Arthur

Eventide

Chapters 3-4

Eventide was awoken by the loud sounds of laughter and the extra loud yelling of a familiar voice.

"Wake up brother; the sun is past its meridian and yet you lay in your bed like some common wench of the night."

Eventide felt the hands of more than one person on his shoulders as he was forcefully dragged from his bed. His head felt again like a blacksmith was pounding on his anvil. Eventide tried to struggle but was outnumbered and felt too ill to make much resistance.

Eventide was dragged bodily to the large tin bath and unceremoniously dropped in the cold water by a much larger and very much blacker boy; the other boys could not speak through their laughter as they watched the total look of horror and disbelief on the face of the smaller boy.

The frigid water soon had Eventide jumping out; unfortunately one foot caught the edge of the tin bath and flipped him onto the cold stone floor; much to the delight of all the boys watching. Eventide was now belly down with his very wet butt in the air; his night gown soaked to such a degree that he looked to be totally naked.

The large black teen smiled widely and spoke something to the other boys as he showed his perfect white teeth in a mile wide smile.

Eventide spluttered and shivered as he tried to retain some modesty; once back on his feet he looked at the still laughing Mahmud and asked.

"Wha… what did he say?"

"Ishmael said that your boyish charms would delight even the most jaded of Sheiks." Mahmud began to laugh again as a bright red blush filled Eventide's cheeks.

"Do not worry my brother; Ishmael would not let anything happen to you that he did not favour first."

Mahmud paused as he saw the shocked look on Eventide's face.

"W

This comment only brought more laughter from the assembled boys after Mahmud translated for them all.

"Come now brother, there is no more time for fun and games; your Baron has decreed that you will leave for his manor in the morning so we have to get everyhat?" Mahmud asked.

"Uhm… horses? Don't you mean horse? And why would I need guards; I can see where a teacher would be advisable but the need for my own guard seems a little too much."

"Ah little brother, you have much to learn; you are now Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria, that automatically means you must have a personal guard at all times; it is expected and normal. The horses are a part of those owed you by your elder brother; he has given six of those owed you from the Emir's stable so that your guards can ride alongside. A Kahlif cannot have his personal guard on foot when he is mounted; how will they protect you when the need arises?"

"Well alright, if that is the way then I am not the one to disagree although I cannot see anyone wanting to attack me for anything."

"Last evening I was watching the faces of the Knights while everyone feasted; there are at least ten who would take your head given the chance, and that also means there is possibly ten Squires of the same mind. Were you to be captured; the Baron would have to pay a hefty ransom. Of course there would be ten Knights and ten Squires that would not wake from their sleep the next day if that happened. Now then let me introduce you to your teachers."

Mahmud paused to let Eventide finish pulling on his dry trews and thick shirt.

"You well know Salud; he will be your teacher in our language and customs as well as those with the dagger and Scimitar. This Moorish fellow is of course Ishmael; he is from the far south of our land; he will teach you about tracking the spoor of man and beast as well as the fine art of seduction. In that field he is very accomplished I can assure you. He will also teach you how to lighten a man's pockets. Next is Achmed, he will teach you to be supple and hone your body so that you can move in ways not meant for man; he will also teach you the art of poisons. Next we have Demetrius; he is from the Greek Islands and will teach you about the Thugee scarf as well as how to throw knives. This one is Mohammad; he will teach you the arts of fighting from horse back as well as the art of our bow. Now the last is Medan; he will show you how to disappear in plain sight and how to climb high walls with nothing more than your hands and feet and in total silence; he will also show you how to deceive even the hardest of locks."

Eventide looked at the six smiling faces as they nodded to him; Mahmud continued.

"We have found a good wagon for all your goods and gifts; it will be manned by your four servants from my house; they have all volunteered to look after you and your personal goods and chattels with their lives, so you have no worries about them. When you feel you need more servants we can hire them or we can wait until we go home and you can buy a few dozen or so slaves."

Eventide did not realise the pounding in his temples had receded while Mahmud was going over everything until Mahmud said.

"Now it is past Meridian, let's find us some food and begin our brother's training; first it will be language; the sooner you can understand the easier your lessons will be."

At the mention of food, Eventide's stomach gave a dry heave; after swallowing a couple of times he followed his brothers out of his rooms and down the long passageway; he was not sure anything would stay in his stomach after the feast last night and the rude awakening he had received this morning.

The midday meal was lighter than Eventide expected it to be; a hot beverage soon had his head and stomach in better shape. When the light meal was done, all eight boys went to look for Eventide's new wagon; it was soon found in a side courtyard being loaded by four mid teen boys; each one seemed to know what he was doing but Eventide could not understand the amount of baggage laid both inside and outside the wagon.

Eventide turned to Mahmud.

"This can't be all mine; I don't have all that much property."

"Of course you do; did you not receive gifts from the brotherhood? Did you not also receive gifts from the King and the court? Did you not also receive small gifts from myself and the Emir? Well here it all is, now let's leave the servants to pack it all away while we go and start your language lesson for today."

It seemed that no amount of disagreement was going to change the way Mahmud felt; Eventide could plainly see that nearly all of the gifts received for Mahmud now filled his wagon along with the ones he had got. For Eventide; a boy who had very little in life; it was hard to accept the fact others thought him worthy of gifts; it was indeed a strange new world he was now living in.

Four of the boys said something to Mahmud and then left while the others found a comfortable tree to sit under and begin Eventide's lessons. The lesson was not easy but, much to Eventide's surprise he really enjoyed it although Salud, Mahmud and Ishmael were tough teachers and insisted that he repeat words and phrases over and over until he had the right accent and inflection.

From where the small group sat they could hear the far off cheering where the Knight's melee was being held; for them, their special day was over and behind them; they would not feature in another melee or joust until next summer.

Occasionally they would see a beaten Knight returning to the castle, usually on a litter; the Knights melee was even harder and more fierce than the Squires; the loss of a life was not unknown.

As the boys sat and the lessons proceeded; around mid afternoon three of Mahmud's servants appeared with large trays holding light foods and drinks for those sitting under the huge Oak tree in the summer heat; for Eventide it was good to get a break from the lessons. He sometimes felt his head was spinning as he tried to learn the strange words, accents and inflections of the Aramaic tongue.

As the sun sank and dusk was getting closer; Mahmud called a halt to the long lesson; it was time to return to the castle where they could hear the beginning of the revelry for the winning Knights; the boys did their best to avoid going anywhere near the celebrations. They would all dine together in Eventide's room this night; tomorrow would be a long day for their new friend and he would need his rest.

Eventide discovered that, even after only this; his real first lesson; he could sometimes understand some phrases when Ishmael was speaking. It appeared the long lesson was already having a little benefit. Supper was small and served in Eventide's rooms; the other four boys had joined them for the evening meal and Eventide listened carefully to what they said and how they spoke.

He was surprised at how much he partially understood although finding the words to speak himself was still difficult; he was sure he was missing some very important things and jokes if some of the laughter was anything to go by; even with either Mahmud or Salud translating for him.

It was not a late night as all knew that Eventide would have to leave early if he was to make it to the manor before dark the next day; travelling with the wagon would be far slower than the way he had arrived just on horseback. They had been told by the Baron that he would leave ahead of them as he had urgent business at the manor that would not wait; he had told Eventide that he was sure the boys would make the journey without his help.

The next morning; just as the first rays of the new sun appeared in the east; Eventide's small caravan prepared to leave the great castle. As they traversed the gateway, the guards all signalled to him and wished him a safe journey; there were many that had seen the squire's melee and had been impressed with Eventide's efforts.

The four horses pulling the heavily laden wagon were sturdy and seemed to have little trouble with their load; Salud rode alongside Eventide at the head of the caravan with the two other boys behind them. The wagon was next and also held the four servants boys; at the rear were the other three brothers.

It was a leisurely pace but still fast enough to cover good ground before midday; as they came to a woodland; Eventide called for a halt to eat their midday meal before entering the woods; the sun was warm and the shade of several large trees gave an ideal place to sit and eat.

It did not take the four servants very long to have a light meal made ready; two of the brotherhood kept guard while the others ate and then took their turn while two more watched over them. All the time they were sitting and eating; Salud taught Eventide phrases and language while the others listened intently and occasionally made corrections to the accent.

Within the hour; everyone had eaten and the horses fed and watered; they could now enter the woods and be on their way; the last push to the manor would be longer and they would not arrive until after dark.

The rough road wound back and forth through the heavy woods; as they came around one particularly sharp corner; Eventide saw a large log of wood across the road; behind it stood a tall man in a hessian mask that had two eye holes cut into it; in his hands he held the largest bow Eventide had ever seen and the arrow was pointed right at Eventide's chest.

"Hold up youngster; where is your purse and what is a Christian boy doing travelling with Saracens in our woods?"

As their horses came to a sudden stop; Eventide lifted his hands but the other boys reached for their weapons; a word from the figure stopped them immediately.

"Hold your hands; you touch them weapons and you will all die; look around you."

The boys took a few seconds to look about; behind them and on both sides stood what appeared to be young men with the same large bows all aimed at them; altogether there were eight men with hessian masks. The boys were not totally outnumbered but they were at a distinct disadvantage.

"Well me lad; where be your gold; I knows that Saracens carry large purses and that wagon looks near full of goods?"

Eventide pulled himself up as tall as he could for his stature and laid a hand on the fancy dagger at his waist.

"I will not give my property to outlaws."

"Then you will die lad, and we will take it anyhow."

As the man drew the great bow back to its fullest and prepared to release the long arrow into Eventide's chest; a young voice came from the darkness of the trees.

"Stay your hand Father; that is the Woad Warrior; the one that led us in the melee."

"The young Warrior? Then why did you not tell me earlier boy?" The man turned to the young teen running out of the trees and then back at Eventide as he eased off the string of his large bow.

"My apologies young Lord; had I known I would not have stopped the likes of you and your friends; give us time and we will remove the log from the road so you may continue on your way."

The young teen from the trees walked up to Eventide.

"I am Gerard my Lord; please forgive my Father; he did not know who you were."

"There is little to forgive Gerard but I am a little confused as I do not know your face or why you would be with a band of outlaws when you have already received a reward from the King himself?"

"It is complicated My Lord. I was in the front rank at the melee as were many others and I know it would be difficult for you to know every face; as to outlaws; well that is a long story."

"We have a little time; perhaps you would enlighten us?"

"This is my family; these others are my brothers; as you can see there are a number of us and three sisters await at our hut along with our mother. Our Lord Baliol ejected my father from his lands even though he was the best farmer on the Lordship's land. When father would not let my youngest sister go to the great house as a servant, His Lordship sent soldiers to throw us off. We have been living in the woods in a small hut for more than five months and cutting wood so we can buy food to fill out bellies."

"But what of your reward; that would keep you in food for some time, even with such a large family?"

"Tis true My Lord but with fourteen mouths to feed it would not be for long and there would be little left to buy a hog or two. It is father's dream to buy our own land one day and return to farming but it now seems so far away."

"Tell me about those bows, I have never seen one of such size?"

"Oh they are from our home county; we call them Longbows; they are stronger and can outdistance any bow made elsewhere if you have the knowledge and strength to use them; had we had them at the melee we could have stopped the Squires while they were still on horseback."

"A good weapon indeed; why do they not use them in the King's army?"

"My Lord Baliol would not allow them in his guards; he called them a peasant's weapon and not fit for honourable Knights and soldiers of the King's army."

"Then the man is a fool, now enough of that; as I see it there are three things I can do; one is to report you and have all of you drawn and quartered but, I am not a blood thirsty type of boy so that is not the answer. Next I can just forget all of this and we can all be on our way after giving you a few more gold coins to help you for a while but, that is the easy way and not an answer to your troubles. This leaves me with only one answer; you must go back to your family Father of Gerard; collect what you have and make your way to the manor of Baron Tremaine. When you arrive just ask for me at the gate; I will talk with the Baron and we will see if something can be done to help you with your life and get you a farm of your own."

Gerard's father looked up at the young boy on the horse above him; forgotten was the bow in his hands or any intention of hurting the boy and his Saracen friends; now there was only a look of inquiry.

"Young Lord, how would the Baron listen to one so young; we all know that Baron Tremaine has no family?"

"He does now; he adopted me so I am his son and heir, I hope he will listen to me and we can all come out of this better off."

"Then young Lord, my family and I shall be at your gate at dusk tomorrow; you have my word on it and; should you ever need our services then all you have to do is call. My family is now forever in your debt and our bows stand ready at your command."

"Thank you but I am sure I have enough guards; I look forward to seeing you and your family at our gate tomorrow at dusk."

"It shall be so Young Lord. Boys get that log out of the way for our Young Lord to be on his way. We have other work to do now so hurry it up."

Eventide nodded his thanks and, after the log was removed; he and the others waved back as they left the large group of young men, teens and their father behind; they would have to increase their pace a little to make it to the manor near dark.

It was the weight of the wagon that slowed them down and it was not until after dark that the small caravan made it to the top of the last rise before the manor; Below and still about one hour away, the members of the small caravan could see the torch lights of the manor in the distance.

Eventide called a halt at the top of the rise to light their own torches; two were placed either side of the wagon front and the other two were held by the two Hashin who were now leading the party from the front with Salud and Eventide behind them.

As they were about to move off for the last stretch to the manor; in front of them, and seemingly from the very ground itself; rose two torches, they were soon followed by two more and then two more until there were twenty moving torches in two columns. They looked to be floating on air until Eventide's eyes adjusted to the darkness and he could make out the dim shadows of the soldiers on horseback under the light.

In the darkness they had not been able to see the lower ground of the valley and could make it out only when the riders rose over the crest. Immediately the other Hashin came to the front and arranged themselves either side of Eventide with the two torch bearers on the outside so that Eventide was hidden in shadow.

Eventide and his caravan waited on the hill top for the guard to arrive; as they drew closer, the two columns slowed to a walk and approached the small caravan with care. At the head of the columns was a single rider; seeing the small group, he stopped and tried to look into the shadow where Eventide sat.

"I am captain Merideth; Guard Commander of his Lordship Baron Tremaine's House Hold Guard; are you My Lord Eventide?"

"I am Captain." Eventide replied although he doubted he would ever get used to being called a Lord.

"My Lord Eventide; My Lord Baron has sent us to look to your safety; he was worried when you did not arrive before dark; there have been reports of brigands and outlaws on the King's road during the Joust.""I am sorry Captain; we had a small delay and took too much time over our midday meal, but we do now feel safer under your command."

"Thank you My Lord, if you will allow us to form up on either side, we will escort you to the manor in safety."

"Thank you Captain, we are happy for your presence; it has been a long day."

The soldiers lined up on each side of the small caravan and they all began the trek to the waiting manor; to say they were happy for the company and to finally be so close to a hot meal and a warm bed would have been an understatement.

As they finally entered the high walls of the manor, the boys saw it was all in a bustle as servants tried to ready everything for the newcomers; on the steps of the manor house stood Freeman; even from his distance, Eventide thought he saw the Baron's shoulders almost slump in relief at seeing his new son arrive safely. Freeman waited patiently as the boys finally slid off their horses and stretched their tired limbs from the long day.

The six Hashin bowed low and salaamed to Freeman; Salud then spoke to Freeman in Aramaic.

"Greetings Elder Brother; we have brought your son home safely as requested."

Much to Eventide's surprise; Freeman answered in perfect Aramaic after also bowing to the six younger ones.

"Greetings little brothers; I thank you for delivering him safely; my home is your home; welcome."

Freeman waited for Eventide to get over his little shock at Freeman's ability with the foreign language; as he waited he opened his arms and said.

"Come on my son; you must be tired and we cannot keep the kitchen waiting; you and your brothers must be hungry and tired."

Eventide climbed the stone steps and stood in front of Freeman and; for what seemed the first time in his life; he stepped forward and hugged Freeman around the waist; even better was the new feeling of two strong arms surrounding his slender body and hugging him tightly back.

"It's good to be finally home… father."

Freeman squeezed just a little tighter after hearing that simple word; for the first time in years he felt the stirrings of contentment filling him. At last he was beginning to feel complete and so far the boy had proved to be just what he thought he would; a fitting son to watch over and teach. His lands would be safe in this boy's hands when he finally passed on.

Before Freeman led the boys away; Salud spoke to him.

"Elder Brother, I must have our brother's servant's see to the horses; your stable hands will not be able to be near them until our brother introduces them properly; we would not want any of them harmed."

Freeman looked at the seven horses and then it dawned on him that Salud had said they belonged to Eventide; he looked at the smaller boy still held tightly in his hug.

