Chapter 5
Setting up a Household

As they finally came through the huge gates of the palace grounds; Eventide saw that there were in fact, two palaces side by side and of the same size.

The palaces were separated by the long wide pond in which grew large white flowers; he would later see that there were many multi coloured fish swimming in its waters.

"Brother, why are there two palaces; I fully expected there to be only one that we would share."

"The second palace; which is to be yours; was used for the Kahlif's wives, concubines and female children. It has been cleaned and made ready for you to furnish as you would want it."

"Why would he need a palace for his wife; did he not want to sleep with her as we do in our land?"

"Oh, my brother; here we have other traditions. If a man is wealthy enough or is of great importance, then he should have many wives. The old Kahlif had forty five wives and over one hundred children; he could not have all of them living under his roof; they would only be in the way. With sixty concubines as well his palace would be overflowing; it is better to keep them at arm's length or you would get no work done."

Eventide heard the chuckle from Mahmud as he told the story.

"It seems a very large palace just for one boy alone?"

"You will get used to it; perhaps one day you will have your own concubines to fill it with; for now I would suggest you stay with me until we can find some servants for you. It will take many to keep your palace running and in good order."

"How many do you think I will need?"

"Well there are two ways; you could purchase slaves at the market or, you could look for free men and pay them to work for you. Personally I would use mostly slaves like I do. It is almost expected that you would own them; it is part of your position. If you wish to have paid servants then you will need to go out and search for those that suit you best, either way it is what you would like and no other should say how you run your palace, oh great Kahlif of the burning sands and Djin of Shaitan, your word is our command oh mighty one."

Even the sound of Mahmud's voice brought loud laughter to Eventide as he nearly fell to his knees on the stone forecourt when he heard the outlandish claims from Mahmud.

"Stop it brother, or I will pee my pants from laughter."

"At your command oh great Djin, Master of all magic and Terror of the great sandy wastes."

Eventide had to grasp himself to stop from peeing as he rolled on the ground with tears of laughter in his eyes; even as tired from travel as he was; Eventide could not stop laughing at the outlandish titles.

Finally they made it inside the first palace; Eventide had never in all his life seen such opulence; everywhere he looked seemed to be covered in gold leaf or encrusted in jewels. Large swaths of white marble covered not only the wide passageways and tall round columns, but even the ceilings were made from marble slabs so large they would have taken a hundred men to lift into place.

The opulence just grew as they ventured further into the palace; even the sheer size of the palace took his breath away. While from outside the walls, Eventide had known the space was large, even though it was inside a great city; when he actually saw it he could not take it all in; to his mind there had never been such a place ever built and now he was standing right in the middle of it all and this was only one of the palaces. The thought of having to have his own palace of such a size made him pause to see if he was really awake.

Mahmud led the way into the main large reception hall; there in the centre of the hall were a large number of very well dressed people. Mahmud whispered to him that they were the people who ran the city and reported to them both at the end of each week.

Along the walls of the great hall were many younger people; these Eventide learnt were Mahmud's paid workers; behind them; and with their heads hard to the floor; were all of Mahmud's slaves. Eventide did not have time to count them all but there were a lot of them.

Even if he just guessed at the number, Eventide thought there had to be at least three hundred slaves and servants; would he really need that many.

For the next two hours; Eventide sat beside Mahmud as each and every man had to be introduced and then they would present Eventide and Mahmud with a small gift before taking a place on the side of the great hall to wait any orders. Eventide let Mahmud run things for now; this was a strange and new world for him and Mahmud knew better what to do and say to each of the guests.

As the last rays of the sun sank below the horizon; Eventide and Mahmud left the great hall for one of the smaller dining rooms where Omar waited for them. Eventide almost smiled at the old man as he saw many servants gathered around with offerings of sweet cakes and tea while Omar told them short pieces of poetry to while away the time while waiting for his hosts to appear.

Eventide saw that there was no central table like at home; instead there were wide, soft couches laid side by side around a central open fire; he was to discover that there was no need for a table as the servants would kneel beside the couch while he selected what he would eat or drink and wait until he had had his fill before leaving, he would then be replaced by another servant with a different selection.

Eventide's first night in the palace of Sufaria turned out to be very entertaining and all thoughts of being tired from the long journey disappeared with the sound of Omar's gentle voice as he regaled them with poetry and short stories.

It was late in the night before the day caught up with the two young ones. Omar, seeing the boys yawn; smiled and told them it was past his bedtime. With kind words and a smile; Omar left the boys to go to their beds; he had accomplished the mission that had been set by his Emir. From this day on there should be little doubt or very few of the people that would not obey any command from the young Infidel boy.

It was the heat of the new day that awoke Eventide; he had been getting used to the heat of the desert as he travelled but first thing in the morning was still a struggle for his body to acclimate to.

After he had had his morning drink of fresh mint tea, a slow bath and had dressed in his best new clothes; Eventide was led to where Mahmud waited to start a new day. First was a visit to his new palace; waiting for them was a large round bodied man; his appearance told of being well fed and his flashy clothes said he had money to spare.

On the man's fingers were many expensive looking gold rings. Eventide did not like the man on first sight; there was an air of deceit about his demeanour and Eventide was careful about what he said or did.

Mahmud also did not look as though he trusted the man; after short introductions and, when the man whose name turned out to be Mustapha; told them he was the head of the household staff, Mahmud asked to be shown through the palace and to see what staff they had to work with.

After nearly an hour, the two boys finished with their tour of Eventide's palace; neither he nor Mahmud were impressed by the standards in the palace; it appeared as though the bare minimum had been done; what was really worrying was when Mahmud asked to be taken to the treasury and for Mustapha to produce all of the accounts scrolls for inspection. Both boys saw the large man start to pale a little as they waited for the accounts to be brought to them.

Mustapha looked nervous and tried to hide his hands as he fidgeted while trying to look calm; he was not successful and both boys knew he was going to try to hide something about the finances of the palace.

Mahmud called Ishmael to his side and whispered something to him. Ishmael nodded and quickly left the room; he had not returned by the time one of the old servants appeared with a large box full of scrolls in his arms.

Mahmud told the servant to put the box down and leave the room and then told Mustapha to stand to the side and wait until the man from his own palace arrived to go through the accounts. Achmed arrived with fresh mint tea for the two boys while they waited; it was only a little time later when a man Eventide had not met, walked into the room; one glance at the box of scrolls and he nodded to Mahmud and proceeded to open the box and unroll the scrolls for inspection.

Eventide was impressed with the little wooden frame the man used for counting; he had never seen anything like it before. After asking Mahmud he was told it came from the Far East and was called an abacus; the rows of round balls on different posts had varying value and could be used to quickly add and subtract numbers.

It took the newcomer only an hour to finally put down the strange instrument and even though he still had a number of scrolls left untouched; he nodded his head to Mahmud.

"How much is missing?"

"At this stage Kahlif and without doing a final count of the rest of the scrolls; I would say more than ten thousand gold; there is more but it will take me time to finish a full inspection."

"Thank you, please continue and give us a full accounting. Salud, I need you in here now."

Mahmud waited until Salud came inside the room before he nodded in the direction of the now terrified man who was already on his knees with his head on the floor.

"Salud, take this son of a camel to the dungeon; when that is done get the guards to arrest and hold all the staff of this palace; hold them until they hear from us."

Salud bowed and left with the crying man being pushed roughly by an angry Salud. As the man disappeared, Ishmael appeared and looked to Eventide.

"Brother, there is a street urchin at the palace gate; he said you told him to come here today."

"Yes I did, thank you Ishmael; could you bring him in here?"

Ishmael bowed and went out; it took only minutes before he came back with Habib by his side; the young street urchin looked in awe at the palace around him; in his wildest dreams he never thought he would get to enter such a place.

Eventide smiled at the look on the boy's face; he knew just how the boy felt. When Habib saw the two boys sitting on two couches at the centre of the room, he dropped to his knees and bowed low until his head touched the floor; after the story yesterday by the great Omar; he knew he was in the presence of the great Shaitan Ben Izurak; this was not the time to be cheeky or arrogant.

Eventide saw that the teen had used some of the coins to by a new pair of leather sandals although his Djabalah was still the same worn and torn one he had been wearing on the street.

"Stand up Habib," Mahmud asked the boy.

Habib could not believe his ears; he was being asked to stand and face the great Shaitan Bin Izurak and also the young Prince of the Bedou.

Trying to maintain a sense of deference to the two Kahlifs. Habib did as asked and stood tall but kept his eyes lowered; it was a time to show deep respect to the two Kahlifs. Eventide got the nod from Mahmud and began to tell Habib what he had in mind.

"Habib; as you heard the story yesterday, I am not from here but I find myself with a large problem. We have discovered that the Major Domo, who was meant to watch over my palace, was in fact stealing; he also had included a large number of the original staff in his scheme. I now find myself with very few people to look after the palace and my own needs. As you must well know; a palace is very large and takes a lot of people to keep it clean and working but, most of all I need someone who will be honest and can organise the others; someone who will not fail me when I am not here to watch over the palace. Is that someone you, Habib?"

"My Lords; I know little about running such a large house although should you ask me to watch over this palace then I can raise enough boys to do that."

Mahmud then took up the discussion.

"Habib; we all know the reputation of the street boys and their habits of lifting things that do not belong to them; would you place your life in harm's way to do that which my brother asks of you; if you do I would then find an older person with the knowledge to run the house over-all but it would be you and the boys you name that would do the work and be responsible for the safety of the house and my brother."

"My Lords, you have only to ask and I will lay my life down for you; I also promise to find as many honest boys to do the work you demand; I promise this on my life."

"Then take note for it is your life that you will lose if anything goes wrong with my brother's palace or his valuables. If you agree to this then you and all those you name will be well paid and given good clothes and food; you will all be housed inside the palace and your life on the streets will end but; take note; it is your life that hangs in the balance should one of the boys named by you ever show himself to be a thief or worse, for you shall stand beside him when the Scimitar falls on your head."

"Then my Lords I shall place my head in front of the Scimitar should I fail you; tell me how many boys you need and I will find them."

Eventide had no idea how many he would need and so turned to Mahmud for the answer. Mahmud whispered to Eventide.

"You will need at least one hundred boys; I have a young man who has been in my palace since he was a young boy and is well able to help with the organisation of a large palace; he is also very honest as he is also a Bedou although not one of the brotherhood. Do not forget you will have to have some slaves, even if just for appearances. I would suggest you buy at least twenty slaves, we can go to the slave market later today."

Eventide nodded his acceptance of Mahmud's advice and turned to Habib.

"Thank you Habib, I would ask you to go and find one hundred honest boys; you will be in charge of them; my brother will have a young man come to organise my palace and to show you all of what needs to be done each day. How long will it take to find enough boys?"

"My Lord, it will be no more than two hours; do you wish them all to come back here for you to meet them?"

"I have to go to the slave markets to purchase slave to also work here."

"My Lord; If I may be bold; should you wish to purchase new slaves then I would suggest I go with you. If the sellers see you they will raise their prices higher than normal so they can make huge profits; even with My Lord Prince at your side, they will try to inflate the price. If you would allow me to accompany you both, I would be willing to act as your agent so that they do not know who is bidding, it will be my proof of honesty to purchase the slaves at the least price to you."

"Then I will wait for you to return and then we will go to the market."

Habib bowed low and walked backwards until he was at the door; with a final low bow he left and the two boys sat back to relax; while they waited, Eventide asked about the keeping of the slaves and what he should do and look for in buying them.

Mahmud began to give him a few short lessons in the keeping of slaves in the old world. For this region it was an old and respected way of life. Some slaves were those captured after battle and others were hunted way to the south of the great desert; Eventide would have to decide what he was looking for and then tell Habib exactly what he wanted them for. It gave Eventide something to think on while the two boys waited for Habib's return.

It was after their midday meal before Habib was shown into their room; he had assembled all the boys who he said he trusted with his life and had made them wait out in the courtyard for the two Lords to look over.

Mahmud had called for a young man who, to Eventide's eyes; looked to be in his early twenties; he was called to accompany them outside to inspect Habib's young friends.

Eventide was surprised by the number of rag-tag boys massed in the courtyard. Like yesterday, most were dressed in ragged and soiled Djabalah although now some wore new sandals but most were bare foot. The boys looked up expectantly as the two new Kahlifs appeared above them on the steps of the palace; there was an immediate shuffling as they all went to their knees and bowed their heads on the stone flags.

Eventide turned to Habib.

"These are the boys you personally vouch for Habib?"

"Yes My Lord; each boy I know well and would put my head on the block for; I trust them all with my life, My Lord."

"You may well do that Habib," Mahmud said with a smile before Eventide continued.

"Thank you Habib, tell them they are now in my employ. This man is named Yusuf; he will be in charge of the palace and will tell you all what needs to be done; for now I want you to go and find some good clothes so you can accompany us to the slave market. Go to the servant's quarters and see what you can find; those that lived there before will not need them anymore."

Habib did as he was told and soon the horde of boys was trooping quietly into the palace; Yusuf keeping a careful eye on them all as he followed behind. It was not long before Habib returned; this time he was dressed in clean clothes but not too fancy, as he told the two Kahlifs.

"If I was to dress better, the auctioneers would again inflate the prices. If I may suggest My Lord Izurak that you disguise yourself as one of the Bedou; that way no one will see your face and know who you are. After the tale of Grandfather Omar, there are many who would recognise you."

Eventide agreed and went back to redress as a Bedou; once done he rejoined the others and they made their way towards the city centre; it was a longer walk to where the slave pens were and the three boys kept their faces covered so as not to cause any unwanted attention.

It was the smell of the pens that first struck Eventide; the hubbub of noise was overshadowed by the pervasive smell that was a part of the slave selling business, that and the unmistakeable but subdued rattling of chains as the slaves were pushed forward to be sold.

Eventide and Mahmud let Habib take the lead; they would stand behind him and let him make the bids while they told him who they liked the look of. Before they went near where the slaves were sold; Habib led them to the rear where the slaves were on show; the stench was even stronger here as the barred fronts of the small pens were not cleaned until all the slave in them had been sold.

The two Kahlifs were only too glad to leave the pens; at first it did not give Eventide any hope of finding the right slaves for his needs; he was not even sure if he wanted slaves at all. Having come from a low station in life; he did not like the thought of having others enslaved to him but Mahmud had said it was expected and so he would have to adjust his thoughts to the present situation he now found himself in.

The slave market was full; there were still other long lines of slaves arriving from all over the known world even as the auctioneers worked hard selling those already there.

Habib stood at the middle of the large crowd with the two others just behind him; around the trio were others all looking for bargains or just cheap workers for the mines or fields outside the city walls.

The bidding was fast and furious; Eventide noticed that there was also a lot of riballed remarks at some of the wealthy men that made purchases and what the slaves were going to be used for.

When Eventide or Mahmud saw a likely slave, they would whisper to Habib and let him do the bidding; it was Eventide's preference that the slaves be young and healthy looking; he had his own private plans for the slaves at a later date. It took four hours for them to finally gather twenty one slaves; all were young and; although some looked underfed and weary; they all looked to be healthy.

Eventide ended up with five youngsters from the European lands and the rest came from the far south. The southerners were all very dark skinned but he had been told they made good slaves and would take to learning their place quickly while the lighter skinned ones could sometimes be trouble and would need a firm hand at first.

At the end of the day and once the coins had been passed over in payment; Habib was given the job of leading the newly purchased slaves back to the palace; one of the keepers of the pen followed along behind to take back the slave's chains once they were settled in the palace.

It did not take the keeper of the pens long to realise where they were going as the three young teens led him closer to the palace; he would have to tell his auctioneer how they had been fooled by the two new Kahlifs and the prices paid were far lower than they should have been able to get out of the wealthy young teens. Perhaps next time they would be able to inflate the prices to recoup what they had missed this time.

Once back at the palace; Habib was given the job of taking the new slaves to the slave quarters under the palace; there they would be marked and given a good meal; Habib was also told to make sure they were all bathed and rested before they were allowed to go to their beds for the night; tomorrow they would be told their duties and any errant slaves would find out what would happen if they played up.

On entering the palace; Eventide could hear the sounds of boys in almost every room as they scrubbed and polished everything in sight; Yusuf walked among the many boys to show them how to do each chore and tell them what he expected to see as a result; even this early; Eventide could see the change in the palace as Yusuf worked his magic and followed through on his own sixteen years of being a student under Mahmud's household.

There was now only one thing missing to complete the palace; a cook, for this Mahmud again came to the rescue. In his own palace there were ample numbers of kitchen workers; he told Eventide that he should eat with him tonight and then the two of them could go to his kitchen and see who they could place in Eventide's palace as head cook. They now had plenty of new staff to be able to place some of them as kitchen hands.

Eventide was amazed at how much there was to just staffing a palace; the thought of having to go through the same thing when he returned home was almost daunting although he knew that Freeman would have all his properties well staffed by now.

Their evening meal as always was sumptuous and well cooked. At the end of the meal; Mahmud led Eventide into his cavernous kitchen to find the needed cook. Eventide could not believe his eyes as he looked over more than one hundred staff now in the process of cleaning everything ready for the next morning; he dearly hoped he would not have to have as many hands in his kitchens. His hopes were dashed as soon as Mahmud began to call out names and point to different helpers.

Mahmud selected two mid aged men for the position of head cook for Eventide; both had been working in his kitchens since he was young; the fact that both men were Bedou also helped.

It was not long before twenty cooks and helpers were lined up waiting for their orders to move to Eventide's palace to begin their new task for caring for the young Kahlifs. Eventide could only stand and stare at how quickly Mahmud had done this small piece of work.

During this time; the Emir had sent three of his personal physicians to take care of Shaun's twisted leg. Eventide did not want to watch what was to happen, but Shaun insisted he would like him to keep his company while he went through doctoring.

The three physicians each had their own place and work to do; first one gave a drink to Shaun; this; Eventide was told; was a soporific to make the boy sleep and lessen the pain it would take to repair the leg.

When Shaun was in a deep sleep; two of the men then used two wooden blocks to re-break the damaged leg; Shaun gave a very sharp and unnerving grunt as he lay sleeping when the two blocks came together and the loud sound of the broken bone was heard in the room.

As one physician felt lightly with his fingers to straighten the leg and make sure the bone was properly in its place; the other was working on the boy's foot; twisting it and pulling steadily on it until it was seated in the right place by the other.

The third physician was working on a strange fine white powder in a large bowl to which he was adding small amounts of water as he stirred the white paste.

Eventide asked what it was and was told it was a white rock that they ground into a fine powder and, when water was added; it would heat up a little and when dry would be as hard as rock; it would be infused into cloth bandages and wrapped around the repaired leg to keep it from moving until it was healed enough for Shaun to once again move around like other boys.

Shaun was kept in the bed for the first two weeks before he was allowed to get up and, with the use of two long sticks was able to hobble around for short periods; in all of this, the young boy complained only once and that was about the stale smell his leg gave off from not being able to wash; that and the beginnings of a continual itch were the only comments he had made.

The first three days of his ordeal and Shaun was kept sedated with the soporific; the physicians had warned that too much and the boy could become addicted; Eventide had been very concerned when he found out the soporific was made from the poison the Brotherhood used for slave making.

After three weeks everything began to settle down; Eventide's household was now orderly; the slaves were being well trained and his kitchen was preparing meals of the highest quality; For Eventide it was a time of learning about the running of such an important city and continuing with his Hashin training.

The palace stables were now busier as the last of his promised horses had arrived and all his camels were now held outside the gates on the common lands. Mahmud had insisted on finding a Bedou cameleer to take charge of them; he also had had to find twenty boys to work with leading the camels once they went out to trade for Eventide.

There was little problem in finding the right man and there were many young Bedou boys who wanted to work for the two Kahlifs. The caravan guards would also be from the Bedou with at least one of the Brotherhood to take charge of them.

It was in the fourth week that Mahmud told Eventide it was time to send their first caravan off to trade; they would join together Eventide's twenty camels with Mahmud's one hundred. Mahmud had used an agent to purchase many of the goods arriving from the east as this was as far the eastern caravans went.

The dangers of the eastern road were nothing compared to those that presented themselves on the roads and deserts to the west.

Eventide was amazed at the variety of goods to be traded; amazing smelling spices, bolts of fine cloth with colours he could never have imagined in his wildest dreams. Large square blocks of salt; metals and pottery as well as gems or gold and silver; all was packed and sorted into loads capable of being carried long distances by a single camel; Eventide was glad he did not have to organise it all.

Shaun was now more mobile and would hobble down to the stables every day to be with Shaitan; the horse looked as though he fully understood the trials of the small boy and gave him no trouble where others could not even approach the black horse'stall.

The caravan had long disappeared into the western wastes on its journey of trade; time had passed and it was now the time for the physicians to remove the hard cast from Shaun's leg. It had not been easy for such an active young boy to hobble around while others could run and go about their duties.

The removal of the white cast; which was now far from its original clean colour; had arrived. While one physician used a large pair of sheers to cut through the heavy cast, the other checked that Shaun was comfortable and there was no pain from the repaired leg.

When the last cut was made and both sides of the cast were dropped to the floor; Shaun gave out a long and loud sigh; at last he was rid of the burden that he had struggled with for over six weeks; the wide and happy smile he gave everyone when he first saw his once twisted leg was now straight, although very pale and a little thinner than his good leg; still it did not detract from his joy at once gain being able to walk like any normal boy.

Shaun had taken only his first few unsteady steps when Mahmud arrived; he told the boy that; as a gift for his ordeal Mahmud would give him the young white horse that he had ridden when entering the city, for his own.

Shaun could not believe his ears; with all the years his family had been tending the horses of others; none of his family had ever owned his own horse; he was taken aback and did not know how to thank the young Kahlif. Only the tears of joy told those watching what the horse meant to the smaller boy.

It was two weeks later that the first bad news they had ever got, arrived; it was in the form of a bloody and badly wounded guardsman from one of the eastern caravans; as yet unknown by the new Kahlifs. This was to be one of those defining moments in their young lives.

The boys had just taken the first few paces down the wide steps at the front of Mahmud's palace when the bloody guard was helped into their presence; their planned horse ride was put on hold immediately they saw the wounded man.

Eventide noticed immediately that the man was not dressed as other people on the city; his armour was all made of leather with bronze studs throughout. A heavy bandage was tied to around his head and his left arm was hanging limply by his side.

Under his right shoulder for support was one of the city militia guards who was trying to help the wounded soldier to the bottom of the steps where the two boys now stood.

The wounded man tried to pull himself upright and gave the two boys a rough salute; there was no bow of respect as was common in the desert people.

The man gasped as he tried to tell his tale and, with the aid of the militia-man; he slipped to the lower step to sit; it was plainly obvious he was in a bad way and would possibly not last out the day.

The two boys rushed down the steps and knelt by the man as he tried to tell them in broken Aramaic what had happened to him and the caravan they had been guarding.

The short tale was one that had not been heard for a long time in the city of Sufaria. Two days to the East of the great city; the caravan from the high steppes had been attacked by a large gang of well organised brigands. The man told the boys that the discipline and tactics of the large group had shown some knowledge of battle and were not the usual rough attacks of loose bands that were more normal in the far reaches of the desert.

As the injured man was taken away to the physicians where he could be healed, if that were possible; the two boys turned and went back into Mahmud's palace; it was time to make plans as well as advise the Emir of the turn of events.

Eventide followed Mahmud up the long winding steps of one of the four minarets that stood at each corner of the palace walls. He had not been up one of them since taking residence and was intrigued by their height and grandeur.

When they finally reached the upper most part of the tall tower; Eventide was surprised to see an elderly man surrounded by caged birds; the heavy smell of bird droppings was almost stifling in the hot morning air; it took little time for Mahmud to explain why they were there.

"I know you do not have this in your country but here; where the distances are vast we have come to use these birds as messengers; they are fast and can get a message to the Emir by the end of this day."

"It is indeed a new and strange thing you have here, Brother; what are the birds called?"

"We call them, Homing Pigeons. They are trained to return to their nest boxes in the Emir's palace; they are so much faster than the normal messenger on horseback as you will see."

Eventide watched as Mahmud talked to the old man. The young Kahlif then took a thin strip of fine silk and wrote a short message. Once complete the message was rolled tightly and slipped into a small round container which was then attached to one of the bird's legs. With little ado; the elderly man went to an open window and released the bird high into the air; the bird circled the tower twice before taking off at speed towards the distant city where the Emir held court.

While Eventide was enthralled by the system of using birds as messengers; he was only too happy to leave the tower and the thick heady smell of bird droppings. The use of the birds was to be a small trick he was to rely on heavily in times to come.

When the two boys returned to the large official grand hall of the Kahlif's court; Eventide saw all twenty boys of the brotherhood were gathered behind the two thrones that he and Mahmud used when giving orders to the city folk or the guards in an official capacity; the hall was filled with all manner of people. Most stood around in wonder of why they had been called so suddenly to the Kahlif's palace; others had a look of knowing and were waiting patiently for their orders, which they were sure were to come soon.

As the two boys took their thrones above the waiting people; one of the brotherhood came close to their shoulder and began to whisper information quietly into their ear so that those waiting below could not hear; it was not unknown for spies to be in all the courts of the land and the Wadhi Sufaria was no exception.

Once the final report was finished; Mahmud lifted his hand for silence in the room; there was an immediate hush as the gathered people looked up and waited for the young Kahlif to begin speaking; this would be the first official dictation of the two young Kahlifs; it was time to see the metal of the young boys.

Some among the crowded hall had thought the favouritism shown to two such young boys was beyond careless; even though one of them was a nephew of the Emir but; for an Infidel to be given such an honour was cause for much speculation; it did not go unnoticed by the ever watchful boys of the brotherhood; they all took note of those who showed certain traits towards their little brother as he sat beside Mahmud.

Mahmud began to speak to all those gathered below the thrones.

"Some of you may have heard the rumours; I am here to tell you they are true. For the first time in ten years; a caravan under the protection of the Emir has been attacked not more than a few days from the city. This will not go unpunished. Blacksmiths; you will prepare the weapons in your foundries. Guard Commander; you will ready fifty of the cities guard to accompany my own soldiers; they are to be ready by first light in two days time. Hostlers; you will prepare a caravan of fifty camels and have them loaded with food and water as well as forage for our horses. Commander of the Army; you will have fifty men ready to leave by first light; they will join with our bodyguard from the Bedou. You all have your orders; as I said we leave at first light in two days, now go and have your men ready."

There was an instant scuffling as those with orders hurried away to prepare their men; it was to be a full hunt for the perpetrators; there would be little mercy shown for those who would attack an innocent caravan so close to the Kahlif's city.

Eventide followed Mahmud from the great hall and into their own private quarters where the members of the brotherhood now awaited them; they would now have their own strategy meeting. The new events would be the first real test for Eventide as a brother and there was a lot of planning to do before they left in two days.

On his return to his own palace, Eventide still had a small problem accepting the sight that met his eyes every time he return home; his free servants met him at the top of the steps and his new slaves were kneeling inside the doorway with their heads firmly on the marble floor. It was the slaves that always gave him cause for discomfort; he was just not used to having others bound to him and at his mercy. He well knew it was the norm in this land but it did not make it any easier.

Finally the day of departure arrived, as both Kahlifs could not leave the city together for any length of time; it was decided that Eventide would lead the small army and Mahmud would stay behind to watch over the city.

On the previous evening, just as the boys were to sit down for their meal; a contingent of elder brothers had arrived under the orders of the Emir; they would bolster Eventide's twenty young brothers by thirty. While all were now dressed as Bedou, if the occasion arose they would change into their usual black if there was work for the brotherhood.

Eventide felt strange as he lead the long caravan of soldiers out of the main gates of the city; he was dressed mostly in white as was befitting a Kahlif; his brotherhood clothes were packed along with the others. He was not sure he was fit to lead so many but Mahmud had said it was no different than when they faced the squires; Eventide did not share his confidence; the men they were now chasing were not inexperienced squires but ruthless brigands.

Chapter 6
Trouble in Flanders

Both Eventide and Mahmud knew that one of them had to stay behind to watch over the city; Mahmud was only too happy to let Eventide take pride of place at the head of the small army; it was after all, his first chance to lead their troops into a real battle and he would have both his brothers and the elder brothers to help if he needed it.

His little army now numbered 150, they had detailed 30 of the militia to watch over and guard the baggage train of thirty camels and ten wagons; they had enough provisions for two weeks on the hunt; if they had to stay longer they would send a message to Mahmud for more.

On the first night on the road; Eventide changed his fancy garb of the Kahlif, to one of the Bedou; for the days ahead he felt more comfortable mixed in with his brothers and indistinguishable from anyone else.

It took three days for the small army to make it to the sight of the attack; there was little left after the eight days it had taken for them to get organised and finally make the distance.

It took some time for the men to look around and work out what had happened to the caravan. Most of the bodies had already been stripped of flesh by the buzzards and the animals of the night; the sun had completed the work and now there were mainly just piles of white bleached bones and some rags of clothing.

Most of the camels had been taken; although there were a few that were now just drying carcasses and showed how the caravan had been placed to defend itself, After looking at the remains of the battle field for some time; Eventide asked the older brothers about their thoughts on the battle.

After a short discussion, Eventide called for the officer's of the army and militia. Once everyone was together; Eventide issued the orders for a number of scouting groups to go out and find the trail of the attackers; the rest of the small army would make a temporary camp and await the scouts return.

The army moved away a short distance from the attack site and set up camp; they did not expect to move before the next morning when the scouts should have returned with their reports; and so it proved to be.

The next morning all the scouts reported their findings; the attackers had come from the north east and then retreated back in the same direction taking with them their many spoils. The trail had not been easy to find as the eight days since the attack had wiped clean any tracks but the scouts had been able to follow their trail by some of the discarded rubbish along the way.

Eventide; with the help of the older members of the brotherhood, sent out more scouts but this time they were all members of the brotherhood; the rest of the army and the baggage caravan would follow along at the slower pace of the camels and wagons.

On the second night of the trailing; while they were camped for the night; Eventide heard a number of horses galloping into the edge of the camp; at the loud sound of the guards challenge; he heard a reply and then saw the group of twenty one horsemen coming towards his black tent; in the lead was a familiar figure.

Eventide smiled widely when he saw Gerard's older brother along with twenty of the Emir's new long bowmen; all had their new bows over their shoulders and two full quivers of arrows tied to their horses. When the twenty one men stopped before Eventide, he said.

"Welcome Marchant; how are you here?"

"The Emir asked me to come in case you needed bowmen; he thought it would be a good chance for his men to try out their bows in actual combat; I volunteered to come and watch over them."

"Then you are twice welcome; how is your brother Gerard?"

"He is well and working hard on learning about their steel making; they truly have marvellous ways of smelting and the results are almost miraculous. Our twenty one bows are the first with the new metal and we have yet to have to clean them of rust."

"Then if nothing else you have made a good deal with the Emir."

"That's the truth of it; now what do you want us to do?"

"How is your language skill with your men?"

"Rough but we have our own way of communicating by using signs, it works well and no one can hear our orders. Have you had sight of the bandits yet?"

"We have scouts out searching now; I think we are not too far behind them. Do you and your men want to take a rest and food; I can have a tent set aside for you."

"Thank you, yes; we had to travel light and fast to catch up with you so there was no time for equipment."

"I'll ask Mohammad to get one ready for you and your men; would you like to join me for a meal while your men are settled?"

"Yes thank you; I'm a runner not a horseman so the last few days have been hard on my rear end."

Eventide led Marchant to his tent where they joined the six brothers of his personal body guard; it was not long before food arrived and all of them sat around the large carpet to eat and drink.

It was finally decided for Marchant to stay with Eventide and the six brotherhood in his tent for the night; the other bowmen were given a tent of their own to use among the other soldiers.

In the morning the first of the young scouts returned to report the findings; six of the scouts had remained in hiding to watch the camp of the brigands. What they were to report suddenly had Eventide think twice about going forward with an attack.

"My Lord," the scout said "We have found the camp about three hours ahead of us; it appears they are in no hurry but we may have a large problem."

"What is it brother?"

"There are far more men than we thought and they are not what they try to seem. It appears we have come across a small army of Christian knights and their men; they are disguised as brigands but their camp is obviously Christian."

"This does not sound good; how many would you say there were?"

