Desert Rhapsody - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Abal’s triumphant return brought back a great deal of wealth. Aklan had been traveling from place to place buying up manpower, and lightweight jewelry and gems were the best currency for the job. Now all of it belonged to the leader of the Blood Eagle. Supposedly, Abal’s men had taken the roads near Damascus, gathered intelligence without a hitch, and caught up with Aklan’s party one night. Ambushes and pursuit were Abal’s specialties. They laid a trap, drove him into the desert, used the terrain to fight a brilliant guerrilla battle, and beheaded him amid Aklan’s curses.

It was a glorious, exhilarating victory. Abal had wiped out Aklan’s entire force while suffering almost no casualties of his own. The whole town erupted in wild celebration. Fresh wine was spilled across ground that had not even fully dried, and a flock of sheep was driven out for slaughter. That evening, there would be a feast to celebrate the leader’s victory. Jiang Yuan did not take it to heart. Since Abal had not summoned her, she was more than happy to pretend she did not exist. As usual, Jiang Yuan ate breakfast, loosened up her body, and led Sun-the little mare she had recently acquired and named Sun-out for a few laps in the desert beyond the town.

Jiang Yuan had not forgotten what she needed to do. Every day, without fail, she kept practicing her riding. A river wound past the edge of town, a very, very small one that would even dry up in the arid season. Lately, however, the weather had been gradually cooling, and water had begun to fill it again, giving off a pleasantly chilly dampness. Jiang Yuan slowly rode Sun around the town a few times. Recently, she had finally dared to let the mare break into a run. Once Sun had worked up a sweat in the sun, Jiang Yuan fed her some beans and led her downstream to drink.

She crouched by the river and washed her hands a little, but did not dare wash her face, afraid some bastard upstream might have pissed in it. Though Arabs regarded water sources as being as precious as gold, there were always idiots everywhere who did not treat money like money. After she finished washing her hands, she heard footsteps. She looked up and saw Faisal striding toward her with a man she had never seen before, his face dark with hostility. After two months apart, he had gained a scar on his face, and his whole body radiated even more murderous menace than before. Jiang Yuan stood. Nomads were generally shorter, and Faisal was still not as tall as she was. When she loomed over him, his expression turned savage.

In a rough voice, he said, “The leader wants you.”

Jiang Yuan asked, “Where is he?”

Faisal pointed upstream. Upstream was a small oasis, blocked by date palms so that hardly anyone could be seen. It seemed Abal had seen her leading the horse over. Faisal looked at Jiang Yuan with ill intent, clearly itching to pick a fight. But Jiang Yuan herself, along with Abal’s order, left him no opening. Then his gaze landed on Sun.

He walked over and patted Sun. Sun tried fearfully to shy away from him, but he caught hold of the reins. Faisal laughed. Clearly, in his eyes, this sort of untrained horse was simply useless. “Hey, Jia Nan, what’s it called?” he demanded aggressively. Jiang Yuan said calmly, “Sun.”

“Huh?” Faisal let out a strange laugh, and even the other man looked at her oddly. Jiang Yuan said, “What?” Faisal looked her up and down, then his expression suddenly turned extremely strange. He spat at Jiang Yuan, muttered something, and dragged his companion away as if fleeing for his life, like he had seen a ghost here. Jiang Yuan stood where she was and thought for a while before walking over to pat Sun’s neck.

They slowly made their way to the oasis. Passing through the date palms, she could see Abal’s figure. A wooden bucket sat by his feet as he washed down his black horse. Jiang Yuan stopped and looked at him. He had clearly washed up as well. The young man’s headscarf had been taken off, revealing damp hair of a deep brown shade. His collar was half open, and the shadows of the date palms fell across his collarbone. His long headscarf was gathered together and draped casually over his shoulder. With his head lowered, his expression was very relaxed and gentle.

“Horses are our best friends,” Abal said without lifting his head. He had heard Jiang Yuan’s footsteps, but he did not stop. He changed brushes and began combing the horse’s coat. “It seems you’re starting to understand that too.” There was also a saddlebag spread open by his feet, its pouch gaping wide, and many large gems had rolled out of it. …Along with what looked like half a human head. It seemed this was Abal’s spoils of war.

He turned his head to look over. When facing a person, his expression returned to its usual arrogance and danger. “What did Faisal say to you that made you think for so long?” Jiang Yuan looked back and discovered that through the date palms, she could see the place where she had been standing earlier. The view was excellent. “He asked me its name.” She pointed at Sun.

“You named it? What is it called?”

“Sun.”

Abal’s hand paused. The black horse neighed uncomfortably, and he continued brushing. “Why call it that?”

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Jiang Yuan said calmly. Arabia was the exact opposite of other places. The days were scorching and searing, while the nights were cool and suitable for travel. People compared handsome men to the bright moon, while radiant young women were called blazing suns. “The girls here are all called suns.” The bandits thought Sun’s coloring was impure, but to Jiang Yuan, she was the gentlest and prettiest little mare in the world. Abal laughed. “Sun. A good name.” He tapped his black horse on the head, the jeweled ring on his finger brushing affectionately against its neck.
“Wouldn’t you say so, Night?”

