The Master and The Maiden

Chapter 6

*

"Are you serious?" Safiya asked, her hands over her mouth.

"Yes." Noor said. "He was being dragged like a piece of cloth through the market."

"What could anyone have done to deserve such treatment?" she cried.

"Allah knows best." Noor replied. "I wonder whether Abba knows."

"I'm sure he doesn't. If he'd been there, he would have gone to stop those men." Safiya said in a tone which indicated that she revered her husband.

"Yes. I'm sure he would." Noor said, standing up.

"Where are you going to?" her mother asked.

"I'm going to my room. I need to rest for a while." she said.

"But we have to start cooking dinner." her mother said quietly.

"I'm not as young as I used to be." Noor joked in a raspy voice. "My bones aren't as strong as they used to be."

Safiya laughed.

"Please Umma, I'll be back in a few minutes. I just need to rest." she pleaded.

"Very well." Safiya said, standing up as well. "I need to rest too. Unlike you, my bones actually aren't as strong as they used to be."

"You don't look a day over twenty." Noor laughed as she slipped into the room, where Aisha had resumed plaiting Ummayma's hair.

"Is it time to make dinner?" she asked.

"Not yet." Noor replied. "It shouldn't be long though."

"Ummayma was just telling me about what happened at the market." Aisha said as Noor sat down on the bed, slipping off her shoes.

"What do you think he did to have deserved something like that?" Ummayma said.

"I think he probably stole something." Aisha said.

"But is that how a thief should be treated?" Noor said. "He should be locked up immediately, if indeed he stole something."

"And what good would that do?" Aisha said.

"He would learn to see the errors of his ways." Noor pointed out. "Nothing changes a man's resolve like a few weeks in a dark cell."

"Some people just never change. What is learnt in the cradle is carried to the grave." Aisha said.

"Why are we assuming that he is a thief?" Ummayma laughed. "We still haven't figured out his offence. And besides, if he were a thief, wouldn't they just cut his fingers off?"

"It's the hand they cut off, not the fingers." Noor laughed.

"I'm just saying, he may have been caught with someone's wife." Ummayma laughed as well.

"If he had been caught with someone's wife, do you think the husband would have been patient enough to bring him to justice?"Aisha said. "He'd have beheaded the man and be done with it. Perhaps even behead the wife if he can."

"Islam doesn't permit such behaviour." Noor pointed out.

"That still doesn't stop people from doing it." Aisha lamented. "After all, everything forbidden is desired."

"Is that so?" Ummayma and Noor laughed.

"Yes it is." Aisha said hotly. "Back in my village..."

She paused suddenly, realizing what she had said. Ummayma and Noor exchanged knowing looks, and all three women fell into deep silence.

The topic of Ummayma and Aisha's enslavement was never brought up, as far as Noor could remember. They usually skirted around the topic during their discussions. Noor knew that they both missed home, Aisha more than Ummayma however. The latter had been brought to the Kabeer household at the very tender age of five. She had come along with her mother after Kabeer bought them several years back. Originally, he'd bought only Ummayma's mother. But the woman pleaded and begged not to be separated with her daughter. Kabeer wasn't a heartless man. He'd bought both Ummayma and her daughter, believing that the little girl could keep his daughter company, seeing as they were both very nearly the same age.

Unfortunately, Ummayma's mother had died barely two years after being brought to the household. Noor still remembered how much her 'new friend' had cried when she was told that her mother would never return again. Safiya had been the one who told her. She had tried to explain it to the best of her abilities, trying to calm Ummayma in the process. But the little girl had burst into tears once she found out her mother had gone forever.

For several months, Ummayma didn't speak to anyone in the house. She merely nodded or shook her head when she was spoken to. Kabeer had instructed Noor to try and keep her happy. The former tried to play with Ummayma whenever she could. But Ummayma didn't talk to her as well.

Then one day, she'd picked up Noor's toy doll and announced to the household members that the doll needed new clothes. Everything was fine after that.

Aisha however had been brought to the house just three years ago. Kabeer informed his wife that he bought her to help out with the extra work in the house, but she knew he bought her so she could keep an eye on Ummayma and Noor.