"With their baggage handlers they would number more than one thousand; the camp is set up like all Christian camps with the soldiers ranged around the outside and the knights at the centre. It would appear that there are two or three main groups of knights. One are the knights of the Holy Cross; another is the Templars and the third I am not sure of but they fly the banner of blue with a white flower of some kind."

"Could you describe the flowers?"

The scout drew a rough design in the sand and Eventide looked over his shoulder; what he saw rang a bell in his head and he finally put one and one together.

"They are the knights of Loraine and Burgundy; what would French knights be doing with the likes of the Templars and the Holy Order?"

No one spoke as Eventide started to think things through; he had one hundred and seventy soldiers and brotherhood at his command and was facing over a thousand well trained knights and soldiers; by all rights he should retire and send for a larger army but; if he did that there was a good chance of losing all contact and the army would get away to raid another caravan somewhere else.

Eventide called all the brotherhood as well as Marchant and the officers of his small army; it was time to seek help and ask what the others with more experience thought about their present situation.

The meeting went on through the first meal of the day; Eventide sat silently as everyone was given a chance to voice their opinions. Once everyone had said their piece; Eventide sat and thought it all over. No one tried to persuade him one way or the other; he was the Kahlif and his decisions were binding on all of them.

Eventide looked around at the patiently waiting men; it had taken some time for him to think it all through and he finally had come to a decision that would either make him famous or dead.

"We attack; here is what we will do."

Eventide set about telling them all what he wanted and what he expected from his small numbers; the first thing was to break camp and send the baggage caravan up higher into the dunes where they would hide from any exposure to the enemy; in charge of them he set ten of the Kahlif's soldiers and the drivers would be armed to defend the caravan if the others lost the battle that was to come.

Eventide was once again dressed as a Bedou and would go forward to where his remaining scouts were watching over the Christian camp; he wanted to see for himself the layout of his enemy. The others were to ready their arms and armour and be prepared for his return; there would be no more camping out; if they could not finish it between today and tomorrow they would all be buried under the burning sands.

Eventide sent the officers off to ready their men; Marchant was to stay along with all the members of the brotherhood. Eventide's mind was working overtime as he outlined what he had in mind to fight against such huge numbers. Everything he had learnt from his time with Freeman and other older soldiers now came into play.

When he had told Marchant what he wanted from his bowmen; Eventide excused him to make his arrangements; next he told his brothers, both young and old what he planned to do; if all went well they may just come out of the fight with a win but it would take every bit of cunning they all possessed.

Eventide left the camp in the company of his six body guards; moving quickly they soon came upon the remaining scouts. Eventide settled into the sand at the top of the rise; below he could see the large army camped in the bowl of a shallow Wadhi; it was also the only Oasis within a vast distance. Eventide saw that the army of Christians had little intentions of moving in the near future; it seemed the Oasis would be their main camp for some time to come and a base for them to operate from; Eventide looked over the situation for any advantage to his plan of attack.

Eventide noticed there were a number of dying fires higher up the sides of the depression; it appeared they had guards posted out there during the night and it looked like they also had an inner ring of guards closer to the camp.

The larger and more colourful tents of the knights stood in a circle at the centre of the camp; behind the knights tents and well into the rear were where the knight's horse and the captured camels were held; there was enough grass and plenty of water to keep them all docile and healthy.

The camp resembled a cul-de-sac with a high dune at the rear and above the oasis centre. Lower dunes protected the sides and there was only the one way to attack down the narrow defile that led to the camp. After watching for some time; Eventide got the impression that the army below felt secure in its size and defence-able position; he hoped for his own sake that they were wrong.

After some thought, Eventide made a few small changes to his mental plan and then shimmied back down the dune to the others waiting by the silent horses; leaving the original brothers to watch the camp after giving them more food and water; Eventide led the others back to his small waiting army.

The rest of the day was spent readying for the upcoming night; there would be no mad daylight attack; that would mean certain death for them all. Eventide had planned this one to be a battle of stealth and silence; he hoped he could form a sense of fear and terror in the larger army without losing any of his own men; this was a perfect battle for his brothers, both elder and younger.

As the day wore on; Eventide's small army prepared as best they could; those in the most danger would be the members of the brotherhood; Eventide only hoped he had made the right decisions and would not end his days on the blade of a Christian sword in the middle of the night.

The time finally arrived when they had to make their way to their start point; Eventide was now dressed as all his brothers, in the black of the Hashin; he checked all his weapons for the last time and slid off the back of Shaitan; the horse seemed to know to stand silently and wait for his rider to return.

All the other troops were now at the assigned places around the Oasis but below the tops of the dunes. The brotherhood had divided into Elder and younger brothers; they all would fight better in their own age groups as that was how they had all trained.

The younger brothers had been given the job of clearing the outer guards with poison tipped darts that were blown from a small blow tube made of a bronze with a bone mouth piece. When used the mouth piece was removed and the poison dart was inserted into the tube; the mouth piece was then replaced and the dart blown into its target.

The darts were made from a cane brought all the way from the Far East; it was flexible and very strong and could be shaped or sharpened so the edge could cut like steel; it was also fibrous and could soak up the poison to be more effective

The boys could hit a target at twenty paces and, in the dark they were very capable of getting that close; they would all use the concentrated venom of the Indus Krait; it killed almost instantly in that form; the guards would never know what had hit them.

The inner ring of guards would be taken care of by the elder brothers once the outer guards had been taken care of; from that point on it would be up to each group to make as much mayhem within the camp as they could. Eventide had told them all that he and his younger brothers would attempt to raid the knight's tents and do as much damage as they could before sunup the next day.

The attack time was set for the first hours after the middle night change of guards; that was the time when most of the guards were not at their best and would be more inclined to make mistakes or ignore subtle noises in the dark.

The brotherhood watched the change of the guard and then waited another hour; the ten fires of the outer guard were now not burning so bright and the guards were sitting around them in the cold of the desert night; most had their heads nodding as though partially asleep; it was time to move.

The younger brothers slithered over the dune and worked their way towards the guards like silent snakes in the sand; their black clothes melding into the shadows cast by the very fires that were meant to protect the army.

There were ten guard fires around the camp; two brothers were directed to each fire; they would both use their darts at the same time so there would be no alarm to rouse the rest of the army.

Eventide lifted his hand as signal to stop; Salud was by his side and looked out into the dark night; it was only his superior training that enabled him to partially see the other brothers as they got into position; with a nod to Eventide; both teens lifted their blow tubes and sent the deadly darts on their way.

The result was perfect; as the two guards slumped further onto the sand with no more than a small grunt; Eventide looked at the other fire points; it appeared as though there was now a distinct lack of sitting or standing guards; their first obstacle was eliminated; it was now time for the elder brothers to do their work.

Salud sent out a soft call that sounded much like the night lark of the desert; an answering call came back as the two boys watched as more shadows moved like wraths over the dark sands and towards the next line of inner guards. Eventide reloaded his dart tube and made sure his dagger was loose in its sheath; their next objective could not be given a chance to react or they were all lost.

It was not long before the call came again; the inner guard was now out of action and the rest of the camp was at the mercy of the brotherhood; that is all except the standing guards outside the tents of the knights.

Each tent had two guards that stood by the tent flap of the doorway; these guards were changed every two hours unlike the other guards who were only changed every four hours; this left little time for the boys to do their work.

The younger brothers met up with their older ones at the edge of the inner guard ring; from here they would work almost together. The elder brothers would clear the way through the lines of soldier's tents or those who had decided to sleep out on the sand, although there were not many that did that as the desert was a very cold place at night.

The elder brothers moved like ghosts as they went from one tent to the other; in each tent were four soldiers; it took less than twenty seconds to make sure they would never move again; the elder brothers carried a long thin metal spike in their hands; they would sneak up to a sleeping soldier and plunge it into the man's ear and destroy the brain before the man could move or even knew there was an unwanted person in the tent.

Each tent took only seconds to clear and the small party of raiders moved quickly through the camp in the direction of the knight's tents. Once they were close enough; the younger brothers would take over and the elder would move outward among the rest of the camp.

The younger brothers found themselves at the last line of soldier's tents and looking at the guards on the knight's tents; it was time to use the blow tubes again. The boys had even less of a target to hit as the guards were wearing armour and only their heads and necks were free from chainmail.

The need for accuracy was now vital as each boy took aim; a soft hiss in the night air told them all to fire at the same time; as the darts struck sure and true it was almost amusing for the boys to watch as the guards slapped at what they must have thought was a night bug and only seconds later fall over dead.

Eventide hoped the sound of the men falling had not awakened the knights; he had no liking of going into the tent of a well trained knight and finding him on his feet and ready to fight.

Eventide and Salud slipped into their chosen tent; they now had less than one hour before the sun rose and still had to flee the camp before any guard changes were expected.

In the tent, Eventide saw the knight and his squire sleeping in the same cot; Salud moved around the back of the cot with his long thin steel poniard as Eventide moved to stand in front of the sleeping squire; a nod from Salud and both poniards drove deeply into the ear of their target victim; there was no noise or even movement from the sleeping pair; the thrust had been fast and clean and it was now time for Eventide and Salud to head for the rear of the camp.

If all the brothers were successful; they would all meet up where the horses and camels were held; it now depended on who was guarding the animals; during the day they had seen that the guards were all Saracens or those who had been captured from the caravan; this was the most dangerous part of the plan.

Without the use of horses or camels; the army would be at the mercy of the desert and could not stay long at the Oasis before the desert people would find them; Eventide had no intention to allow them to stay there at all.

The stock guards proved to be very agreeable to moving away from the camp along with their animals and to do it silently as they could. The added incentive of dealing with the Hashin also helped to make up their minds. Eventide told them they could keep every animal they took with them; to the desert dwellers that was like offering a veritable fortune.

It surprised even Eventide and Salud how quickly the animals disappeared up and over the surrounding dunes; in the soft sand it was almost silent. It was now time for Eventide's plan to move into its final stages; sunrise was now less than an hour away and he wanted the camp in disarray before the enemy could see clearly.

Eventide and his younger brothers took to the higher dune at the rear of the Oasis while the elder brothers retreated back through the silent camp to where all the horses waited for them; they left behind a scene of death that none of the Christian army would ever forget; and it was not over yet.

Eventide and Salud along with all their brothers, made it to the top of the dune unseen and unheard. At the crest of the dune; Marchant awaited them along with his twenty bowmen. Along with their bows, they carried a full quiver of arrows and in their hands they carried six more shafts that were wrapped in oil soaked cloth; in their free hand they all held a small bronze pot filled with brightly smouldering embers. The camp below was about to be awakened in the worst of ways.

Marchant lined his bowmen up along the top of the ridge while Eventide stood back and watched; at a soft hiss from Marchant; each bowman took one of the fire arrows and touched it to the glowing embers; the oil impregnated cloth caught quickly and another hiss from Marchant had the arrows knocked and ready. With a click of his tongue, Marchant had the bowmen release their arrows high into the early morning air; they were all aimed at the knight's tents below them. They had little worry about retaliation from the army below as they were well out of range of the Persian bows carried by the army of Christians.

While the first shafts were in the air; Marchant repeated his strange signals and a second lot of burning arrows took flight; these were now aimed at the many soldiers tents spread around the Oasis.

As the first arrows struck home on the sun dried tents of the knights a third flight was in the air. When the last of the fire brands had been used and the camp below was becoming a sea of flames and screaming soldiers; Marchant turned to their normal arrows and began to lay down a fire at any targets they could see in the fast approaching dawn.

Below them the camp was in disarray; leaderless soldiers were calling for help and others were screaming in fear as the rain of death continued from the dim light of dawn. Junior officers tried to organise their men but the fear of the fires and the unusual non appearance of the knights only caused more fear and confusion.

The soldiers now knew they were under a full attack and did their best to try to form lines of defence; but the only enemy they could see was the thin line of bowmen. As it dawned on those survivors that they were at a serious disadvantage and the few surviving officers were also now leaderless; the only though was escape.

The army below began to run; some down the length of the shallow valley and others to either the left or right low dunes; they would now face another enemy as yet unseen until they slowly puffed their way to the top of the dunes; it was only then they saw soldiers who were well armed and ready for them.

As the Christians could not form an effective attack and also had to struggle up the soft sandy slopes of the dunes; they were easy targets for the soldiers and militia that awaited them; it became not only a rout but a slaughter of some magnitude.

For those who stayed on the bottom of the valley and tried to escape; they found themselves face to face with thirty black clothed men on fine horses; their flashing scimitars causing mayhem amongst the mostly defenceless escapers; again it was a slaughter.

The early morning sands ran red with blood as none of Eventide's men considered giving any quarter for what had been done to a harmless and almost defenceless caravan; this was to be a lesson that others would know not to try attacking one of the Emir's caravans in the future.

It did not take long for the survivors to begin to kneel with empty hands and ask for mercy; Eventide had seen enough blood for one day and so sent out the order to take prisoners; they could always be ransomed off for a profit or sold as slaves at the market.

As the fighting died away; Eventide, followed closely by Salud and his other brothers, began to count the cost for the enemy. He decided that the Christians had paid a terrible price; the fact that his tactics had had more to do with the victory than the fighting abilities of his men, never crossed his mind.

As the new prisoners were grouped together and their hands quickly tied fast; Eventide saw there were no more than two hundred soldiers left; the battle had been a slaughter and among his own men the price had been slight; only two militia and one soldier had been killed and no more than fifteen wounded; for the brotherhood there had not been a scratch.

Marchant had joined Eventide in the Oasis as the young Kahlif sent off a scout to call his camels and wagons in; they would set up their own camp here for one day and then start the trek back to Wadhi Sufaria with their prisoners. Eventide asked for one of the pigeons to be released to carry the message of success back to his waiting brother Mahmud.

It took less than two hours for his caravan to arrive; once it was unpacked his tent was quickly erected and a hot meal was soon on the fires as he went inside to change into his Bedou clothes; the prisoners were left where they sat out in the heat of the day; a bit of thirst would make them more compliant and there was little chance of escape as they had nowhere to go and the twenty guards were alert and well armed.

Those not guarding the prisoners were let loose on what remained of the Christian camp; no one saw any harm in a little booty from a battle although there was little left after the fire arrows of Marchant's men had finished.

The dead were dragged well clear of the camp and the Oasis; only a fool would let water be contaminated in the desert and none of Eventide's army were fools; that and the smell of fast decomposing bodies was not what they all wanted around the camp; even for one night. Tonight the night creatures would dine well and the birds and sun would complete the work over the next few days.

It was the sound of loud voices that caused Eventide, along with his six brotherhood guards; to walk outside his tent; immediately one of his servants found a chair for him to sit on. His dark blues scarf was not covering his face as he looked out to where the prisoners were seated in the sun.

One of the prisoners was demanding to see the leader of the army; a guard was lifting his scimitar to part the man's head from his body when Eventide called out to stop the beheading; the guard bowed low to Eventide and stepped back as the man on the ground turned to see who had given the order.

The sight that met the prisoners eyes made him start with surprise; the last thing he expected to see was another Christian in charge of the very men that had decimated his army and the fact the leader was only a boy even further surprised him.

"What do you want; prisoner?" Eventide called to the man; it did not go unnoticed that the man was wearing the black cross of the holy order on his surplus nor that there were two others sporting the red cross of the Templars; the most hated of all Christian knights. All three officers of the church also wore the well known tonsure of the warrior monks; sometimes called Jesuits.

"I demand to see your superior; we are Christian officers of the holy church and demand to be treated better than the common soldiers; where is you leader?"

Eventide looked at the man and smiled an evil smile that only a teen could conjour up.

"Then Sir you wish to speak to me and the answer is, No; you deserve nothing for your attack on an innocent caravan and the slaughter you carried out. I was going to consider a ransom for you and your men but now! Well I think a term of slavery is more fitting to your crimes against my people."

"Your people? You are a Christian boy, these are not your people; are you mad or touched by the sun, boy?"

"I am known as Shaitan Bin Izurak, Kahlif of the Wadhi Sufaria, you Sir are now a prisoner of the Emir of the Aramaic lands; I warn you to hold your tongue if you do not want to lose it."

"You are a traitor to your People boy. If you were better born and I were a Knight I would challenge you to duel but I would not soil myself or break my oath to the holy church; not even for a cur the likes of you."

"Then Sir, you are in luck; I am also known as Baronet Eventide Tremaine; heir to the lands of Lancaster and Flanders under the tutelage of Baron Tremaine of those same lands. Should you wish to challenge then you are within your rights as an officer of the holy church; but I reserve the right of electing a champion as I am the sole heir."

"And what is there for me when I win?"

"You and your brother monks will be free to go unharmed and with a signed pass of freedom; your men will remain here as prisoners of the Emir; but, Sir; should you fail then you and your fellow monks will pay the ultimate price and your heads will decorate this very sight for all to see. Do you agree?"

"I do not see your bona fides; how do I know you speak the truth about your lineage; you are in a position to make any claims you like and cannot be verified?"

"My word is my claim monk; it is the only chance you will get; take it or leave it. The decision is yours."

"I cannot and will not take the word of a traitor to the Christian cause."

"Then Sir, you have already lost."

Eventide turned to Ishmael and whispered in his ear; when he finished, Ishmael had a wide smile on his face as he turned to the elder brothers and issued a soft spoken order.

The Elder Brother that led the brotherhood of thirty; looked up at Eventide and then bowed low before issuing orders; within seconds the three monks of the cross were kneeling on the ground before Eventide. It took less than seconds for their heads to roll on the ground, much to the surprise of the other prisoners but not one wanted to draw attention to themselves and so; after loud gasps at the sudden and final ending of the three warrior monks; all fell quite; there would be no more challenges to Eventide's orders.

During the rest of the day, the prisoners were made more secure by tying a rope around their necks and fastening them altogether; if one moved they all had to move; it would reduce the number of the guards needed to watch over them.

Eventide set out the minimum amount of water each could receive and a small bowl of food was given to each prisoner at the end of the day; it would be all they received each day on their trip back to Sufaria.

At only one hour after sun rise the next morning, the small victorious army began the return to Wadhi Sufaria; if would take fully five days as they could not go faster than the slowest prisoner although they were all pushed along by the guards set to watch over them.

Eventide was finally happy when; on the mid morning hours of the fifth day he saw the towering walls of Wadhi Sufaria in the distance; another two hours and they would be back home. When they neared the huge gates of the city; it was also not a surprise to see the streets lined with the folk of the city. The cheers for the small army and the derisive remarks for the prisoners were almost heart-warming; it was good to return home with a victory and the minimum of losses.

Mahmud was waiting on the steps of his palace as Eventide rode up at the head of the small force; the cheering from the city folk could still be heard above the clatter of the horse's hooves and the shouting of the soldiers as they welcomed the sight of their homes.

Mahmud gave orders for the prisoners to be taken outside the palace walls and interred in the slave cells; their fate would be decided by both of the Kahlifs after Eventide had had the time to bathe and rest. Mahmud told Eventide he had sent pigeons to the Emir to inform him of the victory; tonight would be a celebration for Eventide's first victory as Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria.

Eventide was to learn that as usual; Mahmud made far more of the battle than it truly was; Eventide said little as he could not chastise his brother for being one who could not resist a little fun at the expense of the Christians; although the new titles Mahmud came up with for Eventide, did raise a large smile and a weary giggle. Eventide wanted his bed and a good massage; he had been away too long for his liking.

That night, the dinner and entertainment was held in Eventide's Palace; it was organised by Mahmud of course and was the first full celebration that was held there. The guest of honour was of course Eventide himself but; as he looked at all those who had helped him make the victory; he set about calling all of them in as well; including the officers of the militia and his own soldiers.

The elder brothers were also given pride of place at the top table and, as the evening moved along and the wine flowed; Mahmud made a suggestion that would satisfy Eventide's worry over what to do with the prisoners.

"It is a simple thing, my brother," Mahmud told Eventide. "We simply send them to the Emir with our elder brothers as escorts. They raided a caravan under the Emir's protection so: it should be the Emir who decides their fate, You, my brother have already had your fun; what with the great battle and then mounting three warrior monks heads on spears for all to see; what more fun could you ask for?"

Eventide blushed at the mention of the beheadings; he was not truly proud of his actions but it seemed the right thing to do as it caused the other prisoners to obey without question; it was a bloody but good lesson for all those there.

Eventide could only nod as he took another small sip of the wine; he wanted a clear head tonight as he well knew that the party would end with the hookah being brought out at the end of the dinner and this time it would not be the harmless leaf they would all smoke.

The next morning; which for some did not start until the sun was high; saw the Elder Brothers ushering their string of prisoners through the gates of the palace; it would be days before any of them would see a city again and the hot searing desert would take its own toll on the new slaves.

Eventide was one of those who awoke late in the morning; they had all feasted and drank late into the night and; with the advent of the hookah being brought out; the celebrations only got later and later.

Eventide woke to the fresh smell of mint tea; his newly trained slaves were filling his bath and others were inspecting his clothes ready for a new day. The bath slaves waited patiently for him to totter over to the waiting hot water; his head ached and his stomach tried twice to rebel; even the fresh mint tea could not settle the unease his stomach felt.

After his bathing; Eventide was only too happy to lay down on the narrow table for his two body servants to work on his tired and sore muscles; the two boys worked tirelessly as he half slept on the table. The next sound Eventide heard did not endear him to his brother Mahmud.

"Come mighty Shaitan, or should I say, mighty lazy one. The day is nearly over and you sleep in your bed when there are wild places to go and explore."

Eventide looked up with sad eyes at the over exuberant brother. "Shut up and let me die."

"Little brother, this is no time to die; you have a whole city waiting to see the great Shaitan Bin Izurak; scourge of the sandy wastes and defiler of the Christian masses; slayer of armies sent by the gods themselves; come oh favourite of the great Shaitan himself; stir your lazy ass and come ride the city with me and then we can go hunting. The falcons are growing fat and lazy like the great Shaitan Bin Izurak."

"Shut up and let me die in peace; I'm in no mood for crowds today."

The room became silent as Mahmud shooed the two boys away from the table; five seconds later and Eventide was using words he did not even know he knew. The ice cold water from a full jug used as drinking water was now dripping onto the floor as Eventide tried to shake some warmth back into his freezing body; the howls of laughter from Mahmud only went to increase Eventide's bad mood.

"Not funny; brother you will pay a heavy price for that little show of disrespect to the great hero Shaitan Bin Izurak."

It was the sound of the pompous words from Eventide's own lips that finally sent the two boys into gales of laughter; the foulness of the morning was finally broken and both boys relaxed as the servants dressed Eventide in the white dress of a Kahlif.

The rest of that day passed without incident as did the next four days. Notice came in that many of the caravan owners had now named the oasis of the battle in Eventide's name; all who stayed there or watered their animals there, now called it Oasis Bin Izurak in his honour.

On the fourth day it was also the second quarter of the tithe gathering for the Emir and the city taxes. This was the first time that Eventide had seen it or been involved in any way.

While he himself had little to do; he along with Mahmud were expected to be present on the day of the payments by the caravan masters and local city officials and merchants. In many ways it was a long and somewhat boring day; for hours they sat and watched as one person or representative came forward with large and small chests of gold coins, jewels, silver or other precious things to pay for the protection on the roads and the taxes of the city.

Eventide was now truly impressed by the sheer quantity of gold and silver that was brought forward as payment; at one stage there were even small gifts in the form of weapons of high quality and smaller chests of coins and jewels that were given directly to Eventide for his destruction of the 'brigands' that had caused so much death.

It was staggering for Eventide to imagine that the quantity of gold and other precious things could be found each and every quarter for the taxes and other payments, but he was assured by Mahmud that this was a normal collection and; in the height of the caravan season, which would start in another month or so when the high passes to Indus and the Far East were open; the collection would almost double; Eventide could only shake his head and wonder.

Eventide watched as the clerics who were to take note of all payments; tapped away on the small squares used for counting; their fingers flashed so fast he found it difficult to keep pace with them; but, at the end of the day they would have a full accounting of every coin or jewel that was paid and from whom each payment was made.

The new treasure would them be divided up for the city, the two Kahlifs and the Emir's share which would be transported under very heavy guard to Damascus. By the end of the long day; Eventide could only stand and stare as chest after chest of coins and gold was carried away to the palace treasury for dividing up; he could not even imagine how much was there and; the fact Mahmud said it was a slow time of the year for the silk road only amazed him more.

For the next two weeks the caravans began to increase until there were more than ten a day seeking passes to venture into the vast sandy waste to trade; it was at this time that Eventide began to see new peoples of many races as they came through the now open passes from the Hindu Kush and the far eastern lands of the Sinai and Indus.

The bustle of the city increased as the days got longer and hotter. It had now become his habit to rest during the hottest part of the day unless they were out with their falcons hunting; even then they would erect tents to pass the worst of the heat of the day.

It was fully six weeks later that Eventide got the news he hoped would never come. His new life as a Kahlif had become second nature to him even though he had a continual list of lessons to complete each day so he could further his education and understanding.

It was at the evening meal that word reached him in the form of a royal rider of the Emir. The Emir had received word that Freeman had been attacked by assassins in his manor house in Flanders; while he had beaten them off and killed six of them before the others fled; Freeman had been badly wounded in the exchange and was confined to his bed for some months to come; he had asked the Emir to have Eventide return as fast as possible so he could watch over the Baron's lands until he was fit again.

Within ten hours Eventide was packed lightly and; along with only his six brothers and Shaun and mounted on the best horses he had; was racing for the coast. A message had been sent ahead by pigeon to have a Dhow ready to sail as soon as he got to the port at Damascus.

They had pushed their horses hard but made it to Damascus in three days; by late in the evening of that third day; they were heading out from the port on what they hoped would be a nonstop voyage to the land of Flanders. The dhow was one of the fastest the Emir had and was manned by his best sailors and soldiers.

Unlike the first travel to the new land; this time the dhow was pushed to its limits and there was no long stops for resupply or to avoid rough seas or storms; the Emir had told the crew to go fast and die if needed to get Eventide and his friends to Flanders.

With the dhow being pushed to its limits; there was no small amount of sea sickness suffered by all eight teens; even the horses were not happy about the rough weather or the strain of the fast voyage. The crew of the dhow barely slept as they pushed harder and harder; they were taking chances that no normal voyage would undergo but; they were under the orders of the Emir; failure meant the loss of their heads.

To keep up the pace; if the wind died to a light shifting breeze; the captain would call for the large oars to be put out and the crew would start to row for hour after hour to keep pushing forward or until the wind grew once again; it was not easy for anyone aboard the dhow.

It took a mere seven days to make the coast of Flanders; if there had been record books it would have been noted as the fastest time ever done by a dhow in those times or at that time of the year. The last leg that was up the narrow sea between England and the Frankish lands was the most dangerous as the sea was wild and unpredictable but they conquered it as they had conquered the others and slowed as they came to the landing where they could see the green banner of Tremaine flying on the beach.

The message Eventide had received had said not to land at any Frankish port but to come directly to Freeman's coastal land and unship there; he would have his own people waiting every day for them to arrive and so it proved true.

This was Eventide's first trip to Flanders; he was met by the guards of Freeman's house hold troops; all thirty men helped to unload the few possessions and the horses and; four hours later, in the middle of a blustery afternoon; the entourage left at speed; there would be no stopping until they made the manor of Tremaine.

Fortunately it was less than two hours from the coast but; what surprised Eventide once again was the Manor; it was not a small house as Freeman had described; it was a solid looking castle set high on the small hill top and overlooked large spaces of marsh and farm lands.

Eventide could even see in the dimming light; that there were many large war horses that were roaming around the large open spaces. This was not what he had expected; he was looking forward to seeing his father once again, but it was with trepidation as he did not know how badly wounded he was.

Once they had entered the castle; Eventide jumped from Shaitan and ran towards the large double wooden doors where a servants stood waiting; with little ceremony; Eventide was taken to the bedroom where Freeman was laying while he healed.

Eventide did not wait as he neared the bedroom; he was almost running as he hit the door and ran inside; what he saw made him pause and catch his breath; he did not even consider the state he was in after travelling for more than ten days without washing or a change of clothes. His fine white garb of the Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria were now not much more than dirty and torn rags but it did not stop him from rushing to Freeman's bedside.

Freeman was propped up in the bed by a large number of thick down filled pillows; around his head was one bandage; around his bare chest was another and one arm was in a sling; Eventide could also see under the covers that one leg was propped up.

Freeman looked pale and wan as he tried to smile for Eventide but it was plain he was in pain. The physician that stood beside the bed frowned at the sudden appearance of the rough looking teen but was soon put at ease when Freeman gasped out that it was his son; the physician then bowed to Eventide and retreated a little to give them space.

Eventide carefully leant forward to try and grasp one of Freeman's hands; he dared not hug him as much as he wanted to; the obvious wounds were not slight and he did not want to make his father's pain any more than it already was.

Freeman watched as tears fell freely from his new son's eyes; the obvious pain and fear in the young boy's face told its own story; Freeman tried to find the strength to pat Eventide's shoulder and to take away some of the boy's fear.

"You made good time, my son," Freeman gasped out in a strained voice.

"Father…" It was all Eventide could find to say as the tears continued to fall freely down his dirty face.

"Don't worry son, I've got through worse than this; just ask the Emir."

Eventide could see how much it cost Freeman to keep talking; he grasped his father's hand tighter but did not try to stop the tears; if nothing else, he had made it in time and he could see his father was still with him.

"Son, I need you to be strong now; you have to keep the estates running until I can get back on my feet; anything you decide I will back up. Now go and get some rest and a bath; you need it badly; tomorrow when you are rested we will talk more."

Eventide could see how much it took for Freeman to talk for so long; like a good obedient son; he let go of Freeman's hand and looked around for someone to help him find his room, as he did so he saw all six of his brothers standing stoically in the outer passageway watching the reunion; their faces were inscrutable but Eventide knew there was much more going on under those young faces than others would see.

It was with great reluctance that Eventide allowed himself to be shown to his new rooms by one of the younger servants; his six brothers never leaving his side as they all rearranged the large bedroom so they could all stay together; their little brother was in pain and they had no intention of leaving him in his hour of need.

Eventide finally succumbed to the rigors of the last ten days; without thinking of washing or changing his tattered clothes; Eventide collapsed onto the bed and was fast asleep before any of the others had time to take notice.

Eventide awoke early in the morning to the sound of people rushing about the passageways. Groaning as he tried to get himself from the bed; Eventide saw that his six brothers were sleeping close around his bed in a protective circle. Eventide almost smiled at the concern of the six teens; with another groan; which awoke Ishmael and then Salud; Eventide stood and looked for a bath tub. It took a few loud shouts before he had a few servants arrive to take his orders; it was another hour before he was sinking into a hot bath.

Many of the servants did not speak either English or Aramaic and so Eventide had to make do with sign language for some of his requests; fortunately for him; the housekeeper and two of the footmen were competent in English and; once he had found them, things went smoother.

By mid-morning, Eventide was ready for the day; After his breakfast he was in the bedroom of his father; there was a lot to talk about and Eventide began to feel a burning desire to find the culprits of the assassination attempt; he was not the only one with those thoughts.

Eventide sat with Freeman for over an hour while the Baron told him about the attempt on his life. Four of Freeman's guards had died in the attempt, but they had slowed the assassins enough for Freeman to get ready for the assault.

Even though Freeman had sustained a number of bad injuries, he and his remaining men had been able to defeat the attackers. Of the ten dead attackers, six of which Freeman took care himself; five were found to be from the Holy Church; three were members of the Knights of the Holy Cross and the other two were Templars.

Although he was still young; the time he had spent with Mahmud holding court at Wadhi Sufaria had taught Eventide to look past the obvious; now he could see a pattern; perhaps the caravan attack had been more than it appeared at the time; coupled with the new attack on his father; Eventide began to see things differently.

Both talked over their own suspicions; Freeman told Eventide that there were those in both the King's court, and the Holy Church that desired his lands in Flanders; that, and the fact that the Baron stood between many other knights and the throne had always been in contention.

After the physician had once again checked over Freeman's wounds and placed fresh dressings on them; Eventide asked what he needed to do. For another hour the two talked as Freeman told him what needed to be done to keep the estate running smoothly; Eventide listened intently and took notes; in the back of his mind was another plan forming but he kept his silence as he listened to his father's instructions.

