William the Conquerer and the Sands of Persia: Chapter 11 - A Voyage Through the Skies

William felt the wind in his hair as they bounced through the air. They flew over the searing sands of Persia. William felt free. It felt good to feel the wind whipping through his hair. He had to hold on tight to the border of the flying carpet as they bounced along. Sinbad, Scherezade, and Ali-Baba laughed in delight, while Hajji looked a bit ill.

“Huzzah!” was William’s shout of joy. A falcon started racing them and they diverted their path through a canyon to make the race more exciting. Up and down, left and right they darted, narrowly missing stone outcroppings as the falcon matched their every move. 

As the ground beneath them raced by, they felt joy and freedom.  

Off in the distance to the west, they saw a group of tents. Ali-Baba, who was steering the carpet, pulled on its hem to direct them closer to the tents. When they were a couple of hundred yards away, the banners of Al-Horrid came into view. Ali-Baba veered away immediately, not wanting to be discovered.

“This is strange,” said Ali-Baba, “It looks like Al-Horrid is amassing an army. For what nefarious purpose I cannot imagine. But we’d better not get too close, else his archers will make a pincushion of us. Onward to Hamedan!”

They made good time, although the mood was a bit gloomy on account of them not knowing Al-Horrid’s plan. They arrived at Hamedan just as night was falling. William admired the beauty of the Persian night. It cast a sort of softness on the buildings and magnified their beauty. The effect upon the buildings was to give them great elegance but also nobility.

If William thought night on the desert was beautiful, night in the city was magnificent. 

Ali-Baba guided the flying carpet to a relatively soft landing on dunes outside of Hamedan. 

“Let us hurry,” he said, “and get inside before they close the gates for the night.” 

They walked toward the great city gate, and William noticed how the moon shone on the buildings, giving them a sense of grandeur.  

“We must find the architect who designed Al-Horrid’s palace. He lives in this city. I don’t know exactly where, but I’ve heard he’s fallen on hard times. We’ll seek him out in the rough part of town. Stick close together, and everyone’s hands on their blades. Now, follow me!”