Leila started as the pigeon suddenly left itsvine-covered perch and flew off toward the citadel.
"Don't roost in any prison windows, little one,"she murmured under her breath. If the crusader could so easily threaten to snapa guard's neck, she could only imagine what he would do to a hapless birdwhostrayed too close. Probably bite off its head with histeeth!
Chapter 4
Guy stared stonily out the cell window, counting thelarge, square bricks in the wall next door. There were thirty-three from theflat roof to the bare ground and sixty-eight from the comer to as far as hecould see toward the front of the building if he craned his neck and pressedhis face against the cold iron bars. Then again, the ivy was so thick in someplaces that he could have miscounted—
"God's blood, has it come to this?" heshouted furiously, slamming his large fists down so hard on the Window ledgethat pain shot through his right shoulder. He grimaced, ignoring it.
He was surely going mad! Counting bricks to pass thetime, pacing his cell, watching beetles drag bits of straw across the floor andred ants crawl up the stone walls. What next?
A familiar panic welled up inside him, cold sweatbreaking out on his forehead. Desperately he grasped the bars, inhaling deeplungfulsof air to calm himself. It smelled sweet, likeflowers, reminding him there was another world outside this cell, a world hehungered to be a part of once again.
Dammitto hell, where wasLeila? Why hadn't she come back?
It had been almost two weeks since he had last seenher. His only visitors had been the Arab physicianSinjarAl-Aziz, and that obnoxious captain of the guards who seemed to enjoy revilinghim and every Christian who had ever walked the face of the earth. What hewould do to that sour-faced bastard if he ever got him alone in this cell . . .
A songbird trilled somewhere above him, and Guy lookedup, blinded by the late morning sunlight. He squinted, searching the oppositeroof ledge for the bird before he spied it—a white-throated nightingale.
Resting his forehead on the bars, he closed his eyesand listened to the melodic warbling, becoming more relaxed than he had beenall morning. The nightingale's song swelled and surged, rich and full, almostmasking the sound of rustling vines and excited whispers
Whispers?
Guy's eyes shot open, and he stared incredulously at aragged young boy who was expertly scaling the wall with a billowing net in hishand, his small brown feet catching splayed toeholds on the brick outcroppings.Another boy stood below, only a few feet from Guy's prison window, whisperingbrusque commands and gesturing at the unsuspecting nightingale.
Indignation seized him. "Leave that bird alone,you little heathen!" he roared, startling both boys, who looked from hisbarred window to the nightingale as it fluttered its wings and flew away.
Guy knew cursing when he heard it. He smiled wryly asthe net-wielding boy colorfully vented his youthful fury upon him whileclambering down the wall. He ducked just in time to avoid a handful of thrownrocks. Several stones struck the cell door, and the next thing he knew a guardhad flung open the peephole.
"Silence, infidel!"
Guy sobered at the harsh command, his anger risingagain like scalding bile. "You forget whois the infidelhere!" he spat bitterly as the peephole was slammed shut. He turnedhis back to the door and leaned against the wall, rubbing his aching shoulderthrough the bandage.
At least he could be thankful the pain had lessened toonly a fraction of what it had once been. He had no complaints as far as hisinjury was concerned. He was alive, which was more than he could say for themen who had accompanied him on Edward's embassy to Anatolia.
Guy squeezed his eyes shut, hearing again in his mindthe dying screams of his companions. The surprise attack had come so swiftly.Most of the men were wrenched from their horses and their throats slit from earto ear before they could utter a sound. A few others, longtime friends, diedeven more hideously.
He could still hear Reginald Weller calling out to himas the older knight fought off a half dozen attackers, ordering him to escapewith his life, the battle lost. Guy had tried to reach him, but he was toolate. He watched in horror as Reginald was split in two by a single blow from ascimitar, the severed corpse hitting the earth in a spray of blood and chainmail.
After that, Guy could remember fighting and killing hisway out of the narrow ravine and then running, running . . . until he found ashallow but well-concealed cave where he could hide.
Several times in the scorching hot days that followedhe heard soldiers shouting nearby, and he knew they were looking for him.Finally, famished and thirsty and unable to bear the cave's close confines anylonger, he ventured out, determined to find his way on foot back to Acre. Hedidn't get far.
Cursing, Guy pushed away from the wall and began topace the cell, hisangerand frustration boilinghotter with each step.
It plagued him like an open, festering sore not to knowif any of his companions had survived the surprise attack and were being heldfor ransom in this lousy prison, but there was no one he could ask. None of theguards understood English and neither did the Arab physician, who had beencommunicating with him in a curt sign language.
He had decided to conceal the fact that he understoodsome Arabic and could even speak a little, in the hope that he might gleaninformation from any conversations he overheard. But so far, no luck.
The guards outside his cell were a taciturn lot, andwhen they did converse, they spoke so rapidly he was unable to grasp what theywere saying. The same thing had happened between Leila and her Arab master whenhe was chained to the wall. God help him, if he could only speak with heragain! Where the hell was she?
Guy winced as the bolt on the cell door was drawn back,the screeching sound grating on his nerves. Four guards rushed inside, theirbright blades pointed at him menacingly. He knew this meant that the greatphysician was on his way to pay his morning call.
He was so sick of looking at that Arab's face! Healways thought of Leila and what she must be suffering at his lecherous hands.Truly, if there ever was a maiden in distress, it was she.
"Where's Leila? I want to see her!" heshouted even though he knew the guards didn't understand him. He continued topace despite their presence, feeling like a wild, restless animal stalking itscage. "I said where's Leila, damn you! Are you idiots? Leila, theChristian slave of Al-Aziz! "
Guy could scarcely believe it when she suddenly walkedinto the cell, followed by the captain, who had a decidedly gloating expressionon his narrow face.