By Midday they were done; Freeman looked tired and in need of rest; it was now time for Eventide to take up the mantle of Baronet of Flanders.

Eventide called for his six brothers to join him for the midday meal; while they sat and ate they also had a softly spoken discussion on what had been in the back of Eventide's mind; some of the suggestions raised smiles on the faces of his brothers. With the meal over and some plans made; the small group broke up and each brother went his own way to carry out the orders of their Kahlif.

Over the next two weeks, no one noticed the disappearance of Demetrious or that the usual number of personal body guards was now down to four; Ishmael being the other one not seen for some time.

On the fifteenth day after Eventide's arrival at the Flanders estate; the servants saw a large column of riders approaching the gates of the castle; most noticeable were the clothes of the riders. All were dressed in black flowing robes and their faces were covered so that only their dark eyes could be seen; The church and the Templars were about to reap what they had sewn.

The newcomers spoke to no one until they had been sequestered with the young Baronet for some time; when they reappeared, the servants saw them all walk to where the injured Baron was now propped up in bed.

It was only the physician that saw and heard what went on in the bedroom of the Baron; After Eventide had told the guards at the door not to enter under any circumstances; the newcomers entered one by one and spoke in a foreign language that the Baron seemed to understand completely.

The physician had watched each stranger enter the bedroom, walk up to the reclining Baron and then whisper a few soft words; what happened next almost shocked the old physician. Each stranger took a very sharp and dangerous looking, black handled dagger from the sheath at his waist, pricked his finger and let a drop of blood fall on the hand of the Baron.

What was more surprising was that the baron did not object but instead just nodded his head and raised his hand as though offering some sort of blessing.

When all twenty of the strangers had completed the odd ceremony; the Baron lay back and then called for his son. Eventide was quick to enter the room; the physician was then told to leave the two together and not return until called.

Only Eventide and Freeman knew what was said in the bedroom but, when Eventide returned from the room, all the strangers looked at him with their dark eyes and immediately bowed low and salaamed with great respect; even the door guards; men who had been to the Holy Land on the last crusade with the Baron; could not believe the respect the young Saracens were showing the son of their Baron. The physician; although he had his own suspicions as to who the strangers were; was still at a loss as to what had happened.

Only Freeman and Eventide knew that the twenty brothers of the brotherhood had sworn a blood oath to the Baron; the attempted assassination was to be paid in blood and there would be no place to hide for those who had tried to kill one of their own.

The words of the oath were spoken only when one of their own was threatened.

"My blood is your blood until death and beyond"

There would be no peace for any who may even be remotely connected to the assassination attempt; this oath was even far beyond that given to every brother; it was meant to be until the end of days and the end of time itself.

Later that night; Eventide and all his brothers were enclosed in Eventide's room; the return of Demetrious and Ishmael now meant they could start to lay their plans; the secret meeting would go on into the late hours of the night and early hours of the next morning; what was finally decided was to stay among the small group and would never be known by any outsider.

It was a week before anyone noticed there seemed to be a spate of horrible murders being done. Taken separately, the murders would have seemed unrelated; the scope was far too wide for them to be even remotely similar.

From the far off state of Loraine, six Knights Templar came to a grisly end right in the middle of one of their own castles; no one was seen or heard and only the six bodies stood testament to the act of assassination.

Another in Burgundy saw three Prelates and a Bishop slain in their beds by some mysterious poison that left no other sign but the dead bodies; the seven guards swore they saw no one in the manse of the church.

In far off Rome, inside the Vatican itself; nine Cardinals were slain in their beds; again there was no sign of how it happened and again; none of the guards saw anything.

In the newly forming city of Paris; eleven Knights of the Holy Cross met horrible deaths by strangulation while sitting at a meal together; again there were no witnesses.

In England; a counting house known to watch over the wealth of the Templars was set afire and destroyed; the five Templar guards were found a day later with what appeared to be punctures to their ears; they had all been standing on guard at the time of the fire.

These and many more unrelated acts continued to be heard of; there were never any witnesses but; there were those in certain places that could put the happenings together and were now getting very nervous; the only common factor they could see was the attempted assassination of a Baron in Flanders; even then they were not quite sure but, in the secrecy of their castles and palaces it was the only factor they could come up with; immediately the word was sent out.

'No further action was to be taken against the Baron of Lancaster and Flanders'

The very day that the withdrawal of the threat to Baron Tremaine of Lancaster was issued; six stealthy figures stood on a hillock overlooking a grand Manor house in the barony of Essex. The smallest of the group looked intently at the grand house and then turned to the others; a few soft words were spoken and then the small figure mounted his black horse as the others mounted theirs.

In the grand house below the hill; many important people were arriving; some by fancy carts guarded by a number of well presented soldiers; others were mounted knights with their squires and personal retainers. It appeared to be a gathering of some of the most important men of this land and also the church.

The gathering gained pace as the darkness of the night fell; the grounds were swarming with guards of many of the noble houses and the Manor house was a blaze of light. Inside there was a special meeting taking place in a locked room; in the rest of the house, many servants prepared a great feast to honour the many guests.

It was later in the evening when the many nobles reappeared in the grand ball room of the Manor; the room had been set with a multitude of tables and a great feast was set out for the guests; all that had to be said had been spoken of and all the men were ready to enjoy the hospitality of their host.

Amongst the many large trees of the formal garden; six dark shadows moved amongst the other shadows; one undistinguishable from the other. The many guards around the Manor saw nothing and heard nothing; there were only shadows and night creatures to disturb the peace of the countryside; nothing seemed amiss for the vigilant guards.

At the rear of the Manor, close to the rear door of the kitchens; sat a large stone building; the door had a large heavy padlock on it and the key was held only by the Baron. This was the store house of the Baron's most valuable wines and spirits; they were brought over from the best estates in France;

A shadow flittered among the trees close to the stone building; it was small and slight and clothed entirely in black garb.

At the rear kitchen door sat a young man with a large basket between his knees; he noticed nothing as he pushed more fresh straw into the basket; it would not do to break a bottle of the Baron's best wine.

The young man stood up with the large basket in one hand and a large metal key in the other; it was time to get the wine for the feast; the Baron and his guests would be sitting down to eat shortly and there was no time to waste.

In the deep shadow of the building, the small figure was quickly joined by five others; all moved in total silence and became part of the darker shadows that surrounded the stone building. The young man with the basket strode confidently towards the waiting wine store; he had no reason to suspect anything with all the guards roaming around the Manor.

Placing the large basket on the ground by his feet; the young man lifted the heavy key to the waiting padlock; as the key was inserted, but before he could turn it; he was grasped by two pairs of strong hands while a third hand placed a soft cloth over his mouth to stop any calls for help.

The young man tried to struggle but it was soon proved to be a hopeless task; a soft voice whispered into his ear as he was held tightly.

"You have one chance to live and only one; do you understand?"

The young man nodded his head; the key was turned and he was bundled through the heavy wooden door of the wine store; inside; with a single candle lit for light; the young man saw he was surrounded by six black clad figures; the smallest one seemed to be in charge and it was he that asked the questions of the young man.

"Which are the wines for the Baron's feast?"

Still held fast and with his mouth still covered; the young man used what little movement he had to point to the large stack of wine flasks set aside from the others in the store house.

As he watched the black clad figures; the young man noticed the smaller one was the only one with blue eyes; it was all he could see of his captors. The young man watched as the flasks were opened and something poured into them; the flasks were then re-stoppered and then left as they were for the young man to place in his large basket.

The small figure then turned to the young man and said.

"If you tell anyone about this your life will be forfeit; after you serve this wine it will be best if you are not found on the Manor grounds. Take this, it will help you to get away. If you speak of this to anyone before the wine is served, you will be the last of your family alive before we come for you."

The young man was now very nervous; with shaking hands he took the offered leather pouch; he noticed instantly how heavy it was. With the knowledge of how easy it had been for these six dark figures to enter the heavily guarded Manor grounds undetected; he had little doubt they could find him and his family.

The small blue eyed figure patted him on the shoulder one last time and said.

"Don't forget to be away before the wine is served and don't say one word to any of those inside; we will be watching."

It was as if by magic that the six figures seemingly disappeared into the dark shadows of the night; the young man tried to see them but there was no sound or sight of the ghostly figures. He looked at the heavy leather purse in his hands; by the feel of it he could look after his family for many years as long as he was careful not to be caught this night. The young man began to put the flasks into the straw lined basket.

After the young man carried the wine flasks inside to be served; he was never seen again by any of those that were left in the Manor after the great feast; and there were few of those.

High up on the hill behind the Manor house, six riders led by a small blue eyed shadow; quietly left the scene of their final revenge; they did not need to stay to watch the results of the white powder they had poured into the wine flasks; they already knew what it would do; for now they had a long hard ride to the coast where a boat was waiting to take them to Flanders; three months of hunting and revenge was now over. The price of attempting to take the life of a brother was now paid in full.

In the Manor house behind them; not one of the guards tried to stop one of the young servants from leaving; it was none of their business; they were there to watch for intruders and not staff leaving for the night.

By the time the alarm was raised; a young man was far down the road and heading towards the far off homeland of the Welsh countryside; the heavy bag of gold coins in his pack was a comfort as he spurred his newly bought horse a little faster.

For the guards of the Manor house; it came as a shock to be called by one of the scullery maids as screams and yells went up from the well lit Manor house. When the guards got inside, it was like a scene of horror but it was too late for those who had taken the wine; including some of the staff who had thought it a good idea to steal from the Baron; the toll was extensive.

Seven high ranked clergy; eleven Knights of the realm; two Barons; thirteen Squires; eight wealthy merchants; three cooks; four servants and one scullery maid; all were lying dead either on the floor or at the table and all were frothing at the mouth; the poison had been virulent and deadly and no one had seen anyone or anything; it was to be forever a mystery that was never solved.

Over the years there were many summations but never any proof. As quickly as the scale of murders had started they then stopped just as quickly. In all the fear and death it had caused there was never one shred of evidence or proof of who was responsible; no one was ever brought to the King's court for justice.

One week after the fatal feast in Essex; no one took any notice of three groups of travellers boarding a ship for the Holy Land; they were just twenty more young men going to the Holy Land; while all of them looked to be Saracens, they also looked like any other trader seen in those days; it was nothing really unusual in the ports of France.

Chapter 7
Prince of the Iceni

For the next month, Eventide watched over Freeman as he healed. Eventide was not above using some of his brotherhood skills to help Freeman; a small touch of the white powder of the slave maker to ease some of the pain his new father suffered; was not wrong as long as he used the bare minimum. The last thing Eventide wanted was for his own father to be slaved to the white powder.

At last Freeman was healing enough to leave his bed; his wounds had closed nicely and any chance of infection had ceased to be a worry. Freeman took walks each day to rebuild his strength; not once did he question Eventide about the terrible deaths that had taken place while he was ill.

Over the next month; Freeman noticed that Eventide would spend more and more time in the library. After watching his new son spend hours poring over large tomes one day; Freeman went in after the boy had left to see what he had been reading. Much to Freeman's surprise, he saw that all of his sons reading was from the Baron's large battle library.

Another item now struck Freeman as unusual. Eventide had spent long hours in perfecting his writing skills; as Freeman well knew; it was not Eventide's favourite subject yet, here he now was spending hours writing letters and sending them away.

Freeman wondered at the vagaries of youth and forgot all about it. As the second month of his recovery ended; Freeman was surprised one day by Eventide's mention of the King's Joust. For Freeman it was a surprise; there had been so much going on he had forgotten that another year had almost passed; it was time again for the jousts.

Freeman knew and had also sent letters to the King; that he would not be able to stand in any of the joust this year; his past injuries made it impossible. The King had replied that he understood well but asked if Eventide would again stand with the people under the King's colours.

After Freeman had confirmed with Eventide, that the boy would attend the Joust as before; they began to make arrangements to move back to England for the event; there had been no word about Mahmud appearing and Eventide refused to say yay or nay.

Travel back to England had been organised by Eventide himself; he felt it was his duty to watch over his father's health and had broken up the trip into smaller parts; he did not want to overtax his father's strength even though Freeman had insisted he was now well.

Freeman took note of the procession; he now had an added banner to his colours and each was carried by one of the young brotherhood. Shaun; who was now well and could move as well as anyone else, except for the slightest of limps which did little to limit him in any exercise; became the bearer of Eventide's blue banner.

Between the group there were now four banners flying; the green banner with the crest of the Barony of Lancaster, the plain blue banner with a Celtic Rune in black; there was also the furled black banner of the brotherhood called the Banner of Jihad and the last was a plain white banner with golden script in the style of the Aramaic; this was the Banner of the Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria.

With all of the Baron's guards as well as the younger teens of the brotherhood; it became quite a spectacle as the long train wound its way through the countryside of Flanders and finally shipped onto the coast of England.

When they reached the coast; it was to see that they were not alone on the roads; the time of the King's joust was nearing quickly and many of the Knights and Squires were moving. This year there was also a noticeable increase in the number of the common people travelling; far more than in previous years.

Their entry onto the lands of the Manor became a surprise for both father and son. The lands that spread out before them had little resemblance to the ones they had left nearly a year ago.

It was difficult to make out all the changes in so short a time. There were newly built cottages spread around; each with a small garden patch. In the fields were more cattle and sheep than had ever run on the old Manor grounds and, in the tilled fields there were the first signs of harvesting.

Wheat, Rye and Barley seemed to cover the ground in waving seas of golden stalks. The number of farmers tending to the stock and the planted fields seemed almost endless. Neither Freeman or Eventide could wait to call on their new overseer for a report.

As the long train rode through the gates of the Manor; all the staff were present to welcome them home. This was the first time that Eventide noticed the number of new faces on the Manor staff. On the top step of the entranceway stood Huntingdon, beside him was the solid figure of Bodan of the Western Reaches and now overseer of the Manor lands.

Eventide felt good returning to the place that had changed his life so much; with all the honours he had been given and the many new friends; he felt he had been blessed beyond his station and would remain thankful for the rest of his life.

As they walked up the steps of the Manor House; Freeman greeted both his most trusted men; Huntingdon left to organise the house while Freeman asked Bodan to join them for the evening meal; he could make his report after the meal when both men had time to discuss it all at their leisure.

Eventide and his six brothers headed towards his rooms while Shaun took charge of the fine Arabic horses; Shaitan being the one that he was most concerned with. Although the others were of the finest stock; even his smaller white horse; none were as important to Shaun as Shaitan.

After dinner; Bodan began his report. Freeman was now truly impressed by the man's talent for organisation. Bodan had called in fifty families that had all been from the Western Reaches; these were hard working and honest people who had the gift of farming on some of the poorest of lands; when asked to work at the Manor; not one family refused. It was the best land they had ever been asked to work; that and the chance to own a little piece for themselves; soon sealed the deal for them all.

The return for Freeman was already obvious; the huge fields of grain, potatoes and beets were already more than he would have dreamt of before Bodan began his magic and now, he could plainly see the improvement in the number of stock that roamed the pastures set aside for that.

Bodan had planned well and known how to make the best of the land available; Freeman was duly impressed and told the man so; Bodan had only one question of his new baron.

"My Lord, I have not yet set a tithe or rents for the holders; they are all waiting for your word on this matter?"

"I would ask as a rental on their homes and gardens that each man or boy of age works eight hours a day for six days and has the seventh day as rest; this will hold except for the harvest time when; as you well know; we must get all the crops in before the first rains. The Baron's tithe will be set as one silver coin per year and they have rights to their homes and gardens until death takes them or they move from the land."

"My Lord that seems a small price to pay; I have never known a Baron to tithe so lightly?"

"There is another part to the tithe Master Bodan."

"Speak it My Lord and it shall be done."

"If the time arises I would ask each bowman that is of age to stand by my side in a time of need or in the defence of the Manor lands; this is the second part of the tithe Master Bodan.'

"Then the price is even more acceptable to my people, My Lord; the bowmen will await your call if needed."

"Thank you Master Bodan; now for yourself and those who work the harvest. For harvest time each man, woman and child that works to bring in the harvest will be paid six coppers per day as extra for the added work; for yourself; you will receive an added two silvers as overseer. In the second year; as I see you have already increased my stock by a third; each family will receive one milk cow as added payment if the harvest then is as good as it looks this year."

"That seems far too much My Lord; far more than any other of the nobles would offer common folk?"

"What price do you put on loyalty, Master Bodan?"

"There is no price; My Lord."

"Exactly; I would like these same families to be watching and working over this land when my son takes over; that is loyalty Master Bodan."

"Thank you My Lord, I shall pass on to the people your generosity; I have little doubt they will still be on the land when your son is Baron."

"Now Bodan; that's all the business I wish to discuss this night; come and sit here next to me while Huntingdon finds us something to warm the blood; I would like to hear how your family is doing."

The two men sat alone as Eventide and the others had left after all the business had been completed; tomorrow was another day and the trail home had been a long and slow one; a good night's rest was what they all really needed.

Three days passed and Eventide was seen working tirelessly in the huge library. When darkness was near; Eventide left his desk and returned to the dining hall just in time to see an old and familiar face sitting with Freeman.

Eventide bowed and salaamed to the Emir who immediately stood and returned the welcome before smiling widely and opening his arms to hug the smaller boy.

"And how does my Kahlif feel about another battle with the squires of England?"

"I am hoping we can win once again; Elder Brother. I thought my brother would be with you?"

"He is following in another ship; he said it was your instructions but would not enlarge on it."

"Oh I thought he would just sail with you and bring the extras on other ships; I did not realise he meant to travel with them as well."

"He would not say what he was doing; perhaps you can enlighten us both with your plans for this year's joust?"

"I would like to your Highness but then the surprise would be lost. I think both you and my father will like what we have in store this year."

Eventide's roguish smile told both men absolutely nothing of his plans; that he had plans for the joust was never in doubt; in all the time they had known the youngster; he had never failed to amaze them with his deviousness in planning a battle.

"Did you know that the King has allowed the Squires to use their horse this year?" Freeman asked his son.

"Yes father; I have taken that into the consideration of the plan of battle."

"Will there be an opportunity for us to make a little wager again?" Saed asked with a chuckle in his throat.

"I would hope so Elder Brother; I am sure the common folk would appreciate any help they can get in their lives."

The general chatter went on for another hour before Eventide called it a night and retired to his bed. The next day was the one where they began to prepare to leave the Manor and move to the King's castle for the joust; as yet there had still been no sign of Mahmud; Eventide appeared to not be worried and evaded all questions about this fact.

It was only a few days later that found everyone in the jousting arena for the vows to the King. As normal the Squires gave their vows first; it was also noticeable that this year there were more than one hundred and fifty Squires; it was a large increase on the previous year.

When it came time for the people to swear to the King; one of the older boys from the year before came forward. There were only two of the older boys from the last joust as the others were now over the age for them to battle.

The boy stepped forward with the mass of common boys behind him; there was also an increase in numbers and many of them looked to be very young but; all showed they wanted to fight.

The older boy stood in front of the others; after bowing and touching his forelock to the King, he said.

"My Liege, we the people stand under your colours to fight with honour and to protect your colours with our lives."

"Well said you man; and whom do we call?"

"My name is Kent, son of the Tanner and your humble servant my Liege."

The King turned to the expectant Robin who stood beside the throne holding the red banner with the gold dragon.

"Squire Robin; protector of our banner; go and stand with the people and protect our colours as is your duty."

Robin bowed and took the banner down to stand beside Kent; as the colours appeared on the field there was a mighty roar from the commoners watching closely around the arena. It was also noticed that the Knights and squires did not share the same show of enthusiasm; their defeat in the last joust was still a sore point among them.

It was well known that this year, there would be the added use of the Squire's horses in the charge; everyone could see the looks of confidence on the faces of the Squires the extra weight of a full charge would give them. This year they would all redeem their honour.

The King looked around for the only two still missing; he did not have long to wait.

From the crowd stepped one of the Bedou; he was dressed in his usual blue flowing robes. Salud walked to the front of the dais that held the King, the Emir and Freeman; as the King's champion. Salud bowed low and salaamed before he lifted his head to speak.

"Your Highness, I am Salud, servant to the Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria. It is my duty to stand for my brother the Kahlif Mahmud Sal-A-Hadin. Due to travel problems he will not be able to appear here today but will join the people's army on the day of the joust; if that be within the rules of the joust."

"It is within the rules and is acceptable to us."

Salud bowed and walked to the side to give space for the last to swear. Eventide appeared as he had been during the battle last year. He was dressed in the same striped trews with his hair pulled back in a single plait; this time he also had painted on the blue woad and it took less than a second for the whisper to spread around the field of commoners.

"The blue warrior is with us."

Those sitting on the dais smiled at the sound of the whisper and watched as Eventide bowed low then straightened.

"My Liege, I; Eventide stand for the People under the King's colours and swear to fight for the honour of the people and in defence of the King's colours."

"Welcome once again Blue Warrior; we are glad to see you standing for the colours once more. Do you have a cavalry this year; you will need it I fear?"

"My Liege; the people cannot gather a cavalry; I fear the collection of animals is beyond us but; we will still fight for the King's honour never the less as is our duty."

"Then I can only wish you luck; Eventide, Baronet of Lancaster; I fear you will sorely need it this year."

Eventide bowed and walked over to join all the common boys at the far end of the field; there was now only the naming of the battle ground and the commoner's selection of which end to hold. Although it was common knowledge where the battle field was, it was still held as a formality.

The King stood and all fell silent to hear his proclamation.

"The Squires battle will be held in the Valley of Bones; I would ask Kent of the people's army to select his ground?"

Kent stepped forward and; after a quick glance at Eventide, he turned back and spoke in a clear strong voice.

"My Liege; we the people would select the western end of the Valley."

Everyone looked at the boy as he stood waiting for approval; it did not go unnoticed by the King or the others with him; that the boy had once again selected the end of the Valley of Bones that had a slight rise to defend. It was also noticed by many that the Squires could not believe their ears.

The area selected by the commoners, while slightly higher than the rest of the valley; it was also far wider and would be harder to defend against a full horse charge; smiles began to break out on all the faces of the squires while the King got only a worried look on his face; his people had taken the hardest area to defend as their ground. For the first time, the King began to think they had made a mistake; perhaps this year he would lose his colours.

The rest of the swearing was soon over and it was time for the great feast to celebrate the opening of the joust; very few people noticed the newcomers amongst the large crowd of boys as they all feasted well and talked about the upcoming battle.

As the days passed and the battle grew closer; Freeman and Saed again noticed how little they saw of Eventide or any of his brothers; that there were plans afoot was plainly obvious but; what those plans were, neither man had a clue and Eventide was as closed mouth as ever.

On the day of the battle; the usual tent on one side of the valley was set up for the King and his friends; on the opposite side the top of the rise was covered in thick trees and could not be used by any of the many spectators.

It did not take long for wagers to start being offered and taken up as the many mounted squires appeared to take their end of the long wide valley.

At the western end there was little save for a short tower built of thick tree trunks; it was topped off with five banners and two small figures standing on top. Lower down the western end of the valley were twenty small groups of boys that carried small bucklers and the short flails they had used last year.

The boys stood beside a cart loaded with what looked like hay; at the side of the cart was a small metal pot that appeared to be smouldering. The King turned to Saed and Freeman.

"Well what do you make of all this; I think our wagers may be in doubt this year my friends."

"I really don't know, Your Majesty; but if I know my son at all then he has something planned," Freeman replied.

"I feel I am missing something; I'm not sure what it is but the valley does not look right," the King replied.

Freeman looked all over the valley until finally a smile began to touch his lips.

"What is it?" The King asked.

"Was there not a stream that ran down this side of the valley?"

"Of course there is; there has always…" The King stopped and looked closer. "Where has the stream gone?"

"It appears to be on the other side of the valley."

"But that can't be?"

"Well My Liege; there it is flowing gently down the other side." Freeman pointed in the direction of the new stream.

"Then we will have to wait and see what your son has come up with this time."

The King looked around once again and then coughed.

"What is that at the western end; it almost looks as though the rise has been increased in height, but that again is impossible."

Freeman looked harder at the distant western end of the valley; again a smile moved over his lips.

"It would look like some kind of covering; perhaps a netting of some sort but with strips of coloured cloth to disguise it."

"I really don't know what that son of yours is up to Baron, but he has my attention."

The usual red banners were flying on the other side of the valley; calls and cheers rang out as the first fell and the Squires tested their charge by trotting a little down the valley and lowering their long wooden lances as a threat to the small group of boys crouched alone in the field.

It was obvious the Squires meant to win the King's colours this year; they were all outfitted in light armour; not as heavy as a full knight but far heavier than the previous year; they would be hard to attack and beat when they got hand to hand with the lightly armed boys on the valley floor.

Eventide and Robin stood alone on the wooden tower; at each corner flew the four banners of Eventide, Lancaster, the Caliphate and the black banner of Jihad; at the centre stood the King's banner where the two boys stood.

As the red banners fell the cheers and calls got louder; the Squires were only too ready for a good solid charge at their enemy or the few they could see; the smaller boys on the valley floor held little hope of holding the Squires in any form of defence. The wagers were now well underway and coins were changing hands almost with abandon.

As the last banner fell, the Squires started their charge; with a long flat valley before them, they had no intention of taking it easy on anyone that got in their way; even the rising ground at the western end would do little to slow such a charge.

From the other end there was little movement; the small group of boys at the centre and the two boys on the short tower had not made a move of any kind.

The thunder of the charge could be heard even above the loud cheers of the many Knights watching; their squires looked good and in full control as they kept their three lines tight and straight; their long wooden lances held upright as they gathered speed for the final contact with their unready enemies.

By the time the Squires were within a hundred paces of the boys; over the noise came the sound of the cows horn trumpet. First it was a low sounding note and then it rose higher; at the cessation of the note, the boys on the valley floor took up the smouldering pots and threw them onto the carts of straw. With a speed that surprised many; the boys took to their heels and disappeared into the high trees on the far side of the valley.

It took almost no time at all for the carts of straw to catch fire; as the Squires drew closer the carts began to emit a thick column of dense black smoke that began to move towards the Squires as well as covering anything they could see ahead of them.

The eastern end of the valley soon became covered in the dense and foul smelling smoke with the Squires and their horses disappearing into its centre.

As the Squires became covered in smoke and covered from the western end; the cow horn sounded again in a long single blast. What had thought to be a single screen, turned out to be three different ones; the first one fell to reveal a long line of young men with wicker shields and long wooden pikes. At their front was a solid fence of thick wooden staves buried into the ground to form a defensive wall that no horse would be able to climb.

The boys with the long pikes stood above the wall and would be able to stop anyone from trying to climb over. Above them was another stave wall and behind that were bowmen; but not any bowmen.

For the first time in battle; everyone got to see the long bow; thirty young teens stood in line with the new bows; ranged in front of them were another thirty younger boys with the normal Persian bows; the new boys were strangers to everyone but Freeman.

When the third and last covering fell; it disclosed a vicious line of sharpened stakes set up as a barrier around what could now be seen as a taller tower than at first thought; also behind the barrier were more boys armed with shields and long wooden swords.

While the Squires were still hidden in the thick dark smoke and the younger boys had fled the field; a short three note call was heard from the cow horn trumpet; very few noticed the sudden cessation of the water flowing down the left hand side; for those who took notice it was not long before they saw why the water no longer flowed.

The King turned to Freeman.

"Are those the long bows I've heard so much about; they look to be too big for those boys?"

"Yes Sire those are the long bows of the Reaches."

"Who are those boys then that they could bring them here?"

"They are the sons of some of my tenant farmers, Sire."

"Then they are entitled to be here; I am beginning to look forward to this battle and to see those bows in action."

"Then we should not have long to wait, Sire."

The men looked to where the Squires had been covered in the thick smoke; a gentle breeze had blown up and everyone began to see the disruption the smoke had caused.

All of the Squires were still having trouble containing their mounts; the smoke had obviously not been to the horses liking and they had broken stride and, in some cases; lost their riders.

The chaos on the field was now more apparent as the smoke thinned and finally dissipated. The squires were in total disarray and any chance of reforming a good line was lost; even though they still had a full three hundred paces to where the solid line of pike men stood waiting for them.

Unfortunately for the Squires, the field was now being flooded by a torrent of water flowing freely from a narrow trench cut across the full front of the defenders. It was obvious that the stream had been diverted into the small trench; how the defenders had accomplished this feat was only known to those who planned it all.

Slowly the Squires began to reform but it was easily seen they no longer had the same open enthusiasm after what had happened. It was also noticed that some of the Squires were on their hands and knees retching from the effects of the smoke.

For the hundred plus squires left astride their mounts; it seemed ages before they could reform and start their charge again; this time however; there did not seem to be the same fire in their bellies as they lined up and began to move forward.

There were those amongst them that had been there last year and they were now very wary about what was to come. The charge regained some speed as they closed on the waiting line of pike men; it was not to be.

No sooner had they straightened their line than the sound of arrows in flight took their notice; being as far from the pike line as they were; very few looked up; they were still well out of range of any bowmen; they had never met the long bow.

Before they came abreast of the smoke carts; arrows began to rain down on them with power; although the shafts were blunted, it did not stop the pain of being hit or the horses bucking as they were stung time and time again by the longer shafts.

As before, the Squires had to lift their shields to protect themselves from the rain of arrows that should not have been able to reach them at this distance.

The charge again was broken although the front line worked hard to continue. It was soon noticed that the front line was now racing through water and, not long after; those watching saw the horse begin to throw up large wet clumps of sod.

The charging horses were soon no more than a hundred paces from the first line when it happened. Those on the front line of the charge were suddenly finding themselves and their horse ploughing into deeper and deeper mud; it was not long before the horses were belly deep and unable to move; their riders caught under a hail of blunted arrows that had increased as they came within range of the thirty boys with Persian bows.

Only those Squires that had been too slow to get to the front of the charging line were spared the ignominy of being trapped in the viscous bog the others now found themselves in; for them it was only the hail of arrows that slowed them.

As those at the rear were trying to work out how to attack an enemy that could not be reached through a veritable bog; the cow horn blew a long high pitched note.

Only those watching saw what happened next; for the Squires it was like a nightmare as; from the trees above them came a horde of weird and strange animals with riders mounted high on top.

No one had ever seen an animal like it nor could they believe the speed that the animals could move at. The riders were all dressed in black and were waving wooden scimitars above their heads. The animals were even more terrifying.

Four impossibly long legs were surmounted by a thick round body with; of all things; a hump on their backs. In front of the hump sat the rider with one leg tucked under the other as they urged more speed from their unusual mounts; they did not have long to wait.

With the sound of high pitched ululations echoing around the valley; the black clad riders drove in among the Squires; for the well mounted Squires it was like their worst dream; the vile smell of the animals, the loud ululations of their riders and the surprise was complete.

The horses of the squires were now more afraid of the strange beast than they were of the orders from their riders. Squires began to be unseated as the weird animals fell amongst them; wooden scimitars cleaved left and right as the strange cavalry set panic amongst those who had not fallen into the trap of the bog.

There was nothing the front line could do; for those Squires who tried to dismount and attack on foot; there was only one result; they like their horse sank to their waists and were trapped in the mire; those who had not entered the bog were now being easily pushed step by step into the mire.

At the sound of the cow horn trumpet and the loud yells of charging defenders as they left their protective walls; the Squires knew they were beaten; on one side they were being set upon by unholy beasts and the other was the trap of the bogs and the closing mass of commoners.

Like any sensible soldier; most saw there was no way to win and began to throw down their arms and surrender; for those who thought there was a faint hope of glory; there was only pain and fear.

At the arrival of the foot soldiers of the commoners; all of whom had been well versed in running only on the edges of the bog; and led by a young teen painted in blue woad and riding a jet black horse; the Squires had only one thought; they could not win and none wanted to tempt an ending like the leader of last year's Melee.

It was an anticlimax as the Squires all called for an end to their humiliation once again at the hands of the commoners and the young teen in blue woad.

At the final call for the Squires to yield the field; all threw down their arms and knelt in surrender; it had taken less than one hour for the people's army to win the day. It was noticed by the King that on the surrender of the Squires; the stream once again began to run down its old course; he smiled to himself as he thought of the mayhem that small stream had caused.

On the battle field; Mahmud dropped his scarf from his face after kneeling his camel close to Eventide.

"Ho brother; well we made them think twice this time. This was a well thought out plan even though it was difficult moving the camels in the night."

