Liyah's breath hitched in her throat. The sandy desert stretched for miles and miles, without end. She looked at the two in front of her with an exasperated expression etched on her face, "Tell me this gets easier."
Rayan smirked, "Careful, habibti...
I'm a bit obsessed with Nina Abdel Malak. I wrote these last few chapters listening to her. I highly recommend her music (khallini bel jaw is my favorite btw). I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Love, saharastardust
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chapter 7 | the muezzin three souls leave the city after thefirst call to prayer.
IT ALL HAPPENED IN A FLASH. Liyah's head had been safe and snug in the light cotton throw over that Soraya had given her. After the strenuous events of the previous day, all Liyah yearned for was the sweet oblivion of slumber, but when an ear-splitting scream echoed throughout the palace courts, the girl immediately shot up from her position. Before Liyah could even call for her grandmother, Soraya had rushed through the doors of Liyah's room with a freshly-written letter in her wrinkled hands.
"Teita?" Liyah gasped when she realized that the woman's cheeks were streaming with tears. The younger girl jumped from the bed and sprinted towards her grandmother. Her arms instinctively flung around the sobbing woman. She stroked the woman's graying hair, trying her best to calm Soraya down as another cacophony of screams resonated from the palace. Liyah felt her heart racing as the uncertain fear consumed her. What was happening? Was the palace under attack?
Soraya choked back a sob, "You need to leave, Liyah."
"How can I leave yo–"
And then she saw his shadow at the entrance of her room. Rayan stood with his hand fiercely gripping the handle of his sword. His icy-blue eyes were hard– glaring at Liyah the moment their gaze met. He advanced towards the two women, his features rigid and calculated as he dropped a bag at Liyah's feet, "We need to leave. Now. Before the first call."
"With you? What are you talking about?" She squinted her eyes at him and then at Soraya when she realized that the older woman was placing the folded letter into the palm of her hand, "Look Mucho Man, I'm not going anywhere with you and definitely not without my grandmother."
"ya hayati," Soraya cupped the girl's cheek and Liyah brought her trembling hands up over her teita's soft, shriveled ones as she inwardly prayed that it was all a dream. The older woman's voice cracked as she uttered her words of farewell to her granddaughter,"Ma'a salama, Liyah."
The heart wrenching sob that escaped Soraya's lips caused the boy's jaw to clench. It left a raw burn in the pit of his stomach as he watched the older woman, that he had grown to cherish, become so frail. The woman then curled her hands around Liyah's fists, concealing the letter tightly in the palm of her granddaughter's hands, "Give this to the sheikh of the Fifth Star. He will aid you on your journey."
