Chapter 21: New emperor
He took his dad's hand, and the two of them leaped into the air. Halfway down, they heard Nasash's sharp whistle, which boosted Dan's morale.
Diving into the lake to its bottom, they struggled to ascend to the surface. There, they found Nasash, who handed them a rope and shouted to Sheikh Arqan:
The strong sheikh dragged them to the lake's bank. Dan stood, leaped from the cliff, and embraced Nasash, who couldn't help but reciprocate, sending out a loud laugh!
While they were thus, they heard a rustling in the dark space. Nasash pushed them under a dense canopy of branches. At the same moment, torches, swords, rocks, and arrows rained down from the cliff, embedding themselves in the very spot where they had rejoiced at their escape!
The four of them retreated to strip off their clothes and wring them out in the warmth of the forest. Nasash swam to the other bank of the lake, tied to the rope left with Dan. Despite the darkness, his search was not prolonged; he stumbled upon the three bags, tied them together one after the other, and the others dragged them to the opposite bank.
The four moved on to a nearby farm belonging to Sheikh Father Reda, where the farmers welcomed them warmly, fed them, and dried their clothes.
The following day, they moved to the house of Sheikh Father Reda in the city, and he rejoiced greatly upon seeing them. When they showed him the stones, he confirmed that they were indeed raw diamonds. When he saw the large quantity they had brought, he almost fainted!
A deep friendship blossomed between him and Sheikh Arqan. Father Reda lamented to him about the suffering of his people in the high villages due to ignorance, poverty, and barbaric customs. Sheikh Father Reda said to him, pointing to the stones:
"With this treasure, we can ascend to them, bring them down to the plains, build a great city for them, and rescue them from the darkness of ignorance and paganism."
And so it was...
It wasn't long before Father Reda had sold most of the precious stones and bought vast green lands on the riverbank with their proceeds. He planned to build a model city on both sides of the river and to construct bridges connecting the two sides in preparation for bringing down the rest of Dan's people, their relatives, neighbors, and all those willing to descend to the plains.
But how would they reach them and convince them when the priest controlled their minds?
They overheard Nour suggesting: "We kidnap the priest and bring him here! He is the reins of those tribes, and cattle are led by his orders!"
The group laughed, but Nasash took the suggestion seriously.
After a whole night of discussion, everyone agreed with Natas' plan. Within a few weeks, they formed a group of mountain dwellers, a skilled unit trained in all forms of ancient and modern combat.
They bought mountain horses and loaded them with delicious food, clothes, and ornaments, and sent scouts to spy on the priest and report his whereabouts.
It was winter, and the mountain peak was covered in snow, clouds, and thick fog. The scouts led the team to the cave where the priest slept.
They attacked him at night, gagged and bound him, and immediately sent him to the city on the plains with three fierce fighters.
By morning, delicious food was boiling in the square of Dan's village. The hungry residents came out to welcome Dan, Nasash, and the team members. They gathered around the pots, warming themselves and eating until they were full.
They sent word to the people of other villages, and they too ate, and warm fur clothes and lined leather shoes were distributed among them. The women received colorful clothes, mirrors, and shiny jewelry, which they eagerly put on, laughing and singing.
The drum beat, and the flute played, and everyone rose to dance, spreading joy and happiness.
The team members spread rumors among the men that the priest had come to the city, and it was he who sent them gifts and asked them to come down to the city.
Dan and Nasash left the elders of the team to tell the mountain people about the city, its beauty, richness, and abundance of food and drink. They secretly climbed to the top of the mountain, where they dug into the ice and extracted two large jars full of precious stones.
The village children gathered around the candles they brought, marveling at their dancing flames melting the molten wax without extinguishing! At the same time, they listened to the elders' tales about the amazing city, filling their minds with dreams!
The next morning, the team descended, followed by a large number of young people. This was the first migration from the high mountains to the plains, followed by other migrations to the new model city.
In it, children entered schools, and adults learned trades from teachers brought by Father Reda from the city. His wife also brought a number of refined society ladies to teach the mountain women cleanliness, cooking, sewing, Arabic language, religious principles, civilization, and etiquette, and everything a civilized woman should learn.
Father did the same with the men...
As for the priest, Father Reda housed him in a nice house, and he continued to visit him and talk to him, and some of his friends about Islam, telling them about the Prophet's biography while he remained silent with a stern face, unresponsive.
On one of the holidays, they took him to watch the Eid prayer, and they were surprised to see him announce his Islam in front of his former followers and declare the two testimonies, joining them in prayer. It was a pleasant surprise that warmed their hearts and doubled the joy of the holiday...
...
And within a few years, all the inhabitants of the high villages descended, leaving their homes and caves as mere ruins they ascended to in the summer, to quench their natural longing for the pastures of their youth and to thank God for the blessing of Islam and the permanent bliss in which they flourished...
END