Jiang Yuan remained silent. The name sounded like it was meant to pair with Sun, but she truly hadn’t known that before. Night did not even spare Sun a proper glance. It was far more majestic than Sun, head lowered, flicking its tail in indifferent disinterest as it grazed. Abal said, “We’ll stay here for three days.”

Jiang Yuan said, “All right.”

“Then we’ll move to another oasis.”

“Understood.”

“You aren’t going to ask where?”

“If you’re going to sell me anyway, you’ll sell me to Adnan first, won’t you?”

Abal said, “That’s right.” He bent down, moved aside the severed head, and rummaged through the scattered jewels in the saddlebag before taking out some small box and tossing it to Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan had no idea what it was. It was a pretty copper box, exquisitely yet plainly made, set with a few murky green stones and carved in strange shapes. She had never imagined Abal would bring her a gift. When she opened the lid, she found a smooth lump of grease inside, and an intense fragrance rushed out. Jiang Yuan closed the lid again. Arabia was hot and dry, and men, women, the old, and the young all had to keep oils and greases on hand to rub on their hands and faces. Otherwise, their skin would be burned by the sun until it peeled, cracked, or developed any number of other problems. Camel oil, horse oil, sheep fat-there was every kind. Traveling merchants carried everything from perfumed oils for young girls to crude blocks of grease freshly rendered from rough slabs of fat. It was a business that never went out of season.

“A gift I prepared especially for you,” Abal said without the slightest shame. “After all, I still don’t know how to tell whether you’re teaching me wholeheartedly or not. So I ought to show some respect for my teacher, wouldn’t you agree, Jia Nan?”

Jiang Yuan had to admit that Abal truly knew how to buy people’s loyalty. She said, “We can start whenever you like.”

Later, however, she saw a whole sack of boxes identical to hers among the stolen goods the bandits and traveling merchants were fencing. …Pah. While despising Abal in her heart, she quickly grabbed several more boxes of salve.

That night, they lit a massive bonfire. The first day of triumph called for revelry until dawn. About two-thirds of the Blood Eagle had gathered here. They formed a circle, laughing, shouting, and making merry with the women as they listened to the latest takings. Faisal announced them one by one before the crowd: Adnan’s caravan, an India merchant party, Aklan’s goods. Every bandit held his breath as he listened to the bloody spoils. Faisal reported the casualties, times, and locations, and then each income of several thousand dinars drew a roar from the crowd.

After that, Jamal distributed the loot. Whatever grudges anyone had with anyone else, under the gleam of gold coins, they all seemed as friendly as brothers. Jiang Yuan also received a small share, just as Abal had promised. Everyone shook their coins, the pleasant clinking ringing out. Under the firelight, it was as if they were already drunk before they had even started drinking. Abal said, utterly pleased with himself, “Tonight is a night of victory!”

They cheered, “Our chief!”

The revelry began in earnest. Abal sat in the highest place, with the most beautiful slave girl kneeling at his side, shy yet alluring as she poured wine for him. Abal refused nothing. Beside him was an open money pouch, the gold and silver coins within glowing with a bewitching sheen. Every few cups of wine, Abal would grab a handful of coins and scatter them toward the bonfire. Each handful sent down a rain that could drive men mad. The bandits cheered and stamped their feet, roaring and beating the ground until their voices went hoarse. “Blood Eagle! Blood Eagle! Blood Eagle!”

The falcon soared through the sky, its cry piercing straight into the clouds. Abal threw back his head and laughed. From somewhere, the sounds of a lute and drums spread through the camp. Jiang Yuan was squeezed among the crowd, surrounded by heady, soul-stealing fragrances, men’s sweat, body odor, and the stench of wine, until she nearly fainted from the fumes. The bonfire’s light and shadows flickered, and all around her, the crowd danced like demons.

“Abal!” they stamped their feet and cheered. The bandits shouted joyfully, “Chief! Chief!” “Abal! Abal!” “Our eagle!”

The cheers shook her eardrums. The bandits bellowed as they sang poems and songs: “He is the eagle in the heavens, soaring through the flames. He is the lion of the desert, biting through the heads of his enemies!”

A flash of bright light and shadow passed by. The chief of the Blood Eagle leaped down from his seat. He wore a jeweled headband, and his blue eyes were brighter than a lake. Laughing loudly, he drew the curved blade at his waist and began to dance in time with the oud and the passionate beat of the drums. Someone drew his blade and joined him, and so the Blood Eagle’s gold coins were scattered over his head. Gems fell into the fire, and someone reached in to snatch them back despite the heat. When wine spilled into the flames, the whole fire leaped upward, steaming the severed heads hanging above it and roasting the sheep and cattle.

One of the most vicious bandit bands in the desert from more than a thousand years ago now revealed another side of itself before Jiang Yuan’s eyes. The men and youths struck cups and knives together, singing poems for the chief who danced for them. It seemed as though countless gold coins were being flung before her eyes, brighter than the night sky.

Jiang Yuan listened as they sang, “Moonlight leads us onward, the eagle leads us to victory!”

Sleep.