Notes to the chapter:
"As-salamu alaykum", "wa-'alaykumu s-salam" - "Peace be upon you," "And peace be upon you" (Arabic greetings).6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IVGiF3SUa
"Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem" - "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" (Arabic).6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpolnBJSicu
Sherbet - a refreshing fruit- or berry-based drink.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWprvSIpJ3L
Hejaz - a region that is home to two of Islam’s holiest cities: Mecca and Medina.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLtgTlsljv
Four Rightly Guided Caliphs - four companions of the Prophet Muhammad, revered in Islam.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lotsAlGXb
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Night was not yet fading into dawn when Anzhelika and her small squad finally reached the village where Kamal’s friends lived. Along the way, the men removed their crusader helmets and surcoats - bearing crosses that might mark them as enemies - and Anzhelika followed their example.
The adobe houses slept peacefully in their courtyards under the night sky. The group quietly dismounted after Kamal at the wall that surrounded the biggest homestead in the village. Kamal knocked firmly on the gate; after a few minutes they heard footsteps, and the gates rattled as they opened. The grey-bearded man, flanked by several sturdy lads, was glad to see him, but then looked warily at Kamal’s companions.
"As-salamu alaykum, Tahir," said Kamal. “These are my friends."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡciqh6B0afF
"Wa-'alaykumu s-salam," the man answered while making an inviting gesture, and the group entered the courtyard. A soft glow flickered through a few windows of the large house. Its door stood wide open, and half a dozen women in flowing robes and scarves concealing their hair had gathered on the threshold. They whispered to each other and looked at those who entered with curiosity.
"Come in, dear guests, my cook will prepare dinner," their host said kindly. "Please, come through."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUAdh306Ff
"We need to deal with something urgent,” Anzhelika said. “Kamal has a small scratch. We need to dress his wound as fast as possible. Tahir, do you have anything like sagebrush, hawthorn, chamomile or mint?"6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3G4DoZ7VXG
Tahir looked at her, visibly worried.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZiVVp6S96E
"Is the wound bad?" he asked.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxCMU7Cbpnj
"Nothing serious," Anzhelika reassured him, “just bandage it and everything will be fine."
Tahir called the maids and after a short discussion it turned out that there was mint and hawthorn in the house.
"Give me what you have, that's enough for now. I'll look for the rest tomorrow," Anzhelika summed up. All excited, interested and admiring glances was on her while she was guided to the kitchen, where, with the help of the maids, she was able to prepare the medicine and then treated Kamal's wound. Her fellow prisoners and the residents of the house gathered around her, asking serious and curious questions. It proved unexpectedly convenient to get what she needed simply by asking. She was also pleasantly surprised by the admiration of those around her for her healing skills - they were a rarity here, unlike at home, where medicine was the most common profession.
"And one more thing," Anzhelika added, wrapping Kamal's hand in a clean strip of cloth. "We'll need some products - we'll make spirit. After that we'll let it sit overnight, let it steep..."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlHuNLEmeX
"Is this some kind of miraculous elixir?" one of the guys asked curiously.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHpTxARNab
Anzhelika closed her eyes, trying her best not to laugh.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLP4mvBIvT
"Very much so," she said. "Just don't drink it - you can get poisoned."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH1LAy1msn4
When the chores were over, the whole company settled down in the living room on soft low sofas around a large table. Angelica settled herself comfortably, shaking her long, soft hair down to her waist, and, having caught many interested male glances, felt almost at home. Good company, a cozy house, a feast...
"Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem", Tahir said, bowing his head and folding his hands in a prayerful gesture. The rest of the Muslims repeated after him the traditional formula of blessing with which one had to begin both a meal and every activity. Anzhelika looked at the offered treat with curiosity - there was no pork on the table at all, as is customary according to the Muslim faith. The servants deftly placed on the table boiled beef with dates, flatbreads, baked apples in sweet sauce and other delicacies on silver plates, as well as sherbet in glass jugs.
Finally, the table setting was finished and Tahir waved his hand to dismiss the servants and maids. When they left, and only the guests and Tahir with his two sons, guys in their twenties, remained in the room, the owner of the house impatiently turned to Kamal:
"Tell me at last, what happened to you - to you all. Because I can see that your day was not easy."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQ2P5zvIDf
"Your premonitions don’t fail you, brother,” Kamal responded, “I’ll start with the fact that our entire company became acquainted in prison."
Tahir shook his head in shock, but not a bit of alertness showed on his face. "They are very close friends," Anzhelika concluded.