"These are your horses, son?"

"Uhm… yes father; they are part of the gifts from the brotherhood."

"Ah yes, I remember now; well you are well on the way to being master of your own destiny; and the wagon; it seems loaded a little heavier than just the brother's gifts?"

"Brother Mahmud would not accept most of his gifts and insisted I accept them instead."

"As it should be among brothers; he is well situated and you are just starting out so it is only fair he pass on to you anything that will help. Now come on, you seven need to eat and rest."

Eventide reluctantly let go of the warm and satisfying hug so he could follow Freeman into the manor house; instead of the great dining hall they went into a smaller one where a table was set for eight. Freeman took the chair at the head of the table and indicated for Salud to take the one at the bottom; he insisted that Eventide should sit on his right hand as the pride of place for a son of his.

It was almost noon before the boys rose to their first day at the manor; as they sat at the same table to eat the first meal of the day; Eventide asked where the Baron was; after being told by one of the servants that the Baron was at the stable; Eventide quickly finished up and, followed by his brothers, went in search of his new father.

When he entered the stables; Eventide saw that Shaitan had not been unsaddled or groomed like the other horses; he looked around until he saw Freeman talking to an older man; he went up to them.

"Father, Shaitan has not been unsaddled yet."

"So I see son, stable master Garrik has told me that no one can get near him; even your own servants fear him."

Eventide looked around at the faces of the young grooms; all showed fear in their eyes whenever they looked at the black horse; that is all except one. He was a young boy of about ten or eleven summers and sat on a stool tending to tack; his right foot was twisted and it was obvious the boy was lame in that leg.

"Stable master, who is that boy?"

"He is my youngest My Lord; Shaun be his name but he is lame and can only repair or look after tack; his leg makes it difficult for him to ride anymore."

"He shows little fear of Shaitan."

"He has little fear of any horse My Lord; he says they can do no more to him than is already done so there is little for him to fear anymore."

Eventide walked down the stable to where the boy sat watching the others; his eyes often straying towards Shaitan.

"Shaun, I would speak with you."

The boy jumped to his feet as best he could and bowed low as he touched his forelock in respect.

"My Lord?"

"You show little fear of my horse Shaitan."

"He is not to be feared My Lord, only respected and perhaps a little bribe would not go astray."

"Yet the other boys cannot get near him."

"I tried to tell them My Lord, but they do not listen to me because I am lame and too young to know."

"I see, well how would you settle my horse and take care of him?"

"First My Lord, I would show little fear as there is little fear to show; next I would speak to him of good things to settle his manner and third I would offer a small bribe while we became friends."

"And how would you offer such a bribe if he will not let you close?"

"The bribe has to be a part of respect it is not difficult if one believes."

"Then master Shaun, I challenge you to befriend my horse Shaitan; should you accomplish this feat then you will be held as Groom to him and him alone; all other duties will be set aside and he will be your only concern; should you accomplish this task you will receive two silver coins from my hand each month; it is all now up to you; do you accept my challenge, son of the stable master?"

Shaun bowed low and touched his forelock again.

"I accept My Lord, but on one condition?"

"Aha… I like a boy with conditions; speak up young Shaun?"

"Should I be in error then I am buried in sight of the stables?"

"Done; now let me see you succeed as I am sure you will." Eventide smiled at the look on the young boy's face; there was a fire in the lame boy and Eventide liked it.

Freeman pushed all the others well back from the stall where the jet black horse stood eyeing the young boy; as they all watched, Shaun began to sing softly to the horse as he limped one step at a time closer. Shaitan watched the small lame boy; after snorting a couple of times; he stamped his foot a few more times and then looked as though he was listening to the soft song.

To those watching, the song sounded like a child's lullaby; slowly Shaun moved forward; when he was no more than five paces away, he produced a red apple from his smock and; with a small knife he cut it into four. With one piece of apple on his small hand; Shaun limped a little closer while still talking softly. When he was standing well within the danger zone; Shaun stopped and bowed his head while holding out the piece of apple.

Shaitan looked at the small child and then sniffed the apple; with gentle lips he reached out and took the offering while Shaun stood motionless but still whispering softly. From that moment on it was as though the two had been friends for life; Shaun whispered while Shaitan ate; in no time at all, Shaun had the saddle off and was bent underneath the black horse brushing its belly with a stiff brush; all the while he kept up the soft talking while rubbing the horse with his free hand.

Eventide moved up to the horse and laid his hand on its strong neck.

"So Shaitan you have got a new friend and forgotten me?"

The horse seemed to understand every word and so shook its head in the negative but turned his head and gave the small boy a nudge as the brush worked tirelessly.

"Well Groom Shaun; your place is assured; Shaitan is now your only concern and you will line up each month with the other workers for your silver; I hope in time we can get you back on a horse so you can accompany us when needed."

Shaun stopped his brushing and bowed to Eventide.

"Thank you My Lord; I would look forward to such a time."

As Eventide and the others left the stables; he began to tell Freeman about his meeting with the farmer and his sons and what he had offered and when they may arrive. Freeman looked at his new son with a new respect; the boy had shown common sense and there was a possibility of having a good farmer on his land.

The land around the manor had been used little and would take a strong man to tame it to farming but it could only be to the betterment of the manor lands if the man was as good as his word.

"Well done my son; that is the sort of thinking that makes great men. I look forward to meeting this man and his family; I am also interested in these new bows you speak of; if they are as good as you say, then we may have something to improve our armoury and army."

"I think so Father; he seemed like a genuine and honest man." Eventide made no mention of how they had met or what had transpired; some secrets need to be kept untold.

For the rest of the day, Eventide did not see any of the Hashin; they were all away somewhere and he spent most of his time at his new task of learning to read and write; it was a tiring task but he stuck with it as Freeman patiently worked with him.

It was just at dusk and the six Hashin had reappeared with smiles on their faces; as they were all ready to sit down for their evening meal; Captain Merideth entered the hall and stood waiting to be asked to speak; which came almost immediately.

"Yes captain?" Freeman asked.

"My Lord; there is a man called Bodan, a farmer, at the gate; he is asking for the young Lord, he is accompanied by a number of others; one of the boys is wearing the sash and chevrons of a Yeoman."

"Bring Bodan and the Yeoman in here to the table; have the others taken to the kitchen and make sure they are well fed; have the house keeper find rooms for them in the servant's quarters."

"Yes My Lord."

The Captain left only to return a little later with both Bodan and Gerard by his side; the two newcomers carried a long bow in their right hand although it was unstrung as a sign of no intent; the older man also carried what looked like a very long plain but soft leather case over his left shoulder.

"My Lord, farmer Bodan and his son Gerard as you wished."

"Thank you Captain. Master Bodan; would you and your son take a seat with us and join us for supper?"

"It would be an honour My Lord, but I am sure the likes of us do not deserve such treatment."

"I can assure you Master Bodan that I am serious; I have a feeling that you are much more than a plain farmer and, as we are about to eat I would like you and your son to join us while we discuss our differences."

"As Your Lordship commands and I give my thanks for your generosity."

"Come and sit here on my left; it will be easier for us to talk. I understand you have met my son and his friends from the Holy Land?"

"Yes My Lord; we met in the King's great forest."

As they began to eat, the conversation stayed light; the Hashin made sure that Gerard was included in the talk and even praised him, through Salud; for his standing in the first rank and holding the Squires for over an hour; which was longer than they thought the boys would be able to do.

As the meal drew to a close; Freeman asked Bodan about himself and why he had been dispossessed by Baron Baliol. At first Bodan was reluctant to speak of another Baron in the presence of one that was of the same rank but, after a little urging; he relented and began his tale.

"My Lord, if you will forgive some of what I have to say about another Noble, I will tell you everything I know and have seen."

"There is no need for forgiveness; I well know about the Baron's way of life."

"Thank you My Lord; well we are not from here; and nor are many other families that work his lands. We are mainly from the area called the Reaches and Moors. I must admit that I was known there as a Clan Leader and Keeper of the Black Bow. I am sure you know of the Reaches and Moors as you have been there before; your name is not unknown to us."

"Ah yes, the Reaches, but I was quite young then."

"Yes My Lord; when I saw you there you were about fifteen summers and were on the hunt for Kendrik the Moor Runner."

"You saw me all those years ago?"

"Yes My Lord, my brother was even part of the hunt; I wanted to go but as Keeper of the Black Bow I was not allowed."

"He was quite the escape artist was Kendrik, I would have liked to meet the man given the opportunity; how he was able to run twenty horsemen for five days and still disappear is beyond me, even today. Do you know he was the only defeat I have ever suffered?"

"I will let you into a secret, My Lord; you were not fighting or tracking a single man; there were more than twenty other young men involved."

"But how could that be? We would have seen if it was a different man when we got close to him; which we did often and then he would disappeared, only to reappear about thirty paces away and lead us on another chase. Each time we closed on him he would do the same thing over and over again."

"My Lord; what you were chasing was a succession of young men; all were dressed the same as each other as is the fashion of the Moor Runners. Their clothing is made from tanned goat skin for its light weight and toughness; their boots come from the coast of the Celts where they have the sea cows come ashore. The skins provide water proof boots which; as you know; are needed on the Moors. Unless you are face to face with the Runner, you could not tell one from the other and that is what they did too you. When one disappeared, he would hide in the heather or a tarn then another would appear where you least expected. As to meeting Kendrik; you did; you even spoke with him."

"I did?"

"Yes My Lord; you were on your way home after five days; as you travelled you met an old man by the side of the road; his cart had a broken wheel; you forced your men to help him put the wheel back. When it was done the old man offered you two apples from his cart; one for you and one for your horse; that was Kendrik."

"But that was an old hunch backed man not the young man we were hunting."

"Kendrik has a way of not looking like he truly is. He told me later that you had impressed him greatly; when others thought only of themselves in times of danger; you stood and saved your horse from the shaky ground at the risk of your own life. Even though you lost five men you never gave up until there was no other option and you had to try to save those that were left; even then you put your men before your own safety. Even today he holds you in high esteem and talks of you when the subject arises at meetings."

"I would certainly like to meet him again now; he must have many good tales to tell about the Moor Runners?"

"He has indeed My Lord and perhaps one day you just may."

"Now pray tell me about this Black Bow you are the Keeper of?"

"Well My Lord, the bow is both a symbol and a trial for any man or boy of the Western Reaches. It is the most powerful bow made by any clan or man. The bow we carry today is the third one made; it is now nearly five generations old. The bows are made in such a way that they can last for ten generations if looked after correctly; some even say it has magic from the old gods built into it; but about that I would not know."

Bodan paused to look around at the rapt attention being paid to his story; that is all except for Gerard who had heard the legend of the Black Bow all his life and, on reaching his majority of eighteen summers would become the next Keeper; that is if he passed the trial of manhood.

"You must understand My Lord; the Black Bow is made for only one use and no other. When a boy gets to the age of thinking he is a man, then he can request to take the trial of manhood; it is by the power of the bow that this is decided. Should the boy fail the trial of which he can only attempt once in his lifetime; then he is either banished from the lands of the Reaches and Moors and must never set foot in them again; or he can meet his death at the hands of one of his family; the final decision is his after failing the attempt."

"I would suppose most call for banishment, Master Bodan?"

"Not so My Lord; most ask for a quick death; banishment means that even should they find a wife and have sons, none of them will ever see the Reaches or Moors again; for our Clan that is unthinkable."

"A very drastic solution Master Bodan."

"It is a hard and dangerous life in the Reaches My Lord."

"So it would seem, and is the trial a secret or can you explain it for us?"

"There are no secrets My Lord, only in the use of the bow and how a boy can tame it; but that is all in his training and self thought. Most bows from other counties are 4'6" in length and pull at 50lbs; for us they are used as a boy's first bow on which he will train until he is old enough and strong enough to have a man's bow. A man's bow is 5' 3" and is pulled at between 75lbs and 85lbs."

There was a short pause while Bodan thought over what he would say.

"Our bows are not made as others; with the other counties they make a bow from a single piece of Yew; it is tapered and the centre bound with leather for the hand grip. Ours are made from laths of Yew and Blackwood. For a boy's bow there are three laths; two outer laths of Yew and a central lath of Blackwood; we then added a central grip of Oak. A man's bow is made from five laths; three of Yew and two of Blackwood with the grip of Oak. The Black Bow is made entirely of Blackwood with Oaken grips."

Again a pause.

"Now the Black Bow is 6' long and pulls at 120lbs; it must be used not only with strength but with the power of one's mind and soul; without those last two then the boy is doomed to failure. Each year on the boy's naming day from the age of ten summers; he is asked by his father if he is ready to take the trial. This question is asked each naming day until his majority at eighteen summers; if the boy has not taken the trial by that age he is automatically banished and his name struck from the tales and records; he becomes a non person."

"A harsh sentence Master Bodan."

"As I said My Lord, it is a harsh land. Now the trial is conducted with four arrows; that is all that is carried with the bow. One arrow is fletched with green; that is for the great Mother of the Earth. Next is one fletched with white; that is for the great Father of the Heavens. The next is fletched with the stripes of the hawk and carries the call of the bird for all to hear; it is to scare away the dark thoughts that fills men's minds and bodies. The last is fletched in red; it is the arrow of ascension from boyhood to manhood; it must fly true and strike at the heart where all man's fears die."

Freeman looked at the last son of Bodan; the boy had about 15 summers and; while he had sturdy shoulders and very strong looking arms; his lower body was slender and he looked a little top heavy although he moved with a fluid gait.

"So, if your youngest passes his trial he will then be the Keeper; if there is only one bow then how can those still in the Reaches be tested with you so far away?"

"They must travel to where I am at and have their trial there."

"What would stop them from returning home and saying they have passed when they have not even tried?"

"It is the honour of a man. If a boy lied about doing and passing the trial; he would know it was a lie; that lie would sit heavy on his shoulders and his demeanour would show that; if he passed it truly he would walk in a different way, one of accomplishment and surety; it cannot be disguised by a lie."

"It sounds like a tough trial and even more severe penalties?"

"As I said My Lord; the Reaches are a tough land and must have strong men and leaders. For my youngest it is a great sacrifice; there are two things in this world he ever wanted; one was to travel to the Holy Land and the other was to become a Moors Runner, however fate has placed him on the road of being the next Keeper of the Black Bow when he reaches his majority."

Again Bodan paused to think over his next words.

"As it would be I already have three sons that are Runners, my eldest, a boy in the middle age and the next one above Gerard; the others are all good farmers and hard workers as well as being good bowmen so I have been well blessed. May I ask of yourself My Lord?"

"We eat at the same table Master Bodan and therefore talk as friends; of course you may ask of my life if that is what you choose."

"I am greatly honoured by your hospitality My Lord and so I would ask only in friendship; I notice you have no wife yet you have adopted a son on the cusp of manhood; did your good wife pass over to the other side?"

"This can be a long tale Master Bodan; perhaps we should let the boys go to entertain themselves while we talk more?"

Bodan nodded and smiled at his youngest in agreement; the others stood and thanked Freeman for the meal and Bodan for his company; although the Hashin boys did so through Salud as they spoke no English. Bodan was surprised at the courtesy of the Saracen boys; he thought he would have to ask how they came to be in this land at all, if given the opportunity by his Lordship.

Once the boys had left, Freeman began his tale after calling for hot mead to be served to himself and his guest.

"As you know, at fifteen summers I had my ass kicked by the men of the Moors and Reaches."

Bodan nodded but could not help the chuckle that came to his throat; he noticed that His Lordship was also chuckling.

"I was the second son and my father, then the Baron of Lancaster; I knew that my older brother would hold the title and lands. My Mother had passed at my birth but she had left me a small holding in her homeland in Flanders of few acres so I would not be destitute nor have to beg from my brother should the time come. To this end; when I was nineteen summers, I asked my father for permission to venture to the Holy Land on crusade; of course as the second son he had no hesitation in allowing it as my elder brother would never be allowed to go as he was the heir apparent."

Freeman paused to sip the hot mead then continued.

"As you well know, a young man being freshly released from the oversight of his parent is likely to be a little over adventurous; and so I was. There was a call from the Knights of the Cross to venture into Saracen lands and claim palaces for themselves; and the good Church of course. Being one of too higher spirits I signed their pledge and off I went to a great adventure. There were more than one thousand Knights and twenty thousand soldiers; most wore the Red Cross of the Holy Church; not being one who is over fond of the Church I wore my family colours of Green."

Again a pause to sip his mead and think back to those early times to refresh his memory.

