes; he felt the full stress of the long practice session on the large barrel but, there was something else. Above him he could just make out a faint shimmer of dark eyes very close to his face. The figure was kneeling over his chest and had his arms trapped at his side; Eventide tried to move but it was impossible with the weight above him.

His breathing was coming only with difficulty and there was a feeling of cold metal on his bare stomach. The figure holding him down was more ethereal in its darkness; only the dark eyes could be seen as the tightness around his throat increased and the pressure of the cold metal pressed down on his boyhood; from the blackness came a young voice.

"A Hashin that sleeps to deeply will soon be dead; always you must sleep with one ear listening and one eye watching."

Suddenly the vague shape in the darkness disappeared as though it was a ghost and Eventide was left with the tightness of the silken scarf around his neck and, after looking down; he saw one of his own fancy daggers lying with the sharp blade touching his naked boyhood.

Eventide carefully removed the dagger first; it was too close to be comfortable; with a little struggle he managed to free the tight scarf from his neck; the pain of his first full breath would always remind him of how close he was to never breathing again.

Eventide jumped from his bed to find some water to sooth his dry throat; of his assailant there was no sign. Even now he was not sure which of his six brothers it had been but it was a lesson he hoped he would not have to go through again. For the rest of the night, Eventide found it difficult to fall back into a deep sleep; just the thought of that tight scarf was enough to bring his eyes wide open again and again.

The next morning when he met all the boys for breakfast; not one of them even gave the faintest hint of being in his room the night before; it was as though they all knew nothing of it. Achmed told Eventide it was time to start his first lessons on poisons; Eventide was not sure if that was a good thing or not; he had not had the best of sleep last night and the thought of touching dangerous poisons made him shudder slightly.

As Eventide followed Achmed to a room deep under the manor; he saw Freeman and Bodan walking towards the outer gate; he was sure he would find out all about it in time; for now he had other things to do.

Achmed took him into one of the rooms deep underground; it looked as though it had not been there all that long and was perhaps a later addition well after the manor had been built.

The room was lined in stone and around the walls were many wooden shelves which seemed to be covered with scrolls, earthen jars, strange dishes and measuring devices as well as a small fire that looked much like a child's forge; the coals inside glowing hot with a faint wisp of smoke coming from the centre.

Eventide somehow knew that this part of his lessons had been left until he had a better skill with the Aramaic language as he could now easily converse with all the others. His skill at writing the language was still rudimentary but he could recognise most of the figures.

Once he had had a better understanding of written English, the rest came easier and his small hands were able to make the shapes with ease.

Achmed led Eventide to a wooden bench; lined up were six small earthenware jars with symbols on them. Achmed had Eventide sit on a stool beside him and took up one of the jars; the symbol had been carved into the side of the jar and was not one Eventide recognised from his lessons.

"These six are the ones we use most often; there are some thirty five altogether that you must learn but we will start with these. First you must put this on to protect yourself."

Achmed gave Eventide a strange mask made from two thicknesses of black silk; it had two ties at each end to fasten around his head; the mask covered both his mouth and nose.

"You must never work with the poisons without the mask. Now each of these jars has the same symbol as the six flasks you carry; it is a language known only to the Hashin and you must learn it well or you may kill yourself with an accident; it has happened before so take great care."

Eventide nodded and watched as Achmed gathered the six jars closer.

"Now for your first lesson, you will practice the smell of each one; I will also show you how to recognise poisons from non poisons. Most times, poisons have a bitter smell so it is your nose that will tell you if it is safe or not. Do not be fooled however, there are those that smell sweet and tempting but those also usually have a bitter taste."

Eventide looked at Achmed with a little fear; was the boy going to make him actually take poison to find out how it tasted; it did not seem the sort of lesson that one would walk away from. Achmed saw the look of horror on Eventide's face and smiled.

"Yes Little Brother, you will taste some of them but only in very small, almost harmless amounts. First you learn the symbols, next you learn their smells, and then you learn their taste. I promise you will only be a little sick with some of them."

Eventide did not like the small laugh that Achmed gave him.

"Now little Brother, first the symbols, this one is Scorpion venom."

Achmed held up the jar and showed the symbol on the front; it looked a little like a stylised Scorpion but with a few extra squiggles to disguise it. Achmed opened the stopper and took up a thin sliver of wood; dipping the sliver into the jar, he then held it out for Eventide to see; it looked like a thick yellow tree sap.

"Now, do not touch it; this is processed and is very dangerous; the slightest scratch on the skin and it will enter your blood and you will die. Now carefully smell it but do not touch."

Eventide leant forward and took a deep smell of the thick goo; he wasn't sure if he could tell it had a smell or not.

"What do you smell, Little Brother?"

"I'm not sure; I think I smell bitterness."

"Close, now close your eyes and smell again; the eyes are the deceivers of all your senses; close them and use only your nose."

Eventide followed Achmed's instructions and tried again; this time the distinct smell was stronger; the bitterness was more pronounced and made him pull back quickly.

"Good, now you can see the difference; if any time you are not sure about something or if you suspect someone of trying to poison you; close your eyes and smell deeply. Every poison has its own distinct smell but not all are bitter like this one."

Next, Achmed took a jar with an eye symbol on the front; with a very small spatula, he took out a few grains of white powder.

"This is the dream maker from which you never awaken. It is found deep under the ground and it is said that they lose a thousand slaves every year to its mining and processing. Now smell it but carefully; do not breathe in to deeply but let its smell rise to your nose."

Eventide was not sure about this one; with trepidation he leant forward and let the aroma float up to him; as the first hint of odour reached his nose; he closed his eyes and it became more pronounced and readily recognisable. Much to his surprise it smelt very nice; it was much like one of the nuts they had all eaten after a meal.

"I see you recognise the smell, this is deadly even though it smells of almonds; in very small doses it can slowly make a person ill and they eventually die or, you can use a greater quantity and kill them immediately but that way it is easily recognised for what it is as the person will froth at the mouth and shake with the pain."

Achmed took up another jar, this one had a symbol of a tree; again stylised and almost unrecognisable as such. Opening the jar he used another sliver and brought out a thick clear liquid, much like the Scorpion venom but with no colour.

"This comes from the sap of a plant; I am sure you will know it when you smell."

Eventide leaned forward and smelled carefully; he was immediately surprised at the sweet smell and also his recognition of it.

"It is the same as that long yellow fruit we have had at meal times; were they poisoness?"

"No, the fruit is not poisoness, however the sap from the tree on which they grow can be when reduced this way; one scratch from this and you will die; these three and the next one have no antidote; once given the person will surely die."

The next jar had the stylised symbol of a snake etched into it.

"This is the venom of a snake so deadly that many hundreds of people die each year from it. It comes from a far away country to the East called Indus; the snake is called a Krait; two drops and you die within minutes."

Eventide looked at the thick yellow liquid; it was much the same as the Scorpion venom but slightly darker in colour. Eventide leant over to smell with his eyes closed; this time the smell was more of a cloying bitterness and it even left an oily taste in his throat even though he had only smelt it.

Achmed took the second last of the two jars and opened it; he then took a small wooden box from his clothes and laid it beside the jar.

"These we call, the slave makers; once they are taken you will have a willing slave to command; it creates such a desire that they have to come back to you to be able to survive; if they stop taking it they will suffer terribly. It comes from a small red flower found in the high mountains to the east called, the Hindu Kush."

Achmed took out a small round black ball from the small box and, with a spatula took a white powder from the jar. Eventide smelt them both, the ball smelt sweet and sickly and the white powder was similar but not as strong. Achmed held up the round ball.

"This one is smoked, if you put it in a hookah and get him to smoke it he will be your slave for ever more; you may have to smoke with him to make him confident; make sure you do not inhale the smoke; keep it in your mouth then breathe out; it will make your tongue a little numb and your mouth a little bitter tasting; if you inhale it to your lungs you will be no better than him."

Eventide nodded.

"The powder can be put in his drink or food; it will have the same effect; both will take a number of days to get a hold of him but once he has tasted the drug he will come back for more and he will be your slave."

Achmed reached for the last jar; it was marked with a simple X.

"This is made from the black berry of death, once given it is certain death unless you can find a means to purge his innards thoroughly; the use of a heavy concentration of salt given with the oil of the olive can achieve this if used in time. Often, by the time it is noticed, it is already too late for them."

Achmed dipped a sliver into the jar and showed Eventide the black, thick mass; after smelling the bitterness, Eventide looked at Achmed and shook his head to clear away the stale smell from his nostrils.

