Yusuf stood before a bronze mirror in his palace chamber and examined his reflection. He had been to the baths, where a barber had trimmed his beard short and smoothed back his hair with sweet-smelling oil. Upon his return, he had dressed in a red satin caftan decorated with swirling patterns in silver thread. Yusuf straightened his collar, then leaned closer to the mirror and frowned at the patchiness of his beard. He went to a trunk and took out a small wooden box. He opened it, scooped out a handful of kohl – a mixture of ash and ghee – and rubbed it into his beard. He went back to the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
‘Are you ready yet?’ John grumbled as he entered the room.
Yusuf quickly turned away from the mirror. ‘Yes. Let’s not keep her waiting.’
Yusuf led them across the palace to the harem entrance. They were expected, and the tawashi escorted them to Asimat’s room. He knocked, and a moment later one of Asimat’s female servants opened the door. Yusuf and John followed the tawashi into the room.
‘My lady,’ the eunuch declared. ‘Your guests.’ He withdrew, shutting the door behind him. The servant went back to the loom in the corner.
Asimat sat cross-legged, a writing table on her lap and her quill poised above the paper. She looked up and smiled. ‘Yusuf! And who is this you have brought with you?’
‘My friend, John,’ Yusuf said with a small bow. ‘You sent for us.’
‘Ah yes, the civilized Frank who, you say, is immune to the charms of women,’ Asimat teased. John’s cheeks reddened. ‘Come, sit,’ Asimat continued. ‘I am glad you came. I wished to see you before you departed.’
Yusuf frowned as he and John sat across from Asimat. ‘Departed? I have no plans to leave Aleppo.’
‘Nevertheless, you shall leave soon enough.’
‘For where?’
‘Frankish lands. Nur ad-Din will tell you at the council meeting tomorrow.’
‘You are better informed than I, Khatun.’
‘Of course. I am Nur ad-Din’s wife. You see him only during council meetings or hunts. The rest of the time, he is mine,’ Asimat concluded with a wink.
‘Perhaps you could tell me, then, what I will be doing amongst the Franks.’
‘I have told you enough already. You will find out the rest tomorrow.’ Asimat turned her gaze to John. ‘Is it true that you have not yet taken a woman?’
John flinched noticeably. ‘It is true.’
‘Is it because of your religion?’
‘No, Khatun.’
‘You do not like women then?’
‘No – I mean yes,’ John said, flustered. ‘I like them.’
‘I see,’ Asimat mused, her head tilted to the side. ‘And if you did have a woman, what would you do if you found her with another man?’
John looked away. ‘I do not know.’
‘Would you kill her?’
‘No, my lady,’ John said softly.
‘What then? Imagine the woman you love in the arms of another man. What would you do?’
John’s brow knit and he clenched his jaw. ‘I – I do not know.’
‘I see my questioning has made you uncomfortable,’ Asimat said. ‘You may go.’
‘Thank you, Khatun.’
Asimat watched John leave, and then her eyes turned to Yusuf. ‘Usama was wrong. It seems your friend remains a Frank at heart. He does not have our sense of honour.’
‘Perhaps John is right.’
Asimat arched an eyebrow. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You have heard what happened to Emir Khaldun’s wife, Nadhira?’
‘The girl who was stoned.’
‘It was my doing,’ Yusuf said bitterly. ‘There was no honour in that.’
‘You should not blame yourself, Yusuf. It is our law.’
Yusuf’s cheek twitched as an image of Nadhira’s mangled face flashed through his mind. ‘Have you ever seen a woman stoned?’
‘Yes,’ Asimat said quietly. They sat in silence for a moment, then her face brightened. ‘But let us talk of other things. I asked you here to tell you my good news: Allah has blessed me. I am with child.’
Yusuf was surprised to find that he was disappointed, jealous of Nur ad-Din. He lowered his gaze as he struggled to compose his features. ‘Praise be to Allah,’ he murmured, forcing a smile.
Asimat seemed not to notice his lack of enthusiasm. ‘Nur ad-Din is pleased. He will hardly let me out of his sight. He has three doctors attending to me, including a Jew who says he knows you. Ibn Jumay he is called.’
‘I have known him since I was a child. I would trust my life to him before any other.’
‘He tells me I must not drink wine while pregnant,’ Asimat pouted, then smiled. ‘But what of you? Have you found a bride yet?’ Yusuf shook his head. ‘You should be married soon, Yusuf. Shall I find a girl for you?’
Yusuf looked away. ‘That would be most kind, Khatun,’ he forced himself to say.
‘It is settled, then,’ Asimat said brightly. ‘I will speak to Nur ad-Din. By the time you return to Aleppo, I shall have found you a wife.’
‘As-salaamu ‘alaykum,’ Yusuf said, looking over his right shoulder while kneeling on the floor of his room. ‘As-salaamu ‘alaykum,’ he repeated as he looked left. His morning prayers finished, he rolled up his prayer mat and went to the window. The sun was just rising over the horizon. It was time for the council meeting. He left his room, heading for the council chamber, which sat atop the palace’s tallest tower. Nur ad-Din said it was the only place where he could be sure they would not be overheard.