"We travelled for twenty five days without sight of palace or Saracen; by this time there was the beginning of dissention in the common ranks as thirst and hunger took hold; the twenty sixth day soon stopped that. We had camped the night at the beginning of a long sandy valley; the hills rose on both sides and were also of soft sand. We had just finished our breakfast and the baggage train was in the middle of breaking camp when the Saracens appeared on the two hills above us. The men tried as fast as they could to form a defensive line and the Knights called for their war horses and got mounted. Being as I was, young and always in a hurry; I found myself in the front rank of the Knights and at the head of the first charge. As we charged towards the mounted Saracens we found the soft sand slowed us greatly and blunted our charge; their number suddenly increased beyond count but for us it was already too late; I did not even get to strike one Saracen before a lance slid off my thigh armour and pierced my groin; the pain and fear was so great that the blackness overtook me before I even fell from my horse. Many hours later I began to gather my wits again; the air was filled with the smell of blood and death; I could hear the sounds of scavengers feeding on the corpses of the men, but there was another sound; the sound of strange voices; there were also human scavengers robbing the dead."

Bodan watched as the famous Baron shuddered with those old thoughts; he kept his silence.

"The pain in my groin was such that I must have cried out louder than I thought for it was only moments before a dark clothed figure was standing over me; all I could make out was dark clothing and a pair of dark eyes staring at me from behind a cloth that covered his face entirely. The figure called out in a language I could not make heads nor tails of; within moments there were others staring down at me; this was only the beginning of a long stay in the hands of what I then thought were the Saracens."

Another long pause for more mead and to take breath occurred before Freeman continued.

"For some reason, one that I was to learn of much later; the first figure decided to take me with them; two men stripped me of my armour and an old man appeared to take a look at my wound; there was another long discussion before he took out a curved knife and completed the work of the lance; much to my horror and pain; I passed out again and awoke to find myself in a large dark tent with the old man watching over me. From somewhere else in the tent I could hear fast and sometimes furious discussions going on; I was to learn they were talking about my future."

Freeman paused and thought back to that time in his life when everything was about to change but as yet he was not aware of how much.

"They turned out to be of the Bedouin as others call them; they looked upon the Saracens, Sunni, Hadish and other tribes as much lower than themselves. They had few options; one I could be enslaved, sold and used in the mines or, as I had lost my means of creating children; I could be used as what they call a eunuch, in their harems; which is where their concubines are held. Another option was to be tortured and left in the great desert but I was saved from that as I was wearing green and not the Red Cross; what happened was only due to the young man that had found me. He was of a similar age as myself; he stood finally and said something to the others that stopped all arguments and discussion immediately; I learned later he had given what they call a Blood Promise; for the Bedou it is so serious and sacred that it is a promise until death; even if the promise is fulfilled it is still for life. The promise is not only upheld by the one that makes it but is binding on all other Bedou."

Again a long pause and a few more sips from the freshly filled cup.

"The young Bedou had claimed me as a brother; this brought me into the family of the Bedou; his name was Saed, others know him today as the Emir who is at the King's court right now. Once I was considered fully healed; Saed took me under his protection and began to teach me the ways of the Bedou; within a year I was also included in their sacred society of which I am still a member; that is also for life. So master Bodan, as you can see the possibility of a wife and sons is not viable for me and that is why Eventide is now my son and heir."

Freeman watched the thoughtful look on Bodan's face as he finished his story; of course it was only the bare facts and the true story was much longer with many more situations that the man did not need to hear.

"Master Bodan, I would ask if you would consider showing me the advantages of your bows in the morning; perhaps once that is done we can discuss more about the possibility of finding you some free farmland to work?"

"My Lord, it would be my honour to show you our bows and what they can do; perhaps you might have a guard or two that would like to compete for honours against us; it would make for a better understanding of our chosen weapon?"

"Agreed; now then let us finish off this flask of mead and then get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow will be adventurous and revealing to both of us."

The two men sat and made small talk while they drank the flask dry; it was by now the middle hours of the night as they made their way to their rooms; Bodan being shown by one of the servants where his family was sleeping; of his youngest son there was no sight or sound; all he could do was hope for the best that he was safe.

The next morning there was an air of excitement in the manor; the long open swathes of grassland outside the wall was letting go of the last of the morning mist as the sun rose in the clear sky. A large number of the guards were gathering near a freshly cleared area where a table had been set up for the Baron to sit and watch and food and fruit had been laid out for those who wanted it.

Bodan sat with the Baron as his sons stood behind him and looked at the guards; four of the guards were more noticeable for their large strong right arms; a signal that they were and had been bowmen for a lot of years. A line marked with white ribbon had been set ten paces away from the table; fifty paces from the line sat a wooden frame with a large hessian bag packed tightly with straw. The target bag had a cloth with three wide circles painted on it. The outer line was yellow; the middle line was blue and the round spot in the centre was red. The red spot was no more than a hands span across.

When it looked like all those that wanted to attend had appeared; the Baron stood up and began to speak.

"My guardsmen, sons of Bodan the farmer; this is a test of skill with your chosen weapons, the bow. This is not a confrontation, it is a friendly competition; if there were some among you that wish to lay a wager, I will not stop it. Yeoman Krain, have you selected the four that will take the line for your team?"

"Yes My lord."

"Are you happy to start at fifty paces?"

"Yes My Lord but, if I may ask permission to use our war bows when the distance increases; these practice bows have little else after fifty paces?"

"Master Boden is that agreed with; of course you may also change bows if desired at any time?"

"It is agreeable My Lord."

"Who would you have for your team Master Bodan?"

Freeman expected the man to select his best including himself on his team; much to his surprise, and the amusement of his large guards, Bodan instead said.

"I would select my four youngest My Lord; they well need the practice."

"Are you sure Master Boden; it seems a little unfair to put young teens against grown men who are mostly battle hardened and well experienced."

"My Lord, this is a friendly competition, if my youngest sons are beaten then they will have to practice harder in the future; it would be no dishonour for them to lose to better men and may even give them a little humility in their future lives."

For some reason, Freeman did not think that was likely to happen; there was a faint hint of pride and also fun in the man's voice.

"Very good, all is agreed; each archer will fire one arrow at the target; those with the most shafts closest to the centre wins that round; from then on the target will be moved back twenty five paces and will continue until only one archer remains; he or they will be said the winners and all wagers will be paid without anger or threat."

Freeman sat down and watched as the four young teens stood back and bowed to the guardsmen; allowing them to be first to use the target; it was also an acknowledgement of the guardsmen's age and experience. It did not go unnoticed by the other guards and a few nods of respect went to the four boys.

As the guards were setting their bows and checking them over; Freeman saw movement from the corner of his eye; he smiled to himself and said nothing as Eventide and Salud went among the brothers that were not shooting to give them all a small coin bag; Freeman did not have long to wait before the smiling boys started to move among the watching guards and start to lay wagers on their four brothers which were quickly taken up.

All of the wagers were mostly of copper coins, only occasionally was a wager made in silver; a guardsman was not a rich person even thought Freeman paid his men well above normal.

Silence settled over the early morning tableau; the four guardsmen had taken their places at the line and were preparing to fire their single arrow at the large target fifty paces away.

At fifty paces the Persian practice bow was almost at its maximum range; the normal practice was between forty and sixty paces for these lighter bows. To be able to make a good shot, the guardsmen had to elevate their bows to a quarter of centre; the centre being a straight line from eye to target; a quarter being raised some twenty five degrees.

Silence was maintained as the four men fired; all four arrows hit the target within the blue line and close to the red circle; their green fletching easily seen by the onlookers. A loud roar of approval went up from those watching guards; at that range with a practice bow it was a very good shot.

Freeman watched as the four teens looked at each other and gave the faintest hint of a smile to each other. The teens next lined up; all four were using a white fletching and it was noticeable that their arrows were longer than the guardsmen's by some inches.

Now that he could see the bows plainly and ready to release, Freeman could make out the difference in style and size more easily. His guards had held the Persian bows in the usual manner of a slightly sideways grip; it allowed for the draw string to be pulled right back level with the ear before releasing.

The four boys had a straighter on stance and he saw that they only drew the bow string to their lips where they stood with the string as though kissing it. Another difference was that the four boys wore a leather bracer on their left arm and a three fingered leather glove on their right hand.

The four boys released the shafts all at the same time; they had not elevated their bows but kept them at the centre line; it did not take much for Freeman to see why. The release was so smooth that it was like fluid pouring from a large jug; the shafts flew straight and true and all four buried more than half their length in the target; all four were also only inches from each other and right in the centre of the red circle.

There was a stunned silence as the guards saw what they were now up against; slowly the other watchers began to clap in appreciation of the boy's marksmanship; the four guard archers could only look open mouthed at the results of the four boys.

Krain was man enough to turn to the four boys and bow his head as a compliment of their skill; he also smiled as he said to the boys.

"Very good; for fifty paces, now let us start to play." Krain turned back to his men. "Guards, your war bows, this has just become a true competition and I for one want to see if these lads can keep abreast."

One servant ran the eight shafts back while others measured and then moved the large target back to seventy five paces as the Guards retrieved their larger and heavier war bows from one of their friends. The Persian War Bow, the most commonly used bow of the time; was large and heavy; it was made for long continuous use in the heat of battle and had a good range of one hundred and fifty paces; some said it would fly further in the hands of a good archer.

Freeman watched as the guards watching fingered their coin purses; the use of War Bows was a distinct advantage to the guards; copper coins flowed again with the sons of Bodan.

The four guards retook their place at the line; this time they used less elevation as the bows were far stronger; the guards hit one red, two blue and one yellow; at seventy five paces it was very good shooting. The boys took their places and went through the same ritual as before; when they were ready to release; they all did so together; again four reds but this time there was only one exactly in the centre and the other three were about two inches around it.

The three older brothers looked at Gerard and wagged a teasing finger at him as they turned back to rejoin their other brothers and wait for the guardsmen to shoot at the next range.

There was again a stunned silence as those watching saw the four white fletching's at the centre circle; Krain could only look and shake his head; he had seen the boys barely use a fraction of elevation; it was starting to dawn on him that the long bows were not to be taken lightly, nor should the age of the archers.

The target was again moved back, this time to one hundred paces; as Krain thought about it, it was still well within an accurate range for their heavy bows. At one hundred paces it would need a servant to mark the hits with a painted marker; the watchers got ready for the next round; the four guardsmen were now looking very serious as they nocked their arrows and prepared to shoot.

One after the other, the guards released and stepped back; the results were still good, three blue and one yellow; a loud round of yelling from their many friends met their results; the guards stepped back with smiles on their faces as the four boys took the line.

Again the four boys scored four reds but this time they were more widely separated; the boys waggled a finger at Gerard once again as his was the closest to the centre; one even lightly slapped him on the back of the head making the others laugh at the boy's red face.

The target was once again moved back but this time Krain asked for one hundred and fifty paces instead of the one hundred and twenty five it should have been. Krain knew it took a great deal of strength to pull a bow back far enough for that distance; he was trying to tax the strength of the younger boys and also put them off by the extra distance.

For the guardsmen the range made them have to use a full three quarters elevation; the result was one blue, one yellow, one close miss and one shaft short and into the ground below the target; for that range it was still good shooting and they got another loud cheer.

The four boys walked to the line but, instead of taking their position to fire; they all placed their bows across their open palms and turned to face their father with a low bow; Freeman watched as Bodan gave them an almost imperceptible nod.

The four boys turned back to the target still with the bows crosswise in their palms; all four then bowed and stood immobile for a minute before returning the bows to the upright and taking their stance.

"What was that Master Bodan?"

"We call it the prayer of hand and eye; it is a prayer to the Mother Earth and Father of the Heavens that their hands be steady and a prayer to the Hawk for a sharp eye and the banishment of bad spirits."

"They did not use it before?"

"There was no need; before it was just a practice distance used just for training, now they are shooting for real and must hit their target."

Again the four boys drew their bows in unison; the release was just as perfect but this time they used one third from the centre. The four shafts flew fast and straight on their curving flight; the result was three red and one blue; this time the three brothers turned to the elder of the four and shook their heads sadly as they walked back with a smile on their faces.

Krain looked at the result; his men were almost at their limits although he still had a little more to give yet; his was the strongest bow in the King's army, only two other archers could pull it to the fullest and they were both in the King's Guard.

Bodan turned to Freeman and then stood and bowed.

"My Lord, would you permit me to arrange the next distance and conditions?"

"By all means Master Bodan, from what we have seen today it can only get better for all of us to see."

"Thank you My Lord. I would like the target to be placed at two hundred and fifty paces. I have noticed that Yeoman Krain is by far the better archer than the others, perhaps he will take the line for this round and he can use four shafts; I will select one of the boys and he can do the same?"

"That sounds fair, Yeoman Krain; do you accept this new challenge?"

Although he was feeling a little nervous, his honour and the honour of the Baron was at stake. At two hundred and fifty paces he would be at the full extent of his range for the Persian Bow and his accuracy would be at risk but he could not refuse.

"Yes My Lord; it is indeed a great challenge, especially for a boy of tender years; which of the four will I be shooting against, My Lord?"

Freeman looked at Bodan in askance.

"It will be Gerard, My Lord; it is his time."

Freeman nodded and watched as Krain prepared himself; all of the Yeoman's skill would be needed for this round. The watchers were totally silent, even the birds stayed quiet as the large man got ready with his first shaft.

Everybody watched as the large man's arms began to flex and the heavy muscles bunched and bulged with his efforts; as he breathed out he released the first of the four shafts; it seemed to the watchers that the shaft took forever to reach its target; it was short by less than one pace.

The next shaft hit low on the target and inches from the outer yellow; the third and forth shaft zipped and both hit in the blue; it was no mean feat at that range and the roar of the crowd filled the morning air; there was a certain amount of back slapping and congratulations as Gerard prepared for his turn.

When the celebrations calmed down; Bodan stood up from his place at the table and raised his two hands for silence.

"My son Gerard; in two days time it will be your name day; I ask you know even though it is early. Do you, Gerard of the Reaches, take the trial of manhood this day?"

Gerard lowered his bow and turned to his father; bowing his head he called back.

"Yes father; today I will stand trial."

Bodan turned to his eldest son who was carrying the brown leather case.

"Bring the Black Bow of Manhood; Gerard of the Reaches would take trial this day."

The crowd was hushed as they watched the strange goings on; only Freeman and Bodan's family knew what it would mean if Gerard failed.

The elder son stood before his father with the brown case lying in his arms as his father carefully opened it and drew out the six foot bow. At first sight of the black bow, Freeman almost gasped as he saw the great weapon; it seemed to almost hum with a hidden power as Bodan took it out and gave it to his youngest son. From deeper in the case, Bodan pulled out four arrows, one was fletched in white, one in green, one in red and one was striped like a hawks feather; all four were longer than any arrow he had ever seen.

As he received the four shafts, Gerard bowed low to his father and turned back to the line leaving his other bow in his older brothers hands; only those in the family knew that the bow would also be used to take Gerard's life if he failed; none of Bodan's offspring would ever take the option of banishment.

There was total quiet as Gerard prepared for his trial; taking up the green shaft, he held it at arm's length then raised it high and said something under his breath; next he took his stance and held the large black bow at his side; nocking the arrow, he settled into his stance and drew the bow back with surprising ease; with the arrow at his lips he raised it to two thirds of centre, paused, then released.

The green shaft flew high and far; too the surprise of the watchers, the arrow landed right at the base of the target and stuck in the ground where the right leg of the frame touched the ground. There was a sudden whispering of.

"He missed."

Freeman looked at Bodan and was also surprised to see the man nod his head in satisfaction; Freeman decided to ask about it after the boy had finished.

The white shaft flew at the same elevation and this time it landed close to the left leg of the frame; again the whisper of.

"He missed again; he will have to hit twice in the blue or once in the red to win now."

Freeman was watching the face of Bodan and again saw the nod of satisfaction.

Gerard drew the bow again, this time with the fletching of the striped shaft; this time he raised it to three quarters and, after a pause, released it high into the air.

It seemed the arrow was flying for a long time as it went high over the top of the target and disappeared into the distance; what was more noticeable to those watching was the high pitched sound of what could be a Hawk screeching as the arrow flew.

The crowd began to make calls for Krain to be declared the winner; Freeman lifted his hand for silence, the boy still had one shaft left and it was only fair he be allowed his full four shots.

In the silence that followed, Gerard knelt down and, holding the last arrow in his palms, he began to whisper what Freeman assumed was a prayer; the boy then stood, turned and bowed to his father and took his stance and prepared to fire.