"These are the ones most often used; when you can identify each and everyone without sight then you will be ready to move onto the more obscure ones; they are no less dangerous but are rare and hard to come by. Now this time I want you to cover your eyes with a blindfold; when this is done I will give you one of the jars. You must feel the mark and relate it to the tops of your own vials. Once this is done you will then take the stopper out and tell me which is which without sight."

Eventide waited while Achmed covered his eyes and made sure he could not see anything before placing the first jar in his sword hand. Eventide used his thumb to lightly run over the symbol on the jar; after some time trying to identify the symbol; he reached for the six empty vials in the special holder he had been told to bring with him.

It took some time for Eventide to really be able to feel the symbol on the small top of the vial; once he thought he was correct; he carefully felt for and then pulled the stopper of the jar. After smelling carefully he said to Achmed.

"It is the Scorpion venom."

"No, it is the snake venom; they are similar to each other but the Scorpion is less powerful in smell also, the symbol of the Scorpion has four lines to a side and the snake only three. Touch the symbol again, you must use the lightest of touches or you will miss something like you just have. I know the effect will be the same but the snake venom will leave its trace for others to find where the Scorpion will not."

Eventide's lesson went on for far longer than he thought; for his first test with his eyes covered, he got only one right; it was a good lesson and he had to work hard to finally; after more than three hours; get them all correct. With his first full success, Achmed called a halt to the day's lesson. From now on it would be easier for Eventide now that he knew a little more and how to identify the markings and smells; tomorrow; although unknown to Eventide; would be the taste test; the day after that Eventide would spend recuperating from the experience.

As the two friends walked back up the stone steps; Eventide asked Achmed.

"How did you get all this down here for us to use?"

"This is not ours; it belongs to your father and Elder Brother; he gave his permission for us to be here. In times when I am not here to teach; he will come to help you; his knowledge is even greater than mine as he has been doing it so many years longer and was taught personally by Elder Brother Desert Lion; who of course, is the best among us."

When the two boys got up to the passageway they had previously used, they were surprised to see the manor a hive of activity. Eventide looked at the servants running around and called out to one of them.

"What is it?"

"The Emir will be here shortly My Lord; we are preparing rooms for him."

Eventide felt excitement at the thought of seeing Mahmud again; it had been nearly three weeks since they had last met just before he was to leave for the manor. Eventide decided to hurry to his rooms to change and bath; he was now getting used to bathing twice a day and his four servants always seemed to have water on the fire whenever it was needed.

Achmed smiled at Eventide's enthusiasm as he waved and went his own way to find the other five; he knew they would be called to the evening meal for their report on Eventide's lessons and progress.

Eventide was a little surprised to see both men side by side at the top of the table; there was now no need for pretence from either man as Eventide was now one of them although still a little brother.

Eventide sat on the right of Freeman; there was no sign of Mahmud and Eventide felt a little let down that his friend had not made an appearance with his uncle; Saed saw the look of disappointment on the boy's face.

"Do not worry my Kahlif, your brother will arrive tomorrow; he had lessons on court procedure to finish; he will come and stay for two days before returning to court; for now I must return to my homeland, there are things afoot that must be taken care of as soon as possible."

Eventide brightened up at the knowledge Mahmud would arrive the next day and smiled widely at the Emir.

"How goes your lessons, young Kahlif?"

"I find them very interesting but at times they are inclined to leave bruises on more than my ego, Your Highness."

Saed laughed loudly and looked at Freeman with a hint of merriment.

"Well brother, it looks like your new son is doing well; do you think he will be ready to travel when the time is due?"

"Yes brother; he will be ready or one solid bruise from head to toe."

Eventide blushed as the two men laughed; next Saed looked at Salud.

"You have your report ready little brother?"

"Yes Elder Brother; I would have each of his teachers report to you themselves."

"Good, do so."

Ishmael was the first to stand and begin his report.

"Elder Brother, our little brother shows great advancement in his ability to lift a man's purse and is advancing rapidly in following the tracks of men and beasts. His first lesson in seduction perhaps is still settling in his head but, as he is so young and is not brought up in our ways, it will take a little longer but I feel certain he will also accomplish that talent with little doubt."

Demetrius was next.

"Elder Brother, little brother has a good eye and a steady hand; his knife throwing is accurate and with practice will attain good distance in time. His skill in silent approach improves with each lesson and he is just now learning to use the garrotte with confidence."

Mohammad was next.

"Elder Brother, little brother is well mastering the horse; he can ride well and is learning quickly about our bow and fighting style. In time he will also be able to fight with the scimitar from horseback. I would say he will be a competent camel rider by the time he leaves for our homeland. I will leave it until then to teach him the art of war from a camel."

Medan spoke up.

"Elder Brother, little brother is still working on his locks; as you well know this takes time and patience, but he does put all effort into learning. I am having made his gloves and boot straps for climbing but as yet they are not ready."

Achmed was the next to stand.

"Elder Brother, little brother has a great fitness and shows good balance and dexterity. He has just now begun to work on the poisons but does show patience and common sense when handling those so far. He listens to instructions well and takes great care with his safety when handling the poisons."

Finally it was Salud's turn.

"Elder Brother, little brother has surprised even me; were I not to know different, I would think him born of the Bedou. He works hard and takes instruction well. His skill with language is excellent and he is far on in writing and reading our language. I have sent for a sword of the Indus for him. As yet his hands are too small for a full sized scimitar but the Indus sword will give him practice. His work with the dagger is as good as I have seen; he has speed and cunning and his small size is an even better advantage. Elder Brother, I would say that little brother is now one of us and only needs some of the finer lessons to complete him."

"Thank you Salud; you and your brothers are doing well and I and Desert Falcon thank you for guarding him so well and giving him lessons. My nephew will be here tomorrow; he will stay for two days before returning to court. Tomorrow I must be on my way home; there are things to attend to. I place the life and safety of our little brother in your hands and would hear you all offer a blood oath for his protection."

Eventide could not believe his ears. By this time he knew exactly what Saed was asking the boys to do and what the blood oath meant to those giving and receiving it. If the six boys agreed they would be bound to Eventide's safety for life; he could not understand why anyone would want to do that for him. When all six boys stood up from the table; Eventide could only gasp as they spoke all together.

"We sons of the Bedou and brothers of the Hashin, swear by our blood to protect and defend our brother Shaitan Bin Izurak unto death."

The six sat down as Saed nodded in agreement, there was little more to say on the subject. Saed turned to Freeman.

"I hear you have discovered a new type of bow; can you tell of it?"

"I can do better than that; I have a man who will be overseer of the manor lands who is an expert on the matter; I will call for him and he can show you himself."

Freeman called for one of the servants to go and fetch Bodan and to bring his bow. The servant disappeared quickly and, ten minutes later arrived back with Bodan striding along beside him; his longbow in his hand.

"Ah Master Bodan; thank you for coming at this late hour. This is my friend the Emir Saed Ben Haman; he is interested in your longbow; would you be kind enough to explain it to him?"

"Of course My Lord; it is my pleasure."

It took no time at all for Bodan to forget he was in the company of Royalty as he got down to the business of showing off the longbow. Saed looked to be fascinated by the bow and asked endless and in depth questions about everything to do with it. It was obvious to the others that the Emir knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Thank you Master Bodan; there are only a few more questions I would like to ask if it is not too much trouble and the hour not too late?"

"Of course Your Highness; my time is yours."

"Thank you Master Bodan. Firstly; you say that this bow must be used with glove and bracer; why is that?"

"With your Persian bow there is little need as it is held and pulled to the side; perhaps a glove if in combat as the number of arrows could make a man's fingers painful. For the longbow the bracer is a vital part as are the gloves. The longbow is not like the Persian in that the stance we use is side on to the target and that brings the bow straight to the eye; this also means the string will slide along the forearm; this bow is far more powerful and when it is fired it will bite the forearm unlike the Persian bow which rarely touches the skin. Without the bracer your arm would be raw meat in two or three shafts. The glove is for much the same reason; with the heavier pull it would soon cut through the skin and leave an archer without use of his hand."

"I see that the bow string is made from some strange fibre and waxed; why would that be?"

"Unlike the Persian bow which as a string made from the gut of an animal and can become useless when wet; we use a string made from the fibres of the hemp plant. The fibres are split until they are a single thin fibre then we rub bees wax into it; when we have the right length, we roll three fibres together to make a single strand; this again is waxed then when we have three of them finished we roll them all together to make one string; then it has its final waxing. The waxing stops it from being affected by rain or water and the multiple strands make it strong enough to hold the bow at full pull without the fear of a breakage."