"You did well brother; I don't think we will get away with that one again."

"Perhaps they will ban us from the melee next year?"

"Then we will have to plan ahead for our friends if that happens," Eventide replied.

Like the previous year; the common army formed ranks and presented themselves for the King; the five banners flying high

As Robin took the red banner up to stand beside the King; again in victory; most present did not miss the look of affection Robin received from the King at once again returning his banner in victory.

It was very noticeable that everyone stayed well clear of the phalanx of camels as they took up a position at the rear of the parade although all were now kneeling down as the King stood to congratulate the winners once again.

Kent was given the place of honour at the front of the common army; it was for him to receive the thanks of the King on behalf of the people.

Once the speeches were finished; the King then announced the feast of the Squires; he also asked that the young bowmen of the Reaches be present with their bows as he had many questions for them.

As the crowd left the scene of another defeat for the Squires; all the talk was on the strange tactics used by the commoner army; the faces of the Knights and the Squires were the only ones not smiling. The loss of both the melee and a considerable amount of gold coins; left them with a nasty taste in their mouths.

At the great feast; the hall was a mass of laughing and shouting young boys and teens. Up on the high table sat the King, the Emir, Freeman, Mahmud, Eventide and Kent.

The more the mead flowed; the louder the cheers and laughter; it was only on the edges of the great hall that the Knights and squires were more silent than normal for such an occasion.

The King stood and began the giving of honours and the payment as he had last year; when it came time for the boys of the Reaches to go and receive their prize; the King called for silence by raising his hands.

"For the first time in our life; we have seen the best bowmen we could ever hope to see on a battle field. I must admit we did not think you young men would be capable of pulling such heavy bows but, we were pleasantly surprised at your skill and accuracy; we would ask if you are accompanied by those who taught you so well."

One of the boys stepped forward and bowed while touching his forelock; he then went to one knee.

"My Liege, we are the people of the Western Reaches and work for Baron Tremaine; it was the desire of Baronet Eventide that we stand with him this day. Our teachers and parents are outside the castle awaiting our return."

"Then that is not good enough; we will call them to our tables as they should also be rewarded for their skill in teaching you such a valuable skill."

The King turned to one of his pages and sent them off to find the waiting adults after asking Freeman for the name of the Elder teacher of the boys from the Reaches.

The presentation of awards and payment continued while they waited; each bowman received the gold coin and then were offered the red sash of the King's bowmen along with the offer of places in the King's army should they want it.

As the last boy went back to his table; the page returned a little red faced and went to bow in front of the King.

"Yes?"

"My Liege; there are a number of strangers that say they are the men of the Reaches and Moors that wish for an audience; they also state they are the teachers of the young bowmen but are all painted in Woad just like the Baronet Eventide. My Liege; they are all armed and are led by one who claims to be a Druid although we all know the last Druid died many years ago."

The King looked at his friends around the table; all showed looks of interest; if the page was certain then there was only one way to find out.

"You will tell the guard to admit them but too keep watch on the arms the visitors carry."

The page bowed again and turned back to the large double doors. The King retook his place and waited for the entrance of the newcomers; the day had already been the scene of many new surprises; one more would make little difference.

When the great doors were opened; there came a sudden hush in the great hall; even the Knights held their breath as they saw the large group of men standing in two ranks outside the door.

It was not only their numbers that caused the silence; it was their mode of dress. At the head of the two ranks of men stood one with a brown robe; the hood pulled up over his face. Those behind were all bare chested and their long hair was fixed in a single braid. They all wore the same green and brown striped trews that Eventide had worn and held a long bow in their hands.

Across their forehead was the same dark blue woad and their chests showed the swirls of the same patterns. The robed man in the front began to walk down the wide hall his face still unseen. Over one shoulder he carried something wrapped in old brown cloth while in his right hand was a thick staff of well worn Oak. In the crook of his left arm he carried another wrapped parcel.

The men filed silently along behind the robed man; at their head was Boden. When all were close to the top table; they all knelt down with bowed heads; all except the robed figure. The King stood and looked at the strange group.

"Welcome strangers; we would ask you to reveal yourselves as this is a feast to celebrate the accomplishments of our young people; we would ask you to join our celebrations after you have told us who you are?"

The robed figure stood straighter, then; with a flick of his staff; he threw back the cowl and revealed his face. Freeman took one look and smiled widely; he had seen that face a long time ago and; while it was a little older, it held the same distinct sense of worldly knowledge.

"Your Highness," the robed figure began. "I am called Kendrik of the Moors; I am also the Druid to the ancient Royal House of Carliegh and have come to pay homage to the last Prince of the Royal House of the Iceni."

"The Iceni? They were defeated and destroyed by the Romans long ago."

"Your Highness, while there is one man standing on the Western Reaches or the Moors there will always be Iceni. When the Romans defeated Boadicea those that were left went to the Reaches; we have survived there over the centuries and have waited for the return of our Prince; that time has come and we are here to give him his place."

"And whom might that be?"

"The Lord Baronet Eventide Tremaine. We have looked over all our records and have concluded he is the rightful heir to the lands and people of the Iceni. As a final proof of his lineage I would ask permission to ask questions of him; if it be permissible?"

"If this be true then we cannot forbid such questions. Baronet, do you agree with this request?"

Eventide looked at the large group of men now all dressed as he had been for the battle; somewhere deep inside he felt a stirring; was it really possible he was descendant from a Royal line. Feeling a little numb; Eventide stood and nodded his head.

Kendrik knelt down and bowed to Eventide; after placing the items he had carried in with him on the floor; Kendrik stood back up and looked Eventide in the eye; his lined face was like a mask of stone but his first words took everyone by surprise.

"Your Highness; we the forty five chiefs, four councillors and the carrier of the bow and myself, humbly apologise for the questions we must ask. Should the answers be true we will bow our heads for your sword; should the answers be not true we must take the head of the claimant; to this do you agree?"

There was a sudden uproar in the great hall as everyone stood and began to yell loudly; were they seriously thinking of beheading Eventide. It was the raised hands of the King that finally brought silence in the hall but it did not stop the undercurrent of angry whispers to stop.

Eventide looked at the Druid with disbelief; did they really want to take his head; and he had thought his life had changed; it felt as though he was in a no win place. It was obvious that if he refused to take the questions or test they fully intended to have his head; if he took the test and lost the result would be the same.

Eventide sighed and took a long look at his new father; was this to be the last day he had with him; he felt he had been through so much; had climbed so high and now it could end in one stroke; even the sound of a multitude of guards rushing into the hall and lining the walls could not take away the feeling of dread he now had.

Eventide looked around the great hall; all his old friends as well as the new ones he had made at this year's melee; were watching intently as he tried to decide; whichever way he decided could only lead to one end and yet; somewhere deep inside there was a small voice telling him to take the chance.

Eventide sighed again and; with a glance around the great hall, turned to the Druid Kendrik.

"If it is to be, then it is to be. I will stand your test."

Kendrik bowed deeply and then looked at the fifty men behind him; with a signal of one hand; the two lines parted and everyone saw a small figure dressed like the other men walk into the hall. Eventide recognised Gerard immediately; he must have just returned to England after his lessons about the new smelting process.

In Gerard's hand was the large Black Bow of Manhood; although he was truly the keeper until his year of majority; Boden had given him the honour of carrying the bow before the one they all hoped was the Prince of the Iceni; if not it would be Gerard's task to use the bow to end Eventide's life; it was the only time the Black Bow could be used to cause death. It was seen as an honour for any royal advocate to leave his life to the Black Bow.

Eventide straightened his back and walked down to stand before the Druid Kendrik.

"What are your Questions, Druid of the Iceni?"

"My Lord Baronet; it has been reported and seen that you have gone to battle twice dressed as a Woad Warrior; I would ask why you would decide on such a thing?"

"It came to me in a dream before the first melee."

"How did you know to find the striped trews of the Iceni Warrior?"

"It also was in the dream and I found them in a small shop at the walls of the castle gate."

"And the blue Woad; where did you find that; it is not common and is not used by others?"

"It was in the same shop; the old woman told me it would look good with the trews and showed me how to apply it."

"Why did you plait your hair in a single form?"

"Because it felt right at the time."

"And did it feel right for you to use the cow horn instead of a good trumpet of metal?"

"Yes." Eventide was now a little nervous although he also thought he had a chance; he still had his head on his shoulders and none of the kneeling men had made any attempt to remove it but, the black bow with a knocked arrow in the hands of Gerard still gave him cause to worry; the arrow was the one with red fletching.

"I would ask you to unwrap the two bundles and give me the name of those inside. They are the gifts of the Great Mother and only those of the Royal blood will know them."

Eventide looked at the Druid with a sense of confusion; if he unwrapped the items he could easily see what they were and name them; as he looked at the stony face of Kendrik; he got a sudden thought; perhaps they had a different meaning than an ordinary name; he had better be careful as he was not out of the woods yet and that great bow could easily end his life in the blink of an eye.

Eventide knelt down and began to unwrap the two bundles; the largest one was round and quite heavy; as he revealed it there was a silence around the hall.

It was a heavy round shield of old wood and was studded with small bronze nails; at its centre was a large roundel of bronze with a strange rune engraved in it. Eventide lifted the shield in his hands and suddenly, something flashed into his mind.

It was a picture of a large man dressed in the familiar green and brown striped trews; his long hair flowed behind him and there was a thick bronze torc around his neck. The shield was on his left arm and he was calling men to his side; as he did so he said the words 'Grandah protect us from the swords of injustice' The language was nothing Eventide had heard before and yet he could plainly understand it; his young body shook as he slipped the shield on his thinner arm; somehow it seemed to fit and the weight was lifted as though it was meant to be on his arm.

"Its name is 'Grandah' the shield that protects the people."

Eventide then knelt down again and unwrapped the second bundle. Inside there was a bronze sword with finely worked engraving along the blade; next to that was a short handled axe also of bronze. The handle was old and well worn and the head was also engraved.

As Eventide lifted each item, he felt as though they belonged in his hands; it took little time for the picture of the two weapons to came to his mind and their names he found easy to speak; even though it was in a long forgotten language that he had never learnt.

"The sword is called 'Dalclach' giver of justice and the Axe is named 'Kileigh' render of all who misuse magic. These are the symbols of the Iceni and the rightful weapons of all who carry the Blood."

Eventide suddenly felt weak as he lowered the weapons; Kendrik quickly went to one knee and then took from his robe the same bronze torc Eventide had seen in the first picture that had been around the large man's neck.

"My Prince; I give to your hand the torc of the Iceni Kings; it is yours by right and all those of the Iceni who remain bow to your will; our heads are yours to do with as our Prince desires."

Eventide could only stand in stunned awe at these new revelations; where, how or why he had been chosen was still beyond his understanding; it was as though some form of magic spell had been cast and he was at the centre of everything but had little awareness of what it all meant.

Eventide saw that even Gerard was now bowing his head and kneeling; every man waited for his decision; their heads were now his to command or cut off as he saw fit; they all waited in silence which also pervaded the great hall; the revelation of Eventide's true heritage had come as a shock to everyone.

Eventide stood tall as he looked around the hall; the shocked look on the faces of the many Knights and nobles in the hall could easily be seen.

"Your heads are safe, men of the Reaches; I would ask you to join our celebrations if it be the desire of the King."

The King just nodded his head in agreement; how could he refuse a man/boy that had a title even older than his own claim. It took little time for more tables and benches to be found for the newcomers although, Kendrik, Bodan and Gerard along with six others; took station standing behind Eventide's chair and refused to sit; it was their place to protect their Prince at all times. Eventide wondered how he was going to keep all his many guards and new titles around him without confusion.

Unknown to Eventide things were about to change once again when he arose the next morning but that was for later; for now he had a celebration to enjoy.

The next morning brought more surprises; his six brothers were still sleeping on the floor of his rooms as he rose from his bed. The sun had not yet risen and there was no sign of the early dawn.

With the normal needs of early morning; Eventide made for the small room where he could relieve the pent up pressure of his bladder. From outside his door he heard a shuffling sound; pulling his sword from its scabbard where it lay on a side table; Eventide carefully crept to the door of his room; even his six brothers had not stirred as he rose.

Carefully he opened the door; his eyes were met with the sight of ten large Woad Warriors standing in the passageway outside his room. On first sighting Eventide, the ten men went to one knee and bowed their heads; Eventide stepped into the passage and asked.

"Why do you guard my door, Warriors of the Reaches?"

"It is the duty of every Warrior of the Iceni to protect the Royal line My Liege; we are but a few of those you can call on at will."

"But I am in the King's castle; no one would dare to attack me here."

"Be that as it may My Liege; it is our duty. Was it not the Romans that offered sanctuary to your forebears and then turned on them all in the name of friendship?"

"I would not know; I don't even know if I truly am the prince you speak of."

"My Liege, only one of the Royal Blood would know the names of the weapons of old. They are only known by the Royal Druid and members of the Blood."

"I need to speak to Kendrik; where will I find him?"

Much to Eventide's surprise, a soft voice sounded behind him.

"My Liege, you ask for me?"

"Yes Kendrik… uhm… how did you know?"

"The same way that you knew the names from the olden times; we the fortunate few can see what is ahead; just as you will when you come of age; until then you are our Prince and only need to ask and it will be done."

"But how am I going to be in so many places at the same time; I have my duty to my new father and his lands; I also have duties in the Holy Land as Kahlif of Sufaria and, now you tell me I have duties to the people of the Reaches. How can I reconcile all these duties when I am only one boy?"

"My Liege, it is not only the people of the Reaches that are your duty but also the lands of the Reaches and the Moors. Those lands are all that remains of the ancestral lands of the Iceni but; those lands we will never surrender to any invader. To the last man, woman or child; we will defend them in your name."

"But Kendrik; how can I be in so many places at one time?"

"Perhaps it is time for us to join with your father and discuss this; there is always an answer for these small problems. Come let us find your father and then we can settle everything at once."

Eventide could only nod his head and follow Kendrik along the passageway as they went towards Freeman's rooms. Eventide also noticed the ten Warriors were close behind and ever watchful.

It almost appeared that Freeman was waiting for them when they gently knocked on his door; the two guards standing outside barely blinked when they saw the large group approaching them. From inside they heard Freeman's voice call for them to enter.

Eventide entered the room to see Freeman sitting in a chair as though waiting.

"Well my son, or should I say; Your Highness; things certainly seem to change quickly around you; to what do I owe this honour of an early morning visit?"

"Father," Eventide began as Kendrik found another chair close to Freeman. "I don't know what to do; Kendrik said I should come and ask you."

"And why would that be?"

"If what Kendrik says is true then how can I carry out all my duties? I still have much to learn about your lands and then there are the duties of Kahlif, now Kendrik tells me I have land in the Reaches; what do I do?"

"We look at the options available to us and work from there. First let's ask Kendrik what he would do if he had so many duties to perform."

Kendrik looked at the two; his first duty was to his Prince.

"My Liege, Baron Tremaine; it is not unusual for one of the Royal Blood to have more duties than he can perform alone, if I may suggest something that may make it easier for our young Prince?"

"Please do."

"Those families that remain in the Reaches are all of the last of the true blood Iceni. By tomorrow they will know of the return of the Royal Blood line; if My Liege wishes he can nominate a regent to watch over them until he himself can appear and take the throne. In the fashion of the Iceni, a regent can be named but must have also another five men nominated as a council to protect the throne until the rightful heir can lay full claim. For the lands that you have made him heir to; then I see no reason why My Liege cannot continue as he has so far. I would ask only that My Liege returns to the Reaches with us soon, so he can lay his claim and we can have time to show him his duties to the people; it would be at this time that he can name a regent and council."

"That seems a good solution; what do you say Eventide?"

"It sounds right but what of my Brothers of the Bedou; I cannot just tell them to go home; they have sworn an oath that they cannot break?"

Kendrik was the first to answer.

"They are your brothers; they will be welcomed into our homes and onto your lands as brothers should be."

"Then that is what we will do; I'll go to the Reaches and meet the people and form a council with a Regent; after that I wish to return to Sufaria as there is still unfinished business with those Knights and the attack on the Emir's caravan."

"Good, I will begin preparations for you My Liege," Kendrik replied; he then stood and bowed low to Eventide before leaving the room. Freeman looked at his son; the boy had grown fast in the last year and few months and now he had the duties of a Royal Blood line to work through.

"Well my son; or should I say; Your Highness, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm still your son and prefer it to any title father. I think I should do as Kendrik asks; I'll go and tell Mahmud about it all and when he can expect to see me at Sufaria; I'm worried about those Knights that attacked the Emir's caravan; I'm sure that is not over with yet."

"That's a good idea but, be careful when you return to Sufaria; I would not be surprised if the church tried to start a second crusade; the King is trying to stay out of it, but sometimes other things can change a King's mind and not always for the best. If it comes to a second crusade you will have to make a hard decision; if that happens then follow your heart and you will know you have done right."

"Yes father; thank you I will do as you suggest."

Freeman was surprised as Eventide left his chair and wrapped his young arms around him and hugged tightly; it was almost as though the boy was saying his goodbyes, but Freeman knew that was not it; the boy could barely remember his own true parents and now he was Prince of a people thought to be long gone. It was a lot for a young boy to take in and comprehend to its fullest.

It was two days later; the day after the Knights melee; that saw a large procession leaving the King's castle. At its head rode Eventide mounted on Shaitan and beside him was the small figure of Shaun mounted on his pure white horse.

Next came the six blue clothed figures of his brothers and, behind them came a long line of blue painted warriors which numbered almost thirty. At their head rode Bodan with Gerard by his side. Kendrik had ridden out two days before to prepare the people of the Reaches for the return of their Blood Prince.

While Gerard carried the black bow in its cover; Bodan carried the three weapons of the Royal House. When Eventide stood before the people he would wear those ancient weapons as proof of his claim.

The trip took three days before they came into sight of the border of the Western Reaches; standing guard at the edge of the vast moors, stood a group of blue painted men; their numbers even impressed Eventide who had seen large groups of soldiers before but, these men had a toughness about them that even made him nervous.

Standing at the head of the large group was Kendrik, now dressed in goat skins with a rough woollen cloak thrown over his shoulders; on his feet were to Eventide's eyes; strange black furred boots; it was then that Eventide saw the other men were also wearing the strange boots.

Eventide now knew these were the men called Moor Runners; each carried a long bow as well as a short axe in their leather belts; there was no sign of any shield or other protection. Eventide was impressed by the toughness shown on the men's faces.

It surprised Eventide that the men, as soon as they saw him; bent a knee and bowed their heads; all waited for his command but Eventide did not know what to say; to see so many tough men waiting for him to speak was almost unnerving; fortunately for Eventide, Kendrik stood and stepped forward.

"My Liege; these are the Moors Runners and they are at your command; they will escort you through the many bogs to the place of gathering where most of your people will await you."

"Thank you Kendrik; how long will it be?"

"Four days My Liege; we have made arrangements for your travel in each hamlet; the place of gathering is being prepared and cleaned; it has been many years since a member of the Blood has been there but, it will be ready by the time you arrive. With your leave, My Liege; I will go ahead to make sure all is ready."

"Thank you Kendrik."

"It is my duty, My Liege; until we meet at the gathering place."

Kendrik bowed low and then left at a loping and smooth run; it belied his age and looked to be effortless to Eventide's eyes.

The many Runners now stood and gathered as an extra protection for Eventide and his group; at the head was Bodan; he was not only keeper of the black bow but also a chieftain in his own right and held higher rank than others of the runners; it was also plainly obvious he knew his way around the moors as he led the large contingent into the depths of the lands few others would enter.

Eventide did not know what to expect when he was told the first hamlet was only a short way ahead. What met his eyes could only tell a story of hardship and poverty. On a piece of land that had painstakingly been built by hand, was a raised area within the shaking ground of the bogs. A small group of huts made from wattle and daub sat in a circle and on the very edge was a small pen with three pigs inside.

The people that bowed low as he appeared; were dressed in animal skins and looked to be underfed; all the children looked almost feral as they looked up at the splendour of the Prince's entourage. A man who Eventide surmised was the headman of the small hamlet; rose and stepped forward; his head bowed in respect.

"My Liege; we have little but what we have is yours to command. I have given orders for one of our pigs to be killed in your honour."

"Thank you but, no; you have little enough as it is; save your pigs I will have men sent out to forage for our meal. Bodan!"

"My Liege?"

"Send men out to find food for us all and the villagers; it is not our place to make hardship for the people."

"As you command, My Liege."

Bodan began giving orders and in no time at all the men of the Moors had disappeared leaving only Eventide and his brothers along with Bodan and Gerard with the villagers. The head man bowed to Eventide again.

"My Liege, if you will take my hut to rest; we will prepare for the cooking of anything that is found."

"I thank you for your kindness but I and my brothers can camp outside for one night; your home is yours and should not be given away just for me. If you would have your people prepare fires then it is enough for us all."

"It shall be done as you command, My Liege."

Eventide and the others who had stayed behind dismounted and found a place to sit and wait for the foragers to return; they did not have long to wait.

The first of the foragers was soon back with a large wild boar on his back; it had already been gutted and cleaned. It was to be one of four that soon came in; along with the wild boar were two deer, a large basket of big eels and two baskets of other mixed fish.

The women of the small village were soon hard at work as they prepared the great mass of fresh food; what was not eaten this night would be given to the villagers when the large group moved on in the morning.

The feasting went on into the late evening; for most villagers, it was the first full belly they had had in a long time; it quickly cemented their belief in the new Prince of the Blood.

Over the next days; Eventide was to see other villages of a similar nature although one had progressed to using stone for their huts and was situated on more solid ground. Each time they stopped for the night; Eventide was greeted as a Prince of the Blood and protector of the people; his first act at the first hamlet had soon spread around the rest of the moors; he was welcomed warmly wherever he stopped.

Finally they were approaching the gathering place. Eventide was impressed with what he saw. It was not like the small wattle and daub hamlets he had been seeing so far; this was another place altogether.

As best as Eventide could guess; they had traversed the moors and were now closer to the Western shore line; before him stood the ruins of a once great castle. What surprised Eventide even more was the great mass of people filling the large clearing of what he assumed was once the courtyard of the ruined castle.

Most of the people looked to be dressed the same as those in the first hamlet, although there were others who were better off than some; most appeared to be similar. Kendrik stood at the centre waiting for him; he was once again dressed in the robe of a Druid and carried his long oaken staff.

Just before they had entered the grounds of the ruin; Bodan had asked Eventide to change into his Iceni garb; Bodan had also helped him with painting on the woad. With his new dress, Eventide carried the shield, sword and axe as he rode into the centre of the courtyard and stopped before Kendrik.

As he stepped down onto the stones of the courtyard; Eventide was presented with the sight of every man, woman and child bowing to him and kneeling on one knee; only Kendrik remained standing but he also had bowed his head.

Eventide was close enough to Kendrik to hear the man whisper quietly to him. Eventide looked around and repeated what he had heard Kendrik say.

"People of the Western Reaches; I ask you to stand and show yourselves as true descendants of the Iceni."

Eventide waited for everyone to stand up and all turned to see him. Kendrik then took over.

"People of the Iceni; all of our chieftains as well as myself as last Druid of the Royal House; have for more than one full year; searched for proof of claim for this boy. We have all concluded that the boy known as Eventide is of the true Blood of the old ones and carries the true blood. People of the Iceni; this is your true Prince; the last of the true Blood; all bow to Eventide Carliegh; last prince of the Blood and our leader in all things from this sacred site to the far Reaches of the moors. Let he who would dispute his claim step forward and challenge."

Everyone stood silently as Kendrik waited for any challengers; there was little hope of that coming true and they all knew it. After a short time, Kendrik began again.

"And so it is done. I call for all present to lay their vows and fealty to Prince Eventide Carliegh; rightful heir to the lands and people of the Iceni."

What followed was a long procession of people; even the youngest child stepped forward to vow their support and fealty. Eventide was astonished by the number of people; it seemed that the Reaches were far more heavily populated than anyone would guess.

It was late in the afternoon before the last person swore their oath. By this time the long day had taken toll of Eventide and he was decidedly tired but he knew there was more to come; the preparations for a great feast had not gone unnoticed by Eventide nor his friends waiting close by.

The feasting went on into the late hours of the night; as well as the food, there were competitions of arms by the warriors and a new game Eventide had never seen called wrestling; it was where two men tried to throw each other to the ground, blood seemed to be a part of this new game and sometimes even a broken bone.

By late in the evening; Eventide was ready for his bed; surrounded by his six brothers and a large contingent of Woad Warriors; he was escorted to the large tent that had been set up for him; he was glad to be able to finally lay down and close his eyes. The thought of five more days of this gave him goose bumps but; as Kendrik had explained, it was expected so he could not refuse.

They had talked about how to make his time to fit in with so much he now had to do; to this end, Kendrik suggested they spend the next morning discussing what could be done and making plans for when he had to be away from his true people.

For Eventide it looked as though the next few days were going to be just as hectic as any others he had lived through but; for now sleep was the only thing on his mind. With his six brothers around him in the tent and a stand of ten Warriors outside; Eventide lay down and closed his eyes on another busy day.

Chapter 8
Invasion of the Christian Knights

The next morning found Eventide up early. He had slept well but wanted some fresh air without the usual numbers of guards around him. It was a time to think.

Eventide saw a group of young teens practicing in the early morning mistiness. There was a feeling in the air of freshness even though the ground was covered with the faint swirling tendrils from the surrounding moor.

Eventide walked towards the group of teens and immediately saw Gerard in line with the others. Staying back a little; he watched as the teens went through their practice. To Eventide's eye they were shooting at a great distance and the target was barely visible in the mist.

All the teens seemed to be having a friendly rivalry as they threw riballed remarks at the boys who missed or did not perform as well as the others. It was noticeable that Gerard was treated as one of them and not the future holder of the black bow.

After a few minutes; Gerard turned and saw Eventide standing back watching them; he immediately went to a knee and bowed, soon to be followed by the other teens as they saw their Prince standing alone and watching. Eventide called to Gerard.

"Gerard, there's no need for you to bow to me; we are friends and nothing has changed."

"My Liege, when we first met we did not know of your station; it would be most disrespectful for me to treat you as any other than My Lord and Liege."

"Oh bosh; stand up and come and tell me about your stay with the Emir and where is Marchant; I fully expected to see him here with you; and you can tell your friends to carry on with their practice and stop bowing all the time."

"Yes My Liege."

Gerard turned and told the others to continue as he went to stand with Eventide and watch.

"So my friend, where is your brother?"

"The Emir asked him to stay and train a full regiment of archers. Marchant is now Captain of the Royal Archers and has one thousand men under him."

"Where will they get enough long bows for that many?"

"The Emir asked Marchant to train bow makers in a special armoury; with the right wood not available in those lands; Marchant found another type to make them with.

The Emir has spent a fortune on importing a special cane from the Far East and Marchant is using it to make the bows with. It was difficult for him to find the right glue for the lathes of cane but they are far more flexible and stronger than even the Yew we use. I have trained some smiths to make the metal tips for the bows and now I am home to make the more improved metal for ours."

As the morning light grew stronger; Eventide saw the mists lifting quickly as he and Gerard watched the teens practicing. As they watched; both boys heard the sound of a number of horses coming towards the camp.

Through the mist they saw a number of moors runners guiding what appeared to be a small group of outsiders; at their head was the small figure of Robin holding a red banner with a gold arrow surrounded by what appeared to a rolled parchment. Behind Robin rode six of the King's own guard.

On seeing their prince at the practice range; the guides turned towards where he stood. The six runners took a knee and bowed as Robin pulled his horse to a halt close by; one of the runners looked up at Eventide.

"My Liege; the King sends a messenger for you."

Eventide nodded and smiled up at Robin.

"Now I recognise the banner. It is the banner of a Royal Messenger; have you been promoted Robin?"

"No Your Highness; the King has said this message is too important to give to someone that does not know you; he has asked me to relay it by mouth as he did not want any written words to be found."

"What's this Highness business Robin; we are old friends and have stood side by side in battle."

"Never the less, Your Highness, it is not my place to belittle your title as true Prince of the old ones; the King was most insistent that I follow protocol."

"Rubbish, come on then Robin and you too Gerard, let's go inside and see if we have anything to eat yet; these early mornings have made me hungry."

The morning fare was not as fine as what had been served in the Palace at Sufaria, but Eventide had little qualms about hungrily starting his first meal of the day; he still could remember the thin times as a pot boy.

Once their fast was broken; Robin began to relate the King's message. Once he had finished he handed a rolled scroll in a heavy leather tube to Eventide; it was to verify what he had just been told although not all of the conversation was on the scroll.

Eventide began to unroll the scroll and read it just as they were joined by Kendrik and Bodan.

"Good morning My Liege," both men said as they sat at the rough wooden table and began to fill their bowls with the hot oatmeal.

"We have much to discuss this morning; I am hoping you can both give me your council when I need it."

"We are at your command, My Liege," Kendrik replied through a mouthful of the oatmeal.

"As you can see we have the King's messenger with us; he has brought news that is good for us all but, it will need some men of the Moors to go with me to the King's castle, if they would."

"Tell us what you need and it will be done, My Liege" Bodan said.

"The King has asked for one hundred long bowmen of the moors to take a commission in his army; they will be trainers and then officers of his new archers, He said he was very impressed with the showing at the Squire's Melee and would like to have a special archers regiment. It appears that the Emir has talked with him. The King has said he wants five thousand bowmen. He will supply the men needed to make the bows but under the instruction of the Moors Runners. Next he has said if we can do this he will return to the Iceni people the lands that were taken from them in the war with Wessex. Those lands are to be then known as free lands and will be from the eastern border of Dummonia to Gwent and then north to Powys and then onto the lands of Gwynedd which borders the old lands of Mercia. These lands will be ours in perpetuity although he asks that they be known by the new Saxon name of Cornwall and Walesa. The boundary is to be at the old battle site of the Tamar River and Wessex. What do you advise?"

"Is that written in the scroll, My Liege?"

"Yes, it even has a hand drawn map of that area with all the details as stated."

"Then if that is your command then it shall be done. There will be one hundred bowmen ready for when you return to the King's lands."

"Now what do we do about protecting our people. I did think about a council of five with one Regent to watch over them and make decisions for when I am not here."

"That sounds good; did you have anyone in mind for Regent and how do we select the right council members?"

"I would ask you, Kendrik; to take the place of Regent in my absence and that Bodan be one of the Councillors when the time for meetings comes. I know that Bodan has duties with my Father, but I am sure he would be allowed to come for important meetings. The other members I would suggest come from each of the four corners of the land and will leave it to you both to select honest men. I will be sending gold to you for the advancement of the people and will need men who have only the interest of the people at heart and not their own wealth."

"We shall only select the best and most honest of men My Liege," Kendrik replied "But where will you get gold and how will the people pay their tithe to you?"

"This also I have thought over; I have more gold than I could ever need. Each quarter I will send one chest to you and it is to be used for improvements to the lives of our people. There will be no tithe unless there are those that wish to work on building a small manor for my use when I come here. For those who would work to this end I will pay ten coppers per month and they are to give me twenty hours of time per month free of payment; that will be their tithe to the crown."

"That is more than generous My Liege; your Manor will be ready when you need it."

"I plan to return to Sufaria shortly; I have business there that cannot wait. The King has warned me that the Franks and the Church are trying to start another Crusade in the Holy Land. He is doing his best to stay out of it but that will mean they will also look across the water to his lands; that is why he wants a Regiment of archers formed."

"Tell the King that, if the need arises and as long as his word stays true to the freeing of our old lands; then the men of the Reaches and Moors will stand alongside his armies should he need them to repel any invaders. On this you have our word, My Liege."

"Thank you Kendrik; I will pass on your words to the King. Robin! I will give you a message to carry back to the King to tell him what we have decided; let him know I will follow in five days."

Robin nodded his head as he listened to what was discussed; it seemed that his Hero was as adept at council as he had proven to be on the battle field. Eventide himself was still wondering how he was able to make decisions that could impact a whole race of ancient people.

After the meeting was closed and Robin was on his way with the message; Eventide asked Kendrik about the things he had said and the decisions he had made; he found it hard to understand how he could know certain things were the right thing to do and others were not. He had never had much training apart from the little he had got under the tutelage of Freeman.