There was a hush as everyone watched the slender boy draw the bow to its fullest; with his lips on the string, Gerard released the shaft in a smooth easy way; the shaft went high and straight as it flew towards the far off target. No one could see where it hit but there was little doubt it had made the target.

The servant standing far to one side lifted his painted marker and moved it up and down; no one could believe it; that signal meant the boy had scored a red; he had won the competition with that one last shot; Freeman turned to see the half smile on Bodan's face.

"Gerard, son of the Reaches; today you are a man and on your majority you will become the Keeper of the Black Bow of Manhood; your father is pleased. Boys go and collect the arrows of manhood and do not forget to pace out the shaft of the Hawk."

Krain was the first to move towards Gerard; he held out his large hand to be taken by the boy; as he shook the boy's hand he said to him.

"I have seen the best bowmen of this land and of many others; today I saw the best of them all; I am now proud to be beaten by such an archer."

"Thank you Yeoman; had you not been such an archer I would not have had the courage to take my trial so it is I that should be thanking you," Gerard replied.

"What is this talk of a trial young one?"

"It is the law of the Reaches; for me to become a man I must fulfil the laws of the Black Bow."

"But you missed with the first three, what if you missed with the fourth?"

"I did not miss with the first three; I shot them where they were meant to go; had I missed the last one I would be laying here dead right now."

"Dead! But how?"

"Had my shaft not hit the red my eldest brother would have used my own bow against me; it is the law of the Reaches."

Krain looked in wonder at the boy; this strange law was not for the faint of heart; Krain decided to ask Gerard if he could draw the Black Bow to see its pull. Gerard looked at his father for an answer.

"You are the new Keeper; it is your decision to make," Bodan replied to the look from his son.

Gerard handed the Black Bow over to Krain; even with all his greater strength; Krain could only get a half draw on the bow and he looked down at the younger teen with a new respect; for the very life of him, he could not see how the boy had drawn the bow to its fullest; not once, but four times and with great accuracy.

Krain returned the bow beaten by its great power; he promised himself never to underestimate a man or boy in the future.

"What was the meaning of the three misses, Master Bodan?"

"They were not misses My Lord; the first green shaft was to honour the Mother of the earth; the second white was for the Father of the Heavens; the third was the arrow of the Hawk and was to scare all spirits with bad intentions; the last was the death arrow; it is the one that kills the spirit of a boy and reveals the man inside. If the last arrow misses, then his brother would release the shaft he held ready for Gerard's death."

"Then I am mightily pleased the last shaft hit well; he seems a good and honest boy and I would not like to see his blood on my lands."

It was soon after that the last son came running back holding the striped shaft in his hand.

"Did you pace the flight?"

"Yes father," the boy replied.

"And?"

"Three hundred and sixty paces beyond the target, father."

"Then he has done well, only twenty paces less than my own effort and as you know my son; some thirty paces beyond you and your brothers; he will be a great Keeper."

The boy gave the last shaft back to his father and nodded; he knew that none of his brothers would be able to play anymore jokes on the youngest one; he had bested them on the one true field they all knew so well.

Later that day when it was close to the time for the evening meal; Freeman called for Bodan to meet him in his study room. It was a number of hours later before anyone saw the two men again; it was noticeable that both of them were smiling and seemed happy with the results of their private meeting.

Eventide had now had enough time learning the language of the Bedou to be able to quite well understand most of what was said although his skill at reading and writing the language was still at the level of an infant; Freeman's lessons on writing and reading his own language were of course easier for Eventide to learn although still difficult for one who had not been taught before.

Amongst all the language lessons, there was the other training for his skills within the Brotherhood; these seemed to come naturally to him and his six instructors were happy with his progress. Eventide was feeling a little nervous about this upcoming night. Ishmael had told him he would be learning the first thing about seduction; as Ishmael said; "It is one of the better parts of being a Hashin" Eventide only hoped it was true; he was about to tread into a world he knew nothing about.

Eventide was not really surprised to see Bodan at the table that night; as the meal continued, Freeman began to tell him what they had agreed upon during their meeting. Freeman and Bodan had come to an arrangement for Bodan and his family to take over the manor estate as Freeman's overseer; he would also have given to him for a small peppercorn rent, ten acres to call his own and he would oversee all of the new tenants that would come to work the estate. His rent was to be six long bows and six quivers of arrows per year for five years and the son's time to train his men. Once that was fulfilled, the land would be Bodan's and his family and he would keep his place as overseer.

Bodan had said he would have no trouble finding good farmers for the land around the manor and he had his own sons to help with breaking in the ground and also in his duty as overseer.

When the meal was done; Eventide and the six Hashin left the table and went back to Eventide's rooms. Eventide's four servants were waiting with a hot bath ready for him and the massage table was set out and ready. A warming plate was in his bed to heat up the cold sheets while Ishmael found a large soft cushion to sit on beside the bathing tub.

The other five Hashin disappeared into their own rooms and left the two boys together; there were a number of semi riballed remarks made that Eventide could now understand even though he did not really know what they meant in the context of the night.

As Eventide relaxed in the hot bath water; Ishmael began to tell him a long story of a Prince looking for love in the vast deserts of his homeland. Eventide lay back to listen; a good story that is well told was always one of his favourite things and Ishmael seemed to have the kind of voice that made for a good story teller.

As the story progressed and Eventide relaxed more; occasionally Ishmael's voice would drop slightly and Eventide had to lean toward him slightly to hear the words. Ishmael would then strengthen his voice again. At other times, Ishmael would lightly touch Eventide's bare arm or perhaps run a finger lightly up or down his forearm as he explained a part of the story.

When the water cooled, Eventide was still held spellbound by the tale of the desert Prince; Ishmael at one time was almost whispering in his ear and the soft touch of Ishmael's hot breath on his cheek made Eventide feel a light tingle in his nether regions; that is not to say he was not already feeling the effects by the hardness of his boyhood hidden under the water.

Eventide took his place on the table for a massage; always the best part of the many bathings he had to do; Ishmael continued with the story; at times his eyes flashed at Eventide and at other times he whispered words or gave a slight touch on the boy's leg, arm or back. Eventide hoped Ishmael did not know what he was doing to Eventide's young excitable body; he had never felt like this before when told a story.

By the end of the massage, Eventide's body felt as though it was enflamed and yet Ishmael seemed to not notice anything amiss. When the tale went to a soft part; Ishmael would whisper the words; when it came to an exciting part before a battle or some other part to raise the blood; Ishmael would speak louder but touch Eventide in different places that brought the younger boy's blood almost to a boil.

It was two hours later before Eventide realised he was lying on the great bed in all his nakedness; his boyhood was rigidly hard and his skin felt on fire; above him was Ishmael; a thin film of sweat on his dark skin only accentuated his fine muscular figure.

Something was slowly moving between Eventide's thighs; it felt large and very hard but his own boyhood was taking away any other thoughts; it was at a stage when he thought he should tell Ishmael he need to go and pass water, instead he felt a tingling like nothing ever before.

Without warning, Eventide's boyhood began to pulse not once, but many times; above him the bright damp face of Ishmael was smiling widely as he slowly moved back and forth between the younger boy's thighs hoping that one day he would get to taste the true delight hidden below.

When the pulsing ended; Eventide suddenly felt very tired; his boyhood did not go soft like some other times but he seemed more drained this time; there was also a stickiness on his belly that he had not had before; other times his boyhood had got hard and he had felt the shivers, there had not been any moister; this time was different somehow.

Eventide awoke with a start; he did not realise he had fallen asleep; as he turned his head he could see Ishmael watching him with wide awake eyes; their noses almost touching and their breaths mixing with each exhale.

Eventide was not sure what it was; the fact of someone holding him close or just that another person was sharing his bed with intimacy for the first time but, whatever it was he would like it to continue. A fleeting thought made him wonder if Mahmud would like to lay with him like this; holding each other close and experiencing the joy of the tingling sensations he had had.

When next Eventide awoke; Ishmael was by the side of the bed dressing. Eventide could tell it was in the late morning as the sun was high in the sky for it to be close to dawn. Eventide felt his naked body under the soft cotton of the bed cloths; his first urge was to make water and he jumped from the bed in a bigger hurry than most days.

Ishmael laughed as he watched the naked boy running for the closet set aside for the disposal of the boy's morning water; it would not be long before Eventide would be back and Ishmael would follow him down to eat a sparse meal before handing him over to Demetrius for the next part of training.

Ishmael could tell by the glow of the boy's skin that his seduction had been a success; all it would take now was to teach Eventide how he had done it without the boy even realising or understanding it from the beginning.

The following week was filled from early light until after dark with lessons; both of the Hashin and his reading and writing with Freeman who also taught him about court etiquette and the other lessons for a Baronet.

Each day had the last two hours of daylight set aside for Eventide to ride his horse; each time he went to the stable, Shaun would be waiting for him. Shaitan would be saddled and the jet black hide would be glowing with a shine to match the brightest of jewels.

One of the Hashin had also been teaching Shaun how to plait the horses black main and tie in small red and black tassels to highlight the horse. On the third day of going to the stable; Eventide was surprised to be greeted with the horse kneeling down on one front knee for Eventide to mount easier; Eventide smiled at what he saw.

"Shaun, how did you get him to do that?"

"Soft words and bribery My Lord."

"More bribery than words I would guess. Thank you Shaun, I would never have thought of that."

"It is a pleasure My Lord; also your friends have been helping me understand this type of horse; they are so different from our own."

"Yes Shaun, they are certainly that. Are you trying to practice riding again?"

"Yes My Lord; I have been trying to learn to re-sit a saddle and find a way to keep my balance; again your friends have been most helpful; it seems they have done this before for their own boys after an accident."

"From what I have been told; in the great desert, if you cannot ride then you die so they must have ways to help those injured."

"Yes My Lord; My Lord, may I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"What is the large barrel for?"

"What barrel Shaun?"

"Your friends have strung a barrel on four posts out back of the stables."

"I honestly do not know Shaun; I will try to find out while we ride today; they must have a reason for it, they always do and it usually means more pain for me." Eventide laughed as the boy smiled back at him. With Shaitan kneeling it was so much easier to mount although he had to tighten his grip as the horse stood back up.

On the long slow canter back to the stable, Eventide called to Salud and asked him about the hanging barrel; the only answer he got was a very evil look and a wide smile from the other boys; they returned to the stable in silence but the smiles were wide and knowing.

Once back at the stables; Eventide was again allowed to dismount after Shaitan had knelt for him; Shaun was quickly there to begin to remove the large colourful wool blanket and begin to remove the saddle; as he worked, Mohammad moved up beside him; Shaitan immediately turned his head to look at the teen and bared his teeth and snorted loudly through his nostrils.

Eventide watched as Mohammad bowed low and salaamed to the horse; he then said in Aramaic.

"Forgive this one Great Shaitan; I have need to give another lesson to the young one."

Shaitan looked the teen over before turning his head back which seemed to be agreeable to Mohammad. When Shaun had removed the large blanket, draped it over a waiting stand and then reversed it so the underside was open to the air to dry; Mohammad then took Shaun to the horses main and showed him something in the plaiting and tying of the tassels.

Shaun was nodding his head as Mohammad explained things through signs as neither could speak the others language. Carefully Mohammad untied one of the plaits and then went step by step to replaiting it; he then took up the tassel and measured the plait with his forefinger and showed Shaun the difference in length before tying the tassel back on.

Shaun nodded his head and then showed Mohammad his much shorter forefinger and giggled; Mohammad laughed and then showed him to use the width of the boy's smaller four fingers across the palm instead of the length of the boy's forefinger; Shaun nodded again and bowed to Mohammad which the teen returned before turning back and joining his friends.

The walk back to the manor and the evening meal was done in silence; Eventide was still thoughtful about why the six friends had put a large barrel up and what they had in mind for him; he knew it would not be something easy; with these six it never was.

The next morning, Eventide's worst fears were realised as the boys led him to the back of the stables; what he saw did not inspire any confidence. There were four post set in a square; at the centre was a large barrel with one of the strange saddles the boys had told him were for his camels.

The barrel lay on the ground and the four ropes were attached in such a way that they controlled both the front, rear and sides. The four biggest boys went to stand by the posts and gripped the ropes tightly; Salud took Eventide to the barrel and still wore the evil grin as he explained to Eventide how to mount the saddle.

When Eventide was finally seated on the strange saddle; Salud showed him how to wrap his right leg under the knee of his left and tighten his grip; next he gave Eventide a long thin cane and showed him how to hold it in his right hand and tap it against the side of the barrel.

Once all this was done; Salud stepped back and nodded his head; seconds later Eventide found himself on the ground after flying over the front of the barrel as the two boys at the rear had suddenly pulled hard on the ropes and lifted the rear of the barrel up high; all the boys were laughing, not only at the result of Eventide's loss of his seat but also at the loud and boyish yelp he let out as he hit the ground quite hard.

Salud helped Eventide back to his feet and then brushed of the dust and straw from his clothes before pointing back to the barrel; this next attempt was more successful until they lifted the front in the same manner. The same results were achieved but this time he went over the back with the same yelp; it took the boys a few minutes before they could stop laughing and help the dust covered Eventide back on his feet.

Eventide was trying to spit out a lump of dirt as Salud led him back to the barrel.

"There is no animal that rises up like that Salud."

"So little brother, you have ridden many camels then to know this?"

"Well, no but I have never seen an animal that would even kneel and then stand in such a fashion; I think you are trying to make a fool of me."

"To make a fool you must first have one who is born a fool; now little brother, back to your lesson and believe me when I tell you; a camel does indeed rise like that and some even more violently if they anger."

This time Eventide stayed on his saddle. At Salud's command, the four boys began to move the barrel in a strange waving motion; Salud had told Eventide that when he was comfortable and thought he could stay in the saddle; he was to tap the cane on the barrel and it would speed up a little.

It took ten more minutes before Eventide was feeling decidedly ill; the forward wavy motion made his stomach heave as well as a slight sideways movement that the boys managed to work into their actions. As Eventide felt his gorge rise; he leaned over the side and lost his breakfast, much to the enjoyment of the six watching boys; luckily Salud caught him before he fell into his own mess that sat in a puddle below him.

Shaun appeared from nowhere with a ladle of cold water and then went to find some fresh straw to cover up Eventide's breakfast and pad the ground a little more; the six boys had tears in their eyes as they laughed and held their sides much to Eventide's displeasure.

It took another ten minutes before Eventide could remount the saddle and start over; although he felt ill almost immediately; it was only from sheer will power that he held onto what little was left in his stomach. After a little time, the four boys sped up their actions; this time Eventide did not feel so bad as the movement was a little smoother and his stomach settled a little.

For the next two hours, Eventide sat high up on the barrel as the boys worked up a hard sweat moving it around; looking down Eventide could see he was about the height of two men above the ground; it was not a comfortable feeling to know he could easily injure himself from this height.

It was mid afternoon before the lesson finished for the day much to Eventide's relief; after being helped down; Eventide made his way back to the manor on very unsteady legs. It was with great relief that he made it back to the manor; his stomach was rumbling with hunger and his throat was dry as Salud and Achmed escorted him into the house.

Freeman took one look and could not hold back the laughter.

"I see you are learning to ride a camel; you're lucky it's only a barrel; I had to do it on the real animal, a much harder form of learning I assure you."

If Eventide could have raised a sneer he would have done so but his aching muscles and shaky legs had taken too much out of him, he just wanted to eat, drink and rest; the first two were soon completed, the last was not to be.

For Eventide, it seemed he had just fallen asleep when something caused him to awaken. At first he could not make out what it was; his room was in total blackness but there was a heavy weight pressing down on his slim chest.

As he managed to open his eyes; he felt the full stress of the long practice session on the large barrel but, there was something else. Above him he could just make out a faint shimmer of dark eyes very close to his face. The figure was kneeling over his chest and had his arms trapped at his side; Eventide tried to move but it was impossible with the weight above him.

His breathing was coming only with difficulty and there was a feeling of cold metal on his bare stomach. The figure holding him down was more ethereal in its darkness; only the dark eyes could be seen as the tightness around his throat increased and the pressure of the cold metal pressed down on his boyhood; from the blackness came a young voice.

"A Hashin that sleeps to deeply will soon be dead; always you must sleep with one ear listening and one eye watching."

Suddenly the vague shape in the darkness disappeared as though it was a ghost and Eventide was left with the tightness of the silken scarf around his neck and, after looking down; he saw one of his own fancy daggers lying with the sharp blade touching his naked boyhood.

Eventide carefully removed the dagger first; it was too close to be comfortable; with a little struggle he managed to free the tight scarf from his neck; the pain of his first full breath would always remind him of how close he was to never breathing again.

