'That is indeed unfortunate,' he replied without apparent concern. 'Many things happen in war-all of them are unfortunate for someone, you must agree. The amir has set the price of your freedom at ten thousand dinars. That is a large sum of money.' I agreed that it was. 'Do you have any hope of ransom?'

'Assuredly, Most Exalted Khalifa,' I declared with confidence, ignoring Sahak's smirk. 'Even now my friends are hastening to Damascus to purchase my freedom.' As he seemed interested in this, I went on to explain about how we had been staying in Anazarbus when the battle began, and how I had come to be captured.

He listened to all I had to say, and then replied, 'Your fellow hostages denounce you as a traitor and a spy.'

He watched me intently to see how I would respond to this accusation. 'I am aware of their feelings,' I answered reasonably, without hesitation or emotion. 'They are right to feel themselves aggrieved for what has happened to them, but I am not to blame.'

'I see. Yet, this unfortunate indictment persists.'

'As you have said, Wise Khalifa, many unfortunate things happen in war.'

Caliph al-Mutarshid smiled at this. He laced his fingers and looked at me over his fingertips. 'Tell me then, who would you hold to blame? Amir Ghazi? Prince Thoros?'

'No, My Lord Khalifa. These men merely acted according to the circumstances forced upon them. If the prisoners seek to apportion blame, I would look to the Count of Antioch, who led them into such a disastrous trap without provocation, and without sufficient forethought.'

'The count is dead, is he not? I believe I have received his head in a box as a memento of the conflict in which he fell. Therefore, he can no longer be held accountable.'

'That is true.'

'Neither can he affirm or deny the charges made against you.'

'Perhaps not,' I allowed, 'yet, forgive my presumption, Lord Khalifa, but if I am accused of being a traitor by my fellow Christians, then it follows that I have been in service to the Seljuq cause. If you believe this, why am I still a prisoner?'

The caliph's mouth tightened; his eyes narrowed slightly. 'You are not, I think, the innocent you claim to be,' he remarked abruptly. Lifting his hand, he summoned the guards to take me away, saying, 'I will ponder this matter, and we will speak of it further.'

He signalled to the guards and I was returned to my cell. Unable to resist rubbing salt in the wounds he imagined me to be feeling, Sahak came to see me later that day. 'Not wise,' he said, wagging his finger in my face, 'to anger the khalifa. He believes himself a logician and philosopher of great skill and proficiency. It does you no good to better him on the field he has marked as his own.'

'I did not mean to challenge him,' I replied. 'I merely hoped that, as a man of wisdom, he might see the sense of what I said, and take that into account when assessing my position.'

Sahak laughed, and went away shaking his head. That is how I learned of my error, and determined not to make the same mistake again. Alas, the damage was done. The next day the guards came for me and I was once again brought before al-Mutarshid. This time he was delivering his shrewd and perceptive judgements before the assembled counsellors, advisors, and liegemen of his retinue; he wanted his minions to marvel at his renowned sagacity and was in no mood to be amused.

'I have considered all that you have told me,' he announced as I took my place before him, 'and I have concluded that you are a spy of the most dangerous variety: he who is without loyalty, and subject to no lord but himself. Therefore, I have decided that you will remain a prisoner.'

'It was a mistake,' I asserted. 'I should never have been brought here.'

'Yet, here you are,' the caliph said. 'Qismah! All is as Allah wills it so to be. There is no such thing as a mistake. If you are a captive, it is because that is what Allah intended. Who is wise enough to instruct God?' He gazed around, gathering the admiring glances of his retinue, then said, 'You will remain a prisoner.'

This pronouncement delighted Sahak, my faithless interpreter; it was all he could do to suppress his glee. But the next declaration jolted even Sahak. Regarding me coldly, the caliph said, 'What is more, if no one conies forwards to arrange your ransom in three days' time, you will be executed. In the name of Allah, this is my decree.'

I was in no way prepared for this decision. My thoughts instantly scattered far and wide. I thought of you, Gait, and all I had left back home, of Padraig arriving too late and finding my lifeless body hanging from the city walls, of Sydoni weeping over my grave… so many strange thoughts raced through my head that it took me a moment to recollect myself.

'My Lord Khalifa,' I said, trying to remain calm in the face of such an illogical and unjust pronouncement. 'I do not know why my friends have not come for me. I can assure you the ransom will be paid; however, three days is not enough time. It is a long way from Anazarbus to Damascus.'

'They could have come for you any time since your capture, but they have not,' the caliph pointed out. 'I suspect they are not coming, that these friends of yours are merely a ruse to prolong your duplicitous existence, and that it is pointless keeping you alive. Three days,' he declared, 'no more.'

The assembled onlookers murmured their approval at the caliph's display of judicial firmness. Steadying my voice to present a brave face, I replied, 'Then, as a nobleman, I beg the Wise Khalifa's indulgence to honour a last request.'

The idea sparked al-Mutarshid's interest. I think he had not expected me to think of that. 'Within reason, of course,' he said. 'What is your last request?'

'I would like to leave a message for my family at home in Scotland, so that they will know what happened to me.'

It was a simple thing, but possessed of a certain nobility, and I could see al-Mutarshid found the idea appealing. 'Very well,' he agreed, 'you shall write your message.' He looked at me with thoughtful curiosity. 'How, in the name of the Prophet, peace be unto him, do you expect this letter of yours to reach your family?'

'Exalted Lord,' I replied, 'it is not beyond your power to command such a thing to be done. Many pilgrims return to the West after their pilgrimage is completed. No doubt one of them would consent to take the message.'

'It will be done,' the caliph said, and the audience was concluded.

Amazed that he should have agreed so easily, I thanked him for his compassion and generosity, and was taken back to my cell. Knowing the Arab mind a little better now, I see I had obligated him with my request and he could not possibly refuse-without appearing a weak and arbitrary ruler in front of his advisors and liegemen. As he had so carefully cultivated himself as a fount of wisdom and learning among his people, he could not allow himself to appear less noble than the insignificant wretch he had just condemned.

Thus, I won the boon I asked. Had I known it would be that easy, Gait, I might have asked for something of greater consequence. Still, I was content.

The guards marched me back to my cell, where I spent the rest of the day and night praying that I might live long enough to fulfil my pilgrimage vow and recover the Black Rood. The next morning, Sahak appeared with a small square of parchment, a pot of ink, and a supply of quills-a gift of the caliph, he said, for my letter.

I was happy to have these things, and I told Sahak to thank the caliph for supplying them. 'He will kill you as he said,' the katib told me unhappily. 'It was no idle threat.'

I told him that no, I did not imagine that the great caliph was in the habit of making idle threats to impress the prisoners with his power. 'I shall be sorry to see you die,' Sahak said.