Chapter Twelve: The Lord of Death
Masouda ran forward and prostrated herself at full length, butGodwin and Wulf stared at the heap, and the heap stared at them.Then, at some motion of his chin, Masouda arose and said:
"Strangers, you stand in the presence of the Master, Sinan, Lordof Death. Kneel, and do homage to the Master."
But the brethren stiffened their backs and would not kneel. Theylifted their hands to their brows in salute, but no more.
Then from between the black turban and the black cloak came ahollow voice, speaking in Arabic, and saying:
"Are these the men who brought me the lion's skin? Well, whatseek ye, Franks?" They stood silent.
"Dread lord," said Masouda, "these knights are but now come fromEngland over sea, and do not understand our tongue."
"Set out their story and their request," said Al-je-bal, "that wemay judge of them."
"Dread lord," answered Masouda, "as I sent you word, they saythat they are the kin of a certain knight who in battle savedthe life of him who ruled before you, but is now an inhabitant ofParadise."
"I have heard that there was such a knight," said the voice. "Hewas named D'Arcy, and he bore the same cognizance on hisshield--the sign of a skull."
"Lord, these brethren are also named D'Arcy, and now they cometo ask your help against Salah-ed-din."
At that name the heap stirred as a snake stirs when it hearsdanger, and the head erected itself a little beneath the greatturban.
"What help, and why?" asked the voice.
"Lord, Salah-ed-din has stolen a woman of their house who is hisniece, and these knights, her brothers, ask you to aid them torecover her."
The beady eyes instantly became interested.
"Report has been made to me of that story," said the voice; "butwhat sign do these Franks show? He who went before me gave aring, and with it certain rights in this land, to the knightD'Arcy who befriended him in danger. Where is that sacred ring,with which he parted in his foolishness?"
Masouda translated, and seeing the warning in her eyes andremembering her words, the brethren shook their heads, while Wulfanswered:
"Our uncle, the knight Sir Andrew, was cut down by the soldiersof Salah-ed-din, and as he died bade us seek you out. What timehad he to tell us of any ring?"
The head sank upon the breast.
"I hoped," said Sinan to Masouda, "that they had the ring, and itwas for this reason, woman, that I allowed you to lead theseknights hither, after you had reported of them and their quest tome from Beirut. It is not well that there should be two holySignets in the world, and he who went before me, when he laydying, charged me to recover his if that were possible. Let themgo back to their own land and return to me with the ancient ring,and I will help them."
Masouda translated the last sentence only, and again the brethrenshook their heads. This time it was Godwin who spoke.
"Our land is far away, O lord, and where shall we find thislong-lost ring? Let not our journey be in vain. O mighty One,give us justice against Salah-ed-din."
"All my years have I sought justice on Salah-ed-din," answeredSinan, "and yet he prevails against me. Now I make you an offer.Go, Franks, and bring me his head, or at least put him to deathas I shall show you how, and we will talk again."
When they heard this saying Wulf said to Godwin, in English:
"I think that we had best go; I do not like this company." ButGodwin made no answer.
As they stood silent thus, not knowing what to say, a man enteredthrough the door, and, throwing himself on his hands and knees,crawled towards the cushion through the double line ofcouncillors or dais.
"Your report?" said Sinan in Arabic.
"Lord," answered the man, "I acquaint you that your will has beendone in the matter of the vessel." Then he went on speaking in alow voice, so rapidly that the brethren could scarcely hear andmuch less understand him.
Sinan listened, then said:
"Let the fedai enter and make his own report, bringing with himhis prisoners."
Now one of the dais, he who sat nearest the canopy, rose andpointing towards the brethren, said.
"Touching these Franks, what is your will?"
The beady eyes, which seemed to search out their souls, fixedthemselves upon them and for a long while Sinan considered. Theytrembled, knowing that he was passing some judgment concerningthem in his heart, and that on his next words much mighthang--even their lives.
"Let them stay here," he said at length. "I may have questions toask them."
