warrior's heart

chapter 12

Marwa paced back and forth in her chambers with worry etched on her features. Ya Allah, I must get out of this place and warn someone about what that despicable Beig is up to. I cannot let him harm the princess. I have heard from the people that Heman is close to this kingdom. If only I can find a way to escape from this hole. I know the sultan would help me. But what do I do?

That despicable man is coming tonight to achieve his disgusting aim. I would rather plead for death than let him touch me. Oh ya Rabb , what do I do?

As she passed her vanity, she noticed something. Apparently Beig had kept some of the powder in her room.

Well that is very unwise of him thought Marwa, with a determined look on her face.

She had visited Beig ' s physician and had shrewdly asked him about what the powder could do and the ways of using it. He had told her that if ingested, a person could be asleep for three days without waking up. The effect was that strong.

This is my key out of this hole. I can use the night to travel through the shortcuts to Heman. In Sha Allah I would find help there.

Marwa left her room to the kitchen to go and get a jug of Sherbet which she was hopefully going to give Fazil Beig to drink when he came to her chambers that night.

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Uthman ran through the bushes towards Misrah so as to warn the princess. After the pungent smell and the unconscious guards, he had climbed atop a tree and using the telescope, had seen that the caravan they had thought were travellers and traders, where in fact the notorious gang of bandits that had been plundering villages.

His face had paled as he realised that they were planning a silent attack on them which was why they had rendered the guards unconcious in order to proceed without any hinderance.

After climbing off the tree, he had decided to run to the kingdom without his horse as that might have alerted the bandits that one of he guards was in fact aware of their presence. They would have done all they could to kill him and that would have proven fatal as there would be no one to warn the princess.

He ran through the bushes panting heavily and stopped abruptly when he noticed the tails of two wolves.

Ya Allah, let this wolf not be aware of my presence, any undue delay can prove to be very fatal for Misrah.

He tiptoed his way around, trying to get to the other side of the forest and hopefully get there unnoticed. Unfortunately, he did not notice the twig beneath his shoe and the crunch gave him away.

One of the wolves rose it's head and looked at Uthman hungrily. The other wolf noticed it's mate looking at a particular direction and turned to look at Uthman as well. Luckily in his haste, he had not forgotten to carry his sword and so he grabbed the hilt and removed it from its sheet.

The wolves rose and moved slowly towards Uthman in an attempt to circle him. He moved with them, all of his soldier instincts on high alert. It was either he slayed them or lose his life trying although that would not be good.

One of the wolves now impatient, lunged forward to Uthman exposing sharp and dirty looking fangs, ready to wreak havoc. Uthman,after making a short dua, slashed his sword just as the wolf jumped and his sword sent it's head rolling with a spray of blood on the earth.

In trying to fend off the attack of the first wolf, Uthman had not noticed that the other wolf had circled and was now behind him.

It jumped and bit into Uthman ' s shoulders, making him let out a cry of pain. He quickly reached for the dagger kept in its scabbard on his waist and plunged it into the wolf's stomach.