"My Liege, you are the blood descendant of a long line of Kings; the decisions you make are almost a part of your make up; it is a part of you. As long as you continue to put the needs of the people first, you cannot make a mistake. You have made good decisions today and will continue to do so; it's in your blood," Kendrik told him.

"Can you tell me about these borders? Looking at the King's map there seems to be a lot of land; I did not know there was so much in the hands of the People."

"It goes way back many generations. There was a time when the Iceni were the strongest tribe of Britannia. When the Romans came here we held most of the land up to the border of the Picts. After the invasion by the Romans and the death of Queen Boadicea; the tribes split and there was a lot of infighting. At the end, when the Romans were leaving and the Saxons were taking over; most of the land was held by the Mercian's. The Iceni were pushed back to a small piece of land in the east coastal region and only those who were here in the west held the borders. With the Saxon taking most of the land; those in the east travelled here and joined their brothers of Britannia in Dummonia and the Reaches and moors of Walesa where we are today. Once the Saxons had power over the people; their leaders in Wessex wanted to tame our lands; this led to the battle that we lost at the Tamar River; that became the new border. The king has now confirmed for us that our lands, under his rule; will remain ours."

"If the King were to change his mind or others were to try to take what is rightfully ours; then I will stand at your side Kendrik, and we will defend what is ours."

"Then there is only one more thing to take care of My Prince."

Kendrik took the torc and opened it enough to place around Eventide's neck before closing it close enough so it could not fall off; much to Eventide's surprise; Kendrik then reached inside his cloak and produced a thin band of roughly formed gold. With a steady hand, Kendrik placed the thin band on Eventide's head.

"This My Liege is the crown of the Iceni; it is said it was wrought by the hand of the first King long before the arrival of the Romans; it is now yours by right and all who live in the Reaches and Moors will know it as your right to ascension."

Eventide could not think of anything to say; while the thin band looked light and was very old, it still seemed to weigh heavy on his head; he knew he now had the responsibility of every man, woman and child of the Western lands; the fact he had just passed his fourteenth summer did not make it any easier.

Over the next five days, the four extra men for the council of Regents was selected; each had to swear an oath to care for the people and have men go to help the King if called upon. There was feasting each evening as the people continued to gather to see their returned Prince.

Eventide saw that most of those who had come to see him were poorly clothed and many showed signs of hunger; to this end, Eventide called for as much help for them as could be found; he also left orders for Kendrik to use the first consignment of gold for the people's needs. His Manor house could wait for another time as he planned to be in Sufaria for another year and would return in time for the next Squire's melee.

The travel back to the King's castle seemed faster this time; with him went the one hundred volunteer bowmen. Eventide was amazed that the moor runners could keep pace with the trotting pace he set. The runners carried only a small amount of food for the journey, their bows and a single quiver of arrows; their steady pace swallowed the miles with what seemed little effort.

As Eventide's small army approached the large castle of the King; he could not believe his eyes. Along each side of the roadway and up to the huge gates, stood many squires on each side leaving a passageway through the centre. Each Squire held the banner of his Knight and, as Eventide's small army passed them; they lowered the banner in salute.

At the gates inside the castle stood a contingent of the King's personal guards all standing at attention as he entered. Robin stood with the King's banner waiting for Eventide; close to Robin stood a number of grooms waiting to handle the few horses; it was Shaun once again that took control of Shaitan; the horses of the six brotherhood were taken by the young grooms.

Robin bowed low, even though he had a shy smile on his face as Eventide walked up to him; the brotherhood close by and the one hundred archers now standing to each side of the smaller group in a guard position.

""My Lord, the King asks that you join him in the great hall; he would also like those archers with you to attend as well."

"Thank you Robin; lead the way if you would."

Robin held the banner high as he lead the group into the main castle keep; after walking through a number of long passages; the group came to a large set of closed wooden doors.

Standing outside the doors were six fully armoured guards and waiting in front of the guards was an elderly man with a staff; the old man was dressed in his finest clothes as was expected in the King's court.

It was easily seen that the old man could not quite reconcile the list of titles he was expected to give and the youth of the boy that stood before him, but the King had told the man that this was to be a full court occasion and his guest was to be given all honours in the great hall.

The old man turned and stamped the staff on the stone floor; from inside the great hall, Eventide heard the sound of many horns blaring as the great doors opened to reveal those waiting inside.

The old man stepped inside and, in a voice that belied his age; called out to all the people waiting there. Eventide could now see what must have been every Knight of the land standing along each side of the great hall. At the far end sat the King; beside him stood the figure of his father, now looking much better than the last time Eventide had seen him.

Around the dais of the King stood the many members of the court; each was standing with bowed heads as the old man began to introduce the roughly clothed and dishevelled young boy to the court. The six guards of the brotherhood now had an extra banner to carry and it was quickly noticed by those who had seen the other banners that Eventide used.

This banner was striped in green and red; at the centre was a gold braided Unicorn head. The banner looked to be old and a little the less for wear; it was obvious that it had a long a torrid history; the old man made the introductions.

"My Liege, Lords and Knights of the realm: My Lord Prince Eventide Carliegh, heir to the crown of the Western Reaches, Baronet of Lancaster and Flanders, Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria of the Holy Land and defender of the King's banner and the People of the Kingdom."

The old man bowed low and stepped to the side as Eventide led his group inside the great hall. When he got to the bottom of the dais steps; Eventide bowed after going to one knee as did those with him except for the six brotherhood who salaamed instead.

"Rise Prince Eventide; we are grateful that you would come to our summons. Are these the men of the moors that would teach our archers?"

"Yes your Highness; these men have all volunteered to form and train your new archers; I also have the word of the Regent of the Western Reaches Kendrik; that should your highness find himself in need of men for the defence of his lands or crown; they will come to stand with you as long as their new borders are respected by all."

"And you Prince Eventide; would you come to my aide in time of need?"

"Without question, Your Highness; although I would also come to the aide of the people should they find it necessary to call on me."

"We can ask for no more loyalty than you have already shown; I would ask you to join me up here and take the other throne; it is the place of a noble of the land and is now your's by right of ascension to the crown of the Iceni."

Eventide took his place on the slightly smaller throne beside the King; he felt a little discomfort as he was still dressed in the fashion of the Reaches; goat skin jacket, thick green wool shirt and the heavy seal skin boots; he had not had time to change but the King did not seem to notice or preferred not to. Only the ancient torc and the thin band of gold on his head showed any sign of his new station in life.

The King stood and looked out on the large gathering in the great hall.

"Lords and Knights of the realm; we all now recognise the veracity of the claimant to the crown of the Iceni; all those present will also acknowledge the right of Prince Eventide Carliegh as the lawful heir to the crown; see that it is written in the records. Now I will ask you all to leave us except for the bowmen of the Western Reaches; we have much to discuss and there is little time left."

The King sat back down and then smiled at Eventide as the courtiers, Lords and Knights left the great hall. The King looked down at the hundred archers.

"Archers of the Western Reaches; our thanks for your appearance here today. I know that in the past there has been bad blood between the crown and the men of the Reaches. I want you to know that those days are passed and our decision to return to you your old lands is to be a symbol of those new times. I have heard much about the power of your bows and would ask each of you to improve my own archers. Anything you need to do this then you need just ask. I have in mind an army of archers numbering five thousand. My archer army now has three thousand; they are yours to retrain and teach; you will all be given the rank of Captain. Your word will be law for the archers; we will not interfere in how you train them. For the present we have little time; it has come to our notice that there are plans afoot to invade the Holy Land once again and retake Jerusalem by the army of the church; they have been joined by the Teutonic and Frankish Knights. If this be true we are going to have trouble on our hands as they will know that I will not join a crusade for the church; they may well try to invade our lands. At most I would say we have six months to prepare; can you do this in that time?"

One of the runners stepped forward; he was a man of middle age and his forearms showed the power of his bow; they were wreathed in muscles like steel bands; the man bowed and then said.

"Your Highness; I am Gryfed of the northern lands of the Reaches; the men have chosen me to speak for them. What you ask can be done and will be done in your name; however, there is the problem of authority; your archers may not like us taking charge over them and, for the newcomers we would like to select those of younger years; they will take instruction faster."

"Your words are true Gryfed of the North; to that end I have a royal warrant that you can use; any man that refuses to serve under your orders will be sent from my archers and placed as common rank and file in my infantry; they will also be told that they will stand in the front rank in all battles; I can assure you that it is not a place they will want to be. Take those you want; we have sent word to the people that we are in need of young archers; select those who show promise and train them ready."

"Thank you Your Highness; our Regent Kendrik has told us to call on the people of the Reaches should they be needed to protect your lands so we have more than enough should trouble arise."

"We will send our thanks to the Regent; now here is your warrant; if you wish to rest first; barracks have been set aside for you." The King held out a rolled scroll for Gryfed to take.

After taking the warrant, Gryfed said his thanks and then added.

"Your Highness; we would much rather go to the barracks of your archers and start right away; we can rest later but it is important they know that it is time to change."

"A good idea Captain Gryfed; do as you must; the archers of the realm are now in your sole hands and the hands of your fellow archers; I will not interfere in any decisions you make nor will any other if they want to keep their heads on their shoulders."

Gryfed bowed and turned to leave the great hall; the others quickly following behind him; they had work to do and they did not want to waste any time.

After the men had left and the great hall was almost empty; the King turned to Eventide;

"Now what of your plans, young Prince of the Iceni?"

"I would spend a little time with my father Sire but then I must head to Sufaria. If the church is going to try to take Jerusalem then they will have to pass through Sufaria. The Emir has given the responsibility of defending the Wadhi to my brother and I. I cannot let him down and I would not see my brother put in a position to fight alone."

"Good thoughts young Prince; but what happens if we are forced to take sides and fight with the church; would you draw your sword against your own people?"

"I honestly do not know Your Highness; I can only hope that situation never arises."

"So do I young Prince; so do I."

It was not long after that all the parties left the great hall. Eventide went with Freeman to their own quarters; his brothers walking just behind them. Eventide knew he had no more than two or three days before he would have to leave for Sufaria. Eventide had received a message from Mahmud that one of his ships would be waiting on the coast to take him home in two days; it would wait there until Eventide appeared.

Most of the next two days were spent with Freeman as Eventide tried to learn as much as he could about tactics normally used by the European Knights; what surprised the young teen was how easy he found it to understand what Freeman described to him and how to use those facts to his advantage.

The intense training of his mind and ability to see a battle plan through Freeman's tutelage; gave Eventide some interesting insights into possible ways to beat what he knew would be large army manoeuvres. Eventide did not know how many soldiers he could call on if it came to a major battle and so he worked on ways to prevent any frontal confrontation and still hurt an enemy.

Freeman had vast knowledge of the ways of the battles involving many Knights and vast numbers of ordinary soldiers. One thing that became obvious to eventide; was the fact of division between Knights and ordinary soldiers.

The most interesting fact was that most ordinary soldiers were very superstitious; added to that, the fact of the hold the church held over their faith gave Eventide something else to work on. His thoughts went to the old story teller Omar Khayyam.

The day finally arrived when he had to leave; with a final hug and the suggestion of tears in his eyes; Eventide turned to Shaitan and mounted; with his six guards and Shaun following; eventide headed for the coast where the boat would be waiting. He did not know if he would ever see his homeland, or his father, again.

Once again the trip was fast and non-stop; the Captain had his orders from the Emir and was not about to alter one word of his instructions; even if his crew men fell dead from the strain.

Fifteen days later and very tired from the constant travel; Eventide finally saw the towering walls of Sufaria. All his thoughts were now on a hot bath and a long time in his bed. For the last few months he had noticed changes in his body. Most nights he now had yearnings that he could not fulfil; he would have to talk to his brother about it; Mahmud was far more worldly than Eventide and would surely have the answers he needed.

That night; as he lay on a couch with food and drink being brought by the servants for his selection; Eventide yawned widely; Mahmud noticing his brother's weary face, called a halt to the dinner and laughingly sent him to his bed; Eventide was only too glad to do as he was told by the smiling teen. Tomorrow would be a busy day as he tried to catch up on everything that had happened in the gateway to the east in the time he had been in England.

The next few days turned out to be interesting as Eventide sat with Mahmud during the time spent listening to the needs of the people and merchants of Sufaria. During the evenings; they and the brothers sat around and talked about the possibility of an invasion by the European Knights and how they might be able to counteract their attempts to take back the city of Jerusalem; after first passing through Sufaria and what that might mean for the boys.

When the news came it was not good. From the far Northern border, five members of the Emir's troops rode into Sufaria; two of them suffering from light wounds; their story would change the activities of Sufaria for some time to come.

The five riders were immediately shown into the halls of the palace and taken before the two Kahlifs. Their report was one of total massacre of innocent people on the border with the territory of the Ottomans.

The numbers they were talking about told the two Kahlifs that this was indeed a full invasion of the Christian Knights and their allies from the church.

As soon as the report was received and the five riders were sent to rest or have their wounds attended to; the two Kahlifs sat down to work out what should be done. The numbers quoted by the soldiers were far too many for the detachments in Sufaria; the first thing to do was to notify the Emir and give him time to raise and army to defend his lands.

The call to arms went throughout the city as messages were sent by pigeon to the capital. The two Kahlifs now had to find a way to get more solid information on the advancing enemy. The distance involved gave the boys some time to work on their strategy but they could not delay forever.

Three days after the first pigeon had been sent; the Emir's troops began to arrive at the city gates; Sufaria would be the first large city to meet the invaders and the Emir needed more time to organise a large enough army to combat the attackers huge numbers. It would be up to Eventide and Mahmud to delay the approaching army for as long as they could. The loss of Sufaria was not an option.

The first to arrive at the gates of Sufaria were a contingent of five hundred camel mounted Bedou. After being introduced to the two young Kahlifs, the riders were given the dangerous job of finding and watching the enemy; they were not to attack but shadow the invaders and report as often as they could to the two Kahlifs.

The cameleers were split into groups of ten and sent on their way with everything they would need to survive for a long period of watching.

The next to arrive were two thousand cavalry; they were all mounted on the finest of the desert horses and their arms were the finest that could be made in the armouries of the Emir.

These cavalry would be made ready to take the field if the invaders came close to Sufaria and sent out scouts; it would be the responsibility of the cavalry to make sure none escaped to report back to the main army.

Two days later the next troops arrived; much to Eventide's surprise, he recognised the fancily dressed captain at the head of the nine hundred bowmen as they rode through the gate. Eventide immediately sent a message for Marchant to join him in the great hall.

Eventide and Mahmud waited for Marchant to arrive; when their friend walked into the hall, he immediately went to one knee and bowed his head; those officers with him looked on with interest as Marchant spoke.

"My Liege, I am at your disposal as are my bowmen."

Eventide looked at Marchant and the smiled.

"How did you know?"

"My Liege, I received a message not five days ago by Dhow from our homeland; my brother told me of your new station."

"Stand up Marchant, you are an old friend and we are going to need all our friends around us for some time."

Marchant stood and bowed again.

"As you command, My Liege."

"Oh stop that Marchant; now tell us why you have come?"

"The Emir has sent us to help you to hold Sufaria; I have left one hundred of my best men behind to train others. The Emir said he would raise an army of thirty thousand and would need new archers but we also need to help you hold Sufaria at all costs."

"Good, now we have a small chance; are there any others coming?"

"Yes the Emir has sent two thousand foot soldiers, they should be here in three or four days; what do you want us to do, My Liege?"

"Oh come on Marchant; stop that or I will be forced to call you captain all the time; new titles should not get in the way of old friendships; come we have much to talk over and plan."

Eventide, Mahmud and Marchant left the large hall and went through to a smaller room where they had set up a war room. On a large table was laid out a sand map of the region from the Ottoman border to Sufaria; while it was to truly to scale, it was sufficient for their needs for a broad plan.

Mahmud sent word for the Commander of the Cavalry and Cameleers, the Captain of the household guards along with the commander of the local Militia and the three senior Bedou to come to the war room; there would be only the commander of the foot soldiers to bring up to date once they arrived.

The planning and tactics were discussed late into the night. Some plans did not seem to work and others needed revision but all agreed that what they were doing could change warfare in the desert for years to come. The older commanders were the hardest to convince as Eventide introduced them to new ways and never before though of tactics; had he not been one of the Kahlifs he may not have been able to convince the oldest of the commanders; Mahmud's stance on the rightness of Eventide's final plan convinced even the old war dog that it was a good overall plan.

It was in the early hours of the morning before the group broke up to go to their beds and rest; they had not stopped for food or rest but servants had kept a continuous procession of food and drink for the men to take as they planned.

It was just before midday when the first camel rider appeared; he had ridden non-stop to bring the first news of the invaders and a better account of the numbers involved.

The two Kahlifs and the small number of commanders met the rider in the great hall of the palace where he gave his report.

"Highness, the army is moving slowly; their numbers make it impossible for fast movement. We have estimated there are some sixty thousand Knights and soldiers. Their baggage train extends some ten miles behind them and they are making about ten miles per day. They have small groups of scouts out in advance of the main body; most number about fifty to one hundred in number. In their baggage train they have many carts filled with large heavy timbers; why? We do not know as yet. We are planning to try to take some prisoners from the scouts so you can question them more closely."

Mahmud was the first to ask questions of the messenger.

"Which road do they take?"

"As yet they are still on the main road just over the border; they have not yet shown any indication which of the three roads they will take, Highness."

"Thank you; go and get some rest and we will have a message for you to take back in the morning."

The man bowed and left with one of the servants to show him where to rest and eat; Mahmud turned to Eventide.

"Well brother, it looks as though we have plenty of time before they arrive here; what does that mind of yours think we should plan for?"

"Well if Freeman is right; and I have no reason to think otherwise, then they will be split in their priorities; we need to make them use the road we can best use to delay them on."

"So how do we do that?"

"We play on their base desires; Father told me all Knights have certain traits, once you know of these you have the advantage; we use their individual desires to delay their travel."

"Which means what, exactly?"

"The Teutonic Knights and the Templars will want gold and riches; if I am right they will try to convince the others to take the road through Persia and cut the great Eastern road for the caravans. Now the Frankish Knights are more aligned with the church so they will want to get to Jerusalem before anything else; they will join with the Knights of the Cross and want to take the river road even though it is a little longer. What we want them to do is take the middle road that leads into the desert; while it is shorter and the most direct; there is also the matter of lack of water. For such a large army this would be their main concern so they will not want to take that route; we must convince them they have no other option."

"Yes we looked at that last night, but how can we do it; their numbers are far too large for us to force them and we have months before the Emir can raise his army. If our plans do not work they will be at our gates in less than two months. I know we can hold them at the walls but they will only need siege engines and we will be hard pressed."

Eventide suddenly got a look on his face as though something had suddenly lit up in his head.

"The carts with the large timbers; they are transporting their own siege engines; they know there is not enough timber for them to build them here so are carrying them in their baggage train; we need to destroy the train, especially those carts."

"And how are we going to do that with so few numbers, Highness?" Asked one of the commanders.

"We use our smaller numbers more wisely, Commander; we hit them and run before they can organise to counter attack. Our main concern at this point is to stop those carts and to force the army to go through the desert where the lack of water will weaken them. I know what I am about to suggest goes against everything that the Bedou and all desert people believe in but; as a final solution we may have to poison all the wells between them and Sufaria. We will not do that unless there is no other way to stop them."

"But Highness; if you order that it may well destroy wells that are the very life blood of the desert peoples," the Cavalry Commander said.

"As I said; it will only be a tactic of last resort, but this army cannot reach Sufaria and especially those siege engines. Now let's look at how we can change the road to what we want them to take. We should all go to the war room and look at the lay of the land between them and Sufaria or Jerusalem."

The group left the hall and went into the smaller room where the sand map lay undisturbed from the night before. All of the men looked at the lay of the land; there were a number of opportunities for them to delay the army of Knights and push them towards their chosen desert wastes.

"Well from what we have here," said Mahmud. "We can slow them at this Wadhi before they can break through to the caravan road. They will have to pass down this Wadhi before they can break through to raid the caravans; if we can get enough people there, we can collapse the sides of the Wadhi and make it impassable for some time; they will not want to waste time if they are after Jerusalem and the Knights of the Cross will want to force the others to Jerusalem if they know that the Wadhi through to the caravans is blocked."

The others all nodded and began to look to the river roads; it was more open and passed through very few wadhi's where a trap could be laid. It was finally the Commander of the Cameleers that found a solution.

"Highness; I have travelled this road before when on patrol. Here they are following the Euphrates; when they penetrate further, they will be between the Euphrates and the Tigris; if they are forced to stop at Qa'im then they will have to turn more inland."

"And how will we do that, Commander?"

"At Qa'im there are vast areas of marsh; with the use of the people we can make it almost impassable by flooding the surrounding land. Most of this land was recovered by the farmers using channels and banks to dry the land; if we break them open the land will re-flood and the army will have to turn inland to continue. This will also pull them away from Jerusalem and into the desert. Those are the two main roads and they will be left with only the one we want them to use and that one is the road to Rutba; it will eventually lead them into the great desert and well south of Jerusalem."

Mahmud looked at Eventide for his agreement. Eventide went over both of the plans and finally looked up and smiled.

"It sounds like what we want; can you get word to the people to start on that and the blocking of the Wadhi; once they are into the desert we will start our harassing attacks and try to destroy those siege engines before they get here."

There was a sudden flurry of people as they each went to take care of their part of the plan to make the army of Knights do as they wanted them too.

For more than a week, reports from the following cameleers continued to come in. If what was being heard was fully correct, then the army of Knights was having trouble finding enough water for their massive numbers. Eventide was told that many desert people were hiding or disguising many of the wells to make them harder to find.

The blocking of the Wadhi was going well and the effort that would be needed for the army to pass through would discourage them from even trying. Eventide hoped their scouts would see the pointlessness of attempting to do so.

The flooding of the old marshes of the Euphrates had been accomplished far easier than he thought it would be. From dawn to dusk, the Euphrates farmers had destroyed ditches and banks that had stood for eons; the rich farmland of the basin was now under water as planned. There was now only one direction for the army to take. Eventide and Mahmud began to ready their small forces to harass the enemy.

All the plans and ideas had been sent to the Emir for his opinion; apart from sending twenty cartographers to rebuild the sand map to a size that would cover a large floor space; he changed nothing his two young Kahlifs had devised.

The Emir had passed on that his new army was building quickly but would still not be available to help them for some time to come. They would have to do the best they could until he had his numbers to fight a major battle with a good chance of winning.

The twenty cartographers were a surprise for Eventide; only two of them looked like courtiers; the rest were from all of the desert tribes; moist had been enemies at one time or another but had now come together to fight a common enemy.

The sand map had been moved from the smaller room at the rear of the palace and now took centre stage in the great hall; it now covered more than ten paces on one side and twenty paces on the other. The construction of the land was done by all members and Eventide was amazed to see a lifelike map of the desert lands grow from the bags of loose sand resting on the floor.

Small rocks were used wherever needed but the details were a marvel for eventide to see. While the map developed, Eventide and Mahmud could see their plan of battle become more viable. What was even more surprising for the two teens was the co-operation of all the different tribes involved in the map making. One time enemies had a single thought and that was to see the invaders sent from their lands; what would happen once the threat ended was any ones guess.

As the time passed and the reports continued to flow in. The two Kahlifs finalised their plans and readied their small army; that there were going to be losses was undeniable but they hoped to keep those to a minimum by using their hit and run tactics; only the destruction of the carts with the siege engines was paramount.

The last report had told of the Knights turning off at Qa'im and avoiding the marshes; they were now set on their course to Rutba and the great desert that awaited them.

Some reports told of dissension amongst the Knights and that the ordinary soldiers were not happy nor were they prepared for what was ahead of them; the two young Kahlifs hoped to make that even worse for the army.

Most of the cameleers had been called back to Sufaria; only a small number were left out there to scout and report as the huge army wound its way through the sands and small wadhi's; the road they followed was little more than a beaten sandy track but it was the only way forward for the invaders.

It was time for the two teens to go and look for themselves; accompanied by a contingent of one hundred Bedou and Cavalry; they set out for the last known location of the Christian army. Being able to travel fast and light; the group caught up with the slow moving army in only four days; it would take the army another two weeks of travel to reach Sufaria as they were burdened down with the baggage train and could only move at the walking pace of their foot soldiers.

The group spent a day and a night following and watching the massive trail of men at arms. It was noticeable that the Knights did not like to begin to move until mid morning and would stop to erect their camp in mid afternoon and their baggage train would finally enter the camp even later in the day; often just as the sun was sinking into the west.

The watching group stayed concealed among the towering dunes or rough rocks as they shadowed the army; it was easily noticeable that the army was only making about eight miles a day; far slower than the two Kahlifs thought they would be.

Eventide and Mahmud had seen enough and turned their small force for Sufaria; they were a few miles from the still encamped army when things changed suddenly.

They had been moving at a trot along the sandy road to the city when one of the outer guards called a warning. Turning to see what was afoot; Eventide saw a contingent of about fifty cavalry from the army readying for a charge from the top of a nearby dune; how they had come so close was never to be revealed but the teens knew they had a fight on their hands.

Without thought; Eventide took one column of the guards while Mahmud took the other; at a yelled order, both boys turned; one to the left and the other to the right and led their columns to meet the attackers.

As the two columns divided, they spread further and further apart; at their centre rode the twenty camels and the lighter horse were now two files spreading outward.

As the cavalry of the attackers galloped towards the divided line by forming a double formation to give them more strength when they met those below who; by the look of it were trying to flee; the two lines of horse began to create a curving formation.

For the attackers it came as a shock as the two charging lines of Saracen horsemen curved first outward and then came back towards them; the confusion to the attackers became their undoing.

The attacking cavalry was soon to see the error of their ways; their sudden charge had left their flanks open and they were now faced with twenty bawling and mouth frothing camels charging directly at them while the two lines of horsemen were now starting to surround their flanks.

Before the attackers could react; they found themselves surrounded and with nowhere to run or escape; what caused even more disruption was the enemy shouting loudly as they charged into their ranks; the words were unknown to the attackers and they had little time before they were being struck down from all sides.

The flashing scimitars and long lances of both the cameleers and horsemen left the attackers with little time to think; all they had now was to get out of this mess in one piece; it was not to be. Had it not been for Eventide and Mahmud calling for prisoners; there would have been none to survive the viciousness of the desert dwellers.

Eventide had been surprised at the reactions of Shaitan; the black horse seemed to be born for battle. In the thick of the fight; Shaitan had even reared and used his sharp hoofs as weapons; his teeth were used to try to take bights from the attackers mounts; Eventide would make sure his black horse would get a special treat on their return to the city.

The battle was short and sharp; Mahmud sustained a light gash on his right thigh but kept fighting; Eventide seemed blessed and, apart from some torn clothing, came out of the fight without a scratch. The losses to the attackers were far more and, although the Kahlif's forces had lost ten men and had some fifteen wounded, the attackers lost more than thirty; which was more than 2/3's of their number.

Of those captured once the attackers surrendered; seven were not expected to survive the travel back to Sufaria; of the remaining; they would spend the rest of their lives either as slaves or, their heads would decorate the great walls of the city as a reminder to those who would attack the Emir's lands.

The soldiers were stripped of all weapons and armour; their hands were tied and a rope placed around their necks; if one fell, they would all fall; or carry the man with them.

It took less than an hour to round up the horses of the soldiers; their weapons were taken and bundled up behind the camels for transport back to the city; the small group was quickly on their way towards their home.

Somehow the word of the small but volatile battle had already reached the gates of Sufaria; the people, who had lived with the fear of the approaching Christians; could now take some relief that their Kahlif were well prepared to fight; even as young as they were.

As the small patrol entered the city, the cries of joy could be heard far and wide; the surviving captives; which now only numbered twelve; were spat on and reviled by the crowd although none were actually physically abused as was normal for Infidel captives.

The captives were taken to the palace dungeons; Mahmud asked Salud and Ishmael to take care of the questioning; if anyone could get answers it was those two; what would happen to the captives after their questioning would rely on how they answered; it would turn out that only four survived the ordeal; they would soon be in chains and sold at the Emir's discretion.

Once the questioning had been completed, the two Kahlifs had a better idea of what they would be facing. Their first taste of real battle had proven they could fight and that their knowledge; which was handed down from far wiser heads; had been sound; they were now ready to start their hit and run attacks on the large army and its baggage train.

For their first attack on the army; they chose a narrow defile that passed between two huge dunes; there was no way around as on the other side of the dunes were large patches of sinking sand; once trapped there was very little chance of getting out.

The boys sent for Marchant and told him what they wanted; he was to take all nine hundred archers and line both sides of the dunes; their horses were to be kept close for a fast escape. They would then wait until the van of the army was well into the defile before opening fire.

At the first sign of a counter attack, they were to mount up and pull back fast. Once they had pulled back, they were to wait for a while then return and hit the army again; they had to try to hit as many soldiers or Knights as they could each time.

At the completion of the second attack; Marchant was ordered to withdraw right back to the city and let some of the other forces take up the hit and run attacks.

The idea was to delay the army as much as possible while still keeping them on the roadway; with luck the baggage train would not get to the defile before the following day; it was then they would hit them with fire arrows. The arrows would be tipped with a cotton cloth that could soak up moister; the moister would come from the same black substance they had used in the carts at the Melee.

No one had a name for the substance but it could be found in small pools oozing from the sands in certain areas. It was foul smelling and could be used for little but, once alight it would burn for a long time; it was ideal for fire arrows and should catch to the very dry timbers on the carts.

To stop the archers from being harried by the main army or its cavalry; the horsemen and cameleers would alternate attacks at the head of the army. The frontal attacks would once again have to be fast and furious and spread out along the entire column; it was to keep the army always nervous about when and where the next attack was to come from.

For more than a week the attacks continued; there were losses to the Kahlif's small army but far less than those suffered by the invaders. The pace of advance slowed even further as the attacks took their toll. By the end of that first week; the army had lost over half its baggage train to the fire arrows and had now had slowed to keep the baggage train close for defence.

There was one thing that did not go well for the two young Kahlifs. The continual attacks had slowed the approaching army but not stopped them. The huge numbers just kept forcing their way forward and were now less than five or six days away from Sufaria.

The two young Kahlifs now decided that they had only one priority; the total destruction of the carts carrying the siege machines; without them the city could withstand a siege for years; with them the army could breach the walls in less than a year. Every effort was made to ready the city for a siege; food and water were stored and kept under guard.

The caravans had stopped arriving; the word had long ago gone out to let them know the city may come under siege. There was little the Kahlifs could do but continue to harry the army and attempt to totally destroy their heavy weapons of siege.

The direction of travel by the army would leave them only the western wall to attack; with the rear; or eastern gate protected by the towering side of the Wadhi; the boys could concentrate their defence on the one wall; they had to hold it until the Emir could reinforce them with fresh troops.

Each evening; after any new plans had been made; the sand map was wiped clean and rebuilt to cover the invading armies advance. Each time the map was cleaned; scribes would write down everything that had happened for that day. Eventide marvelled at the dedication of the twenty cartographers as they worked tirelessly each night to ready the new days map in full detail.

The continuous harassment of the spread out enemy took its toll; although the losses were not huge against the sheer numbers of the Christians; it was enough to cause damage and doubt amongst the oncoming army; it also meant they had to spread out their guards to cover a wider area and so left gaps for the harassers to take advantage of.

There was little doubt now that the massive army would reach the walls of Sufaria; everything was being done to fill the warehouses with needed food and the inner wells protected for the water supply.

Every smith in the city worked on amassing weapons stocks and Eventide set carpenters to work to reinforce the huge gates; the wooden gates were the weakest part of the great wall. Along the top of the high wall were placed huge tubs of oil and fire wood was stacked close-by to heat the tubs when they were needed.

Everything that could be done to prepare for a siege had been done; now, with the army only days away from the gates; Eventide and Mahmud wanted to make one last attack on the moving mass of soldiery; it would be something for them to remember when they had to stay inside the walls.

The plans for the last open attack were similar to the last one; Marchant had used his bowmen well and now the army was down to only three siege machine carts. There had also been a large loss of food and other needs for the large army by the fire arrows.

The invaders would now have to travel through a shallow valley with high dunes on each side. Just past where the valley opened out onto the wide plains before the city there was a Wadhi to the right; the boys planned to make use of that Wadhi and what it concealed.