The day he returned to the house with Aisha trailing behind him, Noor and Ummayma thought she was his distant relative, seeing as she was a lot older than both of them. Her darker skin however clearly showed that she wasn't from around there.

During her first weeks in the house, Aisha had barely spoken to anyone. She kept to herself usually, carrying out her duties whenever she was required to, then withdrawing to the room for hours. She didn't join in when Noor and Ummayma were talking, merely nodding whenever they tried to draw her into their conversation.

Slowly though, Aisha had started to interact with the members of the household. She was pleased to find out that unlike some other people, Kabeer didn't maltreat his slaves. In fact, they were all treated as though they were more or less members of the family. Noor and Ummayma had been welcoming, as well as Safiya. She felt quite at home very soon. Some days however, Noor would walk in on her crying in the room, clutching what appeared to be a long woolen scarf. She'd never asked what it was, and Aisha didn't bother bringing it up. So both of them let sleeping dogs lie.

"Don't braid it so hard please." Ummayma cried, trying to ease the tension in the room. She raised her hand and placed it on Aisha's.

"What?" Aisha shook her head. She'd clearly been lost in thought. "Oh, right. Sorry." she said, wiping a stray tear that fell from her left eye. Noor pretended not to notice.

Reaching into the drawer, she pulled out the book she'd been reading earlier. The top corner of the book was bent, so she wouldn't forget where she'd been reading; quite unnecessary, since she hadn't gone past the second page. Settling into bed, she continued to read.

'My first day in the mountains was proving to be a challenge, both physically and mentally. I had set up my tent at the foot of the mountain, after praying that an avalanche wouldn't occur while I slept. Fortunately, I found only a few small pebbles outside my tent in the morning.

My trusty companion was still tied beside the tent, though still as weary as he'd ever been. I had to find some water for both of us very soon.

But there were more pressing matters on my mind. Things far too complex for a stallion to understand. The very thing which had caused me to embark on this perilous expedition: The Treasures of Tafiti.

After all my years of research, I'd finally ended up here. The map I'd - for want of a better term - borrowed from those bandits showed that the secret passage into the mountains lay a few metres away from me. It was a fifty feet climb, but I was ready to brace the elements and whatever Mount 'al Sham had to throw at me. So, after eating a meagre amount of my rations, I set off towards the cliff with some rope, a chisel, my bottle of water (which was to be taken only in critical situations) and the map safe inside my pockets.

Mountain climbing had always been a hobby of mine. I'd trained myself to scale seemingly impossible terrain from a very young age. In fact, I'

"Noor, your father is back." Aisha said, poking her head out of the room. "And he is not alone."

"How can he be back right now?" Noor jumped out of bed, not before folding the top corner of the seventh page of the book. "It's not even time for Asr prayer."

"I have no idea why he has returned too." Aisha said. "Did your mother mention anything, perhaps?"

"No she didn't." Noor said, poking her head out of the room as well. Sure enough, Kabeer was standing at the gate, with a man she'd seen a few times already in the house. If her memory was good, his name must be Jamal.

Kabeer and his guest stood outside the study while the former fumbled in his pockets for the keys.

"The house seems quiet." Jamal remarked, looking up at the house. Unlike his affluent friend, Jamal lived in a very small house with only two small rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom at the back.

"They must be doing some work." Kabeer said, finally finding the key. "All the better, if you ask me. I do not wish to be disturbed."

"How is your wife?" Jamal asked nonchalantly, swaying on the balls of his feet.

"She is fine." Kabeer said in a clipped tone.

In Arabian culture, it was unethical for a man to inquire about another's wife.

As the two men stepped into the study, Safiya came rushing down the stairs. She spotted Noor and Aisha standing at the door of their room.

"Was that your father I heard?" she asked.

"Yes it was." Noor replied. "And he has a guest."

"Well then, tell Ummayma to get some water and take it to them. And a bowl of dates as well." she said, heading back up the stairs.

"You heard her." Noor laughed cheekily at Ummayma. "Just make sure he doesn't shout at you this time around."

