Chapter 500 - 355: Ali’s Followers

When the ceremony began, Master Musa untied the Sword Belt from his waist and fastened it over Shansi’s tattered clothes.

Then, he draped a fine, fur-trimmed green Cloak over the new King and placed a bronze circlet upon his golden hair.

The Sufi Practitioners chanted during the proceedings, following as Master Musa led Shansi on a lap around the Mosque for all to see him.

The Master raised Shansi’s right hand high, and many probably found it strange that the new King’s wrist was still bound by a slave’s chain.

The people knelt before him.

Shansi recognized many of the Turkic People who had been his father’s followers, and he greeted them cheerfully.

He played the part of the King well, being a smart and amiable person, but Eric could see a hint of mischief in his expression.

’Did he really believe he was the King right now?’

Eric figured he saw all this as an adventure, but without a doubt, it was a far better adventure than cleaning dung buckets in Tripoli.

Master Musa delivered a short sermon, using both Arabic and Turkic.

The Master’s Turkic was not very good, but it was sufficient to inform Shansi’s countrymen that Allah and the holy Mahdi had chosen the new King, that he was here now, and that glory would inevitably follow.

Then the Master led Shansi toward the burning Torches in the center of the Mosque. The Sufi Practitioners standing around the smoking flames hurried to step aside, making way for the new King.

Eric saw that they had been gathered around three chests, which were illuminated by the glow of the flames.

"Now, the oath of fealty will be sworn!" Master Musa announced to the Mosque.

The Shiite Believers in the Mosque knelt once more, with some of the Turkic People awkwardly following suit.

It should have been a solemn moment, but Shansi broke the mood by turning to look for Eric.

"Eric!" he called out. "Could you come over here?"

He then walked right to Eric’s side and whispered, "Please."

Master Musa was stunned and looked rather displeased, but Shansi wanted Eric by his side because those three chests made him nervous.

They were gilded, with heavy Metal clasps on their lids, and surrounded by the glow of the flames. All of it made him think some kind of Shiite Witchcraft was about to occur, and he wanted Eric there to share the risk.

Eric had no intention of participating in a Shiite ceremony; it would send the wrong message. The constipated look on Master Musa’s face, however, was a source of great pleasure.

He followed Shansi to the center of the crowd.

Master Musa glared at Eric. "He calls you Eric?" he asked suspiciously.

"Lord Eric commands my family’s army," Shansi announced loudly. "If I am to swear an oath of fealty, I wish for him to be by my side."

Eric remained expressionless.

"Eric?" Master Musa said flatly.

"He is your companion?" Master Musa demanded of Shansi.

"He saved my life," Shansi said. "He is my friend."

"I have no problem with it, of course," Eric said with a smile. "It’s just that your gods and Saints probably wouldn’t want to see a Christian swearing an oath to him."

"A Christian!? How dare you!" Master Musa snarled.

"You might want to shout a little louder, so everyone can realize the mistake you just made," Eric sneered.

"How audacious. You won’t be walking out of this Mosque today." Master Musa glared. He was about to turn and call for his men when he suddenly felt something against his throat, followed by the ice-cold touch of Metal.

Eric had an arm around Master Musa’s neck, a short dagger blade extended from his sleeve, its edge pressed against the Master’s throat.

Eric’s body half-concealed Master Musa, and in the dim light of the Mosque, those around them couldn’t possibly notice that the Master was now in his grasp.

"Hey, relax, Master Musa. There’s no need for us to be enemies. I have no intention of bullying an old man, nor do I have any interest in your little tricks.

"But if you insist on making trouble for me, then let me just remind you: I make my living from war. I guarantee that if you try to make a move on me, I can easily kill at least twenty of you soft-shelled weaklings who have never been baptized by battle.

"You can guess whether or not you’ll be among those twenty. And you’re not foolish enough to think I’d walk into a town full of Heretics all by myself, are you?

"The choice is yours." Eric patted Master Musa’s old face with his dagger before smiling and letting him go.

He quickly returned to Shansi’s side.

"What was that about?" Shansi asked, confused by the sudden "intimacy" between the two men.

"Nothing. The Master was just saying he likes Christians. He used to have several Christian friends," Eric said, patting Shansi’s shoulder with a smile.

"That’s wonderful news. I was just thinking about how to bring this up with him. ’Christians aren’t bad’? Or ’Christians are good people’? The first part is the most important, isn’t it? What a tough problem. I’m glad it’s solved now.

"Eric, this whole formal ceremony has me a bit tongue-tied," Shansi said, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"The swearing of the oath will now begin!"

Master Musa’s face was grim. Without another word, he announced loudly, trying to restore the solemnity of the ceremony. The whispering in the Mosque gradually ceased. He glared at the congregation until everyone was quiet, then he opened one of the two smaller chests.

Inside lay a book, its cover inlaid with precious gems.