With no heavy cavalry they could not attack the heavily armoured Knights and troops of the army; they would have to use the terrain and cunning to help them as they had done for all their attacks on the long spread out column.

The baggage train was now defended by a large number of foot troops as well as lighter cavalry; only the archers that Marchant led could be used for this final attack before retiring to the city to endure the siege.

The two Kahlifs showed Marchant what they wanted him to do; he was to place four hundred archers on each side of the valley with fire arrows as well as extra normal arrows. Once the fire arrows had been used up, they would try to kill as many of the supporting troops as they could before retiring back to the city.

One hundred cameleers armed with Persian bows which they normally used from camel back; were to position themselves across the track leading out of the valley; when they saw the first of the heavy Knights; which always travelled at the head of the army as the main strike force; the cameleers were to fire as fast and as often as they could at the lead Knights.

At a distance that was to keep them safe; they would continue to fire until the Knights charged them; they would then retreat as fast as they could but stay just outside the Knights' range, if the Knights slowed; the cameleers were to start shooting again and draw the Knights on.

It sounded like an unequal task as the small number of camel archers would be far outnumbered by the two thousand or so mounted and armoured Knights. There was one thing in their favour; the army of the invaders was desperately short of water and this had affected both the soldiers and the stock; forcing them to fight would tire them further.

Once the cameleers had the Knights chasing them; they would lead them close to the entrance of the right hand Wadhi; deep inside the Wadhi would be four hundred of their light cavalry. While there was no way the lighter cavalry could win against heavy Knights; they were not expected to; they were a decoy to bring the Knights into the Wadhi where the secret of the land would await them. When the Knights found the trouble they had gotten into; the light cavalry would also retreat back to the city.

The plan was gone over many times so that all the forces understood what they had to do and when to do it; none of them would survive a frontal assault by the much large numbers; they would need every man back at the city for the siege.

It took Eventide some time to convince Mahmud to let him lead the light Cavalry; the only part of the plan that could lead to failure was the need for the charging Knights to take notice of the cavalry waiting to attack them in the Wadhi; if they failed to see Eventide's riders, the plan could fail; to this end, Eventide took three trumpeters with him.

The next morning found the large army travelling through the shallow valley; even after a nights rest the army looked tired. The heat and constant travel as well as the ever present fear of attack had taken its toll on the soldiers and Knights but now they knew they were almost within sight of the great city of Wadhi Sufaria; a jewel in the lands of the Emir and the only fortifications capable of stopping them from taking everything from the Emir and opening the road to Jerusalem.

With the knowledge that they were so close it seemed that the army gained a new strength; their travel through the valley felt easier and the thought of the riches that awaited them only went to spur them on further. There was also the knowledge that the two Kahlifs that protected the city were only young teens and had little or no experience in warfare on such a large scale.

It was almost mid afternoon when the first Knights at the head of the army saw the small group of cameleers waiting for them at the exit of the valley. The camels were ranked across the exit and made no attempt to advance or fight. The senior Knight in the lead gave the order to advance at a trot; as he did so the Knights saw the cameleers begin to fire their bows at the advancing mass of armoured Knights and horses; at the time it seemed futile to the Knights.

The arrows could never have penetrated the heavy armour that covered Knights and horses yet the camel archers fired time and time again at the advance.

The lead Knights passed the opening to a Wadhi on the right; they were now almost at the point of calling for a full charge at the gallop; as the lead Knight was about to call for the charge; a number of trumpets sounded loudly from the depth of the Wadhi; turning his head he immediately began to slow his war horse.

Ignoring the now retreating archers; the lead Knight waved his arm to the right and began to turn his horse in that direction; the last thing they wanted was to outflanked by hidden troops. The mass of the Knights and mounted men following him also slowed and looked to the right; coming to a halt at what they saw, the Knights began to reorganise themselves for the new threat.

What the leader saw was a troop of light cavalry lined up in ranks across the width of the Wadhi; their light lances were held at the ready and, at the head was a small figure dressed in fancy white robes. It could only be one of the young Kahlifs. He was mounted on a jet black horse and had three trumpeters at his side.

The lead Knight called for three wedge formations across the entry into the Wadhi; there was little doubt they would ride right over their lighter opponents and hardly even slow down as they hit the ranks.

The Knights' charge began at a walk which quickly became a trot; it took only a few seconds later and the call for a full charge echoed in the silent Wadhi; the light cavalry made no attempt to run or to charge; they sat their horse and waited for the heavy Knights to come to them.

As the mass of armoured Knights galloped down the wide Wadhi; their cries and shouts could be heard all the way back to the long column still wending its way through the shallow valley; it was the signal for the hidden archers to show themselves and start the attack on the baggage train and the foot soldiers left to guard it.

While a rain of fire tipped arrows soured over and into the long column in the valley; the Knights saw they had little more than two hundred paces to meet the stupid light cavalry; what they thought they could do against heavily armoured Knights, the charging troops had no idea. Was this a last desperate attempt to save their city that the young Kahlif would throw all their light cavalry into such a folly? The Knights charged onward.

Eventide and his cavalry watched as the Knights grew closer and still they did not move; the sight of such power and might of the many charging Knights would have unnerved any soldier, but Eventide and his light cavalry showed little fear; they had a plan and meant to stand by it and that meant drawing the Knights to them.

At less than a hundred paces; the Knights began to get into difficulties; the three wedge formations were now at full charge; their heavy steel tipped lances were lowered and only waiting to taste the blood of the stupid light cavalry; the young leader at their head obviously did not know the power of armoured Knights.

The first warning the Knights got was also too late for them to do anything about; as the three wedges crossed the hundred paces mark; the front lines seemed to just fall down; they were soon ridden over by the fast charging followers; the Wadhi became a charnel house as more and more Knights found they could not stop in time to evade the sinking sands that spread across the entire Wadhi.

Eventide and his cavalry watched impassively as Knight after Knight ran into and then began to sink in the clutching sands. Horse screamed and Knights yelled as the sucking sand pulled them deeper and deeper into its grasp.

How many fell to the sinking sands, Eventide had no idea but the full power of the charge had forced those in front to be pushed or trampled by those behind who could not see what had happed. Eventide lifted his hand and called for his cavalry to retreat back to the city.

Turning their horses, they made their way back down the Wadhi to the rear exit leaving the mass of unhorsed and dying Knights to work their own may out of the mess. In his estimation; Eventide thought the invaders had lost well over two hundred Knights to the sand trap; there had been a good reason why no one ever travelled through that Wadhi.

As they rode through the gates of the city; Eventide looked up at the high walls; in every spare place he could see not only the troops of the city; but ordinary citizens who had taken up arms to help defend their homes; some were as young as Eventide had been when he was found by Freeman but all looked ready to fight.

It was not long after that Marchant returned with his archers to report on their attack. Marchant estimated they had killed almost a hundred foot soldiers as well as one more of the carts carrying the siege engines; there were also a large number of provision carts sent up in flames.

It was good that now the city only faced the two remaining siege engines. When he had finished his report; Marchant asked if he could make a suggestion about their resistance. Both Eventide and Mahmud agreed willingly and sat with Marchant while they all ate.

Marchant told them his plan for defence.

"My Liege, I have been thinking for some time on a way to make our defences more sturdy and I think I have come up with a way to surprise the enemy."

"That's good Marchant; what did you come up with?"

"I think if we can get enough carpenters and smiths to work non-stop we can produce some special bows; if they can be made and we have a way to get up to the top of the Wadhi above us; then we can fire at the enemy camp with impunity. They still have at least two siege engines. I know they will take some time to penetrate our walls with so few engines but, if we can harry them from the top of the Wadhi, it will make it that much more difficult."

"Sounds good; what do you plan on doing?"

"I will have to find timber within the city for the bows; the shafts can be made of metal; we will then have to find a way up the sides of the Wadhi then carry all of the equipment up there. I have just over eight hundred archers left, most will stay down here to protect the walls but I will need at least fifty for this new scheme to work?"

"You have them, you can go ahead and organise whatever you need; if anyone in the city complains just tell them the order comes from us," Mahmud replied.

Marchant nodded his thanks and quickly swallowed the last of his food before leaving the table to go and get started on his new plan.

Eventide smiled at Mahmud.

"It looks like we will be a harder nut to crack than those Christians think we will be."

"Never a truer word spoken Brother; if memory serves me right, there used to be a narrow goat track leading up the Wadhi sides; it can be got to from the eastern gate. The enemy will never be able to get around there unless they travel through the middle of the devils cauldron for thirty days and they would not survive that in their condition; even if they knew about the track.

The two young Kahlifs left the table and went to walk the towering walls of the city. As they stood above the main gates and looked out into the vastness before them they saw the first clouds of dust and sand kicked up by the enemy army as they finally broke out onto the plains before the city and moved towards them.

The enemy would not come too close to the city walls but would camp a little distance away for protection. The two boys could only marvel at the numbers facing them. The enemy had been strung out over a long distance during their approach to the city; this was the first time that the boys really got to see the numbers they were facing as the enemy built in number rapidly as more and more broke out into the open plains.

The numbers they had killed along the way seemed insignificant to the two young Kahlifs as the enemy army built quickly and there still seemed to be no end to them; even as the first dimness of the approaching night clouded their vision.

The boys waited up on the parapets as the darkness enveloped the plains below. The enemy was now getting fires lit and the sheer number seemed to light up the plain like a new sunrise and the numbers were still growing as the night progressed; the city was in for a long fight if the numbers were any indication.

Each day the boys sent pigeon messages to the Emir on their progress and plans for each day; now they were in a state of siege the pigeons would be even more important. The Emir had now formed a large part of his army to come to the rescue of the city but they would still be weeks away before they could fully take the field against such overwhelming numbers of the enemy.

For the next three days there was no attempt by the enemy to attack the city; it seemed they were readying their camp and building their siege engines. Both Eventide and Mahmud felt bad about the one thing they had no control over. Just behind the lines of the enemy camp was a deep fissure that held a small rivulet; it would be enough to supply the enemy with water for some time to come and, while it did not affect the city supply, it meant the enemy would not suffer from the thirst the defenders hoped would weaken them.

The rivulet had been overlooked at the time of making preparations for their defence; they could only hope it would not be a deciding factor when the real fighting started.

Chapter 9
The Siege

Eventide and Mahmud spent the early hours of each morning high up on the parapets watching the massive army down below on the open plains.

It was noticeable to both boys that the encampment was now huge and spread over the whole width of the plains. Each morning they would look out on the number of camp fires and marvel at the sheer numbers of soldiers lined up against them and the city

The smoke from the morning fires created a light misty covering over the encampment which was soon blown away by the light breeze that swept across the plains in the morning. There was little they could do until they saw the form of attack that would be used by the assembled army.

Eventide had shown Mahmud and the various officers of the defending forces; the knowledge he had gained from his father's library. Their plan of defence relied heavily on previous campaigns he had read about; there was, of course; a certain amount of freedom to make the final plan effective if the attackers changed their well known ways.

The two Kahlifs had heard little from Marchant over the last five days. He had secluded himself away with a number of special tradesmen and was working to design an effective long range bow to be hopefully used from the protected tops of the Wadhi rim.

The walls were now guarded by one tenth of the troops available to the city; there was a mixture of both Militia, city guards and those sent by the Emir; even the guards of the two Kahlifs took their turn high up on the walls. The call to arms for the whole city would be a single long blast from the trumpets when the first attack started.

The two boys did not waste the time they had; now that the sand camp was static, they used the time differently. The cartographers still worked each night but this time it was to fill in the details of the encampment outside the walls.

As soon as it got dark at night; three or four of the Hashin would leave the city through a secret passageway under the walls. The Hashin would then go out as close to the encampment as they could safely go and then take note in detail of everything they saw.

Had the enemy known how detailed the maps that were held and developed in the city; they may have thought twice about attacking the high walls. As it was, the two boys saw the major weakness of the enemy; their need for water and a lot of it.

Their plan for the water carriers was given to the Hashin brothers but not until the attack was started and the enemy felt it too late to retreat. The two boys needed to hold the army here as long as they could and yet still defend the city and not let it fall.

Day by day the sand map became more detailed; the towering cliffs of the Wadhi were made by collecting clay from all the pottery works in the city and, with the help of those same potters; the towering cliffs became a reality. Small figures were carved by woodworkers and painted to represent the different types of soldiery; it was as though a man was flying like a bird above the enemy encampment in its detail and accuracy.

Patterns of movement were taken for everything the enemy did in its day to day preparations; nothing was overlooked that might be used to save the city. The two Kahlifs watched and planned; making changes as something new was recorded.

The two boys were often seen by the people of the city as they walked around and spoke to everyone to keep up the moral of the city. It was good for the two boys to see most people still going about their daily activities even though a sword of destruction hung over the heads.

The day finally arrived when the enemy made its first moves. The boys had watched carefully as the two siege engines were assembled. They were a strange looking machine; a long thick beam was suspended between two uprights of wooden bracing; it was fixed to a large flat bed wagon with wooden wheels. At one end was a heavy weight that looked to be made from both wood and metal; at the other end was a type of round cup on one and on the other was what appeared to be a large sling.

This was the first time either had seen a Trebuchet or a catapult; it would not be long before they also saw its use. As well as the two machines, there was also something that looked like a large long hut on wheels with a heavy log slung below a thick canopy of interlaced shields. Both boys knew this to be a battering ram and was meant for the gates once the Trebuchet and catapult had done their work. Mahmud called for more reinforcing on the main gate.

The walls were no mean feat. At their base they were ten metres thick and narrowed to five metres at the top of the wall; where the gate stood on the outer wall; there was a narrow tunnel that led into the city; this also was protected by a steel portcullis that could be dropped if unwanted visitors tried to enter deeper. Along the side of the tunnel were small narrow slots for bowmen to fire down into the passageway and yet remain out of sight of invaders.

Even if, or when the enemy broke through; they would still be slowed by the narrow passageway and limited to the number of men that could be sent though at any one time and the hidden archers could take a huge toll before the enemy could break through the portcullis; if it was even possible.

The two Kahlifs watched as the finished Trebuchet and catapult were wheeled to within 500 paces of the wall. The land around the entrance to the city wall was also now filled with earthworks that protected the soldiers from any archers that might be able to shoot at those distances.

Heavy wooden siege shields were set up in front of the earthworks as added protection along with row upon row of heavy sharp stakes; the enemy was setting in for a long siege.

Mahmud received a message by pigeon on the morning before the first shots were fired from the siege engines; it had been sent by the Emir who of course was being kept up to date with the building of the siege. Mahmud called for Eventide as he read the message.

When Eventide joined Mahmud in the great hall where the sand map now spread over half the hall; Mahmud told him of the message.

"Brother, it would seem we have some unexpected allies. The Emir has just let us know that one thousand Taureg have crossed the Devil's Cauldron and are coming to help us. They have set aside their old enmities with us to help in defeating the Infidels; of course what they will do after the battle is anyone's guess; but for now at least they are ready to fight on our side against this army of Christians."

"That's good news; how long before they arrive?"

"Within the next few days; they have been told to come through the Eastern gate; how we can use them is another matter; they are desert people and do not like to be tied down in a city; we will have to find them battles outside in the open spaces where they are the most effective."

"Then we have many targets for them; the Christians will have to keep a supply line for the food and animal fodder; our brothers can take care of the water supplies and the Taureg can attack the supply trains behind the enemy lines."

"That sounds just the type of fight the Taureg would like; if we tell them they can keep all and any plunder they find, it will serve their purpose even further."

"Then that's our plan for them."

The two boys smiled; the unexpected help from one of the most dangerous desert tribes could only bode well for their own defence of the city.

The next morning was to be the first day of the attack by the siege engines; the large rocks hurled by the machines bounced and rolled along the ground well outside the walls of the city. The two boys watched with interest as the machines spent most of the day finding the right distance and then having to work to narrow down their angles to aim for the heavy wooden gates.

Against the thick walls; the single Trebuchet would have little success; had there been far more of them to survive the fire arrow attacks, then the walls would also be in danger.

As it was the gate was the only place for the machines to be used in such small numbers; the city settled down for the long bombardment of rocks. They were to find out at night, that the catapult also had a fire ball that was flung by the one with the cup shape; these were flung high in the night sky in an attempt to fly over the walls and set fire to the city on the inside.

On the first night of the fire balls it was totally unexpected; none of the spies had even seen anything to do with fire or any preparation for them; the boys began to organise the people into fire fighting groups. Water carts were set around the city for easy access in case of homes or shops being hit with the fire balls.

Most of the buildings in the old city were made of stone or fired brick; they would not burn but the contents could easily set large fires if not controlled; the boys worked hard to make sure that did not happen.

It was almost dark before the first large rock hit the gates; it had bounced first on the soft sand outside the walls and had lost a lot of its power. The gates barely moved and the sound was nothing more than a dull thud as it hit; there were to be many more to come but the great gates held against them all.

When the Taureg arrived at the Eastern gates, the two young Kahlifs met them dressed as Kahlif. Mahmud had told Eventide it would be more politic than dressing as Bedou. The four chiefs of the Taureg had surprised looks on their faces when they saw the small figure of an Infidel dressed as a Kahlif.

Nothing was said directly but the looks of suspicion did not go unnoticed by either boys. The Taureg were let into the city for food and water; the four chiefs were escorted to the great hall for their meeting with the two boys and to find out what they would be doing.

At the first sight of the huge sand map; the four chiefs looked at the two youngsters with a new respect; they had to acknowledge that the two young Kahlifs had put a lot of work and thought into their preparations for the defence of the great city of Wadhi Sufaria.

After looking over the sand map and talking about what they could do to repel the invaders; the four chiefs were treated to a feast along with drink and the inevitable hookah; the discussions continued late into the night.

Outside the palace they could hear the thuds of the fire balls; most landed in the wide streets but a few hit a house or shop but were quickly doused as the people were ready and the fires did not get a chance to take full hold.

When the discussions were finished and the four chiefs had been told that all plunder would belong to them; they were shown to rooms put aside for them; in the morning they would leave with their men and begin their raids far behind the lines of the Infidels.

The Taureg would again leave by the Eastern gate and ride nonstop back through the desert and around the Wadhi until they came out far behind the enemy army; it was hoped the rear attacks would draw more soldiers from the army to protect the supply trains.

It was the second day of the main siege when Marchant arrived in the great hall; with him he carried a small model; after placing it on the table to the side of the sand map; he smiled at the two Kahlifs.

"I think this might do it."

The two boys looked at the small model; it was an unusual looking bow. Mounted on a flat deck with four wheels; the bow was fixed to a square looking block. Down the centre of the block or body of the bow was a deep furrow; the bow was mounted on the top and the string was lying on the block. At the rear was a windlass with a rope and hook to pull back the bow. It looked like a cross with the bow at the top and the body was the upright of the cross. Eventide was the first to speak.

"Where did you come up with the idea and does it work?"

"I took the idea from the Christians cross that they have mounted on a cart outside the Knights' tents; the big one they travelled with. The cart underneath will make it easier to take from one place to the other. We have made ten of them so far and the shafts are being produced by many of the smiths in the city. The bow is reinforced with a metal lathe at the centre; it will give the bow flexibility and power."

"What are you going to call it?" Mahmud asked with interest.

"I don't know; perhaps we should call it after the Christian cross that they are so fond of."

Eventide got a glint in his eye as he saw the inference to the Christian cross.

"That's a good idea; we'll call it a cross bow."

The boys all laughed at the ridiculous name but it seemed to fit the occasion.

"How good is it; and will it have enough range to make a difference and how will you get a full sized one up on the escarpment?"

"We don't know yet what the range is but we did fire one shaft at a target inside the city and it went right through the solid wood without barely losing power; it left a very big hole in the stone wall behind the target. We are going to use as many of the small donkeys that are ridden around the city. The people tell me they are very sure footed and can carry far more than you would think from such a small animal."

"When will you be ready to begin using them?"

"We want to take the first ten up tomorrow morning; the rest will follow if we are successful with those."

"Sounds good; you go ahead and do what you think is right; if nothing else it should scare the enemy."

The next morning, there was a lot of interest from the cities people as they saw Marchant along with a column of loaded donkeys and attendant archers; leave by the Eastern gate. No one apart from those involved knew about the new bows and what they were to be used for.

The bows and other equipment had been broken down to a size the small donkey's could carry; once on top of the Wadhi they would be re-assembled and set for use along the front rim. It had been discussed the night before by the three boys that the shafts may be better off being made from both wood and steel.

The main shaft would now be made from wood and only the tip was to be metal; it would save resources in the city and produce far more useable arrows; or, as Marchant liked to call them; bolts.

Each day the two boys took turns patrolling the parapets; they spent time talking to the guards on duty and asking their opinion on some of the activities of the enemy; it all went to help form a defensive plan.

After the first day of bombardment by the two machines; it was noticed that only the single Trebuchet was used during the day and only the catapult was used at night; it could only mean they were limited with what they could use as projectiles.

On the fourth day of the small bombardment; the two boys received a message from the Eastern gate. A very young Taureg boy was asking to see the two Kahlifs. He was quickly admitted and taken to see the two boys who were waiting for him near the sand map.

Eventide was surprised to see that the boy could not be more than ten years old and yet he carried himself like all the Taureg; he was a warrior and he let everyone know it by his demeanour.

The boy bowed and salaamed to the two young Kahlifs. After being returned the young boy began to relay his message.

"My Father has sent me to warn you and also ask your advice. The Infidels have a new supply train coming; in it they have twenty carts loaded with thick timbers. My Father does not know what they are and would ask what must be done. There is also a very heavy guard of armoured soldiers and Knights with the carts. Do you wish him to attack them or continue on with attacking the softer supplies in other carts?"

The two boys thanked the boy and started to put their heads together; that the twenty carts held replacement siege engines there was little doubt, but what could they do about it. If they asked the Taureg to attack they could lose many men to the armoured guards and this would defeat the purpose of limiting the food and fodder supplies.

Mahmud called for food and water for the boy and had him shown to a room to rest while they worked on the new problem. The only thing they could do was to send one of the Hashin to look over the carts and try to find out what type of machine they carried.

The Taureg were not set up for fire attacks but the extra machines could also be the undoing of the cities defensive wall; it would be a fine balance between success and failure. The final decision was made with regret; they would have to let the carts through and save as many of the Taureg as they could to stay and attack the supply carts. They could not send their allies into certain death with only a small hope of destroying the machines.

That night the young boy left on his camel accompanied by Ishmael on one of Mahmud's finest war camels. The two would travel non-stop to catch up with the main Taureg force and Ishmael would look over the twenty carts; as yet the carts would not reach the city siege for another ten or more days. As they could only move slowly; there was still time to find a solution.

The morning after the two messengers had left; a young man led the file of donkeys back into the city from above; they would be used again to carry supplies and any new bows back up to Marchant and his archers; it was also the signal that Marchant was ready to fully test the new contraptions.

A system of signals had been arranged with Marchant; both for the tests and for when they were used in combat. A white flag was for a test with the metal bolts; a red flag was for the new wooden bolts with the steel tips. A green flag was to signal that Marchant was going to try for the siege engines with fire bolts and a black flag was for troops.

Both boys were up on the parapets when they saw the white flag being waved; they answered with one of their own. Marchant was going to fire only one bow at a time to see the range and accuracy of the new bows; if they were successful then they would look at how best to use them.

Far out on the plain, the boys could see the enemy hard at work making new barricades and trenches; they were being dug fifty paces closer to the walls; it appeared as though the enemy had not changed its plans from old.

It was a tactic used when laying siege to a fortified position; the trenches and barricades would creep closer and closer until they were within striking distance. The siege barricades would then protect the enemy archers while they fired at the guards high up on the walls. The boys hoped the new cross bows would be an effective counter stroke; that the enemy could manufacture long ladders to mount the walls there was little doubt.

Slowly the enemy plan of attack became more set; it was as though they also were following the old tried and true ways that Eventide had read about; he now knew he had a definite advantage by being prepared from Freeman's library.

After they answered the white flag; the boys watched high up on top of the Wadhi wall; it did not take long before they saw the black bolt fly from the high cliffs; the power surprised those watching as the metal bolt flew straight and true towards the enemy lines.

When it hit the ground with a fine spurt of sand flying high in the morning stillness; those watching almost cheered; the heavy steel bolt was no more than twenty or so paces short of the rear most barricade; with practice and using the lighter wooden bolts; there was a good chance of reaching the two machines in the rear; it was a good sign.

Down on the plains there was little notice taken by the enemy; only the few close to where the bolt landed seemed surprised at the sudden appearance of such a large weapon in their midst. The single metal bolt was soon ignored as no others appeared and the enemy workers went back to their task of creating a new trench and barricade.

It took a little while for Marchant to signal he was ready to fire one of the new wooden bolts; he had needed the time to reset the angle of the heavy cross bow and find the right elevation for distance; his years as a Reaches bowman now came into play.

Some little time later; the two boys watched as the red flag was waved up on the cliff top; as soon as they answered; they watched the new wooden bolt fly towards the enemy lines. It took everything they had not to cheer as they saw the single bolt fly just past the Catapult; had they been amongst the enemy lines they would have heard the dismay from the troops manning the catapult as the large wooden bolt flew past them and buried itself into the soft sand behind their machine.

Mahmud had one of the guards wave the black flag to let Marchant know not to fire anymore until the time was right; they had all the answers they needed for now and did not want to warn the enemy too soon of what they had in mind.

Since the start of the bombardment by the Trebuchet; the guards had been timing how long it took to reload the machine; they also took note of every shot and where it landed. It soon became obvious the Trebuchet was not very accurate as each rock would weigh differently from the other and the shape also made it twist or turn different from the one previous.

There was little doubt that a large number would be dangerous but; if there were only a few then it was a case of hit and miss; the new cross bow was another matter; once Marchant had his settings from one cross bow; he could set all the others to the same; it gave them greater accuracy and could now hopefully inflict far more damage than the siege machines.

One part of the plan was for the approaching barricades to be left untouched until they were well within striking distance of the long bows; it was decided to let the enemy approach to three hundred paces before they would take action; the longer they delayed, the more work the enemy had to do and it would all make them have to use supplies and water to keep the workers healthy and it would run their supplies low.

At three hundred paces; the enemy bowmen would still be short of an effective range for the Persian bows but the long bow could almost pick them off at will without reply. From now on it was a waiting game but the time would not be wasted; they still had the new carts to worry about and find a plan to disable or destroy them.

Seven days later; when Ishmael reappeared at the Eastern gate with his report; there had been another thirty cross bows made and transported up to Marchant's post on the high cliffs; the supply of the newer and lighter wooden bolts was now a lot larger and each day the stock pile grew.

Ishmael reported that the carts were carrying what looked like fifteen new Trebuchet and five more catapults; they would now be only three or four days away; add a few days for them to be assembled and they could look at being under bombardment in less than ten days. It was time to get Marchant ready to use his new weapon.

They all knew the walls could still withstand a long pounding, even with the new Trebuchets being employed; but it could not last forever; they would need to damage or destroy as many as they could whenever the opportunity arose; it would be up to Marchant and his archers to cause that destruction if possible.

Later on that night; the report from their three brothers that went out each night to watch the camp gave them a little hope. It seemed the continual attacks by the Taureg were starting to have an effect on the moral of the enemy. Food was being rationed and the animals were being fed only in the evenings as fodder was not getting through.

The three brothers also reported that a number of troops had left the camp in what appeared to be a guarding action for the supply trains. The next good news was that the brothers had now seen enough of the water train to the small defile to have a good pattern of their actions. This was the sort of fighting the brothers fully understood; it would be their job to harass the water column each day; the more damage they could do to the water carts the better off they would all be and the worse off the enemy would be.

It was Marchant that saw the first of the new siege machine carts arrive in the enemy camp; from his high vantage point he had been able to see them before those below in the city; the two boys decided it was time to take action and begin a few small attacks of their own; they had had enough of waiting and watching; it was time to take offensive action.

The water carts left the encampment each morning just as the sun was rising; the trip to the defile took less than half an hour and the filling of the many carts took the best part of four hours; it was usually midday before they began the trip back to camp.

The biggest danger was the closeness of the main camp; any attack on the carts would have to be a quick hit and run then retreat. It was decided to hit the carts as they stopped at the defile to fill the wooden casks that they used as water tanks.

The casks were large and unwieldy but, if they could be damaged or better yet; destroyed, then it would make for a better result and cause more problems for the enemy; it would also cause them to use more men to guard the carts on any future foray to the defile; there was one thing left that they could do when it became too dangerous to attack the carts.

In one of the warehouses in the city was a large supply of salt blocks; it had been decided that, when it was no longer feasible to attack the carts they would load the pool with salt; with such a high concentration of salt it would make it undrinkable until the new water could dissolve enough of the salt to make it safe once again.

The use of the salt was to be the final solution to the water needs of the enemy; until then they would repeat their attacks until forced to use that solution. One of the court mathematicians had worked out that it would take at least ten days for the water to become drinkable.

Ten days in the desert without water was almost a death sentence and only a very strict rationing would save the enemy army; their weakness would be exploited in any way the two Kahlifs could think of.

The timing of the first attack on the water carts was set for the same morning that the new siege engines started to be used; it would be the signal for an all out attack on the carts; the hope was that all the enemy would be more interested in watching the results of the extra machines and not watching the carts.

The enemy seemed to be unaware that the carts could be a target; they were safely behind the lines and none of the defenders could break out of the city without being seen by the army camped around it. The enemy strategists could not have been aware of the true potential of the city and its long history as the gateway to the Emir's lands.

The city had been built many, many, years ago with one purpose; to hold the gateway to the eastern lands of the caravans and all the trade they produced for the wealth of the desert lands.

The first barrage from the sixteen Trebuchet was something entirely different from just one single one. The Trebuchet fired one after another but the large rocks seemed to all be in the air at the same time. While the number was threatening, their inaccuracy took away some of the fear that those watching on top of the walls as the rocks flew towards them.

All the rocks hit the walls but did little damage; the range of five hundred paces took a lot off their ability to do damage at that range. The six catapults were now dragged forward to the first line of the trenches; they were not used but saved for the night attacks; unknown to the catapult soldiers; they were now well within the range of Marchant's new cross bows.

It was planned to not use the bows until the enemy thought they were safe enough to also move the Trebuchet closer giving the defenders a better chance of hitting them with the heavy bolts. Marchant's bows would be kept secret until the last moment.

The third line of trenches was also now underway; the heavy wooden siege shields were already in place and only the earthworks needed to be completed. The soldiers would be well within the range of the far more powerful long bows of the defenders, but they were allowed to work and think they were safe at three hundred paces.

The distance was extreme for the Persian bows but well within the range of the long bow; the enemy would not know what had hit them when they came under such a heavy attack from eight hundred long bowmen.

As they watched the third barrage of rocks fly their way; Mahmud nudged Eventide and pointed towards the rear of the enemy camp; it did not take much to notice the thick plume of black smoke rising high into the still air; the brothers had had some success; how much, they would not know until their brothers returned to the city; that would not be until the darkness of night let them sneak through the enemy lines and use the hidden entrance into the city; until then they would disappear into the desert and wait out the day.

The continual bombardment by the Trebuchet was still doing little damage to the thick strong walls of the city; even the enemy did not think it would make any difference for quite some time to come; all they could do was continue day after day and hope the final reward would come and the gates would either fall or open due to starvation. It was a normal type of siege and could last as long as food and water held out.

There was little doubt by the defenders that, at some stage; the enemy would try to force the walls with ladders or some other form of assault that the enemy hoped would succeed.

The losses to the attackers were always high when a frontal assault was done in this way but it had been a form of attack used over years and no one had thought of any other way.

Most of the tactics of the defenders; relied on Eventide's long hours of reading the books and scrolls in Freeman's library; so far that information had been correct and he had little doubt that it would remain that way. His own strategies were unheard of and that; he hoped; would give them the advantage over the huge numbers of the enemy out on the plains.

After five days of bombardment; the enemy decided to get more power into their Trebuchets and catapults. It was early in the morning on the tenth day that the two Kahlifs watched as the siege machines were pushed by hand and rolled to the trench line that marked the four hundred paces limit. Unknown to the enemy; they were now well within the range of Marchant's new bows.