"Yes I can see; an excellent idea; although my homeland has little water it would still be an advantage to have a bow that is always ready, no matter the weather. Now for my last question; why are there metal tips on the ends of the bow, and how are they made?"

"Well as you can see, Your Highness, the tips are made from iron; they are pointed in such a way so that they not only strengthen the bow tips, they can also be used as a weapon if the fight comes too close. Unfortunately they can become brittle and the rust is also a problem unless they are kept well oiled. My youngest son is our best forger for making them. They must be made to fit each individual bow as no two bows are the same. I only wish we had a better metal to make them with; there is a lot of time spent repairing that part of the bow and it is the only downfall they truly have."

"I see. Hmm… What if you were able to use a fine grade of steel; the problem of brittleness would be taken away and if the steel is well forged it would be almost impervious to rusting?"

"That would be a great problem solved but, unfortunately we have no one that knows how to forge steel like that."

"Well then I may have a solution for you; that is if you are willing to trade a little for it?"

"What would I have to trade with Your Highness that would be of comparable value?"

"Why, your skill and your bows. Soon my nephew and his friend Eventide are coming to my lands; they have their own palace to attend to. Eventide will be staying for one year; perhaps your youngest could accompany him and learn the trade of making fine steel in Damascus; if you have another son that is competent in bow making; he could also come and teach my men the art of your bow and how to make them; it would certainly give my army a great advantage in the many battles that rage in our lands. What do you say Master Bodan, do we have a trade? One year of your two son's time for the secret of Damascus steel. They will be paid of course for their skill and trouble as well as the trade."

"Your Highness, it is a one sided trade that benefits us more than you but I can only agree to your terms; it would be remiss of me to turn such an offer down. My fourth son is a very good bow maker and also has the art of teaching; he is also a wanderer and would enjoy travelling to such a land. I know my youngest would fulfil one of his life time dreams to be accompanying the young Lordship while he is still young and does not have the responsibility of the Black Bow as yet."

"The Black Bow? Is that the one I have heard so much about? The one that a full grown man could not pull yet a young boy could?"

"The bow of manhood, Your Highness; yes it is the same."

"I would like to see such a bow some time but not tonight; the hour is late and there is much for all of us to do. Thank you Master Bodan for such a good lesson; I will never forget your instruction and I look forward to seeing your young ones when they come to my lands."

Bodan bowed and then took up his bow and left the hall as the others sat around to finish off the last of the mead and then find their beds; it had been a long and full night for everyone.

When Eventide awoke, it was to the sound of the Emir leaving the manor. He was still in his bath when he heard the next sound of a number of men arriving; knowing full well that it should be his friend and brother Mahmud; Eventide jumped from his bath and quickly dressed for the day.

Eventide met Mahmud just as the boy was entering the hall where breakfast was served; with him came his usual retinue of six Hashin and behind them was a long line of servants; four of which were carrying two large chests between them.

It did not take long for the two friends and brothers to hug each other in a very warm and friendly grasp; it was more than three weeks since last they had met and to boys as young as they; that amount of time was like years had passed. Over breakfast and with Freeman excusing himself early; the two boys talked and talked about what they had been doing over the last three weeks.

Mahmud was happy for Eventide and how well he was doing with his lessons; both spoke in the tongue of the Bedou which only went to confuse any listeners that should not know of certain things. Mahmud only complained about the rules of the King's court and how boring much of it was; he then told Eventide that the only thing that kept him at his lessons was the thought of coming to be with his friend and brother.

Eventide told Mahmud about the two extra boys that would be going to Mahmud's homeland with them and how it had come about; Mahmud had only one thing he wanted to do for now; all of Eventide's lessons were suspended for the two days of Mahmud's visit; it took less than five minutes for the boys to be running towards the stables and calling for their Falcons; it was time to hunt.

Late that afternoon, when the boys had returned victorious from their hunt and were sitting in one of the many empty rooms that had been set aside for Mahmud's use when he was to visit; Mahmud called for some of his servants to bring in the two large chests.

The servants placed the chests within reach of Mahmud but also close to Eventide then left on other business and left the two boys alone; outside the door stood four of the young Hashin as guards to the room.

"Now my Brother," Mahmud began as he lent down to open the chests. "It is the time of the first quarter and so the people of Wadhi Sufaria have sent you your share of the taxes gathered so far."

Mahmud looked at the stunned face of Eventide as the boy tried to comprehend what Mahmud had just said.

"What taxes? Why?"

"Why the quarterly taxes; you will need them for your expenses and it is what must be paid to the Kahlif each and every quarter. The Emir had it sent to you here as you will need it for your journey to the homeland."

"But how do I get such a share; if those chests are filled with coins then what of yourself?"

"My two chests were delivered to the castle; the Emir's are held in Damascus where his palace is. Each quarter they count the taxes from the merchants in the Wadhi and those passing through with their caravans; half is put into the coffers of the city for its upkeep and the payment of the town militia and soldiers; one quarter is sent to the Emir and the last quarter belongs to the Kahlif, in this case; one eighth each for us. This time of the year, the trade is slow so it is only two chests each; the next quarter it will increase as the time of the caravans is far more busy with the great road open from the snows of winter in the eastern lands."

"It seems a lot of coins just for one man?"

"Nonsense, there is much for you to pay for and your travel to the homeland will tax you even further; you will find it will take almost a full chest just to move you and your people over the distance. Your horses alone will need one full Dhow just to carry them and keep them fed across the great seas from the Spanish port; add another Dhow for yourself and your men; there will be little left from that chest. The best way is to purchase the Dhow's in full and crew them with men of your own choice; that way they will always be at your command and, if you chose your captains well; they can carry goods for you to make profit when not in use by yourself. I have six Dhows working for me and, while they only make a small income from their cargos; the captain and men are well paid as they are ready at short notice for whatever I may need."

"It almost sounds as though I will be a merchant more than a Kahlif."

"Oh my brother; you will be so much more than a merchant and even more than a Kahlif; I have heard that even now your name is being spoken in Damascus and other cities."

"But how can that be; I have never been to the Holy Land and am unknown even here except for the small amount of time I spent at the King's court."

"Ah little brother; it is said that large trees start from small seeds; it is the same for you; great things start with the dreams and strength of a small boy. For this type of boy, his name does not take long to spread; even to the furtherest of lands."

"I still don't see why they would think much of me; at heart I am still just a pot boy from a country tavern who happened to have some luck."

"No you are not; you are the mighty and brave Shaitan Bin Izurak; Djin of Shaitan himself; a leader of armies and speaker to spirits; your fame spreads and all bow to your greatness oh mighty rider of the horse of shadows and Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria."

By the time Mahmud had finished his outrageous claims, both boys were rolling on the floor laughing loudly; little did Eventide know how much of it was to come true although the claims were totally outrageous they did spread to the strangest of places and by the strangest of means.

"What is this Djin? I have not heard of it before."

"A Djin is much like a demon; he has power and magic and is known to work for the great Shaitan himself; in English you would call him a servant of the Devil; one who is almost as powerful as the devil himself and can turn the hearts of men to his will."

"It does not sound much like me I don't think I want to make others do whatever I want them to."

"That is just it; you can already make others follow you without need of threats or violence; very few are born with the natural ability to lead others; that is your greatest gift; the people trust you and follow you because they feel you would not do them wrong; it is its own strongest magic. You only have to look to the joust and how the commoners followed you without question; they knew and felt that you were truly on their side and so followed you in the melee; it was their heart and belief in you that won the melee not just the tactics we used."

It left Eventide with much to think about as they went down to the evening meal. Freeman made a fuss of both boys and the meal went on into the late night hours. The next day was spent more peacefully; Eventide introduced Mahmud to the young stable boy and the many sons of Bodan.

It was a good day and only the thought of Mahmud leaving the next day to return to court dimmed Eventide's excitement; the thought of another three or four weeks without his special friend made him feel a little lost but he had to keep up appearances for now.

After Mahmud left it was back to the many lessons for Eventide; while there were still many bruises and other problems with learning all his new skills; as time passed there were fewer of them until finally Eventide could pass through a full day without a problem.

His worst memory was the day of tasting the poisons; Achmed had diluted them until they were somewhat safe for Eventide to try but he was still violently ill; much to the delight of all his six brothers; and did not fully recover for two days. It was one lesson he still wished he did not have to take.

