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A minute later and, but little hurt, Godwin and Wulf were leaning on their swords, and the fedai, some of them dead or wounded and some of them captive, lay before them on the marble floor. Moreover, the door had been opened, and through it came the Sultan in his nightgear. "What has chanced?" he asked, looking at them doubtfully.
Here sat and stood more people, fierce-eyed, turbaned men, who wore great knives in their girdles. These, as they learned afterwards, were called the fedai, the sworn assassins, who lived but to do the command of their lord the great Assassin. At the end of this chancel were more curtains, beyond which was a guarded door.
The fedai bowed his head in salute, stood for a moment as though lost in thought, then, turning suddenly, walked with a steady step to the edge of the abyss and leapt. For an instant the sunlight shone on his white and fluttering robe, then from the depths of that darksome place floated up the sound of a heavy fall, and all was still.
Then he went on speaking in a low voice, so rapidly that the brethren could scarcely hear and much less understand him. Sinan listened, then said: "Let the fedai enter and make his own report, bringing with him his prisoners." Now one of the dais, he who sat nearest the canopy, rose and pointing towards the brethren, said. "Touching these Franks, what is your will?"
Then throwing her cloak about her shoulders, she turned and went. "Is that true, think you?" asked Wulf of Godwin. "We have never found Masouda to be a liar," was his answer. "Come; let us see to our armour, for the knives of those fedai are sharp." It was near midnight, and the brethren stood in the small, domed ante-chamber, from which a door opened into the sleeping rooms of Saladin.
So suddenly they gave way before them till their backs were against the door, and there they stood, shouting for help and sweeping round them with their swords into reach of which the fedai dare not come.
Their horses were outworn and could not fly at speed. Some of the fedai were cut down upon them. Some dismounted, and gathering themselves in little groups, fought bravely till they were slain, while a few were taken prisoners. Of all that great troup of men not a score won back alive to Masyaf to make report to their master of how the chase of his lost bride had ended.