THE BONE RELIC (The Andalusian Trilogy Book 2) by William Mesusan

Author:William Mesusan [Mesusan, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: William Mesusan
Published: 2022-02-12T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

They entered Seville through yet another gate built into one more city wall.

After boarding the horses they headed for the center of the city carrying their saddlebags over their shoulders. The sweltering summer sun burned down on them, and they were sweating by the time they reached the city's main plaza with its impressive mosque, built over the foundations of a Visigoth Christian Basilica. They found an even more impressive quadrangular shaped Alcázar, located at the far end of the plaza.

The Alcázar served as an armed fortress complete with a Governor's palace set amidst fragrant flower gardens and orchards of fruit trees. Fountains, ponds, pools, and irrigation channels, all fed by the waters of an aqueduct running parallel to the city walls.

It was built in 913 by order of Rahman III, sixteen years before he declared himself Caliph, soon after the city had nearly capitulated to the rebel ibn Hafsun. The fortified castle became known as Al-Qasr al Muriq, The Verdant Palace.

Solomon chose to resist the luxurious accommodations the Governor surely would've offered them. He wasn't sure how widespread the network of Arab elitists might extend and Seville had a long history of resistance to Umayyad rule. He didn't want to risk the success of his mission for a night or two spent in relative comfort.

So they rested in the shade of an orange tree, one of dozens in the deserted courtyard of the mosque, knowing they wouldn't be allowed inside the Muslim house of worship since neither man was a convert to Islam. However, Jalal was considering adding his name to those fueling an ongoing, steep increase in the curve of conversion.

"Tomorrow this courtyard will be packed, because Friday is the Muslim day of worship."

"Good timing," agreed Solomon. Having grown up in Córdoba he had long known the calendar of the three main religions of Andalusia and also their days of worship: Friday for the Muslims, Saturday for the Jews, and Sunday for the Christians. He might have shared this bit of knowledge with Jalal, but he didn't want to seem like he was taking on airs.

"My woman has been telling me about the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad."

"You always refer to her as 'my woman.'" Solomon pointed out. "Does she possess a name?"

He might have asked does your woman possess a name, but that wording might have been mistaken for disrespect. Anyway, the investigator felt certain that Jalal had not meant "my" as possessive, but rather in a familiar sense like in an intimate relationship.

"Her name is Bahja," cooed Jalal. He sounded pleased with his answer and Solomon sensed there was something more he wanted to share. The soldier smiled to himself with a far-away look in his eyes, picturing his woman in his mind's eye. "It means beauty."

"She must be lovely."

"She's beautiful," sighed the soldier, not realizing the obviousness of his choice of words.

The holy relic, thought Solomon. All this chatter is interesting, but there is more important business to attend to. He left Jalal to

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