Mahmud's next visit was not for four weeks; during the short time they spent together; they made plans for the upcoming travel to the homeland; there was a lot to organise and it surprised Eventide how much he would have to think of each time he travelled in the future.

When the time finally arrived for their travel to the homeland of Mahmud; the two boys spent a full week with Freeman organising everything. Eventide took special care over plans for Gerard and his brother Marchant as well as the smaller figure of Shaun. Mahmud had taken one look at the lame boy and asked him how it had happened; finding out it was from a fall off a horse; Mahmud turned to Eventide and said.

"When we get home to the Wadhi I can have a healer look at the boy's leg; there may be a way for him to be healed; it will be painful but he should walk and run again like any boy his age should."

Eventide looked at Shaun and asked him.

"What do you say Shaun; would you like to try the healing of my brother's friends?"

"If it would mean I could walk again as others do then a little pain would be worth it My Lord."

"Then we shall do as Mahmud suggests when we arrive in his lands; with luck we will have you riding again in no time."

The smile on Shaun's face said it all; even if it did not work it was well worth the trying. The journey to the coast took longer than Eventide thought it would; the number of servants and the long caravan of goods, horses and people made for a slow progress.

It was fortunate that Freeman had made arrangements for their passage by ship across the water to Normandy; from there they embarked on the long overland journey to the Spanish lands. Finally they made it to the port where they could hire or buy Dhows to take them across the great sea; first to Assyria and then onto Homs and through to the Wadhi Sufaria; they would not need to go through to Damascus but would send Gerard and his brother Marchant on with an escort of Hashin to the Emir's palace once settled in Sufaria.

Weeks would pass before they came to the Spanish port of Tarragona where they would purchase their ships to travel on to the lands of the Assyrian and then onto the homelands of Mahmud until finally reaching the Wadhi Sufaria.

The purchase of Dhows was not as hard as Eventide thought it would be. Trade was brisk between the countries and often times the sea going Dhows could be seen in the Spanish and Latin ports; Many were owned by the captains and others were free traders but all were for sale at the right price and Eventide had plenty of the right price.

Eventide left most of the bargaining to Mahmud; his knowledge and understanding of ships and trade gave him the best advantage; Eventide ended up with three dhows; two almost new off the builders slip and the other a little older but fully seaworthy. As Mahmud had said; it took most of one single chest to buy the three Dhows but now Eventide had the start of his own small navy.

The hiring of a crew took three days; each and every man or boy was thoroughly questioned until both Eventide and Mahmud were fully satisfied as to their honesty and loyalty. It then took three days to fully laden and prepare the vessels for the long trip through the middle sea to the port in Assyria where Mahmud promised they would find goods for the three Dhows to continue further trading while they went to the Wadhi overland.

For Eventide and the other boys who had never left their own land before; the first days on the wide expanse of the ocean left them feeling a little nauseas; by the second day and with the fortunate good weather; their stomachs had settled and they began to enjoy the sea voyage. By the sixth day and, as the land of the Assyrians came into view; they were all ready to disembark back onto dry land; and dry it was.

Even as they arrived in Tarragona, the four boys felt the heat that they were unused to; in the port it was a draining and humid heat; when they finally got on board and were at sea it was a hot, dry and salty heat and finally, when they reached the lands of the Assyrian, it became not only hot but searingly so; it was as though the four boys had stepped into the very pits of a great roaring fire.

Although Eventide found the heat oppressive; he was far better off than the other three boys as he was dressed in the light silk and cotton robes of the desert people. The other three boys tried taking off their shirts but soon found the sun would cook them as red as burnt meat and had to suffer and drink copious amounts of water.

After a week in the port of Tell Qarnum to unload and check all their chattels and goods; they were ready to leave on the long overland trip to Wadhi Sufaria; there would be one special stop along the way at Al Qusary for Eventide to select his first camel train.

His first sight of the camels in the port left him in no doubt that he was glad of his lessons back at the manor. The only thing he was not prepared for was that the camels he now saw were far larger than he had thought they would be; they also seemed to be of a fouler nature than what he had been told.

At Al Nabk they would turn their caravan eastward to the Wadhi Sufaria; it was at Al Nabk that they would part with the two boys going on to Damascus. From Al Nabk it was only a short haul of five days to make the Wadhi Sufaria; all told it was a total trip of two months of constant travel; of making and breaking camp each and every day and the almost intolerable heat and drifting sand.

For the four boys from the wet and cold land of England; the hot dry desert was a never ending revelation as well as a trial of their heart and stamina. Deep inside Eventide he felt as though he belonged in the open spaces and sandy wastes; it almost felt as though it had been calling him from somewhere deep inside.

Eventide did notice that the caravan guards were more alert than they had been earlier in the journey; now there was little else but barren land and sandy wastes to watch them but the actions of the guards told Eventide there were other dangers lurking not far away. Mahmud told him that it was only the sight of such a well armed caravan that had deterred any bandits from trying to attack them so far.

Once they turned off at Al Nabk, Eventide saw that the road had widened noticeably; Al Nabk was where the great Silk Road met the coastal road to Damascus. To Eventide's eyes the road looked very old; it was paved in square stones and was wide enough for three wagons to pass; he did notice that his small caravan of newly acquired camels that they were using to carry many water skins; walked comfortably on the softer sand at the side of the road.

When he had selected the camels; and under the sharp eye of Mahmud; he had had to find four young boys to act as their herders; the young boys were only too glad of having found a good position with good pay to tend the Kahlif's camels. As parentless waifs they had little to look forward to as they aged, now they had good employment and solid pay to keep their bellies full; something they had found difficult to do before the new Kahlif had selected them. They did not truly mind that he looked much like an Infidel; his money was good and his caravan looked rich and the people with him were definitely of the desert lands; it was enough for four orphans.

They made their final camp before Wadhi Sufaria, early in the afternoon; Mahmud told Eventide they had only six hours to get to the Wadhi and that would put them at the gates in darkness; it would be better if they camped here and then went on in the morning, that way they would arrive just before the midday heat and the city would be getting ready to rest during the hottest part of the day.

They started out before the sun rose next morning; with the roads practically empty of other caravans, they made good time and; as Mahmud had promised; came over the last rise to see the city and palace of Wadhi Sufaria in the distance.

It looked to be less than an hour's ride but Mahmud called a halt; they had to change their clothes from the desert travelling into something more befitting the two new Kahlifs of Wadhi Sufaria.

All of the Hashin who had been travelling in ordinary dress, now changed into the dark blue of the Bedou as did Eventide and Mahmud but the two boys also added a very fancy white sleeveless jacket that was heavily embroidered in gold thread; there was also a wide gold sash around their waists and Mahmud told Eventide to wear his fanciest dagger and Scimitar; their turbans were also of gold and while they changed, Shaun worked hard and fast to add the red and black tassels to Shaitan's mane as well as throw on the fanciest of his covers over the saddle. When all was ready, Mahmud called for the banners to be unfurled and the caravan to proceed to the waiting city and Palace.

Eventide was almost struck dumb by the sight before him. The walls of the Wadhi Sufaria towered over the flat lands before the main gate. The high ragged cliff fronts seemed unending except for the large ragged gash of the huge ravine that appeared to split the mountain range down the centre.

Across the face of the huge ravine was built the stone walls that towered higher than Eventide had ever seen any walls before; compared to the castle walls of England; these were like cliff faces. The blocks of stone used to form the wall were so large Eventide could not figure out how they could have been moved by man.

The great walls looked as though they could never be breached by any normal method of siege; even the guards patrolling along the top of the high wall were no more than small dolls. The gate was high and wide enough to allow two wagons side by side to pass at the same time or for a camel rider to enter without ducking his head.

The two large gates were thick wooden planks that looked as though they had been hewed from a single trunk and then studded with large heavy iron spikes; there was also what looked like a portcullis behind the gates.

Shaun had tried to ride but after only a short time his leg would unbalance him and he would have to dismount and ride on one of the many wagons; both Eventide and Mahmud could see the frustration in the young boy's face as he sat disconsolate on a wagon; the desire in the boy's face to ride like the wind in the wide expanse of desert sand was easily evident.

The whole Caravan stretched for more than a mile as they wound their way down the stone roadway. At the front flew the banners; the green of Tremaine; the blue of Eventide; a green and white banner with the symbol of a quarter moon and a star and the furled and black covered banner of the Hashin that was also used as the banner of the Jihad.

The banners were preceded by six mounted guards in their best armour; behind the banners were another six guards and then Mahmud and Eventide rode side by side; behind them came the twenty Hashin now wearing the clothes of the Bedou and behind them came the long train of wagons.

