Haze and Hesitation

Chapter 13- Darning Socks

Layth- After

Layth wakes up to Ustadh Ahmad shaking his sheets.

"Up, up, up, up!" he shouts. "The day will not wait for you. Get up and pray with me," he orders, gesturing to a basin for Layth to wash in. Layth drags his limbs out of bed when all he really wants to do is curl up and shut off the world around him. He washes his hands and mouth, splashing water on his face, but does not meet his own eyes in the tiny mirror above the basin.

"Hurry up, boy! I don't have all day!" the old man nags. As they stand to pray, he takes a corner of his sleeve and wipes the water off Layth's face. "And seek refuge in patience and prayer, son." The words wash over Layth as they stand to pray. He finds his heart bleeding as he bows his head to the ground. As they stand up again, he cries again. And again. And again. When they finish Ustadh Ahmad leaves him to sit on the mat for a while as he bustles around in his kitchenette, preparing breakfast.

Finally, he comes over and throws a cloth at Layth.

"Wipe your tears. I hate eating alone." he says abruptly. "God loves your prayers, but you can't pray or serve Him when your body is empty."

Layth gets up, mechanically, and walks over to the table with food. He clears out a chair full of books and scrolls and sits. Ustadh Ahmad prays over the food and then begins digging in.

"Do you need me to feed you too? Pick up your spoon!" its been a while, but it seems to Layth that the old man has gotten bold with age.

Layth picks up his spoon and swallows a mouthful of barley porridge. His insides warm up, and it almost upsets him to enjoy even a good meal. He looks up to see his teacher almost done with his bowl. He takes a few more spoonfuls as the older man cleans his bowl.

"Hurry up, I have work for you to do today." Ustadh Ahmad then sits with a book while Layth finishes his food.

"Finally." he shuts the book with a snap as Layth wipes the last dregs from his bowl. "I was getting quite bored waiting. Now your first task is to help me wash these dishes." The hale old man bounces to his feet, humming an upbeat tune as Layth follows behind him.

After washing the dishes, Layth has to clean the rest of the room while the old man scribbles away at manuscripts on his desk. Layth knew he should be asking questions, figuring out what his next move should be, but he realized that this was Ustadh Ahmad's way of giving him time. As he picks up the many books and scrolls that lay scattered around, he tries to pull himself together. As members of the royal family, the risk of assassination was always ever-present. But who would assassinate the King at his son's wedding? It could be the heretics from the Siyadi villages. Rearranging more books, he concludes that in that case, his brother was likely dead as well, and so would he have been, if he hadn't escaped... however that was.

Layth finishes trying to fit all the books on the shelves. Most of them don't seem to fit so he instead piles them at the foot of the bookshelves. He starts to broom the floor instead. If it were true that his whole family was dead, that would make him the king. But with a coup like that, it would hardly be easy to take back the throne. His first course of action would have to be confirming his brother's fate, then looking for Ilyana. Suddenly he realizes Ustadh must know at least something. – "Ustadh! Do you know where Ilyana is?"

The old man finishes off the note he's signing before he replies, "I thought you'd never speak! Yes, I do have an idea where you can expect to meet her." He looks at Layth, expecting another question, but when he doesn't get one he snaps, "Well stop standing around and get back to work!" Layth continues brooming the floor, knowing that he should try to build up the courage to ask more, but he can't. At least the knowledge that Ilyana is likely safe eases something in him.