46

 

Al Hudaydah, Yemen

Sa’id Nouradeen didn’t believe in legends. He left that to the masses and to his children.

But if it served the greater good for certain elements to believe that he was al Yamani, the one who would usher in the era of the Twelfth Imam, then so be it. Nouradeen believed only in the cause of war and the power of force.

He’d pushed the Israelis out of southern Lebanon. And with Iran in ascendance, Nouradeen believed the time had finally arrived when the Arab world would rise as one and seize control of the region from the hated powers of the West.

There was only one significant power that stood in the way of progress forward toward a pan-Islamic victory in the region—Saudi Arabia’s royal family. But with Iran and the US engaged in peace talks, forces in the region could safely move against the Saudis.

As far as Nouradeen was concerned, it was long overdue. He’d never understood why the leadership in Tehran had waited so patiently for a time to move against the kingdom. But they were moving now. And Nouradeen was pleased to play a part in it.

“Move!” he barked to one of his lieutenants. “We need to get those horses aboard by nightfall.”

The cargo ship had been docked at a private terminal at al Hudaydah for nearly a month. It was one of three such ships loaded with the equipment they’d need for their ride to Mecca. One of the three had been taken by pirates and then seized by the Americans. But two had remained, and one was now being loaded by Nouradeen’s men.

“Will we leave tonight, sir?” one of the men asked Nouradeen.

“We will if you swine get the horses loaded,” he answered.

“And then?”

“And then you shut up and go where I tell you,” Nouradeen growled. “I’ll give you your orders when we arrive.”

“But we will be in Mecca?”

“In two days’ time,” Nouradeen pledged. “But only if you get those horses loaded.”

Nouradeen was pleased. His efforts to combine the two factions had succeeded just as he’d hoped. There was minor grumbling, but Sunni and Shi’a fighters were living, working, training, and willing to fight side by side.

It would surprise the West to see the cooperation. Well, good, he thought. It’s about time we surprised them with something.

The ship was loaded within the hour. Nouradeen made sure the decks were clear, the cargo safely loaded in the hold. And then, with little fanfare, the ship set sail northward along the Yemen coastline. They would make Jeddah before dawn.