Off to the side and level with the first of the wagons came the caravan of camels and their herders; Eventide wished he could have given better clothes to the four orphan boys; they were still wearing the long gown like striped clothes they had been hired in; their head coverings were barely enough to keep the sun from their faces.

The patches and ragged bottom of the gowns showed they had not had the best of fortune; Eventide was going to change that as soon as he was able to.

They were still a little distant from the city but close enough for the many guards at the gate to recognise the flying banners; suddenly from the top of the long and thick crenulated wall came the sound of many trumpets; the guards at the gate immediately increased in number as they all lined up on each side of the road to welcome the new Kahlifs to the city.

The commander of the guard stood alone at the head of the guard of honour; Eventide and Mahmud rode through the others with the banners to meet him face to face. The commander bowed low and salaamed to the two boys; as he straightened up he then went down to his knees and placed his head on the ground before lifting his head with fear in his eyes.

"Rise commander; I see no need for this," Mahmud said to the man.

The commander rose to his feet and, with his head bowed, he said.

"My Lord Kahlifs, I must humbly apologise for the lack of reception; we did not expect your arrival for three more days; it is all my fault for not sending out riders to watch for you; My Lords, my head is yours to do with as you want."

"Your head is safe commander; it is we who are at fault, we travelled far faster than first thought; there is no more to be said, let us pass we are in need of a good bathing and rest. If you would assign some of your men to show our drivers and cameleers to the Palace gate so they can settle the animals we would be grateful. I wish to take our friends through the city before we go to the Palace."

Before more could be said, the commander had called out the names of six men to lead the rest of the caravan around the walls to the Palace side gate so they could more easily take the caravan and animals to the Palace grounds; he himself took place at the front of the smaller group to lead them through the city and up to the front gates of the Palace; it was to be longer than any of them thought it would be.

Eventide marvelled at the size of the city; all around him the shops and houses towered over the wide street. Multitudes of people; both traders, local shopkeepers and tradesmen milled around doing their business for the day.

Eventide also saw there were a larger number of street urchins than would be found in most cities; he turned to Mahmud and asked why this was so.

"Most are the children of soldiers who have lost their lives in the service of the city, others are just born of the brothels and their mothers no longer want them around. In a city like this it is always happening; many have to sell themselves just to eat each day; others are thieves or pickpockets; if they are caught the penalty is severe; but what can anyone do; if you try to save one then ten more will take advantage of you next time."

"But brother, there must be a way to make use of so many empty lives?"

"I don't see how; the city is just a gateway for the traders; unless the child has a trade there is little to do. There are no farms of estates that they can be hired for; if they go out into the great deserts, most would die within days; there is only the militia and army for them when they grow older. I know my brother, you have a good heart but, sometimes there are things that are even outside the abilities of good hearts."

They had been slowly making their way through the thickening throng of people; even though the streets were wide and well maintained; there seemed to be more and more people crushing in closer as they came to the edge of a grand square that held a great bazaar filled with stalls and traders. At the centre of the great square stood a large fountain; its crystal clear water shimmering in the bright sunlight as it sprayed down into a large round pond where people would fill a cup to drink.

Eventide could barely make out the fountain base for the number of people gathered there and all calling to someone near the fountain; the high pitched voices of the urchins also joined in; beside Eventide, Mahmud gave a groan; Eventide turned to look at him.

"What is it Brother?" Eventide asked to the pained looking face of Mahmud.

"By the balls of a camel; how did he get here; now we will be stuck in this crowd for at least an hour."

"Who is it?"

"He is the one I told you about some time ago; it is the story teller Omar. He usually never leaves Bagdad and only then to visit the court in Damascus; I really have no idea why he would come here. I am sorry my brother, we are in for a long wait; the crowd will not let him go until he has told them a story and unless we use force to get through we are stuck here until he finishes."

"A story teller; is he good? I like a good story and would not mind if we waited and listened to him if he is really good."

"Well brother, unfortunately he is very good; it is said there has never been a story teller or poet the likes of Omar before. It is said you can sit for a thousand and one nights and never hear the same story or poetry a second time."

"Then we should give him the honour of doing what he does best; even tired as I am I would wait and listen if he is that good."

"Then to please you we will all listen to the old one; shall we try to clear a place at that tavern to sit out of the sun?"

"No, let's just sit here where the height of the horses gives us a better view."

As the small group settled in to wait; from the crowd came a number of urchins; all bowed low, some with their small hands out for alms and others looking shyly at the rich riders; Salud was about to turn and yell for them to clear off when Eventide took notice; lifting his hand to stop Salud; he turned to the gathering boys.

For any boy that got too close; Shaitan would snort and stamp his hoof to warn them off; Eventide looked at Mahmud and smiled as Mahmud said.

"You have no idea what you are about to start my brother."

Eventide smiled and said.

"Imshalah." Eventide then smiled wider; his skill with Aramaic was now as good as any Bedou. Eventide turned back to the growing crowd of urchins and picked one he thought may be a leader as he looked to be older than the rest.

"Friend, we wish to listen to the story teller; if a boy was wise enough to find a merchant that had items to give us shade from the sun I would be willing to part with some coins for such a service."

The older boy looked at the rich travellers; even to the inexperienced eye of Eventide; he could see the boy's mind working out the value of such a minor service.

"I would ask the young Lord how much coins for such a service; it will not be easy in this crowd and none wish to miss a story by Grandfather Khayyam?"

"It would be enough for each boy to eat well for two days but they must also work at holding the shade over us."

"Then I thank My Lord and will send boys to look for a merchant to fill your needs."

The boy turned to a few younger ones and started giving out quick fire orders; it seemed little time passed before a middle aged merchant appeared in front of the group; with a low bow he asked.

"What would My Lords wish of this humble merchant?"

Mahmud shrugged his shoulders at Eventide as he smiled and waited for the outcome.

"I would ask for you to provide us with shade while we listen to the story teller; do you have enough covers for all of us?"

"I do indeed My Lord, however they are not of the cheaper variety and it would take a great deal of coins to pay for enough for all of your retainers."

Mahmud whispered to Eventide as the merchant tried to work out how much he could get from the rich people without calling down the militia on his head.

"Brother, I hope you know how to barter or this man will have your soul in his pocket by nightfall," Mahmud laughed as Eventide looked at him and smiled.

"Good merchant, I would ask you what you would charge for your services if it was the Kahlif asking for your help?"

"My Lord, the Kahlif would not be asking a humble merchant such as I; also he is three days away and would have little need for my humble goods but, if you wish I can make a special price for you as it seems the sun is extra hot today."

"And what price is the shade cover as the sun is so hot?"

"For your Lordships I would lower the price to three silver each and could provide covers for all of your retinue. Shall we say twenty covers; that would be sixty silver or perhaps six gold should your Lordships prefer."

"And would these shade covers be of the highest quality that we should part with so much coins; or would a price of fifteen silver be closer to the true price?"

"My Lord, fifteen silver would bankrupt me, my children would starve in less than five days were I to sell at such a price; as you are visitors to the city, perhaps I could lower the price to fifty silver; I would be giving away my covers for nothing at that price but I would not see your Lordships burn in the midday sun just for a paltry ten coins."

Eventide removed his right foot from the stirrup and twisted around so he could look directly at the man's face as he hooked his right leg over the upper thigh of his left and wriggled to get comfortable.

"I see you are truly making a great sacrifice but it is still too high for such a paltry item as a shade cover; I am sure if I ask the boy he will find me a merchant that will provide the same for only twenty silver; it is a pity that your children will not eat tonight because we could not make some small arrangement."

The merchant now saw that he could lose this sale if he did not relent and let the rich boy have his way; he would still be making five silver on each shade cover so it was not really the time to get greedy.

"My Lords, I cannot let my children starve for the sake of a few coins; I will supply you with enough shade covers for twenty silver each; how would I get them to you before the Grandfather starts his story?"

Eventide turned back to the first boy he had used as a messenger.

"What is your name?"

"Habib, my Lord."

"Habib, I will give you the silver coins for the merchant along with five more for yourself if you can find enough boys to fetch the shade covers and hold them for us during the telling of the old man's story; should those boys work well I will have another offer for you after the story telling."

Habib thought of how much food five silver could buy; his little gang of boys would eat well for days; he may even be able to buy a pair of sandals for himself.

"It shall be as my Lord wishes."

Habib turned to his little gang and began giving out orders as Eventide took out twenty five silver from the purse at his waist; leaning down he placed the coins in the nervous hand of Habib; the boy was not happy about being so close to the black stallion.

