Empires of Faith

Chapter 28: Open Minds

7 Shawwal, 1663

The ship docked along the shore of the Spanish nation just hours after the dawn. The crew escorted all passengers off of the ship and descended themselves for a break between the next sailing trip. Imran, Usama, Muhammad, Ishaq, and Jannah all stepped onto the dock after retrieving their animals and luggage from below the deck. Muhammad stretched his arms out wide drawing in a deep breath as he looked around. The open city was much different than any he'd seen before.

Their roads were cobblestone and the buildings were built of wood and stone instead of the mud brick and leaf huts in the deserts. The citizens were dressed in simple clothing, with women in long dresses and their hair either left to simply hang or the top covered with small scarves. The men were in simple pants and shirts, rugged and worn from their work. The chit chatter on the streets was incomprehensible as it was all in a Spanish dialect.

"Well," Muhammad said, turning to his companions. "Where to?"

"I must seek out the Cross delegates and speak with them of my mission," Ishaq reminded. "As for you all, you would do wise to find shelter. Perhaps seek out an inn or someone willing to let you stay with them."

"We'll be fine camping out," Imran replied. "I would rather be safe. We are not only foreigners here, we're also enemies."

"Not enemies," Usama disagreed. "There's an alliance, remember?"

"Yeah, between these nations, not between all Muslims and Christians."

"Can we just find somewhere to stay and stop arguing," Jannah blurted angrily. The four men looked back at her quizzically. "Sorry," she said in a small voice. "It's the boat ride. I always get a little uppity on boats because I get sea sick and also I can't swim so I'm nervous and antsy."

"In any case," Muhammad cut back in. "Ishaq is right, we need to find shelter. But we also need to establish our unity with this alliance thing. I think one of us should go with Ishaq to meet with these Cross people. We need more information on this."

"We still need to do something about the girl," Imran replied.

"That's true. We'll find any such post to allow us to send a letter to her family back home later."

"Why not now," Jannah suggested. "Ishaq can take me since he's been here before. I'll just go with him."

"That actually works," Muhammad agreed. "He and I will go to this meeting with the Cross, and then after you can send your letter to your family back home. In the meantime Usama and Imran can work on finding shelter."

"Okay, sound good," Imran said nodding in agreement. "But where will we all meet up?"

"There is a river down by the valley on the edge of town," Ishaq spoke. "I had spent some time there on my last stay. Perhaps you can set up camp there. If you have trouble finding it, ask for directions to the old Manzanares River."

"Okay, thanks," Usama said. "So I guess we will head there now then. Muhammad, would you like me to take your things with us?"

"Yes please," Muhammad said, taking his luggage to hand to Usama. "Are you sure your horse can carry the extra weight though?"

"Oh right, I forgot. I don't want to overburden her."

"Hm. Why don't you trade her out for the camel?"

"Huh?"

"Take the camel, load our things on her. Lend us your horse, and also Imran may we use yours as well? That way, we can travel easier through the town and you will not have the difficulty of getting as many animals down into the valley if the path is difficult."