"And my own misadventures began even earlier, when I was caught on reconnaissance for our good Sultan, right at the market," Kamal continued, biting into the beef. ("Damn! A real spy", Anzhelika thought in surprise.) "And only a lucky chance - the prison warden's daughter was getting married, which is why he offered drinks to his men - saved me from being interrogated under extreme pressure. These dogs just decided to hang me at daybreak."
Anzhelika shuddered. Suddenly she realized once again where she had ended up.
"In prison it turned out that I was not the only one who suffered from these shaytans," Kamal continued. "My fellows in misfortune, who were already in prison at that time, were driven to despair by the crusaders' tax collectors."
"I would never have thought that I would ever - and especially at my age! - engage in such a thing as assault with a weapon," continued the older man. His name was Jasem. "But after these unrighteous people found fault with some trifle and confiscated all the goods from our caravan, we all didn’t even have enough money to get home!.."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42MuG67Mgw
"Well, that’s why we decided to rob them," the young, sturdy guy exhaled, clenching a fist.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceiw6O4V6T
"To take back what belonged to us", Jasem corrected him sedately. "But it didn't work out. And everyone who survived ended up in prison."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CAgLPLod9
"That’s where we met Angelica,” Kamal said, slightly changing the girl's name to the Arabic style. The whole company turned to Anzhelika, and she realized that it was her turn to speak. That is, to lie.
"I was selling herbs at the market when I was accused of not paying the entry tax," the girl said, "Even though I paid everything that was required. Well, and they threw me in jail too..."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuK03Ksanl
"Dogs," someone spat.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVsFQk3k4Zd
"Right," Anzhelika agreed. "But we still managed to get out. That's great." And she thought to herself: "Shaytan only knows where I would be now if it weren't for all this..."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiF5GmWLSi
"That's right, sister!" cries came from different sides.
"If not for Angelica’s resourcefulness, we wouldn’t have escaped that prison," Kamal added with respect. The men promptly turned to thank her; Anzhelika, a bit embarrassed, answered modestly:6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1imTD4FqXD
"If it weren't for how well you beat up the enemy, nothing would have worked out either."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqnrXsc4dWc
"Sultan Salakhaddin will give richly to all those who achieved this victory over the crusaders and helped me escape, preserving priceless information. The great Sultan is very generous," Kamal added. "We only need to send messengers to Jerusalem."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVZb3cLZMG
"That urgent?" Tahir asked, putting down the cup of sherbet. Kamal shook his head. "Then tomorrow at dawn my sons and their guards will leave for the city. And today we will celebrate. Truly on this day Allah showed you mercy!"
The noisy feast continued. Anzhelika mostly listened to what was being said, leaning relaxedly against an embroidered satin pillow and occasionally asking curious questions. The men recalled some moments of the battles - in prison and before that, during the robbery of tax collectors. They also honored their comrades who died in the previous battle - several merchants and guards. The girl was very interested in what Kamal had spied on for Salah ad-Din, but the others did not touch on this topic, and she also remained silent.
"As soon as the guys return with the money, come to the palace. The Sultan will be happy to receive you," suggested Kamal.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxT314KmjR
"And what if we come later?" one of the merchants asked, looking up from a bowl of boiled rice. "My wife is already going crazy, not knowing where I disappeared to for so long, and she is pregnant with our first child... I would like to go home first."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlOcd5MNJ9
"Of course, of course," Kamal agreed, "If you want, come later. Salah ad-Din will not forget your help."
The caravanners expressed their agreement, and Jasem, who was apparently in charge, summed it up:6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3MIIbcarP
"So, it’s decided - first home, and then we’ll gather the caravan again - and through Arabia to the palace in Jerusalem."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4Rc7M3wEn
"Where do you live?" Anzhelika asked curiously.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmoWS9FOwt
"Most of us live in the blessed region of Hejaz, and some in Yemen as well, in the dominions of our good Sultan Salah ad-Din", Jasem replied.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQzCKpXDNO
"And where do you live?" asked Kamal.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9XYXea2esv
"I travel," Anzhelika shrugged, "but I was born and raised in Rus. It's very far north from here."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwZ8ipLZ2s
"And how did you get here?” asked Rashid, the eldest son of the owner of the house, in surprise.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHq9hRFMPa
"A thirst for adventure and an incredible chance," Anzhelika chuckled to herself, but answered out loud:6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqofIzSuia
"Because of the desire to learn something new. New herbs for treatment, for example. New places, customs..."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXXCw7Xyh8
"Angelica, little sister, you can live with me. My widowed sister lives at my house, you won't be bored together," suggested Fazel - the same guy whom the girl saved by kicking the guard in prison.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1BdFAwYDZE
"Oh, thank you, with pleasure," Anzhelika agreed gratefully. The offer was very opportune - because in reality the girl had no desire at all to live in caravanserais without a non-lethal weapon or pepper spray. "And I will never return to Jaffa again in my life, may the shaytan take it."6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaCNODdbvG
Tahir nodded:6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXMrtBa9p0
"Indeed, such lawlessness does not and cannot exist in the lands of Salah ad-Din. His taxes are fair, and the cities, like the roads, are safe."