Marchant had not fired a single bolt at the enemy after the first test shot of the metal bolt and the second ranging shot of the modified wooden bolt; it was hoped that the enemy would have forgotten all about them; the movement of the machines was a signal that they had not even thought about the strange arrows; it was time for the next surprise.

During the long days of the bombardment; the small donkeys had worked tirelessly going back and forth to the top of the Wadhi. Each load was carefully packed and Marchant now had fifty of the new devices lined up along the rim.

Next to each strange bow as a large pile of wooden bolts each with a metal tip and, around the shaft just behind the metal tip was a thick band of course cloth. Every cloth wrap was covered in the thick black tar from the oozing sands.

It was the catapults that caused the most damage; at night it was a veritable fire storm as the huge round balls of fire flew over the walls and crashed in a spectacular shower of sparks and fire into the town. It was fortunate that the catapults did not have the range to reach the main palaces and it was here that the two Kahlifs sent those of the city that were most vulnerable.

The men, boys and militia of the city stayed to fight any fires that broke out as a result of the fire balls. Now that the machines had been moved to well within the range of the new bows; it was time to hit back; Eventide sent the message to Marchant.

'Begin the counter attack'

The first target of the bows would to the catapults; every one of the new cross bows was to be aimed at destroying the catapults and then turn on the Trebuchets.

The two boys and most of the soldiery of the city were up on top of the walls to watch the first attack of the new bows. Marchant had decided to leave it until late in the day before firing his first bolts; by then the sun would be low in the sky and right in the eyes of the enemy if they tried to look up at the cliff top.

Everyone on the top of the wall watched as slight movement was spied on top of the cliff; until this time the bows had been kept well back from the rim so the enemy could not see what was going on.

Marchant rolled his bows to the very edge and, those below watched as an archer on each bow carried a fire brand to the front and lit the tar soaked cloth; when all bolts were alight and the thick black smoke was spiralling up into the late afternoon sky; Marchant gave one last look at the array of huge siege machines far out and below him on the wide plain.

The watchers on the walls barely heard the loud call from the cliff top as Marchant gave the order to fire. It was like some celebration spectacle when the watchers saw the fifty bolts take to the air with a trail of black smoke behind them and a flicker of red flame under the smoke.

The bolts flew far faster than the watchers thought they would; it took everyone by surprise how quickly the bolts suddenly began to slam into the ground around the six catapults but, not all of them missed. There were enough bolts in the air and Marchant's talents with a bow and how to sight them was enough to have more than twenty of the fire bolts slam into and stay fast on the six wooden catapults.

The enemy had no chance to save their six catapults as they had not even thought it was possible for the defenders to attack them; that and the lack of water to put out the fires meant they could only watch in dismay as the six wooden engines caught and then began to burn unhindered.

The loud roar from the mass of defenders at the top of the wall echoed over the plains as the six engines burnt stronger and stronger until they were a furious tower of flames.

While this was going on; Eventide watched as the enemy began to understand that the catapults were not the only thing in range of this new weapon. Loud yells and orders echoed over the suddenly silent plains as the enemy began to organise the withdrawal of their remaining machines; Marchant had no intention of letting them get away or at least stopping and destroying as many as he could hit.

After the first feeling or euphoria at seeing the six catapults burst into flames and begin to burn like funeral pyres; Marchant called for reloads. The enemy had not even got their Trebuchets rolling when the next fifty fire bolts began to land amongst them.

Enemy soldiers were trying to douse the flames as best they could with hands full of sand and flapping clothes or coats; little did they know that the black tar made it almost impossible to kill the fire once it had taken hold; their efforts were useless against the foul smelling tar.

Four Trebuchet were hit and in flames after the second barrage. The panic out on the plains was easy to see as more fire bolts flew through the air towards the machines as the enemy soldiers tried desperately to get them moving away from the deadly attack from the evening sky.

There was chaos and disorder in the enemy ranks as they tried desperately to bring up horse to pull the remaining Trebuchet out of the line of fire from the new weapons; even as they struggled with horses that did not want to be close to the towering fires of the catapults; three Trebuchet were hit by the next volley of bolts.

While it was possible to put out one or two of the fire bolts; the sheer number of accurately fired bolts that hit each Trebuchet made it impossible to stop the fires. Marchant had his archers all firing at only two or three targets at the same time; this way he could score many hits on one target with a higher likely-hood of their destruction. His plan worked well and; when the last of the Trebuchet were underway; there were only nine of them moving and not in flames.

The cheers from the high walls rang out over the darkening plains as they watched the retreating machines; some still showed the marks of a hit on their singed frames; Marchant's idea had been a total success; the Trebuchet were now pulled well back out of what they hoped was the range of the new weapon.

The Trebuchet could still fire their heavy rocks at the walls but the extra distance now made it harder for them to do heavy damage; what few knew was that the new cross bows had more in them and the expertise of Marchant as a bowman would make the difference in the days to come.

As had been agreed by the parties involved with the new weapon; Marchant would now once again dismantle thirty of the new bows and have them transported back to the city; the others would stay up on the cliffs to continue with other targets.

Those dismantled would be then set up on the walls of the city to counter any attacks from the enemy; they all knew that the enemy would eventually have to try to attack the walls with ladders and battering rams; it was then the new bows would come into their own.

Above the main gate on the wall; the large metal pots of oil stood waiting; the fires under them were kept burning at just enough temperature to make it easy to increase the heat once an attack started. It was expected that the destruction of the catapults and the ineffectiveness of the Trebuchet would spur the Christians to attack the walls sooner rather than later.

When the members of the brotherhood returned to the city via the hidden passageway; the news they carried told of a complete success. The carts had not been guarded; the enemy had no reason to even think that they would be attacked so far behind their lines. The destruction of the water carts had been total, not a single cart escaped and only a handful of the drivers had got away to report back to the enemy camp.

The plan was for the enemy to be left alone for a while until they thought it was only a one off attack; once the two Kahlifs thought the enemy were again a little lax; they would send out another attack on the water carts.

Reports till came in from the Taureg about their successes on the supply train; they also noted for the Kahlif that the number of guards had increased dramatically on the supply trains. It took only a change in tactics for the Taureg to still have a dramatic effect on supplies.

It had now been a month since the beginning of the siege; without the catapults to fire their dangerous fire balls into the city; things had improved; the Trebuchet now had an even harder task to damage the great walls; the increased distance made for less effective damage and accuracy.

It had come to a stalemate; those inside the walls still had the use of the Eastern gate to have supplies brought into the city and water would never be a problem as they had long developed deep wells within the walls; it was the enemy that was under the most pressure to keep their supplies coming.

It was only two days after the last of the cross bows had been set up on the walls when the guards sent a report to the two Kahlifs.

"My Lords," the soldier said as he knelt in the great hall. "The enemy is massing behind the siege shields; what are your orders?"

Mahmud answered the soldier with short sharp orders.

"Have the trumpets sounded; call all archers to the wall and have the oil pots heated to their fullest. Send a message to Captain Marchant; he will be needed on the walls and have all other forces formed up ready to repel the attackers. The reserves are to form up below the walls and close to the gate."

The soldier bowed and left at a run; the time had arrived for the first attempt at breaching their walls and the two boys were not about to let that happen; their plans for close combat in the defence of the city were now ready to be set in motion.

At one end of the wall, Marchant had had a tall pole set up; at the top was a round block and a rope ran from top to bottom. On a table set up below the pole sat two long banners; a soldier stood beside the table waiting for Marchant's orders. The two Kahlifs now found out why he had asked for it to be stood there.

"So Marchant; why the pole?"

"It is so I can tell the archers up on the cliff what I want, My Liege."

"How so?"

"The green banner is for fire bolts; the red is for no fire; we will use them against the siege shields and to disrupt the movements of the foot soldiers."

The two boys looked out on the plain; the numbers of the gathering enemy almost made them gasp. Row upon row of armed men were gathering behind the heavy siege shields. Mounted Knights were riding back and forth as they formed their men into large phalanx; the dust in the air was slightly obscuring the mass of men at arms as they formed up.

The reflection of the bright sun on the thousands of shields could be seen from afar. Behind the first phalanx was the large machine with the shields covering the top; it was the heavy battering ram that would attack the main gates once the soldiers began to mount the long ladders to the top of the walls.

For a little while it seemed that the whole plain was holding its breath; there was little noise from the massed ranks of the enemy and the defenders on the wall stood silently; it was as though they had all agreed to have a moments silence before the killing began.

It was as though an agreed signal had been given as to when the fighting would start and Marchant was the means of that signal. In the silent stillness of that midmorning day; the soft sound of the thin rope running through the roller at the top of the pole appeared to be that signal.

As the red banner ran up the pole to signal those bows up on the cliff to use plain bolts; the soft squeaking of the wooden block seemed to echo over the silent plain as if it was a trumpet; the squeak of the block seemed to be the signal for the enemy to start yelling and calling their battle cries.

Before the massed ranks could move; the sound of powerful bows filled the morning air and the sight of the heavy bolts were seen speeding towards the line of heavy siege shields. The bolts were the signal for all hell to break loose. From the top of the wall came Marchant's order for the long bowmen to fire.

It was as though an anger had been released as the fresh morning air filled with the hum of nearly eight hundred bows all firing in unison; it was the first of many as the sky became filled with the flying death.

The long arrows fell in a torrent into the massed ranks of the waiting foot soldiers; their lighter armour seemed to make no difference or afford any security as the ranks below the wall began to thin as holes appeared in the ranks. The arrows became like a cloud in the sky as the archers fired as fast as they were able to pull another shaft from the large baskets by their sides.

Screams of pain and suffering echoed over the sands as the first scent of fresh blood wafted towards the defenders high up on the walls. The enemy had little to reply with; their catapults were now ashes and not there to be brought into play but would have been ineffectual against the massed fire of nearly eight hundred well drilled archers.

High above the plains, the new cross bows took toll on the siege shields, many were split and almost useless for hiding the waiting foot soldiers; the heavy bolts were like a lightning bolt as they began to pass right through the thick shields and skewer those soldiers hiding behind them.

The defenders on top of the wall watched as there came a lull in the bows from the Wadhi rim; minutes later they began again; Marchant had run up the black flag; the fire bolts were now on their way towards the battering ram while others were raised even further and fired at the far off Trebuchets.

On the parapet the heavy cross bows began to also fire at the remaining siege shields with fire bolts. With the massed bolts aimed at the shields; it was not long before they were all ablaze. The Trebuchet were a little luckier because of their distance but even the threat of the bows was enough for them to be hitched to waiting horses and dragged far away and out of range; it also meant the Trebuchet could no longer range the walls.

Marchant used his archers to perfection as the heavy cross bows returned to normal bolts and targeted the soldiers; the siege shields were turning out to be almost ineffective against this new weapon as more men fell mortally wounded.

The enemy ordered their own bowmen to fire but the distance for the shorter Persian bows was just too much to be effective; their next decision became almost a slaughter as the enemy urged their bowmen forward to get within range; even with soldiers carrying heavy shields to protect the enemy archers, it was still a slaughter. The moment they stepped out from the shields to fire; the massed archers on the wall took them down.

No one on the wall could tell if the next orders of the enemy were from frustration, desperation, foolhardiness or plain ignorance but the result was not good for the enemy.

To those on the wall watching; it appeared as though ten thousand foot soldiers erupted from the plains. On one arm they carried their shields high to protect them from the rain of death falling from the sky; in the other hand they carried long ladders in the hope of laying them on the wall to mount to the parapets and engage the defenders hand to hand.

Amongst the racing mass of soldiery, the defenders saw the strange battering ram being pushed by more than a hundred men that were protected by the mass of metal shields fitted on top of the machine.

The heavy cross bows on the wall changed angle and tried to stop the ram from reaching the gates but the metal shields made it difficult to penetrate. The enemy did suffer losses but not enough to slow the progress of the ram; Eventide ordered the fires of the oil pots above the gate to be increased; it was not long before they were starting to bubble.

Marchant's long bowmen lowered their aim to fire at the advancing horde; even with their shields high; the enemy suffered great losses and yet they came on; it seemed in sheer desperation knowing that once close to the walls the bowmen would find it harder to fire at them and their own archers would be well within range to fire upward.

The enemy officers urged their men forward; many were killed or wounded but they kept coming; their only hope was to reach the walls and try to fight their way upward; Eventide called for all the pots to be brought to full heat and long poles were made ready to push the ladders off the wall.

Below them the air became thick with dust and the smell of death; that strange, strong smell of blood now permeated every breath a man took and the screams of the wounded filled the defenders ears with a sound like screeching birds of prey.

The dust rose around the attackers as they tried to get close to the walls to use their ladders; the sheer numbers made it possible for many to reach their objective; even the slow moving battering ram was now close enough that it would soon start its attempt to destroy the great gates.

The defenders took a deep breath; the time was at hand to see if all their preparations had been worth it. Marchant's bowmen were now having to lean over the parapet to fire down into the enemy below; it was the most dangerous time as the enemy bowmen could now return fire; Marchant called his men back to continue firing at those reinforcements following behind the main thrust.

The long ladders took thirty men to carry; many fell but their places were soon taken by others as they pushed forward. Mahmud called to his light cavalry to prepare; when the chance arose; they would be let through the gates to attack the foot soldiers near the gate and then retreat back inside; it would be a desperate chance and only used as a last resort if those on the wall were being pushed too hard.

The ladders began to fall against the wall and the foot soldiers took to the climb. The walls were high and the climb was difficult while under continuous fire from the archers above. Before the first soldiers could reach the top of the ladder; Eventide gave the order for the oil pots to be tipped. The rain of boiling oil fell in a torrent on those below; even those waiting for their turn to climb did not escape as the hot liquid rained down on them.

Burned men fell from the ladders and yet it was not yet over; with a loud shout, Eventide ordered fire brands to be thrown down into the hot oil. All along the wall became a raging fire filled with the screams of the dying and the thick smell of burning flesh; ;those ladders that were not fired, were pushed off the wall with the long poles and the men on them fell to their deaths on top of those waiting below.

The battering ram had reached the gates and, as soon as the first blow was struck on the gates; Eventide ordered the oil pots above the gates to be tipped and then set fire to once the ram was doused in the hot oil; those underneath the protection of the heavy shields did not escape the oil or the fire; a few ran but were cut down by archers as the ram sat alone like a grave marker and burnt like a beacon.

The enemy began to run in retreat leaving behind so many dead and wounded that below the high walls looked like a charnel house. The defenders had not got off without their own losses; Marchant was to find he had lost nearly a hundred archers but the losses to those waiting to repel the foot soldiers had fared better as they had not got to the hand to hand fighting and were able to stay out of sight of most of the enemy archers. None of the enemy breached the wall; their first defence had been a huge success.

Out on the plain the retreat continued and Eventide ordered his men to let them go; there had been enough death on this morning. The retreating enemy were helping stragglers and wounded as they pulled back to their lines. The Knights on their great war horses could only watch as their first attack on the walls became a rout; it was obvious that their way forward was going to be far more difficult than they first thought. It was hard for them to think that only two young teens could have put up such a defence in the face of staggering odds.

Eventide called for water and food for those who would stay on guard when most of the others began to descend to take sustenance in a cooler place and away from the heavy smell of death that rose from below the wall.

Eventide was just about to leave the wall and join Mahmud for his own refreshment when one of the guards called for him and pointed out onto the plain.

Eventide turned to look in the direction of the pointing guard; far out on the plain was a single rider holding a white flag as he rode towards the smudged walls surrounded by the dead. Eventide called for the guards to hold their fire and let the rider come closer.

Once he was below the walls; Eventide saw he was an officer of the Templars; after checking that no enemy archers were waiting to ambush him; Eventide leaned out and asked the rider what he wanted; the rider; although he had a look of anger on his face; asked if the defenders would agree to a meeting to discuss a temporary truce so that the enemy could recover their dead and wounded.

Eventide thought for a few seconds and then called back that the one of the Kahlifs would meet with officers of the enemy to make a short truce in one hour; the rider acknowledge the reply and agreed that in one hour, Knights would come forward to talk; he then turned his horse and rode back to the enemy lines while Eventide left the wall to talk with Mahmud while he ate and drank.

It was decided that Eventide would meet the men below the walls and Mahmud would watch closely from above; they would form up their men on the walls in case it was some kind of trap; neither boy trusted the Templars and the rest were also not to be trusted.

When the time was up; Mahmud went to the top of the wall and looked out at a small canvas covering set on four posts about fifty paces from the main gate. Behind the small semi tent sat ten Knights on horseback and a man in black robes; behind them were twenty mounted men who looked like officers.

Below Mahmud and inside the gate; Eventide sat on Shaitan with another fifty cavalry in two ranks behind him as his escort. Eventide was now dressed in his best Kahlif's clothes; the gold thread on the white cloth shimmered in the sunshine as he moved. At his signal, the gates were opened and Eventide led his men through and towards the waiting Knights.

When he got close enough; Eventide saw that the Knights had set their swords upright in the sand outside the semi tent and were standing waiting for him to arrive; there seemed no intent to cause a problem with the truce talks; after all, it was their men that lay around the walls.

Eventide rode through the carnage and towards the waiting men; once he was close enough he stopped and dismounted while his own guard took up station close enough to cause a rescue if things turned bad.

Eventide walked towards the tent and; as he stepped into the shade the Knights stepped forward behind the man in black. A small table and two stools had been placed under the covering and the man in black sat on the stool on his side of the table while Eventide took the other; the Knights stayed standing behind the man in black.

It was plain to see that the man in black did not quite believe what he saw in front of him; the look of suspicion on the man's face at seeing such a young boy sitting opposite him was hard to reconcile with the slaughter of the morning; it was almost as though he thought this was a joke by the Kahlifs to belittle him. The man was the first to speak.

"I am Bishop Ferranti of the holy order of Jesuits and the representative of the Holy Roman Church; who am I addressing?"

"I am Eventide, Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria. What is it you wish?"

"You are the Kahlif? How could this be so; you are only a boy; is this some joke to belittle the followers of the true church?"

"No, I am one of the Kahlifs. Now enough of this; what is it you want from us?"

Eventide saw some of the Knights place their hands where their swords would have been had they not placed them outside the tent; Eventide smiled at some of the Knights and then turned back to the Bishop.

After a little splutter of disbelief, the Bishop looked hard at the young teen; he still found it difficult to think of this boy as being one of the master minds of the defence of the city. The Bishop's voice was still sceptical but he had no one else to talk to about the truce; he decided to continue and hope for the best but he was not pleased and Eventide could pick that up from his voice.

"We, the army of the Holy Church would ask for a truce so we can collect our dead and wounded and treat them with the respect that fallen soldiers deserve without any attempt at attack by the city."

"If we agreed to a truce it would not be us that broke it. I have discussed this with my brother Kahlif and we have decided to allow you to do as you wish but; any breach of the truce will bring a heavy price down on your heads. We will desist from firing upon any man who is working below the wall until dark falls; after that then any soldier approaching these walls will be seen as an attack. I suggest you clear the dead below the walls first."

"Are you trying to dictate terms with me young man?"

"Those are the terms; if you wish I can withdraw them and we can let the dead rot in the sun or be eaten by the desert animals; it means nothing to us; they are your dead not ours."

The Bishop was surprised by the determined and somewhat callous sound of the boy's voice; it was true; they needed this truce more than the defenders; he would have to agree although he didn't like a bit of it.

"Very good, we will retire and have our men come forward to collect the dead and wounded; if there is nothing else."

"One thing more; make sure the men you send are unarmed; any sign of a weapon and we will consider the truce ended; also you may want to think about a full retreat and return to your own lands; this is the lands of the Emir Saed Ben Haman; your losses will only grow if you stay."

"Mark my words young man; you cannot stand against the Holy Church; we will take Sufaria and then Jerusalem; it is God's will."

Eventide stood up and then smiled at the Bishop.

"Then I hope your god and church have a good supply of men for they will need them; leave these lands now and you will live; stay and there is only certain death; this I will swear on my honour."

"Honour! What would a young boy who has turned his back on his own people to live among these Saracens know about honour?"

Eventide looked at the Bishop and then smiled as he took a small roll of parchment from his robe. He had prepared it earlier just in case this very situation came up; he was glad that he had thought of it now.

Without a word, Eventide gave the small roll of parchment to the bishop and then turned and left the tent without another word; once mounted on Shaitan he led his men back through the gates; everyone watching could see a wide smile on his lips as the gates were closed and barred.

Down on the plain, the bishop looked in bewilderment at the small roll of parchment; before he could unroll it to read; his Knights called for him to retire so their men could reclaim the dead; the Bishop put the parchment in his own robe and turned to where his horse awaited him. There would be time later to see what the boy had written.

Mahmud had arranged for the physicians to look over the wounded and also prepare the dead for burial while he waited for Eventide's return; once both boys were together again; Eventide related to his brother all that had transpired at the meeting; he also told him about the scroll; both boys laughed when Eventide told Mahmud about the Bishop's attitude and the resulting parchment.

In the enemy camp there was a sense of defeat but the Knights would not let it set in and ordered the men out to reclaim their dead and wounded; it would be a long day for them under the hot sun and threat from high on the walls they had tried to take and lost.

In the Bishop's tent, a gathering of Knights stood around the Bishop's table as he unrolled the small parchment; after looking over the document he looked up at the surrounding Knights; his face told them something was not good as a bead of sweat that was not from the heat of the day, appeared on the man's forehead.

"What is it My Lord Bishop?" one of the Knights asked.

The Bishop threw the parchment down on the table and let the closest Knight read it. This was not the sort of trouble they wanted while most of the army was in the Holy Land.

The parchment read:

To His Holiness the Pope.

Sir, your army has invaded the lands of the Emir Saed Ben Haman; it is my duty to defend these lands as a Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria. Should your army continue to fight and not retreat to their own lands then there will never be peace between our people. If this be so then your army will face total destruction in the desert. From this day forward, our one duty will be to see the destruction of all your armies.

I ask once more for the sake of your men at arms; call the retreat.

I am,

Shaitan Bin Izurak, Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria

Prince Eventide Carliegh of the Royal Blood of the Iceni bound by oath to His Highness the King of England

Baronet Eventide Tremaine; Son and heir of Baron Freeman Tremaine of Lancaster and Flanders.

Eventide had felt guilty about using all those titles but he wanted to let them know who they were fighting and what may happen. If it caused them to retreat without further bloodshed; then his efforts and dislike for all the titles would have paid off. He could only wait and see; the more of his men he could save the better.

The Knights looked at the titles and felt a shiver run up their backs. If even half the boy's claims were true then they could soon find themselves having to face the might of the English armies as well as those of the Emir. It was time to decide who they owed allegiance to. If they were to be the cause of a war with the English at the same time as fighting the Saracens; there could be a lot to lose. They would have to contact His Holiness for further instructions. The city would have to wait for the Popes decision on the matter.

Chapter 10
The Final Battle

Eventide and Mahmud were on the top of the walls watching the last of the enemy dead be carried away. They had seen the same work being carried out all through the night and now; during the early morning; they watched the last of the bodies disappear towards the far off pyres that burned to one side of the enemy encampment.

As they watched, a gate guard from the Eastern gate arrived with a message.

"My Kahlif, the Taureg have returned in force and ask to meet with you."

"Show their headman to the great hall and find food and drink for his men," Mahmud told the guard. The two boys left the wall and returned to the great hall to wait for their visitor. Even Mahmud was intrigued as to why the whole Taureg army would come back now; they had been a real force out on the wild sands.

The boys sat and waited on their chairs; it was not long before the Captain of the guard arrived with the four elder Taureg; one of them stepped forward and salaamed.

"Kahlif; I am Achmed Ben Sou and am the spokesman for our people. We have come to tell you that we must return to our homes. The time of the Khamsin is close and we wish to take our men and goods back before it strikes. We give you this promise that in sixty days we will return to help you drive the Infidels from our lands. As proof of my word, I will leave the one thing that I prize above all else as proof of our intention to return; I will leave my eldest son in your care."

Mahmud took up the reply; he was far more used to dealing with the Taureg than Eventide.

"Achmed Ben Sou; I am well aware that our peoples have not always been at peace; but what you and your men have done to slow the caravans of the Infidels tells me more than old enmities. As a sign of our trust in you and your men; we would not ask you to leave a son who is so valuable to your family. To show good intentions on our side; we will accept your word as spokesman that you and your men will return to help repel the Infidels when the Khamsin is over."

"That is very generous of the Kahlif; even though you are Bedou you show great trust in us and our word. We will return to help you fight the Infidels in sixty days; that is my word and the word of all Taureg."

The four Taureg salaamed and left the hall. Eventide turned to Mahmud and asked him.

"What is this fifty you were talking about?"

"Fifty? Oh yes, the Khamsin. While the word means fifty it also means the time of great sand storms. They last for fifty days on and off so hence the name. They are a terrible storm of hot wind and driving sand. Should you be caught out when it starts it can scour the very skin and meat off a man and leave only bones. I had forgotten the month and should have thought of it; if nothing else we will have the weather on our side for some time to come. I wonder if our enemies out on the plain know what is coming."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Oh yes my brother; if the Infidels do not take cover they will lose many men and horses to the Khamsin. It may be that the great winds do us a favour; we will have to wait and see."

Mahmud took over for the next few days as he set about readying the city for the first of the Khamsin. Out on the plains it was plainly obvious the enemy were again readying for another attempt on the walls.

The spies from the city had reported that more enemy troops were arriving daily and the army was now as great as it was at the beginning; there seemed no end to their reinforcements. The city got ready for another attack. The Trebuchet had been moved as close as they could get without being torn apart by the cross bows and their fire bolts.

Each day that new troops arrived to bolster the enemy numbers, so did more siege machines; the bombardments now continued day and night as those inside the walls took shelter from the rain of large rocks; it was fortunate the enemy had not returned to bringing up more catapults to throw the fire balls.

On the tenth day of the bombardment; the morning dawned still and silent; there was a feeling in the air that Eventide could not put his finger on; whether it was the total silence or the stillness; the city and plains felt eerie until a sudden hot blast of morning air swept over the eastern walls.

Eventide turned to the East as he felt the heated wind, what he saw made his mouth drop open and his heart quicken. The worry over the massed ranks of the enemy getting ready to charge the walls was forgotten as he looked to the East; even the cries and yells of the charging enemy could not pull his eyes away from the vision.

All around him Eventide could hear the men firing arrows and preparing for the ladder assault; the oil pots were at full heat and ready to be tipped as soon as the enemy soldiers hit the wall but Eventide's eyes were elsewhere; had it not been for one of the soldiers throwing up his shield to protect Eventide; the boy would have been skewered and yet he could not take his eyes off the red wall that was approaching the city at great speed; far faster than anything he had seen before.

Mahmud turned as he heard the roar from behind; without further thought; Mahmud called out as loud as he could to his troops.

"Khamsin, Khamsin; tip the pots and take cover below; forget the enemy, they will not survive to climb the walls."

Eventide could still not get the picture of the roiling mass of windswept sand that was higher than the very walls of the Wadhi from his mind; the roar of the wind now filled his ears and the first hot blast of sand drove him below the walls. The thousands of enemy soldiers attempting to take the wall was forgotten as he ran for cover.

Day turned to night as the full force of the massive sand wall hit the city; every man, woman and child had a covering over their mouth and nose as they ran for shelter in any building they could reach before the door closed.

Outside the walls the terrible sand storm hit the enemy troops who had seen the men run from the walls as they neared; their cries and yells of victory were soon blown away by the hot wind and sand filled air as their victory cries turned to ones of choking fear and desperation.

Ten thousand men had attacked the walls; less than a thousand made it back to the camp; most by sheer luck as they ran with the wind; many of them lost their sight as the terrible scouring sands blinded them.

In the encampment; the Knights and soldiers left there saw the huge storm coming and, those that could; took what cover they could in the short time they had available to them before the Khamsin hit with the force of a giant battering ram.

Tents were destroyed; animals ran wildly away to find cover where ever they could; banners were torn to shreds and nothing was left but waving strands. Paint was scoured from every surface whether metal or wood. The screams of hurt and dying men filled the air with their cries but it was hopeless; the Khamsin did not have favourites and the screams could not be heard above the roar of the wind; even the crashing of the Trebuchet as they were knocked over was not heard; many being broken as their towering size and weight crashed to the ground only to be scoured by the blasting sands.

Food and water supplies were destroyed or buried under the weight of the sand that was blowing through the plains; carts overturned or crashed into each other as the wind built until it deafened every man who could still make sense of anything. For those that survived it was to be talked about in hushed whispers many years later, as the most terrifying four hours they had ever experienced.

None of the enemy knew that this was just the first of many that were to come out of the southern desert although they did learn to prepare as best they could sometime later. Sixty thousand Christian soldiers and Knights had gathered to take Sufaria and; in one single sand storm they were cut to less than forty thousand; they had also lost nearly every cart with their food and water supplies. The tops of only three tents could be seen above the loose sand; the rest having been destroyed or totally buried.

It would be some time before the enemy would realise they had very few animals left; the city had been given a reprieve as it would take the enemy at least a month to recover from the beating they had taken at the hands of the Khamsin, but they did not have a month before the next one arrived.

Inside the city; once the sand storm had passed; everyone went about the business of clearing the streets of the mass of sand blown in by the wind; this was a yearly event and they knew just what had to be done. Eventide was worried for the men up on the top of the Wadhi and their large cross bows; had they had time to take cover or had they all been lost? It was Marchant that took some men with him to try for the small goat track and find his men.

Below the walls there was little to see of the attempt to win the city. Here and there were the remains of weapons, most half buried in the sand. Also partially buried were more bodies than could be counted; odd arms or legs stuck up out of the soft sand as well as a head here and there with blank staring eyes with faces that had been scoured to the bone by the sand.

Other indications of the fury of the Khamsin were the multiple piles of sand that indicated more buried bodies; for the first time, Eventide began to realise the power and finality of such sand storms.

A few days later the defenders could see more enemy soldiers arriving in the distance; there also seemed to be a lot of activity around the far off camp site. A few days later, the boys on top of the wall could see the beginnings of stone walls being built around the perimeter of the camp; the enemy had learned a lesson and were trying to prepare for the next storm.

The city had more than a few days of peace as the enemy tried to protect itself from any further storms; for the city people it was a time to make further preparations to solidify their defences. There had been a suggestion to leave the city in force and attack he enemy camp while they were disabled by the storms.

Eventide had talked against it; their numbers were too few to attack and any losses would eventually weaken the defence of the walls; Mahmud had finally agreed although it did not stop some of the brotherhood from going out to seek a little revenge on some of the weaker guard posts at night.

Marchant had returned to say they had not lost a single man from the top of the Wadhi although they had lost four cross bows; the men had had time to take cover and also tie down most of their machines; they were once again ready to defend the city from above.

Five days passed before the next indication of a coming storm. Out on the plain the enemy also took more notice of their surroundings and made preparations for what was coming; this time there would not be such a high loss of life when the storm hit.

While a number of Trebuchet had been destroyed by the first storm; the enemy soon had replacements and were once again trying to break down the tall strong walls; the long range made it more difficult for them to achieve it but they continued to try.

After the second storm had passed it was easy to see there was far less damage or loss of life; the enemy had learned its first lesson in desert living; it was to do them little good.

Over the next six weeks, nine more storms raged over the desert; the enemy had managed to build stone walls high enough to limit damage to their siege engines as there was no way to protect them once the storm hit, even though they tried many times to tie them down.

The fifty days of storms passed and the enemy was now ready to take the city. Out on the plains there was an army of seventy thousand; the Trebuchet had been pounding the walls at every chance but had failed to break through the solid stone ramparts; it was now time for troops to try to take the walls.

The first attack came early in the morning; the trenches now reached to no more than one hundred paces from the walls. Marchant's bowmen went into action and the defenders watched as the enemy ranks were cut to pieces as the long bows took a terrible toll, yet the enemy numbers did not slow.

Once the oil pots had been used it was then up to the pike men to push the ladders away and still the enemy came on like a swarm of angry ants.

The Trebuchet had been moved closer and the new cross bows began to range in on them and took a heavy toll of the siege machines before they could begin firing.

The fighting below the wall was now fierce and it soon became evident that the fighting would soon be hand to hand as more and more ladders were placed and enemy troops were well on the way to making the heights.

Eventide readied the mounted troops to charge through the gates as soon as needed; Mahmud controlled the defence of the wall and prepared his soldiers which also included almost every man and boy of the city to defend the walls; the order was given that no Infidel was to leave the walls alive.

