warrior's heart

chapter 42

#assalamualaikum dearest readers, i am so sorry to have kept you all waiting for this long before putting up a new chapter, i have been dealing with severe writer's block coupled with some other issues but Alhamdullilah everything is fine now.
P.S. i tried to make this chapter long and i hope you will enjoy reading it. The chapter has not been edited yet,please bear with me and ignore the mistakes.Dont forget to keep those lovely comments and votes coming....#

Marliyyah sat on her prayer mat with her hands raised,praying ardently for her husband. She had just been told that the Neem plant needed for Nawfal's antidote was in fact not the type that abu ussam had. They needed fresh Neem leaves straight from the tree and not dried ones. That type could only be gotten in Misrah and Nawfal did not have that much time.

By now,Marliyyah had become numb with pain and worry,without absolutely any clue what she was going to do. Who could ride fast enough to Misrah and come back before Nawfal...... she could not even think of it. The journey from Misrah to Heman and vice versa took at least an entire day if the rider was very fast and had important matters to take care of. Nawfal had only five hours before his body gave in to the poison. Not even Murad who was among the best riders could make it in five hours. He needed about eight hours to at least let his horse rest before he could continue.

"Ya Rabb, no one else can help us out of this situation except for you. I am a helpless servant who is before You today,in dire need of Your help. Ya Malikul Mulk,the love of my life is fighting for his life as a result of what seems like an evil conspiracy and no one can save him but You. Ya Rabb help us out of this situation,come to our aid,come to our aid" she prayed,breaking down.

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Umm Nisreen who had gone to Misrah to purchase some herbs for her body soaps and humrah, was on her way back to Heman,oblivious of what was going on in the kingdom. Among the herbs she had purchased and which were now wrapped securely in a special pouch to preserve and maintain their freshness were neem plants.

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In the royal court of Misrah, the king and queen sat side by side,their hands never leaving each other. Before them was a man on his knees with his hands bound and his head hanging low in shame or so it seemed. Their guests had taken their seats and we're waiting for Abu Intisaar to talk.

"Ya sultan, this man you see here is one of the root causes of the evil that has befallen our respective families. Unfortunately, he has found himself on the cruel and evil path of practising Sihr which is otherwise known as black magic. I know he may have his charms and fetishes with him and we have nothing but our belief in Allah and that in itself is sufficient for us. We trust that our Lord would protect us."

"Responsible for our problems? Whatever do you mean Abu Intisaar?"
"Ya sultan, some days ago, Mariya, the smith's daughter went to fetch some water from the stream that was not very far from our tents. On her way back, she heard someone saying or perhaps chanting something in a strange language. Her curiosity piqued, she moved to the source of the voice and there she saw a very horrifying sight before her."

Imran and Farouq was was also present in the court watched as a figure whose hands were securely bound and whose face was covered with and black cloth, was brought forth. Abu Intisaar went close to him and then swiftly removed the mask that was covering his face.

Both men felt their breaths leave them in utter shock at the revelation of the figure, while Noorah looked at the figure in anger and disgust.

"Khalid? "

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"Abu Ussam, any progress?" Asked a sad looking Murad, who looked like he was almost giving up. It broke his heart to see his dearest friend and brother who was so brave and strong, lying on the bed helpless and not moving,almost as if he was.......