The rescue

At that moment, Tania appeared behind the guards with her hands raised.

—People, please— she said in Arabic. —I was only interested in your slaves; I heard they are of very good quality. I tried to buy them, but your guards at the entrance prevented me from reaching here—

—Who is this Berber? What is she doing here?— the guards began to murmur.

The one-eyed man looked at her and approached her.

—What do you want?— he asked.

—The slaves, I want to buy them all— said Tania.

All the men started laughing.

—There must be about fifty people in there in the caves. Only Al-Mansur or the sultan could buy such an exaggerated number of people— one of them said.

Tania once again took out her leather bags from her clothes and threw their contents on the ground; they were hundreds of gold coins, diamonds, gemstones, and jewels. The men had never seen so much money together.

—I told you, with this, I'm sure it will be enough, and you can buy properties and lands that must be more valuable than the men inside— Tania replied.

—Why do you want the slaves? Tell me— the one-eyed soldier asked.

—The Holy Prophet ordered us to perform acts of charity. Is that a sin?— the goddess replied, looking at the soldier challengingly.

—But sir— a soldier said, —that boy over there looks like the person who attacked us this morning in Coimbra. The drawn portrait resembles him a lot—

—Is that true? Are you the person controlling that djinn?— the one-eyed soldier asked Tania defiantly as he put his hand on the hilt of his scimitar.

—I don't know what you're talking about. Why would my bodyguard be a djinn? He's a devoted eunuch who follows the teachings of Muhammad— the red-haired goddess tried to convince the soldier, but he still looked uncertain.

Tania then took off her gold and gemstone necklace from around her neck and threw it onto the mound of money.

—And I'm adding this for the damages caused by my bodyguard to your men. Apologize for him; sometimes, he's a bit rough, but he's not a djinn, I can assure you— the girl said.

The guard released the hilt of his scimitar and nodded, ordering his men to disperse. Meanwhile, Rodrigo emerged from the cave together with the citizens of Coimbra. The guards made no attempt to stop them, and Rodrigo walked alongside the former prisoners.

—Alright— the one-eyed guard said, —but never set foot in this region again, or you'll pay a heavy price—

Tania, trying to force a smile as much as she could, responded, —Of course, of course, don't worry about any trouble. May Allah grant you a long and prosperous life, all of you—

Rodrigo, Tania, and the rest of the people finally left the camp, with tears and shouts of joy, thanking their saviors.

—Don't worry, it was the least I could do for all of you— Tania replied.

—It will be a long journey to Penacova, and we only have two horses— Tania said, smiling.

—Will you be able to endure the walk? It will take about five hours— Rodrigo asked.

Rodrigo noticed that, for the first time, Tania's smile was genuine and not feigned. She truly seemed to enjoy helping others, the young warrior thought.

—Yes, we'll carry the children as much as we can— the group leader said.

—If you want, take turns riding the horses with those who can't walk much— Rodrigo suggested. —The woman and I will walk—

It was a long road to Penacova, nearly six hours, but the people were filled with joy for being rescued and managed to endure the journey through the night.

—Hey, thanks for saving me— Rodrigo said to Tania as they walked in front of the caravan.

—No problem, there are always ways to solve things in the human world— she replied.

—What about the moon's glow, was that you too?— Rodrigo asked again.

Tania smiled but remained silent.

—And that money, where did it come from?— Rodrigo asked, but the goddess abruptly interrupted him.

—It was part of my savings, alright?— Tania said excitedly.

And she continued, —We don't have permission to create gold or money either because it disrupts the human economy, so I have been saving that money for years. Don't worry, nothing's wrong— Tania said.

Rodrigo smiled. He believed that Tania was a heartless person without attachments to humanity, but it seemed that he had judged her wrongly.

Upon arriving in Penacova, Tania visited all the inns and private houses, paying money so that they could accommodate the people. Some of them, out of the kindness of their hearts, decided to provide free lodging to the survivors of the massacre in Coimbra. Tania smiled like Rodrigo had never seen before.

—Wow, you made that ice queen smile— Rodrigo heard Ana say behind him, and when he turned around, he realized it was Ana.

—You know, it's been a while since I've seen her smile like that— she said.

The next morning, Tania and Rodrigo decided to leave the village, but not before saying goodbye to everyone, thanking them, and receiving hugs and gifts from the grateful survivors. Rodrigo felt someone tugging at his cloak and realized it was the girl he had rescued when he attacked the soldiers outside Coimbra.

—Thank you, sir. I know you are angels sent by God to help us. Thank you, thank you— the girl said to Rodrigo with tears in her eyes.

Rodrigo caressed the girl's head and urged her to be strong.

The girl nodded.

—Don't worry about your deceased loved ones. We will go to Coimbra and give them a proper burial so they can be with Jesus Christ after the End of Times— Rodrigo told the people as they cried and nodded.

Ana approached Rodrigo and Tania, leading a third horse that she had just bought. It was a brown horse with spots.

—Are you ready to depart?— Ana asked. Rodrigo and Tania nodded.

They mounted their horses and rode towards the exit of the village amidst the cries of joy and sorrow from the people.

Upon leaving Penacova, they headed west again and reached the ruins of Coimbra, where Rodrigo buried the people and erected several crosses in honor of the fallen. Tania and Ana helped him.

Fortunately, the Muslims had abandoned the city, believing it to be haunted. Almanzor had retreated the day before, fleeing in terror.

—I haven't seen you smile genuinely in a long time, Tania— Ana said to the flame-haired goddess as they helped Rodrigo erect the tombstones. Tania blushed.

—It's been a while since I felt this warmth. I suppose I must have feelings after all— Tania replied.

After Rodrigo prayed and bid a final farewell to his mother's body, they set off towards the east.