High on the palace roof a black flag of Jihad was flown and the brotherhood also prepared to take their own revenge as they all slipped through the secret passage in the wall and made for the enemy camp.

The stench of battle soon filled the air as enemy bodies burnt under the hot oil fired by the arrows of Marchant's archers; others died as they tried to climb the tall ladders in the hope of entering the city; bowmen from the enemy fired their own arrows until they made even the desert sun dim in their volume.

The cries of the wounded and dying filled every man's ears as the slaughter continued unabated into the afternoon. Some made it to the top of the walls and were met by well armed defenders and were cut down as fast as they appeared over the wall.

At a prearranged signal from Mahmud; those holding the main gate suddenly pulled aside the huge timbers that held them closed. Eventide was at their head as he charged out surrounded by his six brothers and followed by two thousand horse and camel cavalry and right into the middle of the massed foot soldiers.

If he were asked at a later time what he remembered about the charge and fight; he would have to say that, after charging through the gate; everything became a blur of flashing swords and stabbing lances with the screams and yells of men fighting to the last.

The smell of blood and dust filled their nostrils and the crash of weapons on shields mixed with the sound of snapping bones as men fell under the hooves of the horses.

Having broken through the foot soldiers; the cavalry then turned and came back at the troops from behind to again cause mayhem in the enemy ranks.

As they fought, Eventide kept an ear out for the agreed signal; as soon as he heard the high trumpet note, Eventide called for his cavalry to return to the city and close the gates; the enemy Knights had been sighted coming to the aid of the foot soldiers and were after Eventide's cavalry; they could not afford to be caught out in the open against heavy Knights.

The cavalry returned to the city and the great gates closed with some difficulty as they had to push back those foot soldiers that had got through during the cavalry charge.

With the gates closed and secure; Eventide went to find Mahmud who was still fighting up on the wall. The heavy smell of blood inside the city told Eventide they had not had it easy during his charge; they had managed to ease the pressure on the walls but there was still work to be done.

The end came most unexpectedly; loud calls from out on the plain soon had the attackers pulling back; the wall had been held, but at a cost. Eventide could not think of why the enemy had pulled back when they were in sight of getting the walls and entering the city; there could only be one reason for the sudden retreat.

When he reached the top of the wall he could see only carnage; ignoring his own two wounds; he went in search of Mahmud; he found his brother stooped over three young boys who lay together in death; around the trio were ten dead enemy soldiers.

Eventide could hear the sobs from Mahmud as he looked down at the three boys; all around there was death and blood but they had held the wall.

"What happened to them?" Eventide asked his brother; whom he also noticed was bleeding from a gash in one arm.

"They got cut off when the enemy came over the wall but they stood back to back and took as many enemy as they could with them; we tried to get to them but the fighting was just too heavy to break through. Their names will be written in the book of the dead and they shall be held up as heroes; their families will be richly rewarded for their loss. The boys showed no fear, even though they knew they were about to die in defence of our city."

"We need to make sure they are honoured as all the dead should be. How do you fare? You are bleeding and need to see a physician.

Mahmud looked at his brother and gave him a small smile.

"So are you; come let's go together while the walls are cleared."

Mahmud gave orders for the enemy dead to be pitched over the wall and for their own to be given respect and taken to a place where they could be cared for and readied for burial.

When the two boys got back to the palace; they were surprised to see the members of the brotherhood waiting for them; they had returned from the plains and looked as though their mission had been a success. A physician was called to attend the boy's wounds while they got all the reports from the battle.

They were happy to learn that the brotherhood had managed to fully salt the water pond at the outlet in the fissure; it would take more than ten weeks for the water to wash all the heavy salt blocks from the reservoir; the enemy would now be in trouble as their water would have to be rationed at a bare minimum; there would also be deaths from the thirst.

The salting had been a last resort to weaken the enemy; it was not as bad as a total poisoning and would eventually clear but, by then it was hoped the enemy army would be in dire straits.

The mass attack had caused many deaths and injuries on the defenders but they had held the city; the losses to the enemy was estimated to be higher than ten to one but, the enemy army had far more troops available to them than the limited number in the city.

While they could still hold the walls; the two Kahlifs hoped that the Emir was closer to helping them with reinforcements; two more mass attacks like the last one and the safety of the city would be in doubt.

Marchant had lost two hundred more archers and was now down to only five hundred plus the fifty high up on the wall; their best defence turned out to be the new cross bows; they were devastating in close combat and could kill five or six men with one bolt; the enemy siege shields were also torn to splinters when they were hit.

Below the walls the enemy dead were stacked up like cord wood and the heavy smell of blood and the detritus that went along with it; it would not be long before the stench of the dead would create a miasma of bad air throughout the city.

Mahmud called for more oil to fill the many pots on the wall; they would then pour it over the dead and set fire to them; at least that way the smell would only last as long as the burning bodies lasted in the intense heat and then would clear the air somewhat.

As the time of the Khamsin passed; the arrival of the Taureg brought some relief. The two Kahlifs were thankful to see more than three thousand of the desert raiders arrive at the eastern gate; they now had a mobile force that could do real damage to the long drawn out supply trains of the enemy.

As soon as the Taureg arrived; Mahmud asked for Achmed Ben Sou to see them in the great hall. When the man arrived with his now ten headmen; Mahmud got down to the task of setting out their plan.

"Achmed Ben Sou; we are very pleased to see your return; it was never in doubt you would hold to your word and we both thank you for that. As you can see we had a hard time of it in your absence but we have held the walls; we would ask if you would continue with your previous plan. The effects on the enemy were very noticeable and we would have no hesitation in agreeing to the same conditions of the last time; if that was to your satisfaction."

"Thank you Kahlif; it would indeed be suitable for all of us. If you both wish it we now have the numbers to attack the carts with the siege weapons if you would like us to do this?"

"It would indeed be a great help if you would attempt it, but we call for care as the enemy is using heavy Knights in some of their supply trains; I will leave it up to your own judgement. Is there anything we can do for you and your men?"

"We will fill our goat skins and then be on our way; we have many young men who want to test their skills in battle. I will send messengers when I can with our reports. May Allah watch over your city and bring victory over the Infidels."

"Thank you Achmed Ben Sou; you and your men's names will be written in the book of Sufaria as valued allies and saviours of the city."

The older man salaamed and left with his other chiefs; it was now up to the defenders of the city to hold the walls and keep the enemy from the gates; not an easy task after the last mass attack.

Two days later and a messenger arrived at the Eastern gate with an urgent message for Shaitan Bin Izurak. Eventide had the messenger shown to the palace immediately.

Eventide called for Mahmud as the messenger walked into the great hall; in his hand he carried a thick rolled parchment with the seal of Lancaster holding it closed; it was a message from his father.

Once Mahmud had joined him; Eventide opened the roll of parchment and read it out for his brother; it was not what they expected.

My son,

The valiant defence of your city has made it to us and the King is mightily pleased that you held it so well and proved your worth as a commander of his ally the Emir.

Your missive to the Pope has had unexpected results; far from obeying your request for him to remove his troops; he formed a great army and attempted to invade your homeland with the use of Knights and foot soldiers from Normandy, Brittany, Anjou, Aquitaine and many others; he also used many Knights from the Spanish lands as well as his own.

An army of fifty thousand men attempted to land on the beaches of Hythe but we had been forewarned and were prepared for them. As they landed from their ships, the King's new archers appeared on the high cliffs above the beaches; I was impressed to also see more than two thousand men of the Reaches also appear to aid the archers; their effect was devastating and the Knights of England had a lighter battle than had we not had the archers.

The king's army caused the enemy to lose more than 2/3rds of their number without getting past the cliffs and they had no option but to retreat in haste and despair; we are sure they will not venture our way again.

The valiant defence and toll you have been taking on the army of the crusade is no doubt the cause of their lacking enough numbers to push through with their plans. The King has asked me to pass on to you this news.

On your return to England he will present you with the title, banner and coat of arms as a full Knight and you will carry title as the Defender and Knight of the King's Banner; I know you will be happy to have even more titles to use and how much you enjoy them to be placed on your head.

My son, hold your ground and use that head of yours as you would, there are reinforcements on the way and should be with you in ten days.

Your Father Freeman.

Eventide rolled up the parchment and looked at Mahmud; the look on his face said it all.

"That's all I need brother, more titles; will it never end?"

"Not for you Brother, now I like the sound of reinforcements; it appears the Emir has his army ready; we have to hold now; it would not do for a newly made Knight to fail his King."

"Don't you even go there Brother; another word about titles and I will go and join the enemy."

The two boys laughed as they looked over the sand map laid out on the floor; it had been kept up as each day passed and now looked as though someone had drawn a detailed picture of every rock or grain of sand outside the walls.

The young men of the brotherhood still went out each night to spy on the enemy encampment; their reports each morning that the lack of drinkable water had begun to take its toll on the enemy troops, were good to hear. That the enemy would mount another attack there was no doubt; they were now getting to a situation where it would be a case of do or die to take the city. The two boys were sure that by now they would be aware of the renewed attacks on their supply trains.

It was fully twelve days when they saw the enemy massing for another attempt on the walls; the reports from their night time spies told them the enemy was in dire need of water and the only water fresh enough for drinking was inside the city.

It was two hours before the middle of the day when the trumpets on the wall called the men to arms. The two boys took their places as before; Mahmud on the wall and Eventide at the gate with the remains of their cavalry.

On the wall, Mahmud looked around; he was surprised to see that nearly half his men and boys carried bandages from previous wounds yet they stood ready once more to repel the enemy; he was heartened by the look of fierce determination on all the faces.

The Trebuchet were still firing their heavy rocks at the walls and Marchant's cross bows took toll; the Trebuchet had been moved even closer this time to try to break through; there were many places where the wall was showing signs of damage but not enough to bring them down as yet.

As Eventide sat waiting for his chance to attack outside the gate with his cavalry; he heard a call from Mahmud to come and look on top of the wall. Eventide dismounted and ran for the steps leading up to where Mahmud waited for him. Once there, Eventide saw what concerned Mahmud.

They were now down to only three pots of oil and they had been placed above the gates but out on the plains was where the real problem lay.

It looked as though the enemy was going to throw every man they had at the walls; there were also four battering rams waiting to pound at the gates; the three pots would not stop them all.

The massed heavy armoured Knights were also now closer to the rear lines of foot soldiers; there was no way that Eventide's light cavalry would be able to attack outside without the chance of losing every man; new plans had to be made and made quickly.

The two boys got their heads together and quickly came up with a plan hoping it was enough. The portcullis would be dropped and locked tight; thirty archers of the camel cavalry would dismount and take their place behind the thick stone walls of the passage and fire into any enemy that made it through the gates. The rest of the cavalry would now take a place on the walls and fight from there.

As the final plan was put into action; a voice called from the ground; turning to look down, both boys got a surprise. The man calling them looked like a shop keeper; in his hands he carried a farmers scythe; behind him it looked as though every man, woman and child of the city that was not already on the walls; was armed in some form and ready to fight to defend the city. Mahmud called for the man to come up.

The man arrived a little breathless but had a very determined look on his face.

"My lords; the people wish to join the fight to defend the city; if it will be of help we will hold the gate while you use your trained men to hold the wall."

"Do you know there will be deaths for all of you if the enemy breaks through the portcullis?"

"If they break through, My Lord, then we will be dead anyhow; we have all agreed to fight and try to save our city."

"Then you are welcome; hold your people at the ready but do not advance on the gate unless they break through; the portcullis is strong and should hold them unless they can get a ram through the passage."

The man salaamed and left to organise his rag tag army of citizens while the two boys looked out at the massive army coming towards them; the heavy thud of the cross bows told the two the enemy was now at five hundred paces and closing.

At four hundred paces, the order was given for the remaining five hundred archers to open fire. Although their numbers were now halved; the long bowmen took a great toll without answer from the enemy bowmen; they were still out of range for their smaller bows.

The Trebuchet continued to fire at the gates as fire bolts from the cross bows high up on the cliff began to take its own toll of the heavy machines. The cross bows on the wall were now targeting the heavy siege shields and the enemy troops were falling like chaff under a scythe.

The enemy knights were now within range but their heavy armour partially protected them from the cloud of arrows filling the sky; while they did have losses from the long bowmen; their heavy armour protected far more than those who fell; it would have been suicide to attack outside the walls with the armoured Knights so close to the foot soldiers.

After only a few minutes the plain was littered with the dead and dying but they came on as though it was nothing. The enemy was now only two hundred paces from the walls and their bowmen could now reply to those above; Marchant's archers were now taking casualties as the torrent of arrows flew over the walls.

The enemy archers far outnumbered those on the wall; while their bows were smaller; their volume made up for the lack of range. The boy's troops came forward with their shields to try to protect their archers from the fire below; it proved to save many lives but still their archers were being whittled down and Eventide called for them to pull back from the parapet as the enemy was now too close for effective fire.

The men up on the wall now waited for the inevitable; it had come to the stage of hand to hand fighting as the first ladders were heard to hit the stone wall; above the gate the first two pots were tipped down onto the gathering troops and the shielded ram; the fire that was raised by the oil would keep the gate safe for a little while longer and the enemy would have to clear the ground before bringing up another ram.

Eventide watched the approaching enemy; it seemed that every thirty men carried one of the long ladders used to breach the walls; if any fell, other men would pick it up and race towards the foreboding wall before them.

It appeared the enemy was making this a final all out assault as it looked as though every man in the enemy camp was now racing towards them.

The siege had now been going on for the better part of six months; there had been small skirmishes and larger fights; they had endured three other attempts on the wall but this one looked as though it was all or nothing.

The long ladders began to land on the wall and the pike-men pushed them off only to see more take their place. The first ram was now under a sea of fire and yet, the next was already trying to push through to pound the gate; it appeared to be rolled over the bodies of those already fallen; the enemy was now desperate.

As the last pot of oil poured onto the heads of those pushing the ram; the first enemy climbed over the top of the wall; it was now hand to hand and a sense of desperation was on both sides.

Mahmud took defence to the right as Eventide took all those he could call to the left; the battle for Wadhi Sufaria was now really on.

Like Mahmud; Eventide had changed his clothes to that of the Hashin; his face was covered by the black scarf and he carried a smaller round metal shield along with his scimitar; his six brothers close by his side as they began to try to repel the climbers.

The battle for the walls was torrid and nasty; every weapon or dirty trick was used to stay alive. They had given little as far as space on the wall but the enemy was still pressing hard even as they were thrown from the high walls, others took their place. It was an unending fight to the death for the defenders while the attackers were relatively fresh from their climb and battle.

The gate was now under threat as the third ram started to pound on the thick wooden barricade to their entrance into the city. Out on the plain; the Knights were pressing their men to fight harder as they pushed them forward; the smell of death was now forgotten as was the cries of the wounded and dying as the defenders strived to hold the wall.

Both the young Kahlifs and their men were now hard pressed as more and more of the enemy made it over the wall; every soldier in the city was now up on top of the walls except for those archers waiting for the gate to give so they could fire into any who made in into the passage that was barred by the portcullis.

Eventide had no idea how long they had been fighting but the sun was now past meridian; both he and Mahmud had sustained minor wounds but they went unnoticed in the furore of battle and the desperation of holding on to the city.

None of the defenders saw the gates burst open under the barrage from the ram; fortunately the portcullis held and both hidden archers and city folk fought to defend it; the battle below the wall was to be just as vicious as the one on top.

Relief came in the most unexpected way. Far out on the plains, the first indication of something not being right was the sign of heavy black smoke coming from the far off enemy camp; in the middle of the hectic and dangerous battle; Eventide noticed a sudden increase in arrows falling down onto the enemy ranks.

A quick glance to the top of the cliffs gave Eventide a moment to smile. Lining the top of the cliff were now more than two thousand archers wearing the colours of the Emir; the rain of arrows from the new archers soon began to take a heavy toll on those below the walls.

Taking a moment from the close battle; Eventide glanced out onto the plains just in time to see a sight that made him tighten his grip on the scimitar and turn back to the battle with a renewed vigour.

Far behind the enemy ranks and thundering across the flat plain were thousands of heavy mounted Knights; at their head flew the banner of Lancaster along with many others of the English Knights. Alongside of them rode rank after rank of lighter camel and horse cavalry in an all out charge at the rear of the enemy; help had arrived just in time.

A single call to Mahmud and the other defenders caused them to look out on the plain; what they all now saw seemed to suddenly make every defender grow in strength; those of the enemy that had gained the parapets had no idea why the defenders seemed to suddenly grow stronger instead of weaker.

Mahmud then received a message from the Eastern gate; the Emir's foot soldiers were less than an hour away and would be here soon.

With their renewed hope; the defenders attacked with everything they had; below them the enemy felt the first rattling charge of heavy English Knights as they rode into the rear of the enemy ranks and caught the enemy Knights unprepared; they had been so focussed on the fight for the wall they had not seen the approaching danger behind them.

The true slaughter began as the heavy English Knights tore into the rear of the unprepared Crusaders; the lighter cameleers and horsemen by passed the heavy Knights and set upon the footmen with a savagery that had never been seen before by any soldier.

High on the walls the fight was now swinging to the defenders as they found a new hope and strength; with less and less reinforcements coming up the ladders; the defenders moved forward and began to push the attackers back to the very edge of the parapets; unfortunately for Eventide he did not see it.

Turning just as he heard a loud yell from a badly wounded Ishmael; Eventide felt a sharp pain on his head and blackness took him out of the fight; he was not to see the final result of the valiant stand of the defenders.

There was a strange fuzziness in Eventide's head as he tried to open his eyes. His thoughts were jumbled as he heard faint mumblings far off and everything he saw was like through a mist. Slowly things began to clear as he heard a soft groan from someone; it took a moment before he realised it was his voice.

Eventide tried to lift his head as those in the room became clearer; everyone there he recognised except for a very young boy with a nasty gash in his cheek that was roughly stitched closed. Mahmud stood behind the boy with one hand on his shoulder.

The first voice he heard was the familiar deep tone of Freeman; it was soon followed by the clipped and precise voice of the Emir.

"How do you feel, my son?"

"Father! What happened?"

"Ishmael sacrificed his own life to save you from a soldiers cut at your head; he took the slash and pushed you away but the soldier managed to hit you with the hilt of his sword. He was about to kill you with another thrust when this young boy jumped in front; he took your dagger and killed the soldier but got a bad slash for his valour, You owe him your life my son."

Eventide looked at the young boy; he could not have been more than ten or eleven summers yet he had stepped forward to defend his fallen Kahlif with his life. Eventide swore then and there that the boy would be well rewarded for his heroism. Eventide looked at the boy and asked.

"Where are your parents; I would like to thank them for raising such a brave and courageous son?"

The boy bowed his head and, in a soft whisper replied.

"They are both dead, my Kahlif, they fell defending the gate, now I have no one."

"Then you will join my house; I would not see such a brave boy left to his own devices. Brother; will you see he has anything he needs until I can get back on my feet; give him a room close to my own. Were there any others lost in the fight for the walls that should be here?"

"Both Ishmael and Mohammad were lost in the last few minutes; they will be given a true burial according to the laws of the Hashin."

"How many did we lose?"

"Too many; there were two thousand lost and three thousand wounded; also we lost some seven hundred of the city folk who held the gate. Marchant is badly wounded but should make a full recovery but the damage to his left arm may make it difficult for him to hold a bow again. The Emir has promised him his place for life if he wished so he can continue to train more archers; he will also be given his own palace in Damascus as a part of his reward."

Eventide could almost feel a tear fall from his eye as he heard the number lost in the many battles; especially the last and final battle.

"Father, how did you make it here with your Knights?"

"I am here on the King's orders and at the request of the Emir. When we won the battle at Hythe, the King sent me immediately here to aid the Emir as he is one of the King's most valued allies. The fact you were here also made it easier for me to hurry. I am very proud of you for what you have done; I knew that day in the tavern that you were special and now you have proven it once again. Now my son, it is time for you to rest; tomorrow will be time to talk more, so now just rest."

Eventide was suddenly hit with a tiredness he didn't realise was there. He did not argue with his father's advice but lay back and let his eyes close once again; now the city was safe he could take the time to heal; he had seen the bloody bandage on Mahmud and hoped his very special brother would also take the same advice and rest.

It was late in the evening when Eventide felt better and was able to leave his bed; his head still throbbed but he no longer felt as though his stomach was going to turn inside out. The dizzy feeling had left him and he slowly rose from the bed to empty his bladder; four servants and two slaves waited for him with a hot bath.

As he sank into the hot water a feeling of renewal came over him now that he was able to rid himself of the grimy clothes and the hot water began to flush away the grime and smell of battle.

Once he finished washing and the slaves had dried him off; he let one of the servants replace the old bandage around his head and the other two that were on wounds he did not even know he had during the battle. One was a shallow slice across his ribs and the other was the older one in his upper arm.

Eventide was not surprised to see that the older men were still seated at the table in the great hall. Around them were many men who had been responsible for the defence of the city as well as many English Knights; a quick glance told Eventide the celebrations had been going on for some time. It was the Emir, Saed Ben Haman that was the first to see Eventide enter the great hall.

The Emir's voice was loud as he saw Eventide.

"Welcome Kahlif, defender of the city; come and take your place of honour beside your brother Kahlif; it is time we recognised your great feat and showered you with gifts and praise as is befitting one who held our city."

Blushing wildly, Eventide made his way to the main table and tried to ignore the cheers and calls of everyone in the hall; as he sat down beside Mahmud, he asked.

"Where is the young boy?"

"His name is Faisal; he is in his bed; the hour is late. Did you want to see him?"

"No, tomorrow will be soon enough, I just had a thought when I was bathing but now I have the time to ask your advice and that of my father before a final decision."

"A wise choice my brother; never make decisions on an empty stomach; come eat and drink; we have done our duty and it is a time to celebrate."

Eventide did not know if it was the wine or his injuries that caused him to stagger as he made his way to bed in the early hours of the morning; all he knew was that he was ready for sleep and fell onto the bed without removing his clothes. To find himself naked in bed when he awoke in the late hours of the next morning was a surprise but he put it aside as he felt his head spin and his stomach start to rebel as he moved to rise.

When next he opened his eyes it was to see the young boy sitting by his bedside waiting for him to open his eyes; the boy's name was some time in coming to his mind as he tried to clear way the fog.

"Uhm… Faisal, is that right?"

"Yes my Lord; what do you wish for me to do?"

"Could you call the servants to ready a bath for me?"

"Yes my Lord."

"Have you eaten and washed yet?"

"I have eaten with the servants my Lord."

"The servants? Well that's going to change just as soon as I have bathed and changed."

The boy ran out of the room and then returned quickly with a number of servants who immediately set about getting hot water for his bath; he needed to clear his head; it had been a bad idea to celebrate so soon after his injuries; it was another lesson learned.

After his bath and a change of clothes; Eventide went to look for his father; there was important business to do and no time to waste.

Eventide found his father sitting with the Emir as the two old friends were discussing the defence of the city; they were the only two in the large hall as Eventide entered.

It took little time to get the agreements he was hoping for and the rest of the time was spent in working on what honours there should be for all the defenders and who should be marked for special attention.

Eventide was also happy to learn that; after he had been knocked out; the enemy had been totally routed and; while many escaped, many were also captured amongst them many Knights who would be put up for ransom; the ordinary soldiers would be enslaved after being put to work restoring parts of the city while in chains.

After the meeting, Eventide returned to his palace; once there he called for all his servants and slaves to be assembled in the main hall.

When all were assembled; Eventide looked them over with a critical eye; with very few words, Eventide selected two of the Moorish slaves and one servant; they were told that their duties were now only to the welfare of Faisal and his words were to be obeyed as those of Eventide. Eventide almost smiled at the shocked look on the boy's face; he wondered what the look would be later in the evening when the truth was revealed for all.

The scene was now set for the great feast for their victory; at this time the Emir would present honours and rewards for all those who fought to hold the city; it would also be the time that Eventide would reveal his plan for a certain young, parentless boy.

The true celebration of victory could not take place inside the walls; there were just too many people for that. The Emir had given orders for the celebrations to be taken outside the walls where every man, woman, child and soldier could gather as one force.

When Eventide rode Shaitan through the battered gates, he could not believe his eyes; while he had seen the beginning of the charge of the reinforcements; he had not seen the full effect or numbers as he had been struck down at the crucial stage.

As Eventide rode through the gates; a loud roar of cheering went up from the masses assembled outside.

"SHAITAN… SHAITAN!" Echoed out over the desert plain as he rode towards the huge black tent set up in the middle of the mass of tents of the army.

Beside Eventide rode Shaun; now with a new coloured banner; all the others were carried by members of the brotherhood; the absence of Ishmael and Mohammad weighed heavily on his shoulders.

Eventide dismounted in front of the large tent and was guided to the place of honour beside Mahmud. Eventide could not even guess at the numbers gathered out on the plain but there appeared to be men from every Saracen tribe that roamed the desert.

Under the huge canopy that had been set up for the Emir and his friends; Eventide saw that even the most feared Taureg had been given a special place at the Emir's side. No sooner had Eventide sat beside his brother Mahmud than a trumpet sounded and a sudden hush came over the thousands gathered to celebrate.

The Emir rose and strode to the front of the canopy where he could be seen by all; in a voice that seemed to gather power from the very sands of the desert; the Emir began his speech.

"Men and women of the desert; we have all fought many battles; both with each other and the Infidels. Some we have won and some, we have lost but; here, we have fought the most important of all for we have turned back the Infidels at the very gates of Wadhi Sufaria; the gateway to the Eastern trade routes. There has never been a more important place than this in our history. I am here to offer rewards to those who stood and fought and those who came to our aid when it was truly needed. While there are many rewards to be given to every man, woman or child that stood against the Infidels and the men and boys of every tribe that came here with the army; none are more important than those that should go to the ones who held the city for six months without help or aid."

The Emir paused to sip from a cup before continuing.

"I would call for Achmed Ben Sou of the Taureg to come before me."

The tall middle aged Taureg stood and came to the front of the canopy to stand before the Emir; from the thousands of Taureg gathered out on the plain came the high pitched ululation that was common with the men of the desert.

"Achmed Ben Sou; I know that there has been many generations of dissention between our people and that sometimes the personal feuds have taken lives that would be better used to further our tribes. I now decree that no Bedou will from this day forward; lift a weapon against the Taureg. The bounty you have gained from the raids on the Infidel caravans are yours by right of conquest. As spokesman for the Taureg; I would offer you the title of Kahlif of the Taureg and hold a place in the court for you should you wish to fill it."

Achmed Ben Sou salaamed and returned to his place under the canopy while the Emir continued.

"For the people of Wadhi Sufaria; without your valiant defence of the gate we would surely have been lost; as reward for your efforts and for the losses you suffered; I decree that you shall not have to pay tithe or taxes for two years so that you may rebuild your city. Those who died shall have their names written into the book of the dead of Wadhi Sufaria and read out as heroes on each day that commemorates the battle each year. Further I decree that each family member that stood at the gate should be given ten gold pieces to help rebuild your homes."

Again the Emir took a sip from his cup before continuing. As he called the officers of the defenders to come forward; he presented them with promotions and gold coins. After all was done and he had taken another sip from his cup; the Emir looked around before calling for the next rewardee.

"I would ask Faisal Hadan to step forward."

There was a sudden hush as everyone watched the young boy walk from the back of the crowd. Faisal salaamed to the Emir; it did not go unnoticed by those close by that the boy had a deep but healing slash on his young cheek.

"Let it be written, that Faisal Hadan is now to be known as the Hero of Wadhi Sufaria. At the risk of his own life he stood alone over the body of Shaitan Bin Izurak with nothing more than a dagger to protect his fallen Kahlif. Even after taking a cut from the enemy's sword he still stood and took the life of the attacker. Faisal also lost every member of his family as they helped defend the gates. As a reward for all he has sacrificed I award him one hundred gold coins and his family home is to be restored and his family business is to be free of all taxes and tithes for the remainder of his life."

There was a total silence as everyone watched the young boy stand with tears falling from his eyes; the Emir grasped the boy's shoulder to try to help ease the pain of his loss before continuing.

"There is one other thing but for this we will have to wait for Shaitan Ben Izurak to state."

The Emir steered Faisal to a place under the canopy with all the more important men that sat there. The Emir then called for the next men he wanted to reward.

"Kahlif Mahmud Sal-A-Hadin and Kahlif Shaitan Bin Izurak, I would ask you to come forward."

The two boys stood from their place and went to stand before the Emir.

"There is little I can reward you with that you do not already have; saying that I can only ask you what you would want for your defence of Sufaria. In all our history there was never a braver defence shown by any man or city. For six months you held the Infidels at bay and allowed us to form a new army to come to your aid. Even though you had little reinforcements you never stopped in your duty and your feat will be written into the history of Wadhi Sufaria. I would ask you to name your reward."

Mahmud was the first to answer.

"Your Highness; I ask only that you give my brother, Shaitan Bin Izurak and his request your full support; that would be my reward for doing my duty."

"Shaitan Bin Izurak; what do you ask?"

"Your Highness, I would ask that the Hero of Wadhi Sufaria; Faisal Hadan; be allowed to consider my offer of becoming my brother. I have talked with my father and he has agreed that Faisal would be welcomed into our home as an equal and; if he agrees he would be given the titles and name under the Lancaster banner. For myself I ask nothing as I was doing my duty as Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria."

"Faisal Hadan; do you wish to take that which is offered to you and become the true brother of Shaitan Bin Izurak?"

Everyone watched as the young boy broke out in tears; Eventide rushed to his side and hugged him close; as far as he was concerned; the boy had lost everything and Eventide felt he deserved the chance of a new family; Faisal whispered something to Eventide and then returned the hug. Eventide turned to the Emir.

"Your Highness; Faisal Hadan; Hero of Sufaria, agrees to become my brother in name and title."

"By my decree; Faisal Hadan is now brother to Shaitan Bin Izurak and all that entails. There is now only one more reward that should be offered. To our valiant allies; the Knights of England and our ally the King; I present to you all, Ten chests of gold to be divided up among you all as a token of our thanks for your valued reply to our request for aid. That will be all, let us celebrate until the sun rises."

A loud cheer rang out over the plains as the celebrations began in earnest. The next morning the plains looked like a battle field with drunken men sleeping out in the open like so much cord wood; all that was missing was the heavy smell of blood to make it real.

The heat of the rising sun soon got men moving from their celebration stupor; it was going to be a long slow day for most of them as they tried to get over their head aches and the night of sleeping on the sand in their drunkenness.

Eventide awoke to another body in his bed; trying not to move his head to fast as it still felt tender from the night before; he glanced down at the body. A smile came over him as he saw Faisal cuddled up to him still fast asleep.

The red gash of his wound looked better and gave the small boy a fearsome look but Eventide knew that the new brother was just a small boy with no one else to watch over him. For the first time in his life, Eventide had a brother and the feeling of family began to take on a new meaning.

***

Two months later found Eventide and his new brother riding towards the castle of Tremaine in Lancaster. For Faisal it was the first time to travel out of his homeland; everything he saw brought questions and Eventide was only too glad to answer every one with patience and in detail.

The coldness of England and the almost continual rain had Faisal marvel at so much rain falling non-stop; it was a marvel he would never have seen at home. It was eventually the cold that almost made him change his mind; while the desert could be cold at night; this was the kind that he could not have imagined in his wildest dreams.

It was no surprise to eventide that Faisal decided to spend a lot of time huddled close to a roaring fire when given the opportunity.

The two boys would stay in England for another year and one more Squires Melee before they would once again travel back to the desert for Eventide's duty to Sufaria. It was the agreed time that Eventide would spend one year with Freeman and one year as Kahlif and that Faisal would go everywhere with him as a little brother should.

Freeman organised for Faisal to learn the English language as well as other lessons. After some discussion with Eventide; Freeman told Faisal that when Freeman passed away; Eventide would take over the lands of Lancaster and Faisal would be given his holdings in Flanders. The young boy could not believe what he was hearing but his wonder was soon put to rest as his new big brother nodded in agreement.

It now seemed that all was good in the world with a new little brother and his first real battle won; Eventide felt he was finally home. There were now only new adventures to be had but he was sure that with the new family and his many friends; all would be well.

The End