1453: Revival of Byzantium

Chapter 272: Dagger On The Ground

It is the night of the twenty first of August, already near two weeks after Abdullah landed his foot on Eygptus. 

The night in Eygptus has more stars in the sky than in the cities of Rumelia, shining as white diamonds embedded on to the dark silk, joining together to form an astonishing night view that the Egyptians call it 'the milky way' or  'the pool of a cow's milk' blessed by the goddess of cow called Bat symbolizing fertility. It is indeed a welcoming sight for outsiders like Abdullah memorizing the same night sky when he was young gaining back that piece of good old days when he needed not to worry about any thing else, only his academic results. 

Though for tonight our Abdullah has completely no mood to spectate the starry night, nor does he have the mind set to enjoy himself with the two beautiful maidens the Mamluk Sultan gave him. He got a much more serous business about his own life that he needs to care about. 

After comforting the two poor Egyptian girls again and again in his influent Egyptian Arabic dialect, swearing that he shall compliment them in front of the Sultan tomorrow morning, Abdullah asked them to leave him, helping him with a small favour of getting Fahim and his five followers to this room as fast as possible. 

The two maidens obliged turning away and brought the six people Abdullah asked for and walked away, bringing the door with them, leaving a private place for Abdullah inside. The moment the two maidens left Master Fahim went around making sure there are no ears behind the walls, then came back to Abdullah asking him in an urgent tone. "What has happened today? What have you done today? I want to know every thing!"

"Why?" Abdullah, who is their drinking tea trying to soothe his already worn out mind, received another scare of the day from his pal almost making him drop the cup of tea. "Tell me what happened to you first, why are you panicking around like a mice."

"Let me tell you what happened." Master Fahim controlled his voice and hissed beside Abdullah's ear. "So first, we are dumped there in the guard house saying that they need further orders to truly identify us as ambassadors not a bunch of hooligans trying to come here to cheat a feast, then after around an hour and half, a group of Mamluk guards stormed inside bringing us to another isolated room that looks like a jail and ignored our simple wishes to get some water. Just as we are thinking that you have already been executed, and we are going to follow you soon, another bunch of eunuch ran in to the room apologising continuously to us and said that they are going to treat us like true guests."

Relating to the sequence of events that happened to him Abdullah quickly understood why and frowned. "Then? Is that the entire part of your story?"

"If it is the entire story I would not have been so a b to come here and tell you all this, instead I would be back there in the guest room submerging myself in to that milk bathe and drinking tea, instead of coming here and talk to you!" Fahim gave Abdullah a stare and hissed. "After another three years, when the sky is getting dark, a high ranking official called Hussein came inside with a bunch of other lords, eunuchs and officials. They smiled and greeted me warm heatedly asking me if every thing is fine, then went away repeating again and again that if I need any thing just say there name"

"But again, after another two hours, all of us, including your followers, are dragged out of the lavish guest room back there in to that prison like chamber throwing us on to a bunch of hays saying that this shall be our bed for the night, after half an hour the man called Hussein and the other lords came back passing through. But when he saw us, he simply said nothing shaking his head and walked away, the other lords sniggered at us, some even gave us threatening stares! What is going on Abdullah!"

"Relax, relax Sorry my friend for bringing you in to this trouble."

"Well, you have been bringing me in to trouble after trouble ever since I met you."

Abdullah sighed and elaborated the entire story to the later in details. The latter's facial expression changes with every part of Abdullah's experience today. From being baffled, to being shocked, then looked at Abdullah in awe, to curious and pride, then finally to afraid and scared. After Abdullah completed his story Fahim grabbed him by his robes shaking his body and asked. "Oh, Abdullah how many times must you get me in to trouble? Successor to the Sultan's throne? Seriously? They shall rip you alive for this!"

Abdullah retorted back. "Why do you blame me? Do you think that I can control the Sultan's mouth? Refrain him from saying these? Do you think I can?"

The two men fought and debated there around the table, but their both physically and verbally interactive session is soon over, as just as they are fooling around, they heard a clanging sound, the sound of a metallic object being dropped on the floor, just outside of the doors.

Frightened, master Fahim asked shouting out in a trembling voice towards the door. "WhoWho Who is that?"

Of course, no one responded behind the door.

"Show yourself!"

There is still no response.

One of Abdullah's follower, being pushed by the rest of his pals, opened the door with his hands shaking and teeth jittering. What he saw is shocking, it is a bronze dagger, with a fuller groove which means that it is made to kill, is there lying quietly on the solid ground. The follower can almost feel the coldness of its metallic surface making him give a shriek and hopped backwards pointing at the dagger. "It It is a dagger! Master Abdullah! A dagger that is used by the Hashashins to kill people!"

Abdullah and Master Fahim ran forward to observe the dagger, and Master Fahim too, let out a slight shriek with his entire face pale from the absence of blood. "This is a warning! Abdullah, a warning by them! It means that they can take your life at any moment if they want to!"

"I know, I know." Faced with this kind of life threatening situation Abdullah closed the door and locked it shut, forced himself to meditate and calm down, making his brain operate in the full speed thinking of a way out. "I know the meaning of this warning message by the man who dropped this dagger, or his master behind in the shadows, it is all because of the Sultan's word today of making me a Sultan, which means that the one who have placed this dagger must be a powerful but not decisive candidate for the next person to seat on the throne, desperate to get rid of as many potential competitors as possible."

"You know who that person is?" Master Fahim asked with a bright spark in his pupil.

"I was just about to ask you." Abdullah looked back at Fahim. "I am not a bit familiar with the different people in the Sultan's court, I was expecting you to have an answer!"

"Why would me, a random servant of The True Faith spreading The Great Prophet's teachings in Alexandria, knows about all the political power struggles in Cairo?" Fahim is absolutely mad. "And coming to think of it, even if we know who this man is, what are you going to do huh? Expose him to the Sultan?"

"No, my friend, no." Abdullah remained calm and shook his head. "What I need to do is to put up a show convincing this person behind the curtains that I am of no threat to his throne, instead I might be a potential outside help, and then I can use his, or their help to achieve my diplomatic missions for this trip, and then I will get out of Cairo leaving the Sultan and the citadel as fast as possible."

"Be an outside help? I must warn you that meddling in the Mamluk politics is never a good idea Abdullah, it can get you killed."

"Same goes to any other nation's politics." Abdullah bite his teeth. "But at least this is a way out, for all of us."

"What are you going to do then?"

Abdullah looked at the moon outside calculating the rough time by looking at its position, then donned his robes and turban, and replied. "I will need to pay Amir e Akhur Hussien a visit first, he saved me out of my trouble today, although not for me but others, but that still means that we have some common grounds for corporation. Finding and consulting him will be a good start." 

Then, Abdullah spoke no more and disappeared under the night sky with a lantern.