For a time there was silence. Sinan, Lord of Death, seemed to belost in thought under the black shade of his canopy; the doubleline of dais stared at nothingness across the passage way; thegiant guards stood still as statues; Masouda watched the brethrenfrom beneath her long eye-lashes, while the brethren watched thesharp edge of the shadow of the canopy on the marble floor. Theystrove to seem unconcerned, but their hearts were beating fastwithin them who felt that great things were about to happen,though what these might be they knew not.
So intense was the silence, so dreadful seemed that inhuman,snake-like man, so strange his aged, passionless councillors, andthe place of council surrounded by a dizzy gulf, that fear tookhold of them like the fear of an evil dream. Godwin wondered ifSinan could see the ring upon his breast, and what would happento him if he did see it; while Wulf longed to shout aloud, to doanything that would break this deathly, sunlit quiet. To themthose minutes seemed like hours; indeed, for aught they knew,they might have been hours.
At length there was a stir behind the brethren, and at a wordfrom Masouda they separated, falling apart a pace or two, andstood opposite each other and sideways to Sinan. Standing thus,they saw the curtains drawn. Through them came four men, carryinga stretcher covered with a cloth, beneath which they could seethe outline of a form, that lay there stirless. The four menbrought the stretcher to the front of the canopy, set it on theground, prostrated themselves, and retired, walking backwardsdown the length of the terrace.
Again there was silence, while the brethren wondered whose corpseit was that lay beneath the cloth, for a corpse it must surelybe; though neither the Lord of the Mountain nor his dais andguards seemed to concern themselves in the matter. Again thecurtains parted, and a procession advanced up the terrace. Firstcame a great man clad in a white robe blazoned with the bleedingdagger, after whom walked a tall woman shrouded in a long veil,who was followed by a thick-set knight clad in Frankish armourand wearing a cape of which the cowl covered his head as thoughto keep the rays of the sun from beating on his helm. Lastlywalked four guards. Up the long place they marched, through thedouble line of dais, while with a strange stirring in theirbreasts the brethren watched the shape and movements of theveiled woman who stepped forward rapidly, not seeing them, forshe turned her head neither to the right nor left. The leader ofthe little band reached the space before the canopy, and,prostrating himself by the side of the stretcher, lay still. Shewho walked behind him stopped also, and, seeing the black heapupon the cushion, shuddered.
"Woman, unveil," commanded the voice of Sinan.
She hesitated, then swiftly undid some fastening, so that herdrapery fell from her head. The brethren stared, rubbed theireyes, and stared again.
Before them stood Rosamund!
Yes, it was Rosamund, worn with sickness, terrors, and travel,Rosamund herself beyond all doubt. At the sight of her pale,queenly beauty the heap on the cushion stirred beneath his blackcloak, and the beady eyes were filled with an evil, eager light.Even the dais seemed to wake from their contemplation, andMasouda bit her red lip, turned pale beneath her olive skin, andwatched with devouring eyes, waiting to read this woman's heart.
"Rosamund!" cried the brethren with one voice.
She heard. As they sprang towards her she glanced wildly fromface to face, then with a low cry flung an arm about the neck ofeach and would have fallen in the ecstacy of her joy had they notheld her. Indeed, her knees touched the ground. As they stoopedto lift her it f
lashed into Godwin's mind that Masouda had toldSinan that they were her brethren. The thought was followed byanother. If this were so, they might be left with her, whereasotherwise that black-robed devil--
"Listen," he whispered in English; "we are not your cousins--weare your brothers, your half-brothers, and we know no Arabic."
She heard and Wulf heard, but the watchers thought that they werebut welcoming each other, for Wulf began to talk also, randomwords in French, such as "Greeting, sister!" "Well found,sister!" and kissed her on the forehead.
Rosamund opened her eyes, which had closed, and, gaining herfeet, gave one hand to each of the brethren. Then the voice ofMasouda was heard interpreting the words of Sinan.
"It seems, lady, that you know these knights."
"I do--well. They are my brothers, from whom I was stolen whenthey were drugged and our father was killed."
