Free Eagle by Jack Hight

had entered behind them, and at the first sound of his drum the girls began to dance, circling slowly to the beat. Their arms and feet traced intricate patterns while their waists and hips swayed slowly side to side. One of the girls paused for a moment before Yusuf, fixing him with dark eyes ringed with kohl. Yusuf blushed and looked away towards his father.
    Ayub had begun to eat, scooping up stew with a piece of flatbread. Yusuf followed his example, tearing off a piece of the warm bread and using it to scoop up a delicious mouthful of chickpeas, onions and roast lamb. He noticed that Turan had not touched his food. His eyes were fixed on the dancers. Yusuf looked back to the girls, who were each bending forward now, allowing the men to see the curves of their breasts. He shrugged and scooped up more of the lamb. He could not understand his brother’s fascination.
    The drum began to beat faster, and the dancers moved in time, spinning and leaping. Suddenly they stopped circling and fell to their knees. They shook their chests, then leaned backwards so that the back of their heads touched the floor. Turan was transfixed, his mouth hanging open. Yusuf looked over and saw that his father, too, had stopped eating to watch. The dancers lifted their hips off the floor slowly, then faster and faster, moving to the ever more rapid beat. They rolled over, pushed themselves to their feet and began circling again. Theywere now a blur of seductive curves and firm limbs. Then, with a final crescendo, the drum fell silent and the dancers fell to the floor, kneeling motionless with their foreheads touching the ground. Only their heaving sides betrayed the recent exertions.
    Emir Unur rose from his dais and stepped down amongst the dancers. He walked slowly around the edge of the circle, then touched the shoulder of the dancer opposite the dais. She rose and left the room, head held high.
    ‘Lucky bastard,’ Turan murmured, just loudly enough for Yusuf to hear him.
    Unur returned to his seat and clapped his hands. The other women left, followed by the drummer. The doors slammed shut behind them. ‘Lovely, are they not?’ Unur said with a wink towards Yusuf and Turan. ‘Even in trying times like these, we should not ignore life’s simple pleasures. Who knows when they will be taken from us?’ He turned towards Ayub. ‘I trust you saw the Franks arrive?’
    ‘I did. My sons and I stood on the walls for much of the day.’
    ‘And how do you rate our chances, wise Ayub?’
    ‘The Franks are many, and now that they have taken the orchards, the city will run short of food. Forgive my impertinence, Emir, but I do not believe you will be able to hold the walls for long. You need Nur ad-Din’s help.’
    Unur frowned. ‘I fear that if I call on your lord to drive off the Franks, then I will only replace one master with another.’
    ‘Perhaps, but a Muslim master, one who will leave you your throne and not pillage your city. All you have to do is acknowledge his lordship and promise to send troops when he calls for them. Is that so much?’
    ‘
Hmph
,’ Unur grunted. He looked around the circle at his generals. ‘Are you in agreement with Ayub?’ One by one, the generals nodded. Unur sighed. ‘So be it. Write to your master, Ayub, and tell him to send his army. But warn him that he must hurry if he wishes to win me as his vassal, for I plan to do betterthan merely hold the city until he arrives.’ He turned to face Turan. ‘Tell me, young Turan. What would you do in order to drive the Franks away from our city?’
    ‘I would strike now, before they dig in,’ Turan replied. ‘I would send men out from the eastern gate to circle behind the Franks.’ Turan used his right hand to show the movement of the soldiers. ‘And then I would attack from both sides.’ He clapped his hands together. ‘The Franks will be crushed!’
    ‘A bold manoeuvre,’ Unur mused. Turan grinned. ‘Although one which would leave us with too few