Eventide jumped from his bed to find some water to sooth his dry throat; of his assailant there was no sign. Even now he was not sure which of his six brothers it had been but it was a lesson he hoped he would not have to go through again. For the rest of the night, Eventide found it difficult to fall back into a deep sleep; just the thought of that tight scarf was enough to bring his eyes wide open again and again.

The next morning when he met all the boys for breakfast; not one of them even gave the faintest hint of being in his room the night before; it was as though they all knew nothing of it. Achmed told Eventide it was time to start his first lessons on poisons; Eventide was not sure if that was a good thing or not; he had not had the best of sleep last night and the thought of touching dangerous poisons made him shudder slightly.

As Eventide followed Achmed to a room deep under the manor; he saw Freeman and Bodan walking towards the outer gate; he was sure he would find out all about it in time; for now he had other things to do.

Achmed took him into one of the rooms deep underground; it looked as though it had not been there all that long and was perhaps a later addition well after the manor had been built.

The room was lined in stone and around the walls were many wooden shelves which seemed to be covered with scrolls, earthen jars, strange dishes and measuring devices as well as a small fire that looked much like a child's forge; the coals inside glowing hot with a faint wisp of smoke coming from the centre.

Eventide somehow knew that this part of his lessons had been left until he had a better skill with the Aramaic language as he could now easily converse with all the others. His skill at writing the language was still rudimentary but he could recognise most of the figures.

Once he had had a better understanding of written English, the rest came easier and his small hands were able to make the shapes with ease.

Achmed led Eventide to a wooden bench; lined up were six small earthenware jars with symbols on them. Achmed had Eventide sit on a stool beside him and took up one of the jars; the symbol had been carved into the side of the jar and was not one Eventide recognised from his lessons.

"These six are the ones we use most often; there are some thirty five altogether that you must learn but we will start with these. First you must put this on to protect yourself."

Achmed gave Eventide a strange mask made from two thicknesses of black silk; it had two ties at each end to fasten around his head; the mask covered both his mouth and nose.

"You must never work with the poisons without the mask. Now each of these jars has the same symbol as the six flasks you carry; it is a language known only to the Hashin and you must learn it well or you may kill yourself with an accident; it has happened before so take great care."

Eventide nodded and watched as Achmed gathered the six jars closer.

"Now for your first lesson, you will practice the smell of each one; I will also show you how to recognise poisons from non poisons. Most times, poisons have a bitter smell so it is your nose that will tell you if it is safe or not. Do not be fooled however, there are those that smell sweet and tempting but those also usually have a bitter taste."

Eventide looked at Achmed with a little fear; was the boy going to make him actually take poison to find out how it tasted; it did not seem the sort of lesson that one would walk away from. Achmed saw the look of horror on Eventide's face and smiled.

"Yes Little Brother, you will taste some of them but only in very small, almost harmless amounts. First you learn the symbols, next you learn their smells, and then you learn their taste. I promise you will only be a little sick with some of them."

Eventide did not like the small laugh that Achmed gave him.

"Now little Brother, first the symbols, this one is Scorpion venom."

Achmed held up the jar and showed the symbol on the front; it looked a little like a stylised Scorpion but with a few extra squiggles to disguise it. Achmed opened the stopper and took up a thin sliver of wood; dipping the sliver into the jar, he then held it out for Eventide to see; it looked like a thick yellow tree sap.

"Now, do not touch it; this is processed and is very dangerous; the slightest scratch on the skin and it will enter your blood and you will die. Now carefully smell it but do not touch."

Eventide leant forward and took a deep smell of the thick goo; he wasn't sure if he could tell it had a smell or not.

"What do you smell, Little Brother?"

"I'm not sure; I think I smell bitterness."

"Close, now close your eyes and smell again; the eyes are the deceivers of all your senses; close them and use only your nose."

Eventide followed Achmed's instructions and tried again; this time the distinct smell was stronger; the bitterness was more pronounced and made him pull back quickly.

"Good, now you can see the difference; if any time you are not sure about something or if you suspect someone of trying to poison you; close your eyes and smell deeply. Every poison has its own distinct smell but not all are bitter like this one."

Next, Achmed took a jar with an eye symbol on the front; with a very small spatula, he took out a few grains of white powder.

"This is the dream maker from which you never awaken. It is found deep under the ground and it is said that they lose a thousand slaves every year to its mining and processing. Now smell it but carefully; do not breathe in to deeply but let its smell rise to your nose."

Eventide was not sure about this one; with trepidation he leant forward and let the aroma float up to him; as the first hint of odour reached his nose; he closed his eyes and it became more pronounced and readily recognisable. Much to his surprise it smelt very nice; it was much like one of the nuts they had all eaten after a meal.

"I see you recognise the smell, this is deadly even though it smells of almonds; in very small doses it can slowly make a person ill and they eventually die or, you can use a greater quantity and kill them immediately but that way it is easily recognised for what it is as the person will froth at the mouth and shake with the pain."

Achmed took up another jar, this one had a symbol of a tree; again stylised and almost unrecognisable as such. Opening the jar he used another sliver and brought out a thick clear liquid, much like the Scorpion venom but with no colour.

"This comes from the sap of a plant; I am sure you will know it when you smell."

Eventide leaned forward and smelled carefully; he was immediately surprised at the sweet smell and also his recognition of it.

"It is the same as that long yellow fruit we have had at meal times; were they poisoness?"

"No, the fruit is not poisoness, however the sap from the tree on which they grow can be when reduced this way; one scratch from this and you will die; these three and the next one have no antidote; once given the person will surely die."

The next jar had the stylised symbol of a snake etched into it.

"This is the venom of a snake so deadly that many hundreds of people die each year from it. It comes from a far away country to the East called Indus; the snake is called a Krait; two drops and you die within minutes."

Eventide looked at the thick yellow liquid; it was much the same as the Scorpion venom but slightly darker in colour. Eventide leant over to smell with his eyes closed; this time the smell was more of a cloying bitterness and it even left an oily taste in his throat even though he had only smelt it.

Achmed took the second last of the two jars and opened it; he then took a small wooden box from his clothes and laid it beside the jar.

"These we call, the slave makers; once they are taken you will have a willing slave to command; it creates such a desire that they have to come back to you to be able to survive; if they stop taking it they will suffer terribly. It comes from a small red flower found in the high mountains to the east called, the Hindu Kush."

Achmed took out a small round black ball from the small box and, with a spatula took a white powder from the jar. Eventide smelt them both, the ball smelt sweet and sickly and the white powder was similar but not as strong. Achmed held up the round ball.

"This one is smoked, if you put it in a hookah and get him to smoke it he will be your slave for ever more; you may have to smoke with him to make him confident; make sure you do not inhale the smoke; keep it in your mouth then breathe out; it will make your tongue a little numb and your mouth a little bitter tasting; if you inhale it to your lungs you will be no better than him."

Eventide nodded.

"The powder can be put in his drink or food; it will have the same effect; both will take a number of days to get a hold of him but once he has tasted the drug he will come back for more and he will be your slave."

Achmed reached for the last jar; it was marked with a simple X.

"This is made from the black berry of death, once given it is certain death unless you can find a means to purge his innards thoroughly; the use of a heavy concentration of salt given with the oil of the olive can achieve this if used in time. Often, by the time it is noticed, it is already too late for them."

Achmed dipped a sliver into the jar and showed Eventide the black, thick mass; after smelling the bitterness, Eventide looked at Achmed and shook his head to clear away the stale smell from his nostrils.

"These are the ones most often used; when you can identify each and everyone without sight then you will be ready to move onto the more obscure ones; they are no less dangerous but are rare and hard to come by. Now this time I want you to cover your eyes with a blindfold; when this is done I will give you one of the jars. You must feel the mark and relate it to the tops of your own vials. Once this is done you will then take the stopper out and tell me which is which without sight."

Eventide waited while Achmed covered his eyes and made sure he could not see anything before placing the first jar in his sword hand. Eventide used his thumb to lightly run over the symbol on the jar; after some time trying to identify the symbol; he reached for the six empty vials in the special holder he had been told to bring with him.

It took some time for Eventide to really be able to feel the symbol on the small top of the vial; once he thought he was correct; he carefully felt for and then pulled the stopper of the jar. After smelling carefully he said to Achmed.

"It is the Scorpion venom."

"No, it is the snake venom; they are similar to each other but the Scorpion is less powerful in smell also, the symbol of the Scorpion has four lines to a side and the snake only three. Touch the symbol again, you must use the lightest of touches or you will miss something like you just have. I know the effect will be the same but the snake venom will leave its trace for others to find where the Scorpion will not."

Eventide's lesson went on for far longer than he thought; for his first test with his eyes covered, he got only one right; it was a good lesson and he had to work hard to finally; after more than three hours; get them all correct. With his first full success, Achmed called a halt to the day's lesson. From now on it would be easier for Eventide now that he knew a little more and how to identify the markings and smells; tomorrow; although unknown to Eventide; would be the taste test; the day after that Eventide would spend recuperating from the experience.

As the two friends walked back up the stone steps; Eventide asked Achmed.

"How did you get all this down here for us to use?"

"This is not ours; it belongs to your father and Elder Brother; he gave his permission for us to be here. In times when I am not here to teach; he will come to help you; his knowledge is even greater than mine as he has been doing it so many years longer and was taught personally by Elder Brother Desert Lion; who of course, is the best among us."

When the two boys got up to the passageway they had previously used, they were surprised to see the manor a hive of activity. Eventide looked at the servants running around and called out to one of them.

"What is it?"

"The Emir will be here shortly My Lord; we are preparing rooms for him."

Eventide felt excitement at the thought of seeing Mahmud again; it had been nearly three weeks since they had last met just before he was to leave for the manor. Eventide decided to hurry to his rooms to change and bath; he was now getting used to bathing twice a day and his four servants always seemed to have water on the fire whenever it was needed.

Achmed smiled at Eventide's enthusiasm as he waved and went his own way to find the other five; he knew they would be called to the evening meal for their report on Eventide's lessons and progress.

Eventide was a little surprised to see both men side by side at the top of the table; there was now no need for pretence from either man as Eventide was now one of them although still a little brother.

Eventide sat on the right of Freeman; there was no sign of Mahmud and Eventide felt a little let down that his friend had not made an appearance with his uncle; Saed saw the look of disappointment on the boy's face.

"Do not worry my Kahlif, your brother will arrive tomorrow; he had lessons on court procedure to finish; he will come and stay for two days before returning to court; for now I must return to my homeland, there are things afoot that must be taken care of as soon as possible."

Eventide brightened up at the knowledge Mahmud would arrive the next day and smiled widely at the Emir.

"How goes your lessons, young Kahlif?"

"I find them very interesting but at times they are inclined to leave bruises on more than my ego, Your Highness."

Saed laughed loudly and looked at Freeman with a hint of merriment.

"Well brother, it looks like your new son is doing well; do you think he will be ready to travel when the time is due?"

"Yes brother; he will be ready or one solid bruise from head to toe."

Eventide blushed as the two men laughed; next Saed looked at Salud.

"You have your report ready little brother?"

"Yes Elder Brother; I would have each of his teachers report to you themselves."

"Good, do so."

Ishmael was the first to stand and begin his report.

"Elder Brother, our little brother shows great advancement in his ability to lift a man's purse and is advancing rapidly in following the tracks of men and beasts. His first lesson in seduction perhaps is still settling in his head but, as he is so young and is not brought up in our ways, it will take a little longer but I feel certain he will also accomplish that talent with little doubt."

Demetrius was next.

"Elder Brother, little brother has a good eye and a steady hand; his knife throwing is accurate and with practice will attain good distance in time. His skill in silent approach improves with each lesson and he is just now learning to use the garrotte with confidence."

Mohammad was next.

"Elder Brother, little brother is well mastering the horse; he can ride well and is learning quickly about our bow and fighting style. In time he will also be able to fight with the scimitar from horseback. I would say he will be a competent camel rider by the time he leaves for our homeland. I will leave it until then to teach him the art of war from a camel."

Medan spoke up.

"Elder Brother, little brother is still working on his locks; as you well know this takes time and patience, but he does put all effort into learning. I am having made his gloves and boot straps for climbing but as yet they are not ready."

Achmed was the next to stand.

"Elder Brother, little brother has a great fitness and shows good balance and dexterity. He has just now begun to work on the poisons but does show patience and common sense when handling those so far. He listens to instructions well and takes great care with his safety when handling the poisons."

Finally it was Salud's turn.

"Elder Brother, little brother has surprised even me; were I not to know different, I would think him born of the Bedou. He works hard and takes instruction well. His skill with language is excellent and he is far on in writing and reading our language. I have sent for a sword of the Indus for him. As yet his hands are too small for a full sized scimitar but the Indus sword will give him practice. His work with the dagger is as good as I have seen; he has speed and cunning and his small size is an even better advantage. Elder Brother, I would say that little brother is now one of us and only needs some of the finer lessons to complete him."

"Thank you Salud; you and your brothers are doing well and I and Desert Falcon thank you for guarding him so well and giving him lessons. My nephew will be here tomorrow; he will stay for two days before returning to court. Tomorrow I must be on my way home; there are things to attend to. I place the life and safety of our little brother in your hands and would hear you all offer a blood oath for his protection."

Eventide could not believe his ears. By this time he knew exactly what Saed was asking the boys to do and what the blood oath meant to those giving and receiving it. If the six boys agreed they would be bound to Eventide's safety for life; he could not understand why anyone would want to do that for him. When all six boys stood up from the table; Eventide could only gasp as they spoke all together.

"We sons of the Bedou and brothers of the Hashin, swear by our blood to protect and defend our brother Shaitan Bin Izurak unto death."

The six sat down as Saed nodded in agreement, there was little more to say on the subject. Saed turned to Freeman.

"I hear you have discovered a new type of bow; can you tell of it?"

"I can do better than that; I have a man who will be overseer of the manor lands who is an expert on the matter; I will call for him and he can show you himself."

Freeman called for one of the servants to go and fetch Bodan and to bring his bow. The servant disappeared quickly and, ten minutes later arrived back with Bodan striding along beside him; his longbow in his hand.

"Ah Master Bodan; thank you for coming at this late hour. This is my friend the Emir Saed Ben Haman; he is interested in your longbow; would you be kind enough to explain it to him?"

"Of course My Lord; it is my pleasure."

It took no time at all for Bodan to forget he was in the company of Royalty as he got down to the business of showing off the longbow. Saed looked to be fascinated by the bow and asked endless and in depth questions about everything to do with it. It was obvious to the others that the Emir knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Thank you Master Bodan; there are only a few more questions I would like to ask if it is not too much trouble and the hour not too late?"

"Of course Your Highness; my time is yours."

"Thank you Master Bodan. Firstly; you say that this bow must be used with glove and bracer; why is that?"

"With your Persian bow there is little need as it is held and pulled to the side; perhaps a glove if in combat as the number of arrows could make a man's fingers painful. For the longbow the bracer is a vital part as are the gloves. The longbow is not like the Persian in that the stance we use is side on to the target and that brings the bow straight to the eye; this also means the string will slide along the forearm; this bow is far more powerful and when it is fired it will bite the forearm unlike the Persian bow which rarely touches the skin. Without the bracer your arm would be raw meat in two or three shafts. The glove is for much the same reason; with the heavier pull it would soon cut through the skin and leave an archer without use of his hand."

"I see that the bow string is made from some strange fibre and waxed; why would that be?"

"Unlike the Persian bow which as a string made from the gut of an animal and can become useless when wet; we use a string made from the fibres of the hemp plant. The fibres are split until they are a single thin fibre then we rub bees wax into it; when we have the right length, we roll three fibres together to make a single strand; this again is waxed then when we have three of them finished we roll them all together to make one string; then it has its final waxing. The waxing stops it from being affected by rain or water and the multiple strands make it strong enough to hold the bow at full pull without the fear of a breakage."

"Yes I can see; an excellent idea; although my homeland has little water it would still be an advantage to have a bow that is always ready, no matter the weather. Now for my last question; why are there metal tips on the ends of the bow, and how are they made?"

"Well as you can see, Your Highness, the tips are made from iron; they are pointed in such a way so that they not only strengthen the bow tips, they can also be used as a weapon if the fight comes too close. Unfortunately they can become brittle and the rust is also a problem unless they are kept well oiled. My youngest son is our best forger for making them. They must be made to fit each individual bow as no two bows are the same. I only wish we had a better metal to make them with; there is a lot of time spent repairing that part of the bow and it is the only downfall they truly have."