"How is that, lady, seeing that you are said to be the niece ofSalah-ed-din? Are these knights, then, the nephews ofSalah-ed-din?"
"Nay," answered Rosamund, "they are my father's sons, but ofanother wife."
The answer appeared to satisfy Sinan, who fixed his eyes upon thepale beauty of Rosamund and asked no more questions. While heremained thus thinking, a noise arose at the end of the terrace,and the brethren, turning their heads, saw that the thick-setknight was striving to thrust his way through the guards whostood by the curtains and barred his path with the shafts oftheir spears.
Then it came into Godwin's mind that just before Rosamundunveiled he had seen this knight suddenly turn and walk down theterrace.
The lord Sinan looked up at the sound and made a sign. Thereontwo of the dais sprang to their feet and ran towards the curtain,where they spoke with the knight, who turned and came back withthem, though slowly, as one who is unwilling. Now his hood hadfallen from his head, and Godwin and Wulf stared at him as headvanced, for surely they knew those great shoulders, those roundblack eyes, those thick lips, and that heavy jowl.
"Lozelle! It is Lozelle!" said Godwin.
"Ay," echoed Rosamund, "it is Lozelle, the double traitor, whobetrayed me first to the soldiers of Saladin, and, because Iwould have none of his love, next to this lord Sinan."
Wulf heard, and, as Lozelle drew near to them, sprang forwardwith an oath and struck him across the face with his mailed hand.Instantly guards thrust themselves between them, and Sinan askedthrough Masouda:
"Why do you dare to strike this Frank in my presence?"
"Because, lord," answered Wulf, "he is a rogue who has broughtall these troubles on our house. I challenge him to meet me inbattle to the death."
"And I also," said Godwin.
"I am ready," shouted Lozelle, stung to fury by the blow.
"Then, dog, why did you try to run away when you saw our faces?"asked Wulf.
Masouda held up her hand and began to interpret, addressingLozelle, and speaking in the first person as the "mouth" ofSinan.
"I thank you for your service who have served me before. Yourmessenger came, a Frank whom I knew in old days. As you hadarranged it should be, I sent one of my fedais with soldiers tokill the men of Salah-ed-din on the ship and capture this ladywho is his niece, all of which it seems has been done. Thebargain that your messenger made was that the lady should begiven over to you--"
Here Godwin and Wulf ground their teeth and glared at him.
"But these knights say that you stole her, their kinswoman, fromthem, and one of them has struck you and challenged you to singlecombat, which challenge you have accepted. I sanction the combatgladly, who have long desired to see two knights of the Franksfight in tourney according to their custom. I will set thecourse, and you shall be given the best horse in my kingdom; thisknight shall ride his own. These are the conditions--the courseshall be on the bridge between the inner and outer gates of thecastle city, and the fight, which must be to the death, shalltake place on the night of the full moon--that is, three daysfrom now. If you are victor, we will talk of the matter of thelady for whom you bargained as a wife."
"My lord, my lord," answered Lozelle, "who can lay a lance onthat terrible place in moonlight? Is it thus that you keep faithwith me?"
"I can and will!" cried Wulf. "Dog, I would fight you in thegates of hell, with my soul on the hazard."
"Keep faith with yourself," said Sinan, "who said that youaccepted the challenge of this knight and made no conditions,and when you have proved upon his body that his quarrel is notjust, then speak of my faith with you. Nay, no more words; whenthis fight is done we will speak again, and not before. Let himbe led to the outer castle and there given of our best. Let mygreat black horse be brought to him that he may gallop it to andfro upon the bridge, or where he will within the circuit of thewalls, by day or by night; but see that he has no speech withthis lady whom he has betrayed into my power, or with theseknights his foes, nor suffer him to come into my presence. I willnot talk with a man who has been struck in the face until he haswashed away the blow in blood."
As Masouda finished translating, and before Lozelle could answer,the lord Sinan moved his head, whereon guards sprang forward andconducted Lozelle from the terrace.
"Farewell, Sir Thief," cried Wulf after him, "till we meet againupon the narrow bridge and there settle our account. You havefought Godwin, perhaps you will have better luck with Wulf."