It seemed to take only minutes before a number of ragged boys were standing alongside all the horses with large round shad covers held high over each man in the retinue; Habib had disappeared and only minutes later returned with large round flat breads for each boy that held the shade covers.

It did not go unnoticed by other merchants; soon the group were being offered fruits and mint tea as they sat and watched the front of the fountain. Shortly after the trading of the shade covers; the large crowd of urchins and other people of the city square began to cry out loudly.

"GRANDFATHER, TELL US A STORY; PLEASE GRANDFATHER; A STORY."

From his position above the crowd, Eventide finally saw an elderly man approaching the fountain; he was dressed in what appeared to be the long striped robe of the ordinary man; a thick staff in one hand to help him walk and a plain cloth turban to keep the midday sun off his head.

Eventide was not sure but he thought the old man had actually glanced his way and smiled; it was only fleeting and Eventide thought it was more his imagination than fact. He settled onto his saddle sideways and slowly chewed on a small plate of dates that had been given to him by Mahmud.

When the old man looked as though he had well settled onto a small stool that had appeared as if my magic and the crowd was quickly growing silent; the old man looked around and held out his thin arms; it took little time before a number of small children began to gather close by his knees and hang on his slim shoulders. The old man began to speak; in the silence of the square; his voice seemed to grow even stronger and it seemed that everyone could hear him plainly as no one wanted to miss a word. The silence was total and complete as he began the tale.

"I think now would be a good time to tell you all of the Djin that was even more powerful than Shaitan himself. The great Shaitan would even cower and bow his head when the Djin appeared before him, such was the magic of the old ones that ran in the veins of the Djin. He started his life in a far away land, in fact this Djin started life as an Infidel. Yes I know it is hard to believe that a Djin with such power and magic could be found in the lands of the Infidels but that is the way of the ancients."

There was a long pause as Omar looked at the disbelieving looks on the listeners faces but not a sound was heard as he gathered his thoughts.

"It all started like many others; the Infidel was born of a lowly station; much like a goat herd or one who runs on the streets with no home. The boy did not even know his power as he had never been tested and few looked upon him as anything other than the poor boy he was. There came a time when things changed, for some reason far beyond the understanding of normal men; a great Lord saw the boy and took him in to his home; from that day the boy's future changed."

Another pause ensued as Omar let the details enter into the minds of his listeners.

"As we all know; the lands of the Infidels are always in a state of war; it was in one of these many wars that the boy became a great Djin and his power brought fear into the eyes of mortal men. It all started when a powerful Knight saw the boy and, as all Infidels do; threw upon his head many insults because he was not born of high blood. Little did the Knight know who he was dealing with. It was at that moment that the great Shaitan opened the boy's eyes. First he sent a number of the people from the great desert lands that are called 'The Devils Cauldron' to aid the boy in his quest. Now the desert dwellers were not ordinary folk, they were in truth demons of the land of purgatory. Their clothes were the colour of the dark blue of dusk so they would not be seen for the type of demon they were; with their faces covered and only their black eyes showing through for any man to see; no one gave them a second look. The Knight had belittled the boy until the Baron who had taken in the boy used his high position to challenge the Knight to battle."

Another pause ensued as Omar looked around at the rapt faces waiting for the tale to continue.

"Now we have all known of great battles, some where the Infidel won by false means and others where the believers have won great victories but; I must tell you all; the battle that was to ensue was like no other ever fought. The new Djin had little in the way of an army; his patron was however even more unlucky. Not three weeks before the battle, his patron was kidnapped and taken to the castle of the Knight. A message was sent to the lonely boy which said; if the boy did not run from the battle, his patron would never see the light of day. Unfortunately for the Knight, he had not met a boy who had been awakened by Shaitan himself."

There was not a sound in the great square as everyone sat and listened.

"To aid the boy, Shaitan as I said; had sent others from the great desert to help him; these others also took with them a great gift for the boy. The gift also had the power of magic. Shaitan had used the magic of the strongest of all Magi and endowed the gift with their power and the raw power of the fires of purgatory. The gift was in the body of a great black horse; its heart was made from the hot embers of purgatory and its coat from the blackness of the night. For those few who had seen the black horse, all said when it galloped you could see the sparks and flames of magic fly from its black hooves; its mane and tail were long and as black as night and flowed with the grace of water on the surface of a lake. Now as you know, any horse can be ridden by any man if he is brave enough but, this black Djin could only be ridden by one man and one man alone and that man was the boy who carried the blood of old ones and the magic of the Djin."

Another long pause for the people to again digest the details.

"It has been told that when the boy first met the black horse, it was the horse that bowed to the boy. Now everyone knows that there has never been a horse that would bow its head to any man yet, here was the most magical and powerful horse in this or any other land; bowing low to a mere boy; not only a mere boy, but an Infidel boy at that. As a way to repay such respect; the young Djin named the black horse 'Shaitan the Black'; yes I can here you say what a strange name for any horse but, my friends; again this was no ordinary horse nor ordinary boy. Now it was at this time that the boy was told his name by the black eyed demons of the Devils Cauldron; the great Shaitan himself had decreed that the boy would also carry the name that he himself went by and so, the boy was named Shaitan Bin Izurak; the Devil With Blue Eyes."

Omar stopped once again as a young boy came up to him with a small plate of fresh dates and another boy came with honey cakes; as he took a bight of honey cake; an old vender came to him with a hot urn of mint tea to refresh his dry throat. While this was going on; Eventide looked around the large square; it seemed that in every window, doorway and along every wall and empty space, stood or sat people; to Eventide it appeared that every man, woman and child of the huge city was there to listen to Omar Khayyam and his story. Eventide was glad that he and his friends were well back behind all the masses and as yet unseen; he was quite happy to remain there and listen like everyone else; the old man was a very talented story teller as he had been told.

"Now where was I; oh yes. So the blue eyed devil whose single glance could freeze a man's blood and tear his very soul from his body; was now well protected by the children of the Devils Cauldron; all that remained now was for him to find an army to take back his patron the Baron; not an easy thing to do in those lands. As many of you may not know; in the lands of the Infidel, most ordinary men are no more than serfs and almost slaves to the rich and powerful; but for Shaitan Bin Izurak, there was no one else to call on; he would have to try and raise an army with the common folk. Things did not go well for the young boy; after all; who in their right mind would follow a snip of a boy into a major battle with the most powerful men in the land. Try as he might, Shaitan Bin Izurak could not get the common folk to rise up against the Knights; the boy was left with only one option; he would fight alone along with his protectors of the Devils Cauldron; if it was written that they must die on that day then so be it; Shaitan Bin Izurak would not shirk his duty to his patron."

Omar stopped to take a bite of another honey cake and a sip of mint tea before continuing.

"That night, as Shaitan Bin Izurak stood alone on the battlements of the empty castle of his patron; even the Baron's guards had deserted the castle at the threat of the Knights challenge; and with the twenty one demons of the Cauldron guarding him; Shaitan Bin Izurak looked up to the dark heavens for an answer; it was to come in the strangest and most magical way. As he watched the heavens; a great star began to fall towards the hidden sun; its long tail of fire stretched from one dark horizon to the other. As it passed overhead, a thousand or more small stars fell from its tail and landed at Shaitan Bin Izurak's feet; as it passed further away; the wind of its passing spoke to the boy in the language of magic; it said 'Go to the north, to the land of perpetual night; there you will find the Fae Folk of the Ice; they will be your army if you offer them the sun for part of the year.' Now Shaitan Bin Izurak knew better than to ignore such a message; telling his twenty one demons to stay behind; he called for Shaitan the Black. Leaping on the great horses back they took to the night sky and travelled faster than the wind during the great storms; the black hooves of the horse lit up the night sky with its fire and sparks as it chased the night northward. It seemed no time at all before they came to the land of perpetual night; the land was nothing but a great sheet of ice as it never had the sun come this way to warm it. Shaitan Bin Izurak saw below them a great fire burning brightly in the darkness; with a touch of his toes; for the horse did not need or use a bridle; the two galloped down to land in the ring of light. Shaitan Bin Izurak was surprised to see many gathered by the firelight; they were the size of children and many looked to be no older than mid teens but, even he knew that magic was in the air. Shaitan Bin Izurak dismounted and walked before the fire and the eyes of the Fae Folk; one of them stepped forward and looked at the boy from the night.

'It was foretold that you would come this night; what do you ask of the Fae Folk of the Ice?'