"I see. Hmm… What if you were able to use a fine grade of steel; the problem of brittleness would be taken away and if the steel is well forged it would be almost impervious to rusting?"

"That would be a great problem solved but, unfortunately we have no one that knows how to forge steel like that."

"Well then I may have a solution for you; that is if you are willing to trade a little for it?"

"What would I have to trade with Your Highness that would be of comparable value?"

"Why, your skill and your bows. Soon my nephew and his friend Eventide are coming to my lands; they have their own palace to attend to. Eventide will be staying for one year; perhaps your youngest could accompany him and learn the trade of making fine steel in Damascus; if you have another son that is competent in bow making; he could also come and teach my men the art of your bow and how to make them; it would certainly give my army a great advantage in the many battles that rage in our lands. What do you say Master Bodan, do we have a trade? One year of your two son's time for the secret of Damascus steel. They will be paid of course for their skill and trouble as well as the trade."

"Your Highness, it is a one sided trade that benefits us more than you but I can only agree to your terms; it would be remiss of me to turn such an offer down. My fourth son is a very good bow maker and also has the art of teaching; he is also a wanderer and would enjoy travelling to such a land. I know my youngest would fulfil one of his life time dreams to be accompanying the young Lordship while he is still young and does not have the responsibility of the Black Bow as yet."

"The Black Bow? Is that the one I have heard so much about? The one that a full grown man could not pull yet a young boy could?"

"The bow of manhood, Your Highness; yes it is the same."

"I would like to see such a bow some time but not tonight; the hour is late and there is much for all of us to do. Thank you Master Bodan for such a good lesson; I will never forget your instruction and I look forward to seeing your young ones when they come to my lands."

Bodan bowed and then took up his bow and left the hall as the others sat around to finish off the last of the mead and then find their beds; it had been a long and full night for everyone.

When Eventide awoke, it was to the sound of the Emir leaving the manor. He was still in his bath when he heard the next sound of a number of men arriving; knowing full well that it should be his friend and brother Mahmud; Eventide jumped from his bath and quickly dressed for the day.

Eventide met Mahmud just as the boy was entering the hall where breakfast was served; with him came his usual retinue of six Hashin and behind them was a long line of servants; four of which were carrying two large chests between them.

It did not take long for the two friends and brothers to hug each other in a very warm and friendly grasp; it was more than three weeks since last they had met and to boys as young as they; that amount of time was like years had passed. Over breakfast and with Freeman excusing himself early; the two boys talked and talked about what they had been doing over the last three weeks.

Mahmud was happy for Eventide and how well he was doing with his lessons; both spoke in the tongue of the Bedou which only went to confuse any listeners that should not know of certain things. Mahmud only complained about the rules of the King's court and how boring much of it was; he then told Eventide that the only thing that kept him at his lessons was the thought of coming to be with his friend and brother.

Eventide told Mahmud about the two extra boys that would be going to Mahmud's homeland with them and how it had come about; Mahmud had only one thing he wanted to do for now; all of Eventide's lessons were suspended for the two days of Mahmud's visit; it took less than five minutes for the boys to be running towards the stables and calling for their Falcons; it was time to hunt.

Late that afternoon, when the boys had returned victorious from their hunt and were sitting in one of the many empty rooms that had been set aside for Mahmud's use when he was to visit; Mahmud called for some of his servants to bring in the two large chests.

The servants placed the chests within reach of Mahmud but also close to Eventide then left on other business and left the two boys alone; outside the door stood four of the young Hashin as guards to the room.

"Now my Brother," Mahmud began as he lent down to open the chests. "It is the time of the first quarter and so the people of Wadhi Sufaria have sent you your share of the taxes gathered so far."

Mahmud looked at the stunned face of Eventide as the boy tried to comprehend what Mahmud had just said.

"What taxes? Why?"

"Why the quarterly taxes; you will need them for your expenses and it is what must be paid to the Kahlif each and every quarter. The Emir had it sent to you here as you will need it for your journey to the homeland."

"But how do I get such a share; if those chests are filled with coins then what of yourself?"

"My two chests were delivered to the castle; the Emir's are held in Damascus where his palace is. Each quarter they count the taxes from the merchants in the Wadhi and those passing through with their caravans; half is put into the coffers of the city for its upkeep and the payment of the town militia and soldiers; one quarter is sent to the Emir and the last quarter belongs to the Kahlif, in this case; one eighth each for us. This time of the year, the trade is slow so it is only two chests each; the next quarter it will increase as the time of the caravans is far more busy with the great road open from the snows of winter in the eastern lands."

"It seems a lot of coins just for one man?"

"Nonsense, there is much for you to pay for and your travel to the homeland will tax you even further; you will find it will take almost a full chest just to move you and your people over the distance. Your horses alone will need one full Dhow just to carry them and keep them fed across the great seas from the Spanish port; add another Dhow for yourself and your men; there will be little left from that chest. The best way is to purchase the Dhow's in full and crew them with men of your own choice; that way they will always be at your command and, if you chose your captains well; they can carry goods for you to make profit when not in use by yourself. I have six Dhows working for me and, while they only make a small income from their cargos; the captain and men are well paid as they are ready at short notice for whatever I may need."

"It almost sounds as though I will be a merchant more than a Kahlif."

"Oh my brother; you will be so much more than a merchant and even more than a Kahlif; I have heard that even now your name is being spoken in Damascus and other cities."

"But how can that be; I have never been to the Holy Land and am unknown even here except for the small amount of time I spent at the King's court."

"Ah little brother; it is said that large trees start from small seeds; it is the same for you; great things start with the dreams and strength of a small boy. For this type of boy, his name does not take long to spread; even to the furtherest of lands."

"I still don't see why they would think much of me; at heart I am still just a pot boy from a country tavern who happened to have some luck."

"No you are not; you are the mighty and brave Shaitan Bin Izurak; Djin of Shaitan himself; a leader of armies and speaker to spirits; your fame spreads and all bow to your greatness oh mighty rider of the horse of shadows and Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria."

By the time Mahmud had finished his outrageous claims, both boys were rolling on the floor laughing loudly; little did Eventide know how much of it was to come true although the claims were totally outrageous they did spread to the strangest of places and by the strangest of means.

"What is this Djin? I have not heard of it before."

"A Djin is much like a demon; he has power and magic and is known to work for the great Shaitan himself; in English you would call him a servant of the Devil; one who is almost as powerful as the devil himself and can turn the hearts of men to his will."

"It does not sound much like me I don't think I want to make others do whatever I want them to."

"That is just it; you can already make others follow you without need of threats or violence; very few are born with the natural ability to lead others; that is your greatest gift; the people trust you and follow you because they feel you would not do them wrong; it is its own strongest magic. You only have to look to the joust and how the commoners followed you without question; they knew and felt that you were truly on their side and so followed you in the melee; it was their heart and belief in you that won the melee not just the tactics we used."

It left Eventide with much to think about as they went down to the evening meal. Freeman made a fuss of both boys and the meal went on into the late night hours. The next day was spent more peacefully; Eventide introduced Mahmud to the young stable boy and the many sons of Bodan.

It was a good day and only the thought of Mahmud leaving the next day to return to court dimmed Eventide's excitement; the thought of another three or four weeks without his special friend made him feel a little lost but he had to keep up appearances for now.

After Mahmud left it was back to the many lessons for Eventide; while there were still many bruises and other problems with learning all his new skills; as time passed there were fewer of them until finally Eventide could pass through a full day without a problem.

His worst memory was the day of tasting the poisons; Achmed had diluted them until they were somewhat safe for Eventide to try but he was still violently ill; much to the delight of all his six brothers; and did not fully recover for two days. It was one lesson he still wished he did not have to take.

Mahmud's next visit was not for four weeks; during the short time they spent together; they made plans for the upcoming travel to the homeland; there was a lot to organise and it surprised Eventide how much he would have to think of each time he travelled in the future.

When the time finally arrived for their travel to the homeland of Mahmud; the two boys spent a full week with Freeman organising everything. Eventide took special care over plans for Gerard and his brother Marchant as well as the smaller figure of Shaun. Mahmud had taken one look at the lame boy and asked him how it had happened; finding out it was from a fall off a horse; Mahmud turned to Eventide and said.

"When we get home to the Wadhi I can have a healer look at the boy's leg; there may be a way for him to be healed; it will be painful but he should walk and run again like any boy his age should."

Eventide looked at Shaun and asked him.

"What do you say Shaun; would you like to try the healing of my brother's friends?"

"If it would mean I could walk again as others do then a little pain would be worth it My Lord."

"Then we shall do as Mahmud suggests when we arrive in his lands; with luck we will have you riding again in no time."

The smile on Shaun's face said it all; even if it did not work it was well worth the trying. The journey to the coast took longer than Eventide thought it would; the number of servants and the long caravan of goods, horses and people made for a slow progress.

It was fortunate that Freeman had made arrangements for their passage by ship across the water to Normandy; from there they embarked on the long overland journey to the Spanish lands. Finally they made it to the port where they could hire or buy Dhows to take them across the great sea; first to Assyria and then onto Homs and through to the Wadhi Sufaria; they would not need to go through to Damascus but would send Gerard and his brother Marchant on with an escort of Hashin to the Emir's palace once settled in Sufaria.

Weeks would pass before they came to the Spanish port of Tarragona where they would purchase their ships to travel on to the lands of the Assyrian and then onto the homelands of Mahmud until finally reaching the Wadhi Sufaria.

The purchase of Dhows was not as hard as Eventide thought it would be. Trade was brisk between the countries and often times the sea going Dhows could be seen in the Spanish and Latin ports; Many were owned by the captains and others were free traders but all were for sale at the right price and Eventide had plenty of the right price.

Eventide left most of the bargaining to Mahmud; his knowledge and understanding of ships and trade gave him the best advantage; Eventide ended up with three dhows; two almost new off the builders slip and the other a little older but fully seaworthy. As Mahmud had said; it took most of one single chest to buy the three Dhows but now Eventide had the start of his own small navy.

The hiring of a crew took three days; each and every man or boy was thoroughly questioned until both Eventide and Mahmud were fully satisfied as to their honesty and loyalty. It then took three days to fully laden and prepare the vessels for the long trip through the middle sea to the port in Assyria where Mahmud promised they would find goods for the three Dhows to continue further trading while they went to the Wadhi overland.

For Eventide and the other boys who had never left their own land before; the first days on the wide expanse of the ocean left them feeling a little nauseas; by the second day and with the fortunate good weather; their stomachs had settled and they began to enjoy the sea voyage. By the sixth day and, as the land of the Assyrians came into view; they were all ready to disembark back onto dry land; and dry it was.

Even as they arrived in Tarragona, the four boys felt the heat that they were unused to; in the port it was a draining and humid heat; when they finally got on board and were at sea it was a hot, dry and salty heat and finally, when they reached the lands of the Assyrian, it became not only hot but searingly so; it was as though the four boys had stepped into the very pits of a great roaring fire.

Although Eventide found the heat oppressive; he was far better off than the other three boys as he was dressed in the light silk and cotton robes of the desert people. The other three boys tried taking off their shirts but soon found the sun would cook them as red as burnt meat and had to suffer and drink copious amounts of water.

After a week in the port of Tell Qarnum to unload and check all their chattels and goods; they were ready to leave on the long overland trip to Wadhi Sufaria; there would be one special stop along the way at Al Qusary for Eventide to select his first camel train.

His first sight of the camels in the port left him in no doubt that he was glad of his lessons back at the manor. The only thing he was not prepared for was that the camels he now saw were far larger than he had thought they would be; they also seemed to be of a fouler nature than what he had been told.

At Al Nabk they would turn their caravan eastward to the Wadhi Sufaria; it was at Al Nabk that they would part with the two boys going on to Damascus. From Al Nabk it was only a short haul of five days to make the Wadhi Sufaria; all told it was a total trip of two months of constant travel; of making and breaking camp each and every day and the almost intolerable heat and drifting sand.

For the four boys from the wet and cold land of England; the hot dry desert was a never ending revelation as well as a trial of their heart and stamina. Deep inside Eventide he felt as though he belonged in the open spaces and sandy wastes; it almost felt as though it had been calling him from somewhere deep inside.

Eventide did notice that the caravan guards were more alert than they had been earlier in the journey; now there was little else but barren land and sandy wastes to watch them but the actions of the guards told Eventide there were other dangers lurking not far away. Mahmud told him that it was only the sight of such a well armed caravan that had deterred any bandits from trying to attack them so far.

Once they turned off at Al Nabk, Eventide saw that the road had widened noticeably; Al Nabk was where the great Silk Road met the coastal road to Damascus. To Eventide's eyes the road looked very old; it was paved in square stones and was wide enough for three wagons to pass; he did notice that his small caravan of newly acquired camels that they were using to carry many water skins; walked comfortably on the softer sand at the side of the road.

When he had selected the camels; and under the sharp eye of Mahmud; he had had to find four young boys to act as their herders; the young boys were only too glad of having found a good position with good pay to tend the Kahlif's camels. As parentless waifs they had little to look forward to as they aged, now they had good employment and solid pay to keep their bellies full; something they had found difficult to do before the new Kahlif had selected them. They did not truly mind that he looked much like an Infidel; his money was good and his caravan looked rich and the people with him were definitely of the desert lands; it was enough for four orphans.

They made their final camp before Wadhi Sufaria, early in the afternoon; Mahmud told Eventide they had only six hours to get to the Wadhi and that would put them at the gates in darkness; it would be better if they camped here and then went on in the morning, that way they would arrive just before the midday heat and the city would be getting ready to rest during the hottest part of the day.

They started out before the sun rose next morning; with the roads practically empty of other caravans, they made good time and; as Mahmud had promised; came over the last rise to see the city and palace of Wadhi Sufaria in the distance.

It looked to be less than an hour's ride but Mahmud called a halt; they had to change their clothes from the desert travelling into something more befitting the two new Kahlifs of Wadhi Sufaria.

All of the Hashin who had been travelling in ordinary dress, now changed into the dark blue of the Bedou as did Eventide and Mahmud but the two boys also added a very fancy white sleeveless jacket that was heavily embroidered in gold thread; there was also a wide gold sash around their waists and Mahmud told Eventide to wear his fanciest dagger and Scimitar; their turbans were also of gold and while they changed, Shaun worked hard and fast to add the red and black tassels to Shaitan's mane as well as throw on the fanciest of his covers over the saddle. When all was ready, Mahmud called for the banners to be unfurled and the caravan to proceed to the waiting city and Palace.

Eventide was almost struck dumb by the sight before him. The walls of the Wadhi Sufaria towered over the flat lands before the main gate. The high ragged cliff fronts seemed unending except for the large ragged gash of the huge ravine that appeared to split the mountain range down the centre.

Across the face of the huge ravine was built the stone walls that towered higher than Eventide had ever seen any walls before; compared to the castle walls of England; these were like cliff faces. The blocks of stone used to form the wall were so large Eventide could not figure out how they could have been moved by man.

The great walls looked as though they could never be breached by any normal method of siege; even the guards patrolling along the top of the high wall were no more than small dolls. The gate was high and wide enough to allow two wagons side by side to pass at the same time or for a camel rider to enter without ducking his head.

The two large gates were thick wooden planks that looked as though they had been hewed from a single trunk and then studded with large heavy iron spikes; there was also what looked like a portcullis behind the gates.

Shaun had tried to ride but after only a short time his leg would unbalance him and he would have to dismount and ride on one of the many wagons; both Eventide and Mahmud could see the frustration in the young boy's face as he sat disconsolate on a wagon; the desire in the boy's face to ride like the wind in the wide expanse of desert sand was easily evident.

The whole Caravan stretched for more than a mile as they wound their way down the stone roadway. At the front flew the banners; the green of Tremaine; the blue of Eventide; a green and white banner with the symbol of a quarter moon and a star and the furled and black covered banner of the Hashin that was also used as the banner of the Jihad.

The banners were preceded by six mounted guards in their best armour; behind the banners were another six guards and then Mahmud and Eventide rode side by side; behind them came the twenty Hashin now wearing the clothes of the Bedou and behind them came the long train of wagons.

Off to the side and level with the first of the wagons came the caravan of camels and their herders; Eventide wished he could have given better clothes to the four orphan boys; they were still wearing the long gown like striped clothes they had been hired in; their head coverings were barely enough to keep the sun from their faces.

The patches and ragged bottom of the gowns showed they had not had the best of fortune; Eventide was going to change that as soon as he was able to.

They were still a little distant from the city but close enough for the many guards at the gate to recognise the flying banners; suddenly from the top of the long and thick crenulated wall came the sound of many trumpets; the guards at the gate immediately increased in number as they all lined up on each side of the road to welcome the new Kahlifs to the city.