Lozelle glared back at him, and, finding no answer, went on hisway.
"Your report," said Sinan, addressing the tall fedai who all thiswhile had lain upon his face before him, still as the form thatwas stretched upon the bier. "There should have been anotherprisoner, the great emir Hassan. Also, where is the Frankishspy?"
The fedai rose and spoke.
"Lord," he said, "I did your bidding. The knight who has gonesteered the ship into the bay, as had been arranged. I attackedwith the daylight. The soldiers of Salah-ed-din fought bravely,for the lady here saw us, and gave them time to gather, and welost many men. We overcame and killed them all, except the princeHassan, whom we took prisoner. I left some men to watch the ship.The crew we spared, as they were the servants of the FrankLozelle, setting them loose upon the beach, together with aFrankish woman, who was the servant of the lady here, to findtheir way to the nearest city. This woman I would have killed,but the lady your captive begged for her life, saying she hadcome from the land of the Franks to seek her husband; so, havingno orders, let her go. Yesterday morning we started for Masyaf,the prince Hassan riding in a litter together with that Frankishspy who was here a while ago, and told you of the coming of theship. At night they slept in the same tent; I left the princebound and set a guard, but in the morning when we looked we foundhim gone--how, I know not--and lying in the tent the Frankishspy, dead, with a knife-wound through his heart. Behold!" andwithdrawing the cloth from the stretcher he revealed the stiffform of the spy Nicholas, who lay there dead, a look of terrorfrozen on his face.
"At least this one has come to an end he deserved," muttered Wulfto Godwin.
"So, having searched without avail, I came on here with the ladyyour prisoner and the Frank Lozelle. I have spoken."
Now when he had heard this report, forgetting his calm, Sinanarose from the cushion and stepped forward two paces. There hehalted, with fury in his glittering eyes, looking like a manclothed in a black bell. For a moment he stroked his beard, andthe brethren noted that on the first finger of his right handwas a ring so like to that which hung about the neck of Godwinthat none could have told them apart.
"Man," Sinan said in a low voice, "what have you done? You haveleft the emir Hassan go, who is the most trusted friend andgeneral of the Sultan of Damascus. By now he is there, or nearit, and within six days we shall see the army of Salah-ed-dinriding across the plain. Also you have not killed the crew andthe Frankish woman, and they too will make report of the takingof the ship and the capture of this lady, who is of the house ofSalah-ed-din and whom he seeks more earnestly than all thekingdom of the Franks. What have you to say?"
"Lord," answered the t
all fedai, and his hand trembled as hespoke, "most mighty lord, I had no orders as to the killing ofthe crew from your lips, and the Frank Lozelle told me that hehad agreed with you that they should be spared."
"Then, slave, he lied. He agreed with me through that dead spythat they should be slain, and do you not know that if I give noorders in such a case I mean death, not life? But what of theprince Hassan?"
"Lord, I have nothing to say. I think he must have bribed the spynamed Nicholas"--and he pointed to the corpse--"to cut his bonds,and afterwards killed the man for vengeance sake, for by the bodywe found a heavy purse of gold. That he hated him as he hatedyonder Lozelle I know, for he called them dogs and traitors inthe boat; and since he could not strike them, his hands beingbound, he spat in their faces, cursing them in the name of Allah.That is why, Lozelle being afraid to be near him, I set the spyNicholas, who was a bold fellow, as a watch over him, and twosoldiers outside the tent, while Lozelle and I watched the lady."
"Let those soldiers be brought," said Sinan, "and tell theirstory."
They were brought and stood by their captain, but they had nostory to tell. They swore that they had not slept on guard, norheard a sound, yet when morning came the prince was gone. Againthe Lord of Death stroked his black beard. Then he held up theSignet before the eyes of the three men, saying:
"You see the token. Go."
"Lord," said the fedai, "I have served you well for many years."
"Your service is ended. Go!" was the stern answer.
