The Serpent's Daughter (40 page)

“Oh, probably all of it. But not all at once,” said Inez with a teasing grin. “I think it will be more fun that way.”

“Poor Mr. del Cameron,” murmured Sam. “He doesn’t stand a chance.” Inez and Jade both laughed.

Jade broke loose of the others and paced out into the courtyard. “I just wish they’d tell us we can go.”

“It’s just as well that we stay here, Jade,” said Inez. “You still aren’t fit to be seen with all that henna staining your hands and chin.”

“They’re fading, Mother, and please do not start in on my appearance again.”

“I’m not. I suppose you could hide your hands with gloves. And enough powder might cover the chin.” She studied Jade’s forehead and frowned. “But that mark just below your hairline doesn’t seem to be fading. And it’s blue, not black or brown.”

“Really?” Jade knelt down on the floor by the pool and stared at her reflection. “Oh, dear. I hate to tell you this, Mother, but that one’s not going away. It seems our mountain friends made me a permanent member of the tribe.” She fidgeted with the curls over her face. “I can always wear my hair in bangs, I guess. It’s small.” She stood and brushed the damp off her trouser knees. “But after all, we are Amazigh people, Mother.”

Inez’s lips formed a coy grin. “Maybe, but I will always be a Spaniard first.” She stepped onto the hard mosaic floor, raised her arms above her head to her right, and clapped out a staccato rhythm. As she did, she struck her heel down hard and followed it with three rapid steps in place. The clatter of her heels on the enamel sounded like a retort, sharp and defiant.

“Olé!” shouted Sam as his hands took up the rhythm. Jade laughed, her teeth flashing like pearls in the sunlight as she joined her mother in a wild flamenco.

Jade felt a twinge of sadness when she and her mother rode the last mile up the mountain trail to the Berber village, but it had been a wonderful trip. And it was all her mother’s idea. She’d read the disappointment in Jade’s eyes when she handed the amulet over to Bachir to take back. So once the authorities were satisfied and released them, they used one of the ten Roman coins given to them as a reward to buy mules and supplies. They camped along the way, singing songs and getting to know each other all over again. They shared tales of past adventures; many of Inez’s were eye-openers to Jade.

If they’d entertained any notion of surprising Zoulikha with their visit, they were mistaken. No sooner had their mounts stepped into the valley than the pair was met by the entire village. Leading the group was Zoulikha, decked in full regalia with silver chains and bangles across her headdress and chest. Lying on top of them all was the precious amulet. Behind her was Bachir, proudly standing next to Yamna and holding Lallah’s hand.

Inez and Jade looked at each other and grinned. Then, as one, the village women raised their chins to the sky and burst forth in a joyous ululation.

AUTHOR’S NOTES

IT IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT TO TRANSCRIBE languages that use different characters from those found in the English alphabet. Such is the case with the Berber and Moroccan Arabic words found in this book. For example,
jinn
is frequently written as
djin
or
jnun
. I chose
jinn
for two reasons: it was easier for me to type and it’s easier for the reader to read. For other spellings, I referred to the
Lonely Planet Moroccan Arabic Phrasebook
. In some instances, I took words from books of that time. For example, Marrakesh is rendered Marrakech in many writings of the period.

Many excellent resources exist on historical Morocco, most from the American or European perspective, and since that was Jade’s viewpoint, they served my purpose. Budgett Meakin provides us with three accounts:
The Land of the Moors
(1901),
The Moors
(1902), and
Life in Morocco
(1905). George Edmund Holt published a 1914 account of Tangier in
Morocco the Bizarre, or, Life in the Sunset Land
. Novelist Edith Wharton describes the drive from Casablanca to Marrakech and the red city itself during her 1917 trip in her memoir
In Morocco
. Her book has been reprinted, but without the valuable photographs found in old copies.

Old Morocco and the Forbidden Atlas
by C. E. Andrews gives a good account of Marrakech and the Atlas Mountains in 1921. Highly recommended is
Ritual and Belief in Morocco
(1926) by Edward Westermarck, especially if you wish to learn more excellent curses. This is a continuation of Mr. Westermarck’s studies on Moroccan culture begun in
The Belief in Spirits in Morocco
(1920) and continued in
Wit and Wisdom in Morocco: A Study of Native Proverbs
(1931).

Several
National Geographic
articles are well worth looking up: “Morocco, the Land of the Extreme West” (March 1906), “Scenes From North Africa” (September 1907), “A Journey in Morocco: The Land of the Moors” (August 1911), “The Two Great Moorish Religious Dances” (August 1911), “Across French and Spanish Morocco” (March 1925), and “Beyond the Grand Atlas” (March 1932). A description of Tangier can also be found in Jade’s rival publication,
Travel
(November 1910), with “Across the Doorstep of Morocco.”

I cannot do credit in this novel to the incredible richness of Amazigh (Berber) culture, so to any Imazighen who read this book I do apologize for any mistakes I have made. There are some very good modern treatises on Berber culture and their art. These begin with
Berber Art: An Introduction
by Jeanne D’Ucel (1932) and continue with
Saints and Sorcerers: A Moroccan Journey
by Nina Epton (1958), and
The Berbers
by Michael Brett and Elizabeth Fentress (1996).
Amazigh Arts in Morocco: Women Shaping Berber Identity
by Cynthia J. Becker (2006) focuses more on the Ait Khabbash who live south of the Atlas. My personal favorite was
Imazighen: The Vanishing Traditions of Berber Women
by Margaret Courtney-Clarke and Geraldine Brooks (1996). There are some books that one simply has to possess. This is one of them. One of the most poignant accounts of the hardship of life in the Atlas Mountains comes from
Mountains Forgotten by God
by Brick Oussaid (1989). This is a personal memoir from a young Berber man who grew up in incredible poverty.

And what about the
kahina
? One can read about her in
Colonial Histories, Post-Colonial Memories: The Legend of the Kahina, a North African Heroine
by Abdelmajid Hannoum (2001), but I’m partial to an article found in
The Amazigh Voice
(June 1996): “The Daring Daughters of Kahena” by Ann Marie Maxwell.

In the end, I invite you to visit Morocco and experience the
Maghreb
for yourself. It’s a beautiful, friendly country.

The Berber clan in this book is of my own devising.