"Shiek" - читать интересную книгу автора (Connie Mason)

Morocco, 1673

Sheik Jamal abd Thabit strode down the gangplank of his pirate ship, Plunderer, and surveyed the amphitheater of hills rising above the great port city of Tangier. He was pleased to be home again after a year-long voyage to visit his mother in England. Jamal was not pleased, however, upon stepping ashore, to find himself quickly surrounded by a substantial number of Sultan Moulay Ishmail's soldiers.

"What is the meaning of this?" Jamal challenged with quiet authority. Those who knew Jamal best had learned to tread cautiously whenever the sheik used that coldly menacing, hushed tone of voice. "Am I under arrest?"

A large man whose skin glistened like polished ebony stepped forward. "You are not under arrest, Sheik Jamal. Our great sultan, Moulay Ishmail, requests your presence immediately."

Jamal's dark gaze settled disconcertingly on the sultan's captain, whom he knew well. Ishmail's army consisted of over fifty thousand captured African slaves. His soldiers were renowned for their fierce loyalty to the sultan, their strength, and their fighting skills.

"I have just this minute stepped ashore after a long voyage, Captain Hasdai. I must first see to the unloading of my ship. Can this not wait?"

"You bring plunder?" Hasdai asked.

"Enough to satisfy even the sultan. I encountered three Spanish galleons, two off the shores of Portugal and one in the Strait of Gibraltar. All riding low in the water and rich with treasure. The sultan will receive his fair share."

"My instructions are to bring you to the royal city of Meknes immediately. Much has occurred during your absence and the sultan has need of your services."

Jamal thought of his luxurious white marble palace located just west of Meknes in a lush oasis he called Paradise. He hadn't seen his home in over a year. He closed his eyes and visualized the walled palace, the verdant gardens, the spring-fed lake whose clear blue water sparkled like a million diamonds. He pictured his concubines eagerly awaiting his return and was suddenly very angry at the sultan for demanding his presence.

"Tell the sultan I will come as soon as I can."

"You will come now." Hasdai was implacable; he'd had his orders and to fail meant death. Sultan Ishmail was a man one did not cross. Mean-spirited and moody, Ishmail expected instant obedience from his slaves.

Jamal knew when to give in graciously. "Allow me time to change into my robes and issue orders for the transportation of my goods to paradise." Without waiting for a reply, he spun on his heel and returned to his ship.

Haroun, Jamais lieutenant and the most trusted of all his men, met him on the quarterdeck. "What's amiss, Jamal?"

Jamais dark brows knotted together in a frown. "My presence is requested in Meknes immediately. You know how the plunder is to be divided. See that the sultan's share is sent by caravan to Meknes immediately and that my share is delivered to paradise and stored in my vault. Divide the rest among the crew. Await my return at Paradise. I will notify you if I have need of my men-at-arms."

"It will be done as you say, my lord."

Twenty minutes later, Jamal strode down the gangplank to rejoin Captain Hasdai and his men. He had shed his European garb, consisting of tight trousers, linen shirt and waistcoat, in favor of a flowing white robe referred to as a djellaba, loose pantaloons and a shirt that laced at the neck. His thick, slightly curly dark hair was covered by a white turban.

"The sultan wishes to present you with a horse," Hasdai said as one of his men appeared, leading a pure black Arabian stallion. "He is called Kacem, the swift one. He is spirited but the sultan trusts you will be able to handle him."

Jamal eyed the prancing horse with relish. It was indeed a generous gift. Whatever the sultan wished of him must be important for Moulay Ishmail to part with such a fine animal. The tooled leather saddle was magnificent, as were the harness and reins studded with a dazzling assortment of precious gems.

Kacem snorted and pranced as Jamal mounted, flinging his head from side to side, but Jamal was equal to the task, and he quickly brought the horse under control. Hasdai eyed the horse warily, backing his own sturdy animal a good distance from the Arabian, whose wild-eyed snorting and stomping frightened his mild-mannered gelding.

Moments later, Jamal dug his heels into Kacem's flanks, leaving Hasdai and his men in his dust. His laughter reverberated behind him, earning smiles from his men. Most had been with Jamal long enough to respect his wild nature, his utter disregard for danger, his arrogance and his occasional ruthlessness. They also knew him to be fiercely loyal and unfailingly honest, and forgave him some of his harsher qualities.