Ummayma shivered slightly, remembering all too well the unfortunate occasion when she'd accidentally emptied an entire jug of water on master Kabeer. His shouts still echoed in her head to this day.

*

"What is that?" Jamal asked, pointing curiously at a jar placed on the shelf beside him. "Dittany." Kabeer replied without looking at him. He was rummaging through his drawers, looking for something.

"Why are you so worked up?" Jamal asked, relaxing into his chair. "Did you lose something?"

"No." Kabeer snapped. "I've merely misplaced it."

"And by 'it' you mean?"

"Something." Kabeer said exasperatedly, emptying the contents of the second drawer. Relief washed over him as he spotted the scroll he was looking for, tied with a crimson ribbon.

"What is that?" Jamal asked, eyeing the scroll.

"You ask too many questions, my friend." Kabeer chuckled. "Come. We should head to the mosque. It's almost time for Asr."

"Are you going to the council meeting?" Jamal asked.

"Of course." Kabeer said as he headed for the door. "Aren't you?"

"I don't think so." Jamal shrugged. "The last meeting was very uninteresting."

"They all are. But we must attend nevertheless." he said as he pulled the door open. Ummayma was standing at the door, her right hand raised just as she was about to knock on the door, while holding a tray which carried a jug and two cups on her left hand.

"No need for that." Kabeer raised his hand. "Where is Noor?"

"In the room. Shall I call her for you?" she asked, bowing her head.

"No. Tell her I want to see her when I get back. And ask Safiya to cut up some watermelons for my dinner." he said, moving towards the gate with Jamal in tow.

"Yes, master Kabeer." she replied, turning away with relief.

*

The city council meeting was held once every fortnight, in the town hall near the mosque. Most of the men in the city attended the meeting, as anyone who didn't attend was forced to pay a fine of 50 riyals. A lot of the older men attended the meetings, while most of the younger men chose to pay the fine instead. They had no interest in sitting down through long, boring speeches on 'How to empower the youths of the city', or 'Why men should exert more control on their women'.

The hall was always arranged with long rows of benches, all facing the podium at the other end of the hall. Five chairs were arranged on the podium, facing the crowd.

At the opposite wall was a tall black door with a dusty old curtain hanging in front of it. This door was always guarded by a burly looking man, his hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword.

Today's meeting started out just like any other. After the opening prayer by the Imam, Aliyu stood up and greeted the men present. Aliyu was a very powerful orator, known throughout the city. He was one of the oldest men in Sana'a, and was highly respected among the men. He'd been very famous in house youthful days, as he was a very strong fighter and wrestler.

"If we can all recall," Aliyu began. "Our last meeting was not concluded due to time. I believe we all remember, however, the discussion which we were having."

"Some of us were not present during the last meeting." said a man at the back.

"Yes, well avoiding mistakes is better than apologizing afterward. Is that not so, Kareem?" Aliyu laughed. Several men laughed as well, causing the man who spoke to slouch deeper into his seat.

"Now, for those of you who weren't present during the last meeting, we were talking about the establishment of a fixed price for all the perishable goods which will be sold in the market." Aliyu continued.

"But we don't all buy from the same suppliers." another man at the back said. Many men murmured in agreement.

"No one asked you to go and buy your goods from those foreigners, Anshul." the first man replied him. Several men laughed again.

"I shall buy my goods from whomever I please." the man called Anshul said in a heated manner.

"No need to get worked up, my friend." Aliyu raised his hand. "This is exactly why we couldn't conclude our previous meeting. Arguments breaking out everywhere, as though we are small children squabbling over something."

"I think this matter should be dropped altogether." one of the men seated behind Aliyu said. "Since we clearly can't reach a conclusion."

"To every problem, there is a solution." Aliyu replied stubbornly. "Now, I'm open to suggestions from anyone."

"I have a few things to say." master Kabeer stood up. He was had been sitting in the front row along with a few older looking men as well.

"My dear friends," Kabeer began, opening his arms wide as though trying to embrace the whole room. "I see no reason why we should be arguing endlessly over such a simple issue. After all, there is no stranger amongst us here.

