Chapter 118 - Storm on the Horizon
In a dim chamber of carved stone deep within the port fortress of Massawa, General Qasim the Iron Hand paced like a lion behind bars. His fingers drummed against the hilt of his scimitar, the sound echoing softly as the sea wind hissed through the shutters.
Scrolls and missives littered the desk beside him—torn open, reread, and cursed over. He glanced at the latest one, his upper lip curling.
"The Abyssinians have blocked all communications inland," came a voice from the far end of the room. Vizier Harun, draped in cream silk and smelling of clove and musk, approached slowly. "Our agents in Gondar haven’t sent word in over a month. We fear the Emperor has discovered our spies."
Qasim scowled. "Discovered or exterminated? Every day without word confirms it."
He slammed a rolled map of the region onto the table. "First the Abyssinian army withdraws from the frontlines. Then the Adal spies go quiet. The inland slave camps managed by the Adal haven’t sent word either. Then the ships—gods, the ships—vanish in the Indian Ocean as if swallowed by the sea itself."
"You think it’s Abyssinia? Are they even smart enought to pull that off? Besides, its not like they have better weapons than us, we use superior rifles and they are stuck with swords and spears." Harun asked scoffing.
Qasim’s one good eye burned. "I think there’s more than Abyssinia involved. Someone is playing a deeper game. And we’ve been blind."
"The Portuguese? Are they foolish enough to side with Abyssinia?"
"Maybe, we did manage to push them out of the Indian Ocean trade routes, their influence might not be as great as it was before but we still can’t overlook it." Qasim said, running his hand through his greasy hair.
He turned sharply to face Harun. "You know what I heard? A blockade. A damned blockade. No flags. No heralds. Just sails in the mist and fire on the waves. I sent a small squad, with several ships to inspect the area our ships go missing, in stead of coming back victorious, they came back with their tails tucked between their legs. We not only lost ships, we also lost soldiers. Those fools couldn’t even win a simple battle, they are probably a band of pirates, we should crush them so they know not to mess with the Ottomans. "
Harun didn’t deny it. "The captains say the southern waters are cursed. They report losses near the Kilwa coast—now called Nuri, apparently."