Fazel thoughtfully put the flatbread on his plate and turned to the spy with curiosity:6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94x82OKlkM
"Kamal, tell us, what is Salah ad-Din like?.."
All eyes immediately turned to Kamal. Dozens of faces waited for his answer with respect and admiration, but Anzhelika's eyes were shining the brightest. She had never thought of Salah ad-Din as a real person. They were separated by eight centuries - farther than the distance between a handsome actor or singer on a movie screen who is still wandering somewhere on earth. Salah ad-Din was something like a book character, but in real life: a champion who bested villains in the name of righteousness is like a fairy-tale, but better, because it indeed happened. And now they were somewhere on the same earth and under the same skies, and it was somehow... unexpected and fantastic. But still real.
After a moment of silence, Kamal spoke quietly and with well-hidden excitement:6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT54PwbZiXY
"Indeed, since the time of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, the earth has not seen a more worthy man and ruler. For all his greatness, there is no arrogance or hubris in him. He greets people kindly, caring nothing for wealth or rank; everyone feels calm and free around him."
Anzhelika listened with rapt attention - Kamal was unusually eloquent now. She sighed quietly, thinking that she really wanted to ask what the Sultan looked like, but she better not - she wasn’t a child after all.
The conversation gradually died down, because everyone was impressed. Their host invited everyone to settle in for the night, and Anzhelika was led to a small, cozy room on the second floor, where two attendants helped her get comfortable.
The maids, having taken off their headscarves and remaining only in dresses, filled a tub with hot water and placed bath accessories - a towel and a piece of pleasant looking yellow soap - on a small chair nearby. ("What a blessing that there is soap here," Anzhelika couldn’t help but think with relief.) The girl walked over to the table by the bed - there was a small mirror on a stand on it. Anzhelika looked into it and noted with pleasure that although small and dull, it was of quite good quality. Washing her face using a bowl and a jug, the girl carefully washed the mascara off her eyelashes, rejoicing that her eyelashes, like her eyebrows, were naturally dark - the mascara only added volume. Now, apparently, the only cosmetics she had at her disposal were coal and soot.
After finishing, Anzhelika undressed and slipped wearily into the tub. The maids unbraided her hair, which she had casually held up with a hairpin (which had already returned to its shape), and began to carefully comb it. They used a comb - judging by its appearance, made of tortoiseshell. Anzhelika wanted to ask about it, but fatigue was overwhelming her too much to speak.
"What lovely hair, my lady", the older one, Zukhra, said with admiration.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJQqzxWs7K
"I'm just Anzhelika, and that’s all", the girl muttered, trying her best not to fall asleep.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6NgfRgqU9f
"How could we, Lady Angelica", the maids spoke quietly in respect, and the girl gave in.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNleGY63Pqe
"You Christians can wear your hair uncovered?" the youngest, Salima, said with a hint of envy before Zukhra hissed at her.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkG7ge6xizO
"I have no idea," Anzhelika almost blurted out, but caught herself in time. Instead, she answered:6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCmRU7JkDI
"Back home, we only cover our hair when we go to church. Or for the weather."
"We can also wear shorts as short as possible, if our figure allows it," Anzhelika thought gloomily. Her figure allowed her to do so, but the time she found herself in did not.
Those thoughts stirred up other memories - of relatives ("Thank goodness my mom and dad still have two more children," she reflected), of friends, of cozy life in a cozy era… all of which she will never return to. Anzhelika pressed a hand to her forehead, pushing away the unwanted memories. There will be time to mourn all that was lost... someday.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUF05JQHtd
Having washed herself, Anzhelika climbed out of the tub, dried herself off and was given a thin robe to sleep in. It looked clean. "However," the girl thought, "after the clothes looted from the corpse, it will probably be difficult to scare me with anything." She settled onto the fresh-smelling bed, redolent of faint floral scents, and immediately drifted off, deciding it was probably for the best.
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