The fedai bowed his head in salute, stood for a moment as thoughlost in thought, then, turning suddenly, walked with a steadystep to the edge of the abyss and leapt. For an instant thesunlight shone on his white and fluttering robe, then from thedepths of that darksome place floated up the sound of a heavyfall, and all was still.
"Follow your captain to Paradise," said Sinan to the twosoldiers, whereon one of them drew a knife to stab himself, but adai sprang up, saying:
"Beast, would you shed blood before your lord? Do you not knowthe custom? Begone!"
So the poor men went, the first with a steady step, and thesecond, who was not so brave, reeling over the edge of theprecipice as one might who is drunken.
"It is finished," said the dais, clapping their hands gently."Dread lord, we thank thee for thy justice."
But Rosamund turned sick and faint, and even the brethren paled.This man was terrible indeed--if he were a man and not adevil--and they were in his power. How long would it be, theywondered, before they also were bidden to walk that gulf? OnlyWulf swore in his heart that if he went by this road Sinan shouldgo with him.
Then the corpse of the false palmer was borne away to be thrownto the eagles which always hovered over that house of death, andSinan, having reseated himself upon the cushion, began to talkagain through his "mouth" Masouda, in a low, quiet voice, asthough nothing had happened to anger him.
"Lady," he said to Rosamund, "your story is known to me.Salah-ed-din seeks you, nor is it wonderful"--here his eyesglittered with a new and horrible light--"that he should desireto see such loveliness at his court, although the Frank Lozelleswore through yonder dead spy that you are precious in his eyesbecause of some vision that has come to him. Well, this hereticsultan is my enemy whom Satan protects, for even my fedais havefailed to kill him, and perhaps there will be war on account ofyou. But have no fear, for the price at which you shall bedelivered to him is higher than Salah-ed-din himself would careto pay, even for you. So, since this castle is impregnable, hereyou may dwell at peace, nor shall any desire be denied you.Speak, and your wishes are fulfilled."
"I desire," said Rosamund in a low, steady voice, "protectionagainst Sir Hugh Lozelle and all men."
"It is yours. The Lord of the Mountain covers you with his ownmantle."
"I desire," she went on, "that my brothers here may lodge withme, that I may not feel alone among strange people."
He thought awhile, and answered:
"Your brethren shall lodge near you in the guest castle. Why not,since from them you cannot need protection? They shall meet youat the feast and in the garden. But, lady, do you know it? Theycame here upon faith of some old tale of a promise made by himwho went before me to ask my help to recover you fromSalah-ed-din, unwitting that I was your host, not Salah-ed-din.That they should meet you thus is a chance which makes even mywisdom wonder, for in it I see omens. Now she whom they wished torescue from Salah-ed-din, these tall brethren of yours might wishto rescue from Al-je-bal. Understand then, all of you, that fromthe Lord of Death there is but one escape. Yonder runs its path,"and he pointed to the dizzy place whence his three servants hadleapt to their doom.
"Knights," he went on, addressing Godwin and Wulf, "lead yoursister hence. This evening I bid her, and you to my banquet. Tillthen, farewell. Woman," he added to Masouda, "accompany them. Youknow your duties; this lady is in your charge. Suffer that nostrange man comes near her--above all, the Frank Lozelle. Daistake notice and let it be proclaimed--To these three is given theprotection of the Signet in all things, save that they must notleave my walls except under sanction of the Signet--nay, in itsvery presence."
The dais rose, bowed, and seated themselves again. Then, guidedby Masouda and preceded and followed by guards, the brethren andRosamund walked down the terrace through the curtains into thechancel-like place where men crouched upon the ground; throughthe great hall were more men crouched upon the ground; throughthe ante-chamber where, at a word from Masouda, the guardssaluted; through passages to that place where they had slept.Here Masouda halted and said:
"Lady Rose of the World, who are fitly so named, I go to prepareyour chamber. Doubtless you will wish to speak awhile with theseyour--brothers. Speak on and fear not, for it shall be my carethat you are left alone, if only for a little while. Yet wallshave ears, so I counsel you use that English tongue which none ofus understand in the land of Al-je-bal--not even I."
Then she bowed and went.