The Wolf and the Snake (English version)

Chapter 27

Since my strange return among the living, Altan has been very attentive and loving. Fortunately, he didn't require any sexual favors at the moment.

I came out of the waters unscathed, without even a scar. That's why Turkish soldiers dive into the Great River all day long, hoping it will cure all their ills.

That evening, Altan allowed me to take a few steps outside. He wanted to go with me, but I looked away from his burning, almost pleading eyes.

I need to walk along the Nile, far from the guards posted in front of Altan's tent. Everything seems silent, wilderness. Then, however, I notice four ships at the anchorage and soldiers in weapons around.

Would these ships be jails where the Franks are cruelly crammed? Would the prisoners have left Cairo? Could Reyn and Aurel be so close?

I hear heavy footsteps behind me, and an unpleasant smell gets me. I turn around to face possible danger.

Baibars!

The giant followed me.

Now, he's standing in front of me, reeking of koumiss, a disgusting beverage the Turks enjoy.

God! He's drunk!

"Don't dream!" he sneers while pointing at the ships. "From tomorrow, I leave for Damietta with my regiment to collect the ransom your king must pay to save his skin and that of his surviving knights."

Staggering, he comes closer, and I instinctively move back.

"You, you return to Cairo," he announces while taking a large glassful of his nectar. "You'll live on our lands, to my little brother and me!"

His feverish glance wanders on the too big tunic I wear. Finally, he angrily throws koumiss on the ground, ranting that he drank it all. Cautious, I step back again, and he sees it. "What are you afraid of?" he mumbles. "Didn't you survive the tyrant's sword, little Frankish witch?"

Despite his intoxication, he jumped on me with the flexibility of a jaguar. Crushed under his weight, I struggle with all my strength.

I howl, and he frees me at once.

"What kind of djinn are you?" he growls. "You bewitch all men who look at you! What dark magic is this?"

I stand up, trembling, and he turns around me as if I were guilty of something. Then, suddenly, he grabs me by the shoulders, his nails almost going deep into my flesh.

"If you talk about what has just happened to my brother, I'll kill you!" he threatens.

He leaves with a quick but still uncertain step, and I'm relieved despite Baibars's intimidation.

I watch the ships at the anchorage. Knowing that Reyn is only a few feet away from me is both a blessing and torture. I'm thinking of my beloved, of Aurel, of all the people on these ships who fought so hard.

Thanks to God, they will soon be delivered from this hell!

I let out a long sigh because the departure of the boats would also mean the end of my hopes for an escape. But, sadly, I'm about to retrace my steps when a detail catches my attention.

A tent was set up in front of the ships, and it's heavily guarded. Then, suddenly, a man comes out of it.

He's tall.

He's not a Turk.

He seems to move towards me, and I recognize Charles of Anjou's figure without the slightest hesitation. He didn't see me and sat down at the water's edge to contemplate the river. I decide to crawl slowly on the ground to reach the king's brother discreetly.

Am I not the Snakes' bastard?

"Your Highness," I mutter, "please don't turn around."

"Ada! It's you! By all the saints, you're thus alive," he asks, jumping up. "We thought you were dead, lost forever."

"We?"

"Mameluke chiefs told your husband and me, his cousin too, that you had disappeared under horrible circumstances."

Tears roll down my cheeks.

Alas, Reyn and Aurel believe I have passed away.

"My brothers and I are negotiating our release, and a big ransom must be paid," Charles of Anjou says, taking my hand. "I'll demand you be freed too!"

But I have an awful feeling that fate is always playing games with me.

"It's useless! The man who captured me isn't interested in gold. Besides, he's Baibars's brother," I answer sadly.

"This cursed rascal will regret it," he enrages. "I will hire mercenaries and charter ships to deliver you. I swear it before God!"

His voice is so solemn, so determined that a new hope arises from out the shadows. I imagine I finally see Reyn again, his beautiful eyes, the scent of his black hair, the softness of his body lying on mine.

But if he knows I'm alive, he'll take any risk to save me, even with a broken leg.

"I'm grateful to you, Your Highness. Promise me to keep this secret because Reyn and his cousin will try to help me with their lives."

"I understand, my dear Ada," he asserts hoarsely.

The next day, I think I dreamed of this extraordinary meeting on the Great River. Altan and his regiment leave for Cairo. He allowed me to ride a horse close to his.

The Muslim army set out for Damietta with several ships flying flags in the emirs' colors. They escort the four vessels used as a prison for Christians.

On the western bank of the Nile, the Mamelukes march to the sound of drums.

I see the lion on Baibars's banner.

Hand on heart, he greeted his little brother and gave me an imperious glance.

The great river carries my beloved safely, far from the battles and the blood, far from me.

***