Two mamluks stood at the entrance to the narrow, spiralling staircase that wound up to the council room. They searched Yusuf for weapons, then waved him through. He hurried up the stairs, glancing through the window slits as he passed. The hill on which the citadel sat fell away steeply below the tower, and the buildings of the town appeared tiny at this height. The stairs ended at a thick wooden door, guarded by another mamluk. The guard nodded to Yusuf and pulled the door open.
The council chamber was round and twenty feet across, with arched windows on all sides. Cushions had been placed along the wall, but the half-dozen emirs present were not sitting. Yusuf recognized Usama speaking with the fat-faced eunuch, Gumushtagin. Khaldun stood just apart from them, scowling grimly. There were black rings under his eyes. Yusuf crossed over to him. ‘Salaam, Khaldun. I have not seen you for many days. You have been well?’
‘Well enough.’
‘I am sorry about Nadhira.’
Khaldun’s face twisted into a grimace. ‘Sorry? For what?’
Across the room, the door opened and Nur ad-Din entered, followed by Shirkuh. The emirs fell silent. ‘Welcome, my friends,’ Nur ad-Din said as he crossed the room and took a seat against the wall. ‘Please, be seated.’
The emirs sat in a circle in order of their seniority. Usama and Shirkuh sat to Nur ad-Din’s left and right. Yusuf found himself directly across from the king. ‘I have called you here because I have received important news from the Frankish court,’ Nur ad-Din said and looked to Usama.
‘While last in Jerusalem,’ Usama began, ‘I learned that the Frankish king, Baldwin, is secretly gathering troops in the Kadisha. On my way home, I passed through Tripoli, where I saw many Frankish knights arriving from overseas. And I heard rumours of raids against the Bedouin who live on the borders of the Frankish kingdom.’
‘Raids?’ Gumushtagin asked. ‘That would violate our treaty with Baldwin.’
Nur ad-Din nodded. ‘War is coming at last. I will send word to the emirs and sheikhs telling them to gather their men. We must prepare to strike!’ The assembled men nodded their agreement.
‘Where will we attack?’ Yusuf asked.
‘Acre,’ Nur ad-Din said. ‘We shall take the Franks’ main port, cutting their lands in half and dividing Jerusalem from Tripoli and Antioch in the north. With Acre in our power, we can then turn south to take Jerusalem. Their kingdom will fall.’
‘Inshallah,’ several of the emirs murmured. Others slapped the floor to show their approval. Yusuf cleared his throat. ‘Excuse me, malik, but if we strike at Acre, will this not leave Aleppo exposed?’
The emirs glared at Yusuf, but Nur ad-Din nodded. ‘You are correct, Yusuf.’ He turned to Shirkuh. ‘Tell them our plan.’
‘We will divide our army in two,’ Shirkuh explained. ‘I will command a force in Aleppo while Nur ad-Din will lead a larger army from Damascus. My men will march through the Kadisha valley towards Tripoli, in order to distract the Franks and block them from attacking Aleppo. When the Frankish forces move against us, then Nur ad-Din will move on Acre, taking the castle of Banyas along the way.’
Nur ad-Din grinned. ‘The Frankish army will no doubt leave the Kadisha and march to relieve Acre. When they reach the city, my forces will engage them, and Shirkuh’s army will then attack them from behind.’ He clapped his hands together. ‘They will be crushed between us.’
‘A brilliant plan, malik,’ the eunuch Gumushtagin said.
‘We will be rid of the Franks once and for all,’ Usama agreed.
Yusuf frowned. ‘But we cannot violate our treaty with the Frankish king based on rumours alone.’
‘No, Yusuf,’ Nur ad-Din agreed. ‘We need more than rumours. That is why I am sending you to Frankish lands to find the truth of the matter. You will leave tomorrow.’
Yusuf bowed at the waist. ‘I am honoured to serve you, malik. With your permission, I will go now to prepare my men.’
‘Take no more than a dozen mamluks, not enough to attract attention,’ Nur ad-Din told him. ‘And do not take the Frank, Juwan.’
‘But he is captain of my khaskiya. It is his duty to protect me at all times.’
Nur ad-Din frowned. ‘I know you think him loyal, but he is an ifranji. He will cut your throat and run to the Franks at the first opportunity.’ Several of the emirs nodded their agreement.
Yusuf met Nur ad-Din’s eyes. ‘Forgive me, my lord, but you do not know John as I do. I trust him with my life. He will come with me.’
Nur ad-Din said nothing. His golden eyes bore into Yusuf. Finally, the malik nodded. ‘Very well, but watch him close. You may go.’ Yusuf rose and opened the door. ‘Wait,’ Nur ad-Din called, and Yusuf turned to face him. ‘Do not fail me, Yusuf. Bring me my war.’