The commander of the guard stood alone at the head of the guard of honour; Eventide and Mahmud rode through the others with the banners to meet him face to face. The commander bowed low and salaamed to the two boys; as he straightened up he then went down to his knees and placed his head on the ground before lifting his head with fear in his eyes.

"Rise commander; I see no need for this," Mahmud said to the man.

The commander rose to his feet and, with his head bowed, he said.

"My Lord Kahlifs, I must humbly apologise for the lack of reception; we did not expect your arrival for three more days; it is all my fault for not sending out riders to watch for you; My Lords, my head is yours to do with as you want."

"Your head is safe commander; it is we who are at fault, we travelled far faster than first thought; there is no more to be said, let us pass we are in need of a good bathing and rest. If you would assign some of your men to show our drivers and cameleers to the Palace gate so they can settle the animals we would be grateful. I wish to take our friends through the city before we go to the Palace."

Before more could be said, the commander had called out the names of six men to lead the rest of the caravan around the walls to the Palace side gate so they could more easily take the caravan and animals to the Palace grounds; he himself took place at the front of the smaller group to lead them through the city and up to the front gates of the Palace; it was to be longer than any of them thought it would be.

Eventide marvelled at the size of the city; all around him the shops and houses towered over the wide street. Multitudes of people; both traders, local shopkeepers and tradesmen milled around doing their business for the day.

Eventide also saw there were a larger number of street urchins than would be found in most cities; he turned to Mahmud and asked why this was so.

"Most are the children of soldiers who have lost their lives in the service of the city, others are just born of the brothels and their mothers no longer want them around. In a city like this it is always happening; many have to sell themselves just to eat each day; others are thieves or pickpockets; if they are caught the penalty is severe; but what can anyone do; if you try to save one then ten more will take advantage of you next time."

"But brother, there must be a way to make use of so many empty lives?"

"I don't see how; the city is just a gateway for the traders; unless the child has a trade there is little to do. There are no farms of estates that they can be hired for; if they go out into the great deserts, most would die within days; there is only the militia and army for them when they grow older. I know my brother, you have a good heart but, sometimes there are things that are even outside the abilities of good hearts."

They had been slowly making their way through the thickening throng of people; even though the streets were wide and well maintained; there seemed to be more and more people crushing in closer as they came to the edge of a grand square that held a great bazaar filled with stalls and traders. At the centre of the great square stood a large fountain; its crystal clear water shimmering in the bright sunlight as it sprayed down into a large round pond where people would fill a cup to drink.

Eventide could barely make out the fountain base for the number of people gathered there and all calling to someone near the fountain; the high pitched voices of the urchins also joined in; beside Eventide, Mahmud gave a groan; Eventide turned to look at him.

"What is it Brother?" Eventide asked to the pained looking face of Mahmud.

"By the balls of a camel; how did he get here; now we will be stuck in this crowd for at least an hour."

"Who is it?"

"He is the one I told you about some time ago; it is the story teller Omar. He usually never leaves Bagdad and only then to visit the court in Damascus; I really have no idea why he would come here. I am sorry my brother, we are in for a long wait; the crowd will not let him go until he has told them a story and unless we use force to get through we are stuck here until he finishes."

"A story teller; is he good? I like a good story and would not mind if we waited and listened to him if he is really good."

"Well brother, unfortunately he is very good; it is said there has never been a story teller or poet the likes of Omar before. It is said you can sit for a thousand and one nights and never hear the same story or poetry a second time."

"Then we should give him the honour of doing what he does best; even tired as I am I would wait and listen if he is that good."

"Then to please you we will all listen to the old one; shall we try to clear a place at that tavern to sit out of the sun?"

"No, let's just sit here where the height of the horses gives us a better view."

As the small group settled in to wait; from the crowd came a number of urchins; all bowed low, some with their small hands out for alms and others looking shyly at the rich riders; Salud was about to turn and yell for them to clear off when Eventide took notice; lifting his hand to stop Salud; he turned to the gathering boys.

For any boy that got too close; Shaitan would snort and stamp his hoof to warn them off; Eventide looked at Mahmud and smiled as Mahmud said.

"You have no idea what you are about to start my brother."

Eventide smiled and said.

"Imshalah." Eventide then smiled wider; his skill with Aramaic was now as good as any Bedou. Eventide turned back to the growing crowd of urchins and picked one he thought may be a leader as he looked to be older than the rest.

"Friend, we wish to listen to the story teller; if a boy was wise enough to find a merchant that had items to give us shade from the sun I would be willing to part with some coins for such a service."

The older boy looked at the rich travellers; even to the inexperienced eye of Eventide; he could see the boy's mind working out the value of such a minor service.

"I would ask the young Lord how much coins for such a service; it will not be easy in this crowd and none wish to miss a story by Grandfather Khayyam?"

"It would be enough for each boy to eat well for two days but they must also work at holding the shade over us."

"Then I thank My Lord and will send boys to look for a merchant to fill your needs."

The boy turned to a few younger ones and started giving out quick fire orders; it seemed little time passed before a middle aged merchant appeared in front of the group; with a low bow he asked.

"What would My Lords wish of this humble merchant?"

Mahmud shrugged his shoulders at Eventide as he smiled and waited for the outcome.

"I would ask for you to provide us with shade while we listen to the story teller; do you have enough covers for all of us?"

"I do indeed My Lord, however they are not of the cheaper variety and it would take a great deal of coins to pay for enough for all of your retainers."

Mahmud whispered to Eventide as the merchant tried to work out how much he could get from the rich people without calling down the militia on his head.

"Brother, I hope you know how to barter or this man will have your soul in his pocket by nightfall," Mahmud laughed as Eventide looked at him and smiled.

"Good merchant, I would ask you what you would charge for your services if it was the Kahlif asking for your help?"

"My Lord, the Kahlif would not be asking a humble merchant such as I; also he is three days away and would have little need for my humble goods but, if you wish I can make a special price for you as it seems the sun is extra hot today."

"And what price is the shade cover as the sun is so hot?"

"For your Lordships I would lower the price to three silver each and could provide covers for all of your retinue. Shall we say twenty covers; that would be sixty silver or perhaps six gold should your Lordships prefer."

"And would these shade covers be of the highest quality that we should part with so much coins; or would a price of fifteen silver be closer to the true price?"

"My Lord, fifteen silver would bankrupt me, my children would starve in less than five days were I to sell at such a price; as you are visitors to the city, perhaps I could lower the price to fifty silver; I would be giving away my covers for nothing at that price but I would not see your Lordships burn in the midday sun just for a paltry ten coins."

Eventide removed his right foot from the stirrup and twisted around so he could look directly at the man's face as he hooked his right leg over the upper thigh of his left and wriggled to get comfortable.

"I see you are truly making a great sacrifice but it is still too high for such a paltry item as a shade cover; I am sure if I ask the boy he will find me a merchant that will provide the same for only twenty silver; it is a pity that your children will not eat tonight because we could not make some small arrangement."

The merchant now saw that he could lose this sale if he did not relent and let the rich boy have his way; he would still be making five silver on each shade cover so it was not really the time to get greedy.

"My Lords, I cannot let my children starve for the sake of a few coins; I will supply you with enough shade covers for twenty silver each; how would I get them to you before the Grandfather starts his story?"

Eventide turned back to the first boy he had used as a messenger.

"What is your name?"

"Habib, my Lord."

"Habib, I will give you the silver coins for the merchant along with five more for yourself if you can find enough boys to fetch the shade covers and hold them for us during the telling of the old man's story; should those boys work well I will have another offer for you after the story telling."

Habib thought of how much food five silver could buy; his little gang of boys would eat well for days; he may even be able to buy a pair of sandals for himself.

"It shall be as my Lord wishes."

Habib turned to his little gang and began giving out orders as Eventide took out twenty five silver from the purse at his waist; leaning down he placed the coins in the nervous hand of Habib; the boy was not happy about being so close to the black stallion.

It seemed to take only minutes before a number of ragged boys were standing alongside all the horses with large round shad covers held high over each man in the retinue; Habib had disappeared and only minutes later returned with large round flat breads for each boy that held the shade covers.

It did not go unnoticed by other merchants; soon the group were being offered fruits and mint tea as they sat and watched the front of the fountain. Shortly after the trading of the shade covers; the large crowd of urchins and other people of the city square began to cry out loudly.

"GRANDFATHER, TELL US A STORY; PLEASE GRANDFATHER; A STORY."

From his position above the crowd, Eventide finally saw an elderly man approaching the fountain; he was dressed in what appeared to be the long striped robe of the ordinary man; a thick staff in one hand to help him walk and a plain cloth turban to keep the midday sun off his head.

Eventide was not sure but he thought the old man had actually glanced his way and smiled; it was only fleeting and Eventide thought it was more his imagination than fact. He settled onto his saddle sideways and slowly chewed on a small plate of dates that had been given to him by Mahmud.

When the old man looked as though he had well settled onto a small stool that had appeared as if my magic and the crowd was quickly growing silent; the old man looked around and held out his thin arms; it took little time before a number of small children began to gather close by his knees and hang on his slim shoulders. The old man began to speak; in the silence of the square; his voice seemed to grow even stronger and it seemed that everyone could hear him plainly as no one wanted to miss a word. The silence was total and complete as he began the tale.

"I think now would be a good time to tell you all of the Djin that was even more powerful than Shaitan himself. The great Shaitan would even cower and bow his head when the Djin appeared before him, such was the magic of the old ones that ran in the veins of the Djin. He started his life in a far away land, in fact this Djin started life as an Infidel. Yes I know it is hard to believe that a Djin with such power and magic could be found in the lands of the Infidels but that is the way of the ancients."

There was a long pause as Omar looked at the disbelieving looks on the listeners faces but not a sound was heard as he gathered his thoughts.

"It all started like many others; the Infidel was born of a lowly station; much like a goat herd or one who runs on the streets with no home. The boy did not even know his power as he had never been tested and few looked upon him as anything other than the poor boy he was. There came a time when things changed, for some reason far beyond the understanding of normal men; a great Lord saw the boy and took him in to his home; from that day the boy's future changed."

Another pause ensued as Omar let the details enter into the minds of his listeners.

"As we all know; the lands of the Infidels are always in a state of war; it was in one of these many wars that the boy became a great Djin and his power brought fear into the eyes of mortal men. It all started when a powerful Knight saw the boy and, as all Infidels do; threw upon his head many insults because he was not born of high blood. Little did the Knight know who he was dealing with. It was at that moment that the great Shaitan opened the boy's eyes. First he sent a number of the people from the great desert lands that are called 'The Devils Cauldron' to aid the boy in his quest. Now the desert dwellers were not ordinary folk, they were in truth demons of the land of purgatory. Their clothes were the colour of the dark blue of dusk so they would not be seen for the type of demon they were; with their faces covered and only their black eyes showing through for any man to see; no one gave them a second look. The Knight had belittled the boy until the Baron who had taken in the boy used his high position to challenge the Knight to battle."

Another pause ensued as Omar looked around at the rapt faces waiting for the tale to continue.

"Now we have all known of great battles, some where the Infidel won by false means and others where the believers have won great victories but; I must tell you all; the battle that was to ensue was like no other ever fought. The new Djin had little in the way of an army; his patron was however even more unlucky. Not three weeks before the battle, his patron was kidnapped and taken to the castle of the Knight. A message was sent to the lonely boy which said; if the boy did not run from the battle, his patron would never see the light of day. Unfortunately for the Knight, he had not met a boy who had been awakened by Shaitan himself."

There was not a sound in the great square as everyone sat and listened.

"To aid the boy, Shaitan as I said; had sent others from the great desert to help him; these others also took with them a great gift for the boy. The gift also had the power of magic. Shaitan had used the magic of the strongest of all Magi and endowed the gift with their power and the raw power of the fires of purgatory. The gift was in the body of a great black horse; its heart was made from the hot embers of purgatory and its coat from the blackness of the night. For those few who had seen the black horse, all said when it galloped you could see the sparks and flames of magic fly from its black hooves; its mane and tail were long and as black as night and flowed with the grace of water on the surface of a lake. Now as you know, any horse can be ridden by any man if he is brave enough but, this black Djin could only be ridden by one man and one man alone and that man was the boy who carried the blood of old ones and the magic of the Djin."

Another long pause for the people to again digest the details.

"It has been told that when the boy first met the black horse, it was the horse that bowed to the boy. Now everyone knows that there has never been a horse that would bow its head to any man yet, here was the most magical and powerful horse in this or any other land; bowing low to a mere boy; not only a mere boy, but an Infidel boy at that. As a way to repay such respect; the young Djin named the black horse 'Shaitan the Black'; yes I can here you say what a strange name for any horse but, my friends; again this was no ordinary horse nor ordinary boy. Now it was at this time that the boy was told his name by the black eyed demons of the Devils Cauldron; the great Shaitan himself had decreed that the boy would also carry the name that he himself went by and so, the boy was named Shaitan Bin Izurak; the Devil With Blue Eyes."

Omar stopped once again as a young boy came up to him with a small plate of fresh dates and another boy came with honey cakes; as he took a bight of honey cake; an old vender came to him with a hot urn of mint tea to refresh his dry throat. While this was going on; Eventide looked around the large square; it seemed that in every window, doorway and along every wall and empty space, stood or sat people; to Eventide it appeared that every man, woman and child of the huge city was there to listen to Omar Khayyam and his story. Eventide was glad that he and his friends were well back behind all the masses and as yet unseen; he was quite happy to remain there and listen like everyone else; the old man was a very talented story teller as he had been told.

"Now where was I; oh yes. So the blue eyed devil whose single glance could freeze a man's blood and tear his very soul from his body; was now well protected by the children of the Devils Cauldron; all that remained now was for him to find an army to take back his patron the Baron; not an easy thing to do in those lands. As many of you may not know; in the lands of the Infidel, most ordinary men are no more than serfs and almost slaves to the rich and powerful; but for Shaitan Bin Izurak, there was no one else to call on; he would have to try and raise an army with the common folk. Things did not go well for the young boy; after all; who in their right mind would follow a snip of a boy into a major battle with the most powerful men in the land. Try as he might, Shaitan Bin Izurak could not get the common folk to rise up against the Knights; the boy was left with only one option; he would fight alone along with his protectors of the Devils Cauldron; if it was written that they must die on that day then so be it; Shaitan Bin Izurak would not shirk his duty to his patron."

Omar stopped to take a bite of another honey cake and a sip of mint tea before continuing.

"That night, as Shaitan Bin Izurak stood alone on the battlements of the empty castle of his patron; even the Baron's guards had deserted the castle at the threat of the Knights challenge; and with the twenty one demons of the Cauldron guarding him; Shaitan Bin Izurak looked up to the dark heavens for an answer; it was to come in the strangest and most magical way. As he watched the heavens; a great star began to fall towards the hidden sun; its long tail of fire stretched from one dark horizon to the other. As it passed overhead, a thousand or more small stars fell from its tail and landed at Shaitan Bin Izurak's feet; as it passed further away; the wind of its passing spoke to the boy in the language of magic; it said 'Go to the north, to the land of perpetual night; there you will find the Fae Folk of the Ice; they will be your army if you offer them the sun for part of the year.' Now Shaitan Bin Izurak knew better than to ignore such a message; telling his twenty one demons to stay behind; he called for Shaitan the Black. Leaping on the great horses back they took to the night sky and travelled faster than the wind during the great storms; the black hooves of the horse lit up the night sky with its fire and sparks as it chased the night northward. It seemed no time at all before they came to the land of perpetual night; the land was nothing but a great sheet of ice as it never had the sun come this way to warm it. Shaitan Bin Izurak saw below them a great fire burning brightly in the darkness; with a touch of his toes; for the horse did not need or use a bridle; the two galloped down to land in the ring of light. Shaitan Bin Izurak was surprised to see many gathered by the firelight; they were the size of children and many looked to be no older than mid teens but, even he knew that magic was in the air. Shaitan Bin Izurak dismounted and walked before the fire and the eyes of the Fae Folk; one of them stepped forward and looked at the boy from the night.

'It was foretold that you would come this night; what do you ask of the Fae Folk of the Ice?'

Shaitan Bin Izurak looked at the small people of the Fae; but he answered with honesty. 'I would ask for an army to do justice for those who cannot.'

'And what would you give for this army?'

'I would offer the dark lands the sun for part of each and every year so that you can have light to plant crops and harvest them with ease.'

'And how would you do this for one so young?'