Shaitan Bin Izurak looked at the small people of the Fae; but he answered with honesty. 'I would ask for an army to do justice for those who cannot.'

'And what would you give for this army?'

'I would offer the dark lands the sun for part of each and every year so that you can have light to plant crops and harvest them with ease.'

'And how would you do this for one so young?'

'I have been given the power to order the sun to show itself for three months of every year; there would be three months of the sun rising; three months of full sun with no night and three months of the sun setting; this would be followed by three months of night so you can rest from your labours.'

'This sounds fair; you will have your army of five hundred of the Fae of the Ice; if you so wish we can call on our allies, the giants of the tree lands and the Fae of Dawns Light who are excellent archers.'

Omar paused again to take a bite of a date and sip some more tea; the square stayed in complete silence as he refreshed himself.

"And so Shaitan Bin Izurak had the beginnings of his army. The Fae of the Ice asked him to sit and eat with them while they sent a Night Hawk to summon a representative of their allies. Shaitan Bin Izurak sat with the Fae Folk and it did not take long before the ground began to shake and the rumble of great movement could be felt; moments later and a giant appeared in the fire light.

'Why would my allies ask for my presence?'

"The elder of the Fae answered that they must go to war and would receive a reward of sunlight for their duty; to this the giant looked at the small boy sitting with his allies."

'How does this one make such a promise; it would take great magic for such a reward; if he can do this then we; the Giants of the Forrest would ask for it also as we too live in darkness and would see the green of our trees in the light of the sun.'

'Then so it shall be' promised Shaitan Bin Izurak. 'I shall give you this purse; it contains the stars of the night and it will give you the magic to move as fast as I so you can meet with me at the time of the battle. Tomorrow you will have the first sun rise and see for yourself that my words are true. I will send a sign on the day before the battle so you will know when to assemble with me.'

"At this the meeting broke up and Shaitan Bin Izurak leapt back on his dark horse and lifted high into the night sky; he was gone as fast as he had appeared. The next morning the Fae Folk and the Giants saw their first sun rise; the bargain had been struck and paid for."

Even Eventide was now held by the power of the old man's voice and story although he well knew that he was not really any part of it or that there was any truth in it; he waited for Omar to continue as did all his friends around him.

"The time passed until it was the day before the great battle; for some that saw the event, it was said it was a bad omen; for those who knew what it really meant, it was the sign that the day of battle had come. The sign was the partial blacking out of the sun during the middle of the day when night has no sway over the daylight. For the Fae Folk and their two allies it was the signal they had been waiting for. Without losing any time; they dusted their boots with the magical stars and took to the road faster than man could move; before the daylight had lost its brightness; twenty Giants and six hundred Fae Folk arrived at the gates of the castle where Shaitan Bin Izurak and his twenty one demons waited."

Eventide could almost feel the tension in the air as the old man paused for more mint tea; his own stomach was now taut with anticipation.

"Each carried the banner of their people; the Ice Fae had one of deep blue for the colour of pure Ice; the Giants had one of green for the colour of the trees and the Dawns Fae had one of red for the suns first rays. Shaitan Bin Izurak welcomed them all to his castle saying a feast had been prepared for their arrival; he was fortunate the castle was large and well built as the Giants stood as tall as three men and were in need of a great space to sit or stand. The Ice Fae carried swords and shields made of the finest ice; the Giants had great wooden shields made from the trunks of trees and carried great battle axes that ten men could not lift. For the Fae of Dawns Light there were golden bows but Shaitan Bin Izurak could see no quivers of arrows and so asked."

'Where are your shafts for your golden bows?'

'We use the shafts of the sunlight for our arrows; tomorrow you will see our own magic and all shall be well as we have given our word to stand by you.'

"As the feast went on into the late night; Shaitan Bin Izurak left his guests for there was another task to be done; once outside and his twenty one demons were around him; Shaitan Bin Izurak reached up into the dark night sky and pulled down the blackness; with this he fashioned new clothes for his demons and himself; all that could be seen were the dark eyes of the demons and the bright blue daggers of his own eyes; their bodies were now enclosed in the darkest of blacks; they were now just shadows among other shadows. Shaitan Bin Izurak returned to his waiting allies after giving instructions to his demons. Tomorrow they would have a different task before the battle began and then would join him as the battle started."

By this time Eventide could feel the tension in the air as the enraptured listeners dared hardly to take a breath while they waited for Omar to continue.

"The dawn found Shaitan Bin Izurak preparing to leave for the field of battle; as he called to his allies, a small, lame boy limped through the gates of the castle and looked around for Shaitan Bin Izurak; he carried only a small wooden flute."

'What do you seek lame one?' asked one of the Fae.

'I have come to fight with Shaitan Bin Izurak.'

'You are lame, what could you do in such a battle as we have to fight?'

'I don't know but I have little else. I am disliked because of my lameness and often go hungry because no one would offer alms; I have little to lose but my life and I see no other towns folk would come and stand with his Lordship so it must be my duty.'

'You know you could die today little lame one?'

'Then so be it; there is little left for me but an honourable death.'

"Shaitan Bin Izurak looked at the lame boy and called him to his side; he could appreciate the feelings of the lame boy; had he not himself been left for nothing; he spoke to the boy."

'We are in need of a good trumpeter; are your lungs strong enough to carry over the sound of battle?'

'Give me a trumpet loud enough and my lungs will not let you down.'

"Shaitan Bin Izurak used a little magic and reached up into the morning sky; taking a hand full of the morning light; he pulled down a trumpet made of silver; this was lighter; he gave it to the lame boy and said."

'This is the trumpet of the heavens; all will hear your message when you blow it loud and clear.'

"Shaitan Bin Izurak gave the trumpet to the boy and then told him to stay by his side, even in the heat of battle the boy must stand with him; to aid the boy in movement, he called for one of his demons to find the boy a special horse; the demon returned with one that was as white as the driven snow; a gift he said; from the Fae Folk of the Ice. The horse was given to the lame boy and he was assisted in mounting so he could ride to the battle ground."

After another short pause; Omar continued.

"The morning found the small army now standing at the narrowest end of a long valley; around Shaitan Bin Izurak were the six hundred Fae Folk; five hundred were out in front with small pots of water; one hundred sat on the grass as though resting in the heat of the early morning sun; of the Giants there was no sign, the only indication of anything unusual was that Shaitan Bin Izurak was standing on a solid stone plinth freshly cut by some great force; beside him stood the lame figure of the small boy with the silver trumpet in his hands and around him were the three banners of the Fae and Giants; to them he added one other; a banner of black with a magical sliver of moon and a single large star; they shone like they were alive. As he stood and surveyed the far end of the valley; he saw the massed Knights and soldiers of the enemy. One Knight was riding toward where he stood beside the lame boy on the freshly cut rock. As the Knight with a white banner rode through the lines; he could not resist the urge to belittle what he saw as small children standing around on a battle field; he thought to himself that, if this was the boy's army then blood would flow quickly this day and they would all be home in time for a good midday feast. His ribald comments did not stop when he came up to where Shaitan Bin Izurak stood with a lame boy by his side."

'Is this what you bring to fight with us; mere children and lame urchins? I have ten thousand swordsmen and ten thousand spearmen as well as a thousand heavy Knights; it is assured your head will decorate my walls before midday.'

'Where is the Baron my patron?'

'There on the hill side; when I have your head I will then take his and all his lands will be mine.'

"Shaitan Bin Izurak looked up on the hillside; his patron was standing amid four heavily armed Knights on horseback. As the Knight before him turned his horse and laughed out so all could hear him; he galloped off towards where his army stood waiting; Shaitan Bin Izurak gave a small nod to the boy beside him. The boy lifted heavens trumpet and blew a long high note. As the Knight rode back to his army, he glanced at the imprisoned Baron; much to his dismay, the Baron was surrounded by dark shadows; of the four heavy Knights there was no sign; only the four rider-less horses gave any indication there had been any there. The Baron now stood with a black bladed sword in his hand; for the first time in his life; the Knight felt the pang of fear, the Baron was holding a sword that was called a soul eater; it was feared by every man and beast of the land; the Knight quickened his pace."

By this time there was not a space large enough for a mouse in the square; everyone, including all of Eventide companions; stood transfixed as the long tale unfolded. Eventide's musings were interrupted by a nudge from Mahmud; the look in his brother's eye told of some plan or amusing scheme had been dreamt up. Eventide looked away as Mahmud leant over and whispered into the ear of Salud; the Hashin slid from his horse and disappeared into the crowd just as Omar restarted his tale.

Omar continued.

