Sanglante de la neige: 3

Sanglante de la neige: 3 : As the boat approached the bay the two men smiled raucously. It was almost sun down and their parcel had been locked away for far too long. Three Janissaries approached the boat as it docked. After the traditional assalam wa alaikum the men asked for the ships papers. The Maltese captain exclaimed in a strange French-Arabic patois that they had come from Tunis bringing provisions. The men walked up to Amin and Bashir. The captain spoke "And what brings you to the regency?". Bashir smiled "We are here to visit our uncle, a relative has died and we must burry him soon before the body decays". The man beside the captain interjected, "maybe we should search the coffin, these men might have smuggled weapons." The captain smiled, "No, I do not think that will be necessary, Achmed Pasha would have our heads if we harassed his favorite nephews." The two soldiers began to laugh nervously. Then the captain smiled, "you two will carry the coffin for these boys, and we will get them a cart so they can make for Constantine with haste." As the road to the city winded towards the gate a honor guard surrounded Bashir and Amin. After greeting the boys the old man instructed some men to carry the coffin for the boys to their old uncle's palace. When the boys entered Achmed was still sleeping. He took to sleeping away most of the days, but usually had a look alike posted to greet the less knowledgeable traveler. The men were shocked when Amin demanded the coffin be given a room. Bashir quickly covered the boys tracts explaining "the corpse must be washed and prepared. Doesn't it?" Around four the Pasha woke up. He sent for the boys and held a secret council in his room. Achmed smiled, "I was worried when I heard that the French Sultan had invaded Egypt. So many people were killed or otherwise disrupted by the wars. Now some half-mad Albanian sits on the seat of government. The mamelukes couldn't even stop him. But I sense you have no need for lectures in current affairs, or politics. What brings the sons of my favorite sister to my home?" Amin began to speak, always rashly he never found the quite right words, "It was a half-mad mameluke that wanted mine and Bashir's heads!" Bashir realizing the need for discretion interjected, "Well you see, oh great uncle, we were in quite some trouble, and a French officer saved us. He was very young, barely twenty, but had been appointed by his brother to a decent position, his brother was a great general of the French Sultan." Achmed guessing as much already smiled, "my spies are many, but fewer these days, it took all I could just to know that, and of course of your poor mother's death. Terrible business wars are." Amin continued, "this French officer took us in and treated us like brothers. We fought the mad Cossacks in the east. Terrible men loving nother but killing. They burn churches and raise villages just for sport." Achmed mouthed the word Kufr or dog in the local tongue, Bashir interjected, "We were gathering intelligence in the Russian kingdom when our party was attacked by a strange cultist." Amin held up a symbol from the old pagan temple. Achmed smiled then snapped his fingers, some men were called for the coffin. They brought it in and then were dismissed. Achmed smiled with glee, "And this is your Frenchman I suppose?" The boys opened the casket to reveal Camille in his blue jacket chained in the coffin. The old Pasha laughed, in my house there is no need to restrain him. Achmed called another servant who brought in a young slave girl. In an almost effortless gesture the venerable old man cut her throat deliberately allowing the blood to fall on Camille. Whose black eyes opened as he felt the bloodlust take over his body. "Drink" the pasha said as he handed the girl to Camille. The command, seemed so matter of fact that Camille obeyed without second thought. Achmed smiled, "Rule number one my dear boy, feeding stops the blood lust and keeps you in control, it is the devil's curse, you must feed to rettain your humanity, but you must be inhuman to feed!" At this the old man burst with laughter. "And your cloths! Do you want to look like a corpse?" The Pasha snapped his fingers and some men took Camille away to wash and dress him. Bashir stared coldly at the corpse on the floor and then at his uncle. Amin then spoke, "So it is as we though uncle?" Achmed smiled "Our guest has returned, now Camille, and boys go and have some wine and coffee, we will have a sumptuous feast in a few hours. Camille and the boys began to walk out of the room. Achmed called back, "You feel better now don't you? Rule number two, you are a house guest so behave as one!" The command ran through Camille's mind and he felt like he was under the old man's control.