“Thank you. I think I’ll ask elsewhere.” I turned as if to walk away.
“Hold on there, laddie. I may be able to work with you on the price. If you’re willing to pitch in and do some rowing when the wind is down. Help out with the rest of the crew loading cargo and whatnot, we can make it work,” he said.
I stopped. I had never done anything like this negotiation before, but I knew that I shouldn’t give in easily.
“If we do as you say, then how much?” I asked. He told me.
“That’s an outrageous price. I’ll look elsewhere, thanks,” I said.
“Wait! All right. Fine! If you give me the money up front we can make a deal,” he said.
“I’ll give you half the money now, the rest when we reach our destination,” I countered. “And I’ll give you an extra five crosslets if we go to the ship now, immediately, and weigh anchor.”
The man-his name was Denby, he told me-sat thinking for a minute. At least I thought he was thinking. He could have been sleeping for all the ale he had drunk. He pointed to a group of men sitting at a table in the corner. They looked every bit as grimy as he did.
“That’s me crew,” he said. “I’ll have to get them to agree.”
“Do it then,” I said. “Tell them there are thirty regiments of Saracens about to attack Tyre at any moment. Then the city will be closed down. No one will get in or out.”
Denby’s head straightened up, with his one eye now focusing sharply on me. “Is that true?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s true. I would urge you to leave tonight or risk being caught in a city under siege.”
Denby sat back in his chair. It looked painful for him to have to concentrate this much. “Might as well,” he said, picking up the jug on his table, first shaking it, then tipping it over the cup. Nothing came out of it. “I’m out of ale and money.”
Standing up it took him a moment to be sure he had his balance and wasn’t going to fall over. He stumbled over to the table, speaking to the men in low tones. There was some grumbling, and there were curses and a few hotly exchanged words, but after a few moments the three men finished their drinks, stood up and made their way to the door.
Denby staggered back to me. “If you and your friend are ready, we can go now. Our longboat is tied to the dock outside. I’ll be taking the money now,” he said.
“I’ll give you the money when we are on your ship and under way, not before,” I replied.
He squinted at me again. “I’m beginning to think you don’t trust me.”
“Let’s go,” I answered.
Denby shuffled across the floor, barely keeping upright until he reached the door. He passed through it with scarcely a glance at Robard, who looked at me with his eyes wide, as if wondering if I was crazy enough to book passage with a drunken boat captain. Given Denby’s condition, I could only imagine what the ship must be like. But we needed to get out, and our options were few.
“Please tell me you know what you’re doing,” Robard whispered to me as we left The Dancing Fig.
“Of course. It’s all under control. I just booked us passage on a ship to England. We leave tonight,” I told him.
“I’m not going anywhere with that drunkard,” he replied.
“Robard, I know it’s not perfect. But we need to get out fast. Come with me. I can pay for both our voyages. If you stay here, Sir Hugh could capture you, or it will take you months to get home by land. With luck we can get back to England in a few weeks.”
Robard stood still. Down the dock, Denby and his men had climbed into the longboat and were ready to depart. I waited, hoping he would agree. Hoping that I wouldn’t have to beg him to come with me.
But the decision was made for him, for at that very moment, Maryam ran up to us. “The guards!” she said. “They’re coming!”
30
They’re a ways down the street, moving slowly and searching the alleys. At least six men-at-arms. They’ll be here in minutes.” At her feet, the dog whined, circling about us as if it wished to move us in a direction, any direction, as long as it led to safety.
“Robard? What do you say? Are you coming with me?” I asked.
“Well, I don’t have much choice now,” he said with a measure of disgust, starting down the dock to where the longboat was tied.
“Aren’t you going to say good-bye?” Maryam called after him.
He turned with a puzzled expression on his face.
“I already said good-bye once. Good luck to you, Assassin. I thank you for rescuing us from the jail,” he said. “And for not killing us.”
“Good-bye, Archer. Keep practicing with that bow. You can’t count on a lucky shot every time,” she said.
Robard’s face went red, and he muttered something I couldn’t hear and stomped off down the dock, climbing into the boat.
Maryam smiled as he retreated.
I followed after Robard, and Maryam walked quickly alongside me. The dog was still growling and whining as we approached the boat.
“Well, Maryam, unlike last time I guess this is really good-bye. Thank you for coming to our aid,” I said. “Please take care of yourself. I hope, well, someday perhaps we will meet again.”
“Good-bye to you, mysterious Tristan of the Templars. You should know that the Templars are greatly feared among my people. You do their Order proud. You are brave, but more important you are noble. I believe that Allah shines his light on you. Take care, my friend,” she said.
By then we were next to the longboat, and unexpectedly Maryam reached out and took me in a tight embrace. Her arms were fast around my shoulders and my face was pressed into her hair, which still smelled of sandalwood. I felt dizzy and a little uncomfortable. I did not know how long we stood there, but it felt like an hour passed. Finally the crew and captain waiting in the boat, and Robard as well, began to cough uncomfortably. Maryam released me, touching my face with her hand. I felt my cheeks burning, standing there speechless, not knowing what to do next.
“Tristan,” said Robard. “Tristan.
“Tristan!” he hissed.
Finally I came to my senses. “Yes?”
“The boat. We need to escape. Bad men are after us? You do remember?” He smirked.
“Uh. Yes. Of course,” I replied, climbing into the boat and sitting next to Robard. The dog began whimpering and finally let out several low barks. She moved up to the edge of the dock, making as if she wanted to jump into the boat with me.
“No, girl. Stay,” I told her. But she only whined more.
The captain pushed off with an oar. The crew began rowing, and we slowly moved parallel to the dock. Maryam and the dog walked with us for a ways.
There was a shout from the end of the dock. “Halt! Don’t move another step,” a voice hollered from the darkness. I recognized Sir Hugh’s high-pitched voice immediately. The sound of running feet could be heard coming up the dock. Maryam was trapped.
“Go back,” I yelled to the captain.
“No, sir,” he said. “I want no trouble with those soldiers.”
I glanced back at the dock. Maryam stood frozen, and the dog was jumping and barking as the men drew closer.
“Robard, hold them off,” I said.
Robard stood and strung his bow in a single motion. In seconds he had pulled an arrow from his wallet, took aim and let it fly toward our attackers. It landed a few feet in front of Sir Hugh, who for once in his life was leading
