Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree Read Online Free

followed them, but was immediately dispatched by his mother to the kitchen with instructions for the Dwarf to prepare the food, which should be served in exactly half an hour. As he set off, Hind whispered in his ear: ‘Juan smells even more than that old stick Miguel!’
    ‘So you see, Ama is not always wrong!’ cried the boy triumphantly as he skipped out of the room.
    In the kitchen, the Dwarf had prepared a feast. There were so many conflicting scents that even Yazid, who was a great friend of the cook, could not decipher what the stunted genius had prepared for the evening meal to celebrate the family’s safe return from Gharnata. The kitchen seemed crowded with servants and retainers, some of whom had returned with Umar from the big city. They were talking so excitedly that none of them saw Yazid enter except the Dwarf, who was roughly the same height. He rushed over to the boy.
    ‘Can you guess what I’ve cooked?’
    ‘No, but why are they all so excited?’
    ‘You mean you don’t know?’
    ‘What? Tell me immediately, Dwarf. I insist.’
    Yazid had unintentionally raised his voice and had been noticed, with the result that the kitchen became silent and only the sizzling of the meat-balls in the large pan could be heard. The Dwarf looked at the boy with a sad smile on his face.
    ‘Your brother, Zuhayr bin Umar ...’
    ‘He’s got a slight fever. Is it something else? Why did Hind not tell me? What is it, Dwarf? You must tell me.’
    ‘Young master. I don’t know all the circumstances, but your brother does not have a slight fever. He was stabbed in the city after a rude exchange with a Christian. He’s safe, it is only a flesh wound, but it will take some weeks for him to recover.’
    Forgetting his mission, Yazid ran out of the kitchen, through the courtyard and was about to enter his brother’s room when he was lifted off the ground by his father.
    ‘Zuhayr is fast asleep. You can talk to him as much as you like in the morning.’
    ‘Who stabbed him, Abu? Who? Who was it?’
    Yazid was dismayed. He was very close to Zuhayr and he felt guilty at having ignored his older brother and spent all this time with Hind and the women. His father attempted to soothe him.
    ‘It was a trivial incident. Almost an accident. Some fool insulted me as we were about to enter your uncle’s house ...’
    ‘How?’
    ‘Nothing of moment. Some abuse about forcing us soon to eat pig-meat. I ignored the creature, but Zuhayr, impulsive as always, slapped the man’s face, upon which he revealed the dagger he had been concealing under his cloak and stabbed your brother just under the shoulder ...’
    ‘And? Did you punish the rascal?’
    ‘No my son. We carried your brother inside the house and tended to him.’
    ‘Where were our servants?’
    ‘With us, but under strict instructions from me not to retaliate.’
    ‘But why, Father? Why? Perhaps Ama is right after all. Nothing will be left of us except fragrant memories.’
    ‘Wa Allah! Did she really say that?’
    Yazid nodded tearfully. Umar felt the wetness on his son’s face and held him close. ‘Yazid bin Umar. There is no longer any such thing for us as an easy decision. We are living in the most difficult period of our history. We have not had such serious problems since Tarik and Musa first occupied these lands. And you know how long ago that was, do you not?’
    Yazid nodded. ‘In our first century and their eighth.’
    ‘Exactly so, my child. Exactly so. It is getting late. Let us wash our hands and eat. Your mother is waiting.’
    Ama, who had heard the entire conversation in silence from the edge of the courtyard outside the kitchen, blessed father and son under her breath as they walked indoors. Then, swaying to and fro, she let loose a strange rattle from the back of her throat and spat out a malediction.
    ‘Ya Allah! Save us from these crazed dogs and eaters of pigs. Protect us from these enemies of truth, who are so blinded by sectarian beliefs