Silver Skies

8. Night

A/N: Stormers!! It's good to be back. I haven't been in a very good place mentally and it took me a while to get back into the flow of things. I am still trying, but bismillah - I will achieve it. My goal is to update more than once this week - but please don't be disappointed if I don't. I have pretty much written chapter 10, but need to write chapter 9. If we're lucky, maybe you won't have to wait as much for this while! Without further ado: here you go! Enjoy! And please leave comments - I LOVED reading them in the last chapter!

H U D A Y F A
شَوَّال
T R I D A R I

Falaq's chamber was a mess. One half of it was badly burnt, a blackness emerging out of the fire place, across the carpet and up the walls. Debris crunched under Hudayfa's boots as he slowly observed the place. It was still night, so he was reliant on the lamp he carried in one hand and the lamps that Khalid and Nuh carried also. At the door stood Dara, no doubt sent by Burak.

When Hudayfa reached the fireplace his fears were confirmed. He could see what had fuelled the blaze. Paper and wood. The scrolls, and the table that once stood here, now barely a collection of wooden legs. He reached into the ashes, finding bits of parchment here and there. His fist clenched. Those were Bahar's words, gone up in flames. Her writings, the parchment she'd touched, her letters to him, gone. His head throbbed with anger. Someone knew. Someone did not want Falaq to read those scrolls. He could only hope she had read them.

"What is it brother?" Khalid asked, peering over Hud's shoulder curiously.

"Parchment" Hud sighed, "it caught the parchment, then spread"

He could feel Nuh and Dara's eyes burning into the back of his head - both of them knew about the scrolls.

"Still believe I would do something like this?" A new voice joined them, and Hudayfa felt his blood run cold.

Burak joined the group, his long hair untied but somehow he seemed just as composed as usual - even in his night clothes. His golden eyes were cold and unforgiving, meeting Hudayfa's with a challenge. The prince rose to his feet, features just as cold.

"You tell me" Hudayfa said coolly, "if one can kill his wife, what does his sister matter-"

Before any of them could do anything Burak's hands were on Hudayfa's collar, his composure snapped and anger swirling behind his eyes.

"I dare you to complete that sentence" Burak hissed, "you accuse me of attacking my own sister? The Hud I knew had some sense"

Hudayfa's jaw tightened. He pushed Burak off himself in disgust. Fury roared in his chest, and he fought hard to stop himself from attacking Burak. Khalid moved closer, as if to jump in if a fight broke out. As it was, the two men were glaring at each other, so much hatred evident in their eyes.

"I would never harm a hair on her head" Burak growled, his cold eyes were hard, "even you know this"

With a final scathing look he strode away, Dara following him.

"Hud" Nuh sighed. He didn't need to say much else. The Right Hand managed to convey his disappointment through the simple sound. Hudayfa glared at him, silencing anything else Nuh was going to say.

"Y-your Highness?" Tasneem, the irritating maid announced her presence.

"Yes?" Hud all but snapped.