'I have been given the power to order the sun to show itself for three months of every year; there would be three months of the sun rising; three months of full sun with no night and three months of the sun setting; this would be followed by three months of night so you can rest from your labours.'

'This sounds fair; you will have your army of five hundred of the Fae of the Ice; if you so wish we can call on our allies, the giants of the tree lands and the Fae of Dawns Light who are excellent archers.'

Omar paused again to take a bite of a date and sip some more tea; the square stayed in complete silence as he refreshed himself.

"And so Shaitan Bin Izurak had the beginnings of his army. The Fae of the Ice asked him to sit and eat with them while they sent a Night Hawk to summon a representative of their allies. Shaitan Bin Izurak sat with the Fae Folk and it did not take long before the ground began to shake and the rumble of great movement could be felt; moments later and a giant appeared in the fire light.

'Why would my allies ask for my presence?'

"The elder of the Fae answered that they must go to war and would receive a reward of sunlight for their duty; to this the giant looked at the small boy sitting with his allies."

'How does this one make such a promise; it would take great magic for such a reward; if he can do this then we; the Giants of the Forrest would ask for it also as we too live in darkness and would see the green of our trees in the light of the sun.'

'Then so it shall be' promised Shaitan Bin Izurak. 'I shall give you this purse; it contains the stars of the night and it will give you the magic to move as fast as I so you can meet with me at the time of the battle. Tomorrow you will have the first sun rise and see for yourself that my words are true. I will send a sign on the day before the battle so you will know when to assemble with me.'

"At this the meeting broke up and Shaitan Bin Izurak leapt back on his dark horse and lifted high into the night sky; he was gone as fast as he had appeared. The next morning the Fae Folk and the Giants saw their first sun rise; the bargain had been struck and paid for."

Even Eventide was now held by the power of the old man's voice and story although he well knew that he was not really any part of it or that there was any truth in it; he waited for Omar to continue as did all his friends around him.

"The time passed until it was the day before the great battle; for some that saw the event, it was said it was a bad omen; for those who knew what it really meant, it was the sign that the day of battle had come. The sign was the partial blacking out of the sun during the middle of the day when night has no sway over the daylight. For the Fae Folk and their two allies it was the signal they had been waiting for. Without losing any time; they dusted their boots with the magical stars and took to the road faster than man could move; before the daylight had lost its brightness; twenty Giants and six hundred Fae Folk arrived at the gates of the castle where Shaitan Bin Izurak and his twenty one demons waited."

Eventide could almost feel the tension in the air as the old man paused for more mint tea; his own stomach was now taut with anticipation.

"Each carried the banner of their people; the Ice Fae had one of deep blue for the colour of pure Ice; the Giants had one of green for the colour of the trees and the Dawns Fae had one of red for the suns first rays. Shaitan Bin Izurak welcomed them all to his castle saying a feast had been prepared for their arrival; he was fortunate the castle was large and well built as the Giants stood as tall as three men and were in need of a great space to sit or stand. The Ice Fae carried swords and shields made of the finest ice; the Giants had great wooden shields made from the trunks of trees and carried great battle axes that ten men could not lift. For the Fae of Dawns Light there were golden bows but Shaitan Bin Izurak could see no quivers of arrows and so asked."

'Where are your shafts for your golden bows?'

'We use the shafts of the sunlight for our arrows; tomorrow you will see our own magic and all shall be well as we have given our word to stand by you.'

"As the feast went on into the late night; Shaitan Bin Izurak left his guests for there was another task to be done; once outside and his twenty one demons were around him; Shaitan Bin Izurak reached up into the dark night sky and pulled down the blackness; with this he fashioned new clothes for his demons and himself; all that could be seen were the dark eyes of the demons and the bright blue daggers of his own eyes; their bodies were now enclosed in the darkest of blacks; they were now just shadows among other shadows. Shaitan Bin Izurak returned to his waiting allies after giving instructions to his demons. Tomorrow they would have a different task before the battle began and then would join him as the battle started."

By this time Eventide could feel the tension in the air as the enraptured listeners dared hardly to take a breath while they waited for Omar to continue.

"The dawn found Shaitan Bin Izurak preparing to leave for the field of battle; as he called to his allies, a small, lame boy limped through the gates of the castle and looked around for Shaitan Bin Izurak; he carried only a small wooden flute."

'What do you seek lame one?' asked one of the Fae.

'I have come to fight with Shaitan Bin Izurak.'

'You are lame, what could you do in such a battle as we have to fight?'

'I don't know but I have little else. I am disliked because of my lameness and often go hungry because no one would offer alms; I have little to lose but my life and I see no other towns folk would come and stand with his Lordship so it must be my duty.'

'You know you could die today little lame one?'

'Then so be it; there is little left for me but an honourable death.'

"Shaitan Bin Izurak looked at the lame boy and called him to his side; he could appreciate the feelings of the lame boy; had he not himself been left for nothing; he spoke to the boy."

'We are in need of a good trumpeter; are your lungs strong enough to carry over the sound of battle?'

'Give me a trumpet loud enough and my lungs will not let you down.'

"Shaitan Bin Izurak used a little magic and reached up into the morning sky; taking a hand full of the morning light; he pulled down a trumpet made of silver; this was lighter; he gave it to the lame boy and said."

'This is the trumpet of the heavens; all will hear your message when you blow it loud and clear.'

"Shaitan Bin Izurak gave the trumpet to the boy and then told him to stay by his side, even in the heat of battle the boy must stand with him; to aid the boy in movement, he called for one of his demons to find the boy a special horse; the demon returned with one that was as white as the driven snow; a gift he said; from the Fae Folk of the Ice. The horse was given to the lame boy and he was assisted in mounting so he could ride to the battle ground."

After another short pause; Omar continued.

"The morning found the small army now standing at the narrowest end of a long valley; around Shaitan Bin Izurak were the six hundred Fae Folk; five hundred were out in front with small pots of water; one hundred sat on the grass as though resting in the heat of the early morning sun; of the Giants there was no sign, the only indication of anything unusual was that Shaitan Bin Izurak was standing on a solid stone plinth freshly cut by some great force; beside him stood the lame figure of the small boy with the silver trumpet in his hands and around him were the three banners of the Fae and Giants; to them he added one other; a banner of black with a magical sliver of moon and a single large star; they shone like they were alive. As he stood and surveyed the far end of the valley; he saw the massed Knights and soldiers of the enemy. One Knight was riding toward where he stood beside the lame boy on the freshly cut rock. As the Knight with a white banner rode through the lines; he could not resist the urge to belittle what he saw as small children standing around on a battle field; he thought to himself that, if this was the boy's army then blood would flow quickly this day and they would all be home in time for a good midday feast. His ribald comments did not stop when he came up to where Shaitan Bin Izurak stood with a lame boy by his side."

'Is this what you bring to fight with us; mere children and lame urchins? I have ten thousand swordsmen and ten thousand spearmen as well as a thousand heavy Knights; it is assured your head will decorate my walls before midday.'

'Where is the Baron my patron?'

'There on the hill side; when I have your head I will then take his and all his lands will be mine.'

"Shaitan Bin Izurak looked up on the hillside; his patron was standing amid four heavily armed Knights on horseback. As the Knight before him turned his horse and laughed out so all could hear him; he galloped off towards where his army stood waiting; Shaitan Bin Izurak gave a small nod to the boy beside him. The boy lifted heavens trumpet and blew a long high note. As the Knight rode back to his army, he glanced at the imprisoned Baron; much to his dismay, the Baron was surrounded by dark shadows; of the four heavy Knights there was no sign; only the four rider-less horses gave any indication there had been any there. The Baron now stood with a black bladed sword in his hand; for the first time in his life; the Knight felt the pang of fear, the Baron was holding a sword that was called a soul eater; it was feared by every man and beast of the land; the Knight quickened his pace."

By this time there was not a space large enough for a mouse in the square; everyone, including all of Eventide companions; stood transfixed as the long tale unfolded. Eventide's musings were interrupted by a nudge from Mahmud; the look in his brother's eye told of some plan or amusing scheme had been dreamt up. Eventide looked away as Mahmud leant over and whispered into the ear of Salud; the Hashin slid from his horse and disappeared into the crowd just as Omar restarted his tale.

Omar continued.

"As soon as the Knight returned to his massed men; he called for them to charge the lines of the waiting army; he was sure it would be a short and bloody battle with none of his enemies standing after the first charge. The great horde thundered down towards the far off lines of seemingly children; suddenly the one hundred at the rear stood up with golden bows in their hands; as one they reached up into the sunlight and took down shafts of the sun and fired; in the blink of an eye they had a second, then a third and a fourth shaft flying accurately towards the charging mass. The results were to be talked about by those few who survived the great battle and that was very few. For one hundred shafts of sunlight there were one hundred fallen soldiers and Knights. The numbers of dead and wounded grew rapidly as the sun shafts flew faster; already the army had lost a thousand men and were still far from the first line of waiting footmen."

Eventide could now feel the undercurrent of awe in the bodies of those listening, Omar continued.

"Now the five hundred of the Ice Fae had not been idle; as the charge started, they all as one poured water from the small urns they had carried; as the water fell, the Fae used their own magic and turned the water into shields and swords of pure ice. With their magic finished, the five hundred took a stand in three lines and waited on those who survived the flight of the sun shafts. The great charge had been slowed; it was then that Shaitan Bin Izurak told the lame boy to blow his trumpet one more time. The boy blew with all his power and; from the forest on each side of the valley, strode twenty giants and the Baron who now rode one of the fallen Knights horses and carried the great black bladed sword. The giants carried on their left arm their great tree shields and in their right hand a mighty double bladed war axe. Now that the giants stood ten on each flank with the baron and a mass of shadows; the boy blew a long high note on his trumpet. The Baron, shadows and giants charged into both flanks of the charging army; to say there was slaughter on a great scale would be to say a camel never drinks. The giants cut mighty swathes through the foot soldiers as they fought like wild men; the Baron and his shadows also took a mighty toll on those that crossed their paths. The great charge had now been blunted; it was the turn of the Ice Fae to carry the fight; this they did with the magic and alacrity that only the Fae have. The lines held even though they did bow in the centre but this only made the attackers sink deeper into the pocket and become more likely to slaughter."

Eventide heard someone move close on a horse but did not turn around; he did notice that Salud had returned and was smiling at Mahmud; Eventide turned back to the story teller.

"The Ice Fae now took a heavy toll; the soldiers spears broke against the pure ice shields; the ice swords hued thick steel shields as though they were no more than parchment; Knights armour was shredded as though they were nothing more than cotton cloth and the attackers fell in a rain of blood. It had been a battle that was fought over the day until late into the afternoon and yet not one of Shaitan Bin Izurak's men had fallen; he had used his magic to protect his friends. When there were less than one thousand of the enemy left; Shaitan Bin Izurak called for the trumpet to be blown again; instantly there was a silence over the bloody battle field. The only Knight still mounted was the one that had caused the fight in the beginning; Shaitan Bin Izurak called to the Knight as he strode down to the front line.

"Lay down your arms; you cannot win this battle and should save those who are left; leave the field and all will be forgotten."

"Now the Knight was not known for his intelligent, as we all know what Infidels are like; instead the Knight called back and said he would never bow his head to a boy with no title. The knight turned to the few men left and called for a final charge that he hoped would end the life of the boy if nothing else. Shaitan Bin Izurak lifted his eyes and; with ease let the daggers of his blue eyes pull the very soul from the Knight as he sat on his great horse. The archers of the Fae of Dawns Light along with the Ice Fae, the giants and the black blade of the soul eater soon had decimated the rest of the soldiers. It has been said that less than two hundred walked away from the battle field and not one of them was uninjured. Shaitan Bin Izurak, in all his benevolence; allowed them to leave in peace. It is said that today if you were to walk over the battle field you would see nothing growing; there had been so much blood spilt that no plant would lay roots there. The Fae and the Giants bowed to Shaitan Bin Izurak's great victory and promised to come if he called them; his gift of sunlight was still not paid in full, they told him. So all my friends; should you ever see a boy with blue eyes riding in the company of shadow warriors and mounted on a black horse and who was accompanied by a lame boy with no home; I would suggest you bow low and show him respect even if he is an Infidel; you just may never know, it may be Shaitan Bin Izurak in disguise."

There was still total silence in the large square as they all digested the story; it was at this point that Eventide saw the Hashin cover their faces so only their eyes showed; the wide smile on Mahmud's face told of something afoot. Eventide saw Salud move his horse forward as he began to call loudly.

"Make way; make way for the Kahlif Sal-A-Hadin."

As the crowd began to part and then turn to see the new Kahlifs who was not expected for a few days more; there began a whispering and suddenly there was the rustle of clothes all around the square as Eventide came into full view; Eventide glanced over his shoulder and almost fell from his horse. Riding just behind him was Shaun mounted on a small white horse; his lame leg tide with a strap to the stirrup so he wouldn't fall. The most unexpected sight was the long silver trumpet slung over his shoulder; now Eventide caught on to Mahmud's little jest. As he glanced back to where the old man was still sitting; Eventide saw a smile on the old man's lips and a bright twinkle in his eyes.

The square became silent once again as everyone caught sight of the procession entering the area of the fountain; not a face could be seen and only the backs of every man, woman and child was on view; their heads firmly planted on the stone cobbles of the street. When they reached where the old man was seated, Mahmud was the first to speak.

"Grandfather Omar, I see you have woven your tales to suit the occasion. I cannot understand why you would be so far from the court; Damascus is far from here?"

"Kahlif Sal-A-Hadin; I was actually on my way to Bagdad but got delayed somewhat when I found out you were coming earlier than at first thought. Who may we have at your side; he looks familiar to my old eyes?"

"Grandfather Omar; I would introduce you to Baronet Eventide of Lancaster and also Kahlif of Wadhi Sufaria as dictated by the Emir, my Uncle."

Omar Khayyam looked up at Eventide with a wide smile.

"Welcome to the land of great deserts, Kahlif Eventide; you remind me greatly of the boy in my story, Shaitan Bin Izurak; you are not a Djin by any chance?"

"No Sire, I am just a humble pot boy that had some luck."

Not being one to miss a chance to embellish his stories; Omar looked at the boy on the white horse with the silver trumpet; for Eventide it almost seemed like a set up between Omar and Mahmud.

"Please Kahlif, call me Omar or Grandfather as many do these days. I notice you also have a trumpeter, a most unusual travelling companion don't you think; are you sure you are not magical or perhaps the Djin Shaitan Bin Izurak in disguise?"

"I am just as I said… Grandfather, a poor boy who got lucky and has a good patron who is now my father."

"Your father; a very fortunate event; what is your father's name?"

Eventide looked at the old man and then got a sense the old man knew only too well who his father was; he was now sure this discussion was only for the ears of all those people gathered nearby; it would soon be the talk of the city and; as everyone well knew; any tale will grow with the retelling of it. Eventide now felt as though Mahmud had set this up just to let the people know they would be safer to not ask questions of why an Infidel was now Kahlif along with a son of the desert.

"My father is the Baron Tremaine of Lancaster and Flanders Grandfather."

"Ah yes, I have had the pleasure of meeting him a time or two; you are indeed fortunate to have such a great man on your side. Now Kahlif one final question if I may?"

Eventide bowed his head in acceptance of the old man's request.

"Tell me, Kahlif Eventide, does your horse have a name and what would it be?"

Eventide could see the glint of mischief in the old man's eyes; he also noticed that Habib was still by his side with the shade cover still protecting him from the sun.

"His name is Shaitan Grandfather and perhaps you would join us for the evening meal if you are not too busy?"

"I would be honoured to do so Kahlif, shall we say one hour after sundown?"

"A good time to eat Grandfather; I look forward to hearing more of your tales."

Eventide turned to Habib by his side.

"Habib, you and your friends have done well; here is the promised coins; I would also ask if you would visit with me tomorrow morning; there is something I would like to discuss with you; just tell the gate guards I have asked for you to come and they will let you enter."

Habib bowed low after taking the offered purse; the look of total adoration on the young face almost unnerved Eventide but he knew it was more the tale than any right he had to such a look. As the party moved off towards the main gates of the palace; Eventide took one last look at the crowded square; every man, woman and child still knelt with their heads on the stone street; they would not stand until he was out of sight. For Eventide it had been a wondrous day but he was not sure he could live up to the legend the old man Omar had started; he well knew what could happen when legends did not live up to expectations.

It seemed no time at all before they were all entering under the massive gates of the Palace; Eventide would have to wait for a while longer before he could get the full story from Mahmud; his brother had refused to say a word while outside the walls.

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