"As soon as the Knight returned to his massed men; he called for them to charge the lines of the waiting army; he was sure it would be a short and bloody battle with none of his enemies standing after the first charge. The great horde thundered down towards the far off lines of seemingly children; suddenly the one hundred at the rear stood up with golden bows in their hands; as one they reached up into the sunlight and took down shafts of the sun and fired; in the blink of an eye they had a second, then a third and a fourth shaft flying accurately towards the charging mass. The results were to be talked about by those few who survived the great battle and that was very few. For one hundred shafts of sunlight there were one hundred fallen soldiers and Knights. The numbers of dead and wounded grew rapidly as the sun shafts flew faster; already the army had lost a thousand men and were still far from the first line of waiting footmen."

Eventide could now feel the undercurrent of awe in the bodies of those listening, Omar continued.

"Now the five hundred of the Ice Fae had not been idle; as the charge started, they all as one poured water from the small urns they had carried; as the water fell, the Fae used their own magic and turned the water into shields and swords of pure ice. With their magic finished, the five hundred took a stand in three lines and waited on those who survived the flight of the sun shafts. The great charge had been slowed; it was then that Shaitan Bin Izurak told the lame boy to blow his trumpet one more time. The boy blew with all his power and; from the forest on each side of the valley, strode twenty giants and the Baron who now rode one of the fallen Knights horses and carried the great black bladed sword. The giants carried on their left arm their great tree shields and in their right hand a mighty double bladed war axe. Now that the giants stood ten on each flank with the baron and a mass of shadows; the boy blew a long high note on his trumpet. The Baron, shadows and giants charged into both flanks of the charging army; to say there was slaughter on a great scale would be to say a camel never drinks. The giants cut mighty swathes through the foot soldiers as they fought like wild men; the Baron and his shadows also took a mighty toll on those that crossed their paths. The great charge had now been blunted; it was the turn of the Ice Fae to carry the fight; this they did with the magic and alacrity that only the Fae have. The lines held even though they did bow in the centre but this only made the attackers sink deeper into the pocket and become more likely to slaughter."

Eventide heard someone move close on a horse but did not turn around; he did notice that Salud had returned and was smiling at Mahmud; Eventide turned back to the story teller.

"The Ice Fae now took a heavy toll; the soldiers spears broke against the pure ice shields; the ice swords hued thick steel shields as though they were no more than parchment; Knights armour was shredded as though they were nothing more than cotton cloth and the attackers fell in a rain of blood. It had been a battle that was fought over the day until late into the afternoon and yet not one of Shaitan Bin Izurak's men had fallen; he had used his magic to protect his friends. When there were less than one thousand of the enemy left; Shaitan Bin Izurak called for the trumpet to be blown again; instantly there was a silence over the bloody battle field. The only Knight still mounted was the one that had caused the fight in the beginning; Shaitan Bin Izurak called to the Knight as he strode down to the front line.

"Lay down your arms; you cannot win this battle and should save those who are left; leave the field and all will be forgotten."

"Now the Knight was not known for his intelligent, as we all know what Infidels are like; instead the Knight called back and said he would never bow his head to a boy with no title. The knight turned to the few men left and called for a final charge that he hoped would end the life of the boy if nothing else. Shaitan Bin Izurak lifted his eyes and; with ease let the daggers of his blue eyes pull the very soul from the Knight as he sat on his great horse. The archers of the Fae of Dawns Light along with the Ice Fae, the giants and the black blade of the soul eater soon had decimated the rest of the soldiers. It has been said that less than two hundred walked away from the battle field and not one of them was uninjured. Shaitan Bin Izurak, in all his benevolence; allowed them to leave in peace. It is said that today if you were to walk over the battle field you would see nothing growing; there had been so much blood spilt that no plant would lay roots there. The Fae and the Giants bowed to Shaitan Bin Izurak's great victory and promised to come if he called them; his gift of sunlight was still not paid in full, they told him. So all my friends; should you ever see a boy with blue eyes riding in the company of shadow warriors and mounted on a black horse and who was accompanied by a lame boy with no home; I would suggest you bow low and show him respect even if he is an Infidel; you just may never know, it may be Shaitan Bin Izurak in disguise."

There was still total silence in the large square as they all digested the story; it was at this point that Eventide saw the Hashin cover their faces so only their eyes showed; the wide smile on Mahmud's face told of something afoot. Eventide saw Salud move his horse forward as he began to call loudly.

"Make way; make way for the Kahlif Sal-A-Hadin."

As the crowd began to part and then turn to see the new Kahlifs who was not expected for a few days more; there began a whispering and suddenly there was the rustle of clothes all around the square as Eventide came into full view; Eventide glanced over his shoulder and almost fell from his horse. Riding just behind him was Shaun mounted on a small white horse; his lame leg tide with a strap to the stirrup so he wouldn't fall. The most unexpected sight was the long silver trumpet slung over his shoulder; now Eventide caught on to Mahmud's little jest. As he glanced back to where the old man was still sitting; Eventide saw a smile on the old man's lips and a bright twinkle in his eyes.

The square became silent once again as everyone caught sight of the procession entering the area of the fountain; not a face could be seen and only the backs of every man, woman and child was on view; their heads firmly planted on the stone cobbles of the street. When they reached where the old man was seated, Mahmud was the first to speak.

"Grandfather Omar, I see you have woven your tales to suit the occasion. I cannot understand why you would be so far from the court; Damascus is far from here?"

"Kahlif Sal-A-Hadin; I was actually on my way to Bagdad but got delayed somewhat when I found out you were coming earlier than at first thought. Who may we have at your side; he looks familiar to my old eyes?"

"Grandfather Omar; I would introduce you to Baronet Eventide of Lancaster and also Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria as dictated by the Emir, my Uncle."

Omar Khayyam looked up at Eventide with a wide smile.

"Welcome to the land of great deserts, Kahlif Eventide; you remind me greatly of the boy in my story, Shaitan Bin Izurak; you are not a Djin by any chance?"

"No Sire, I am just a humble pot boy that had some luck."

Not being one to miss a chance to embellish his stories; Omar looked at the boy on the white horse with the silver trumpet; for Eventide it almost seemed like a set up between Omar and Mahmud.

"Please Kahlif, call me Omar or Grandfather as many do these days. I notice you also have a trumpeter, a most unusual travelling companion don't you think; are you sure you are not magical or perhaps the Djin Shaitan Bin Izurak in disguise?"

"I am just as I said… Grandfather, a poor boy who got lucky and has a good patron who is now my father."

"Your father; a very fortunate event; what is your father's name?"

Eventide looked at the old man and then got a sense the old man knew only too well who his father was; he was now sure this discussion was only for the ears of all those people gathered nearby; it would soon be the talk of the city and; as everyone well knew; any tale will grow with the retelling of it. Eventide now felt as though Mahmud had set this up just to let the people know they would be safer to not ask questions of why an Infidel was now Kahlif along with a son of the desert.

"My father is the Baron Tremaine of Lancaster and Flanders Grandfather."

"Ah yes, I have had the pleasure of meeting him a time or two; you are indeed fortunate to have such a great man on your side. Now Kahlif one final question if I may?"

Eventide bowed his head in acceptance of the old man's request.

"Tell me, Kahlif Eventide, does your horse have a name and what would it be?"

Eventide could see the glint of mischief in the old man's eyes; he also noticed that Habib was still by his side with the shade cover still protecting him from the sun.

"His name is Shaitan Grandfather and perhaps you would join us for the evening meal if you are not too busy?"

"I would be honoured to do so Kahlif, shall we say one hour after sundown?"

"A good time to eat Grandfather; I look forward to hearing more of your tales."

Eventide turned to Habib by his side.

"Habib, you and your friends have done well; here is the promised coins; I would also ask if you would visit with me tomorrow morning; there is something I would like to discuss with you; just tell the gate guards I have asked for you to come and they will let you enter."

Habib bowed low after taking the offered purse; the look of total adoration on the young face almost unnerved Eventide but he knew it was more the tale than any right he had to such a look. As the party moved off towards the main gates of the palace; Eventide took one last look at the crowded square; every man, woman and child still knelt with their heads on the stone street; they would not stand until he was out of sight. For Eventide it had been a wondrous day but he was not sure he could live up to the legend the old man Omar had started; he well knew what could happen when legends did not live up to expectations.

It seemed no time at all before they were all entering under the massive gates of the Palace; Eventide would have to wait for a while longer before he could get the full story from Mahmud; his brother had refused to say a word while outside the walls.

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