nearly spotted once. Our best chance to reach Tyre is to keep moving.”
Maryam was breathing hard, and the fading moonlight revealed that her face was flushed and damp.
“Maryam, are you feeling okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, “but we need to go.”
“You seem in quite a hurry,” said Robard. “Is there something you aren’t telling us?”
“Robard…,” I said.
This time though, Maryam didn’t answer, but merely handed me the water skin and took off running again along the ridge.
Robard and I trotted after her.
“Something is wrong,” he said. “She heard those men say something. She’s not telling us everything.”
“We don’t know that, Robard. She may just be trying to get us to Tyre as quickly as possible,” I said.
“Yes. Remind me of that again when we are hanging in chains from the wall of the Saladin’s prison,” he said.
“Robard, do you see a conspiracy behind every tree? Is the entire world aligned against you?” I asked.
“Not the entire world,” Robard answered.
We caught up to Maryam before long and continued running in silence. The moon set and the sky lightened to the east. It would be daybreak soon.
“I think we should stop,” I said. “Without the cover of darkness, we are too exposed. We should find a place to camp for the day and continue tonight.”
“We don’t have time to stop,” Maryam said. “We must keep going.”
Her statement brought Robard and me to a stop. Maryam continued running.
“Wait,” I hissed.
She stopped and turned.
“Why? Why can’t we stop?” I asked. “I think you owe us an explanation.”
Maryam paused. She looked at the ground for a moment. Then at me.
“Tristan, did I not make a promise to you that I would see you safely to Tyre?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I will keep that promise, but we must keep moving,” she said.
“Why is that? What did you hear those men say?” Robard asked.
Maryam paused for a moment, glancing back and forth at us. She sighed.
“You’re right, Archer. I did hear something. They were arguing about whether to continue to look for us or rejoin their forces,” she said.
“So?” Robard said.
“The commander said that they needed to return to the main camp before the attack begins,” she said.
“What attack? That could mean anything. There is plenty of fighting going on to the south and west,” Robard said.
But I knew what attack the commander was referring to. “They’re going to attack Tyre,” I said.
Maryam was quiet and Robard looked at me.
“What? You don’t know that,” he said.
The look on Maryam’s face told me I was right.
“There is not just one regiment nearby,” she said. “There are more than thirty. With more arriving. They’ll begin moving units toward Tyre in the morning.”
It was just as I’d feared. The Saladin was moving quickly toward Tyre.
“How do we know she’s telling the truth?” Robard said. “Stop a minute, Tristan. Perhaps she wants us to think that Tyre will be attacked while the real attack happens elsewhere.”
“We can’t take a chance on whether it’s true or not. Knights in Acre discussed this many times. If the Saladin takes Tyre, the main road to Jerusalem and the interior is lost. King Richard will be forced to move even farther east and will not be able to resupply his forces on the plains. Maryam is right. We can’t wait. We must get to Tyre and find the Templar Commandery. We must warn them,” I answered.
“Have you even considered that she could be part of this?”
Maryam laughed. “Let me see if I understand you, Archer. By your way of thinking, I am a spy, privy to all of the Saladin’s plans. To make his elaborate scheme work, I and my Hashshashin brothers leave our encampment and find you in the woods. During the attack I manage to get myself severely wounded, knowing in advance that my intended victims will nurse me back to health. When I am well enough, I promise to repay my debt to you and see you safely through Saracen lines to Tyre, but in reality it is all a ruse to provide false information to the Christian commanders in the city, and then deliver you as prisoners to the Saladin himself. Does that about sum it up?” She looked at Robard and her obsidian eyes blazed, glinting in the moonlight.
Robard’s face clouded, and he moved until his face was just inches from hers. She did not flinch.
“Excuse me for assaulting your tender sensibilities, but we only just met you. You tried to kill us. And I shot you,” he reminded her. “You could be setting us up…”
Maryam’s anger flashed across her face. “It was a lucky shot!” she said.
“It was not a lucky shot!” he shouted.
I cut in. “Robard, it doesn’t matter anymore. There are Saracens within a few days’ ride of Tyre. If we wish to make our way home, we must get there quickly and find a ship before we are trapped.”
“I still think she’s lying about something,” he said.
“She isn’t,” I said. “Let’s go.”
Maryam looked at me in gratitude. I understood what she had done. She had promised to get us safely to Tyre. With the city under siege she knew we’d not be able to get home. She had shown me that her oath meant something to her.
As we ran, I thought about how just a short while ago we were cowering in a thicket, a few feet away from a detachment of Saracens. Lying there exposed, outnumbered, with nowhere to run if we were discovered. She could have easily betrayed us, but she had kept her word.
At least for now.
THE CITY OF TYRE
26
We ran through the remaining night. As morning approached, the sun entered the eastern sky slowly, as if it were reluctant to start the day. Our course held us fast along the coast, and as we ran, we could still glimpse the sea below us. White shorebirds began their morning rituals, diving and floating above the gentle swells cresting along the shore. On the gusting wind, I occasionally heard their songs as they twisted and darted over the water. I felt I was running through Eden itself. Looking at the gorgeous land before me, the water a stunning blue against the morning sky, the cliffs so stark in their beauty, I could scarcely believe this place had seen so many centuries of war and unrest. It felt peaceful beyond compare.
I had often wondered these past few months if all the fighting, killing and destruction had been worth it. Kings had been born and died here. Armies had fought here hundreds of years ago and fought again today. Battlefields had been taken and lost. Despite all that had happened in this place, the land itself was untouched by it. It remained peaceful and beautiful, as if it could speak to us. As if to say, “Fight on all you wish. I will not change. I am constant.”
Two days of nearly constant running drew us ever closer to Tyre. As Maryam insisted, we ran through the daylight hours, and each morning as the sun took full effect and the temperature rose, I felt exposed, traveling out in the open as we were. I argued that we should move inland if we were to continue on this way. Maryam disagreed, countering that the woods were full of Saracens moving about and that we could stumble across a patrol or encampment at any moment. Running along the coast, at least we would see anyone coming from quite a way off. Then we could climb to the shore below us and hide among the rocks. This time Robard agreed with Maryam.
