Silver Skies

13. The invitation

A/N: Assalamualaikum Stormers! I apologise for the wait. I was not happy with the way this chapter was going so I rewrote quite a bit of it. I'm still a bit apprehensive and I did have a bit of an imaginative block. JazakAllah khair for your patience! ALSO jazakAllah khair for all your support on Instagram. It's truly such a beautiful space for me and hopefully for you!

This chapter is dedicated to a very special stormer whose father is paralysed. Please take a moment now to make dua for her and her father and her family.

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"Know well that Allah revives the land after its death. We have made the signs clear for you, so that you may understand." - Surah Al Hadid, ayat 17.
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Z A I N
ذُواٌلقَعْدَة
T R I D A R I

Snow showed no signs of relenting on Tridari. It coated every roof, every bit of exposed pavement, and gathered in hoards at every door step. It wept around every fire, only to regroup with quiet, deathly rage. The mountains surrounding Tridari's northern gates  had gathered avalanches of it, their black peaks only visible under the sun's forced rays.

Zain pulled his fur cloak closer, grateful for whatever creature the pelts were prepared from. A wolf, he thought, judging by the silvery black coat. He had never seen the creature himself, though he had heard stories of its majestic nature.

Ehsaan rode beside him. Ehsaan neighboured Zain's estate, a relief because Zain had no clue where exactly his other brothers resided. Each House was vast with so many wings and chambers that it was difficult to keep count. The bigger families had several Houses on their estates. He would have to figure out a way to keep in contact with his brothers, and fast.

Ehsaan too was fully cloaked with similar furs. His dark hair fell over his eyes, which surreptitiously surveyed their surroundings. He was older than Zain by a year, but he was wiser than Zain by many. Zain always felt calm around Ehsaan or Ibrahim. They always seemed to know what to do. Meanwhile Marwan would support him no matter what, Houssam was the cautious one who usually had to be convinced before he did anything, and Reza was fazed by little.

There was no amount of training that could have prepared them for the change. Zain always took for granted that Ustad would be here with them, instructing them as he always had. But Ustad was gone, and it had been near impossible for the brothers to group together. The last time they met was at Falaq and Hudayfa's Nikah ceremony some days ago, but Taimur's watchful eye meant that they managed only to tersely greeted each other before retreating to their families.

Families. It was a foreign word. Zain barely knew what it meant. Nor did anyone else, apparently. His mother was foreign to him, busy with her many daughters - sisters, he did not know nor care about. It was harsh, but Zain knew he could trust no one. Tridarian society was mysterious and hushed, and safety for noble families such as his own existed in busying oneself in the pursuit of pointless grandeur and enjoyment. No one wanted to lose favour with the King, or it seemed, Taimur.

Zain's fist clenched at the thought of Taimur. Snake, was the word that came to mind when he thought of that fiend. Taimur had ordered the killing of Ustad, he was sure of it, and he would have killed Marwan as well if he could. Perhaps he was even behind the attack on Houssam. Ustad had been training them to face Taimur, and Zain could hardly wait for that opportunity. And yet, he now knew it would not be easy. Tridari was Taimur's lair. Everyone here feared him as if he was death himself. They dared not speak ill of him, he had gathered that much. People Taimur did not like tended to disappear rather quickly from what he gathered. Zain was not fooled by the riches and elaborate gatherings the nobles enjoyed - this was only a distraction, a corruption so that they would not dream of rebellion. After all, who wished to sacrifice such luxury?