Emissary (Book 1)

Jerusalem

Jerusalem! Every one wants a piece of Jerusalem. They say "all roads lead to Jerusalem" and I wished I had been heading the other way.

What is so special about Jerusalem!? For some it is nothing. For others it is the center of the world, the ultimate pilgrimage, the road to heaven, the kingdom of God on Earth. Yet no one was willing to die for it or claim it as his own. All that was about to change, and I was going to be the one responsible for that terrible tragedy. One thing for sure, it is and will always be one of the most holiest cities in the world. But still, strategically it is of no importance. Located right on top of a plateau between the White and the Dead Seas, away from any significant landmark or body of water or any major cross roads. It could never be as important as Cairo, Constantinople, Baghdad or even Rome. Non the less every Muslim, Christian, and Jew in the world wanted a part of it and there lies our predicament. It is going to be the reason the world ends one day, and I was the one who was going to start it all. Only I did not know it at the time.

The journey from Acre to Jerusalem took a few days. We left our horses a few miles north of the city, concealed our weapons in our ragged old clothes in order not to attract attention, and walked the rest of the way. We reached a city surrounded from all sides by a huge Seljuk army. They were more then ten thousand strong and they were preparing for a long and bloody siege. However the Fatimid flag was still flapping on the city's high stone towers. We were not too late. It still had not fallen. But how do we get inside?

"Simple," Zuran, one of the young men I brought with me from Cairo, said. "We bribe our way in," he explained. As one of the best swindlers I had known, if any one could do it Zuran could. So I left him to his task. As a Turk himself, Zuran managed to get close to a few Seljuk soldiers in less than a day. Of course a bag full of silver was of great help. By night fall we were escorted to one of the smaller of the city's twelve gates. We were greeted by another Turkish officer from the other side, our Fatimid side. It turned out that the officers from both armies were conducting illicit trade to smuggle food inside the city as well as smuggle anyone wanting to get out. A very lucrative business I might add.

"By God's grace, I managed to help a few hundred people who wanted to leave the city, but this is the first time I see anyone who wants to go inside," the Fatimid officer was rightly curious. He wasn't sure why six young men would want to go into a city that was about to get burnt. It didn't make sense. He was about to blow the whistle on us and I almost brought out my dagger to slash his throat before Zuran intervened.

"Because of the war our lands were laid to waste," Zuran explained, "we heard that we could get some money robbing the dead in the aftermath of such a siege. What do you think? Should we go back? That's the last of our money. We're betting everything we have on this. Do you think it is a good idea?" Of course the officer thought it was an excellent idea. The sound of those silver coins confirmed it.

One thing for sure, this was also going to be our way out so we needed those treasonous officers when we finally decide to leave. Then we slash their throats. So I re-sheathed my dagger for the time being. Everything was going according to plan. What could go wrong?

"Something is definitely wrong," Peter said as we walked the streets of Jerusalem. Six young men who looked like beggars blended perfectly with the city's surroundings. Most of the shops were closed. What few inhabitants we saw were sitting on the sides of the roads, dressed almost as poorly as we were. Whoever had the means or money to get out of the city had already done so. Those left inside were the poor and the elderly, as well as a few thieves waiting for the killing to start.

"The governor is either so very brave or so stupid if he thinks he can defend his city with those or what is left of that terrible garrisons of his," Peter summed it all up and he was right. The city was doomed.