Chapter 44
Early 1062 (454 from the Hegira) hills of central Sicily
Corrado did not fail to his word and, although he had not taken the shortest route, he strode towards the camp of ibn al-Thumna. As he had warned, Nadira found herself exhausted from exhaustion; and not eating for three days. She risked falling off his horse several times.
They had crossed the mountain of Qasr Yanna when Corrado decided to catch his breath and stop for the night; he owed it to the poor steeds, who, except for short stops, had not refreshed since they left Messina. They camped at a tributary stream of the Imera, under a fortress and facing the stream bed.
The sun had not yet set when Corrado approached Nadira and said to her:
«Men light the fire, but they don't want you to sit among them. »
«Eight men
