At the palace gates, their swords were taken and they were met by the Emperor’s adviser. The five guards remained in the room as they met with the adviser who inquired of their purpose. Juan had not spoken the language in many years but was able to recall the words as he explained who he was.
The adviser had been on the Leadership Council years ago and after a moment of silence, his face lit up in remembrance. The two men embraced before Juan introduced Diego. To their surprise, the adviser recognized the name Columbus.
“How do you know my family name?” Diego asked.
“I’ll show you.” The adviser dismissed the guards and motioned for Juan and Diego to follow. He led them down several hallways into the armory. There, a Portuguese cannon was among the weaponry.
“We trade with the Portuguese. They speak of Columbus and the discovery of a New World.”
“If this canon is Portuguese,” Juan remarked, “then you better be careful that the barrel does not split when fired.”
The adviser was shocked. Juan kept his face straight for a moment before smiling. “Can’t trust the Portuguese.”
The adviser laughed. “We have traded with them for many years. This is the first cannon we’ve acquired. This is what we’ll use when the Imam returns.”
“The Imam?”
“He has attacked our land many times. He hasn’t made it this far inland to the palace but someday he may. We’ll be ready for his attack.”
The adviser turned his attention to more formal matters. “Would you like to meet with the Emperor?”
“Aye, we would.”
“Very well. I shall have you escorted to your rooms. Your personal affects will be returned. Tonight we’ll hold a feast in your honor and you shall meet with the Emperor.” The adviser assigned them servants to attend to any needs and then left them for other business.
A few hours later, they were led down into the main hall. A curious aroma of roasted meat filled the air and Diego inquired as to the fare. “Zebra and gazelle, Ato Diego,” the servant answered. Both would be a first for Diego but not for Juan, although he had not had enjoyed either in quite some time.
Juan surveyed the room and found he recognized several of the men. One of the men, Ras, caught Juan’s eye and motioned them to join him. Juan and Ras embraced and Ras kissed Juan three times on his cheeks. Diego was introduced and braced himself for the kisses but was offered a handshake instead.
Diego listened Juan and Ras spoke. He was surprised to discover he could understand everything that was said, even though they spoke in a native dialect previously unknown to Diego.
He listened as Juan spoke of lion hunts. Ras laughed and reminded Juan of the time they stumbled upon a pack of wild dogs while hunting. Juan’s leggings had been torn from his body climbing a tree to escape the dogs. Ras escaped into another tree and the two men waited for six hours until the wild dogs grew bored and moved on. Diego laughed and Juan regarded him curiously.
Ras excused himself to speak with another tribal leader and after he left, Juan turned to Diego. “You can understand the language?”
“Aye.”
“I thought so. I can understand as well, although it has been many years since I spoke or heard the language.”
Juan started to comment further when his words were drowned in fanfare. Drums echoed and they watched as the Emperor of the Ethiopian Empire was introduced. Juan joined the Emperor and was cheerfully reunited.
Dinner was announced and the servants brought forth a basin and an earthenware jug. Diego followed Juan’s lead in holding out his hands to be rinsed by the water in the jug.
Afterwards, the food was brought to the tables and Diego was stunned by what happened next. He was not sure how to react.
Ras returned to the table and began feeding small bites of food directly to Juan. Using his hands! Diego would soon learn that this was known as gursa and was a sign of respect for guests. “Just keep your fingers out of my mouth,” Diego warned Juan.
When the meal was completed, the servants came forward and placed pillows on the floor in front of the tables. Juan and Diego were escorted to the pillows. “Now what?” Diego asked.
“Coffee,” Juan replied. “My friend, you are in for a treat.”
Frankincense was lit and several boys came forward. They washed themselves and then placed objects over the large fire of the room. Juan explained that they were roasting the coffee beans and the scent of the beans with the frankincense was strangely intoxicating.
When the beans were ready, they were ground and small cups were brought forward to each guest. In the bottom of each cup was sugar, something that interested Diego. The ground coffee was placed in boiling water and brought forward to fill the small cups, starting with the Emperor and then to the elders before reaching the guests.
“You will receive three cups of coffee,” Juan instructed. “You must inhale the aroma of the coffee before sipping. The first serving is called awol, the second tona and the third baraka. Each time, the grounds are reused and so each serving is weaker than its predecessor. Remember to sip the coffee slowly. This is a lengthy ritual.”
In the end, Diego found he enjoyed the ritual.
When it was completed, Juan asked permission from the Emperor to explore the scrolls in his library. The Emperor was pleased by the request and honored that Juan would ask.
Juan and Diego were escorted to the library and given full access to the documents.