"This proposal which was brought forward would undoubtedly help each and every one of us in the long run. Think of it this way: if there is uniformity in the prices at which we sell our goods, there would be less competition in the market. Our wares would be bought at a faster rate. And there would be no need of searching endlessly through the market, trying to find the cheapest price available. Everything would be one and the same.

"The simple answer to our problem is compromise. Those who were, before now, selling at a cheaper rate should increase their prices to the accepted standard. On the other hand, those selling at a higher rate must bring down the prices of their goods as well."

A few of the men at the back began to murmur, but Kabeer raised his voice to drown out their noise.

"However, the best thing to do would be, not to set a fixed price for everything, but to set a fixed 'range' for the price. No one should be allowed to go beyond this fixed range."

There was a collective murmur of consent among the men in the hall. Several men nodded in agreement to what Kabeer had said. A handful of men still shook their heads in disagreement however.

"You have spoken well, Kabeer." Aliyu continued as Kabeer resumed his seat. "That is a very good suggestion you've made, and I think everyone will agree with me that this is the only solution before us."

Three men seated together still shook their head disapprovingly.

"Those in favor of enforcing this suggestion, please indicate by raising your hands." one of the men behind Aliyu said. More than half of the hall raised their hands.

"Very well." Aliyu said. "The council shall discuss with the traders union and agree upon the fixed range of the price. Now, moving on to our next agenda, which is the establishment of a proper site for refuse disposal."

And so the meeting continued for two long hours. A few arguments broke out every few minutes, but they quickly died down as the meeting progressed. Kabeer tapped his feet impatiently as the meeting progressed. His eyes were fixed on the door at the other end of the room. The man standing guard at the door was watching each of the men closely, his small eyes sweeping the hall every few seconds.

Finally, the meeting was concluded just a minutes to Magrib prayer. Several men sighed in relief as they signed their name on the sheet being passed round and rushed out of the hall. Through the collective chaos of several men exiting the hall, no one noticed a handful of men moving towards the guarded door and slipping inside.

Each man paused for a few seconds before the guard allowed them to enter the room. When it was Kabeer's turn, the guard stared down his nose at him.

"Aseaa 'iilaa 'almae alnujum fi alsama'." the guard said in a low whisper to Kabeer.

"Almae alnujum hu al'akthar wuduhaan eind al-fajr." Kabeer replied in the same quiet whisper. The guard stepped aside and allowed him to pass.

The room he entered was a small, dimly lit room with only a long table of twelve in the middle. Most of the men were seated already, while Aliyu was standing with another old looking man, talking in hushed tones at the other end of the room. Kabeer took his honorary seat beside the head of the table, where Aliyu always sat.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Aliyu turned to face them as his companion took his seat as well.

"Gentlemen, I've just been informed of a very grave news." he said. The room fell quiet immediately. All twenty two eyes were fixed on Aliyu as he continued.

"I've just been informed that Siddiq has been murdered earlier today." he said slowly as a collective gasp rose from all the men.

"Yes." he said quietly. "He was killed this morning at the edge of the market. Abbas here saw the whole thing." he pointed to the man he'd been talking to.

"Does his family know?" one man asked.

"Not yet. But I am sure we all know on whose orders he was killed." he said, anger flashing through his eyes.

The image of Fareed flicked through Kabeer's mind.

"We mustn't relent." Aliyu continued. "We must carry out the duty which was handed down to us by our fathers. I believe Siddiq's unfortunate death should serve as a reminder to each and everyone of us of how important our mission is."

"The jewels." the other man beside Aliyu said, facing Kabeer. "Have you recovered them?"

"I've set my best men to the task." Kabeer said confidently. "I believe they must have recovered them by now."

Several men were impressed by this news.

"Where did you instruct them to take the jewels once they are recovered?" Aliyu asked.

"To the safe location you and I discussed about earlier." Kabeer said.

"Excellent." Aliyu said. "For now, do not make any attempt to move them. They should remain where they are. We shall check on them once the dust has settled. Now, Fareed..."

It was as though an electric current had surged through the room at the mention of his name. Several men flinched, while others bared their teeth in a bloodthirsty manner. Almost everyone clenched their fists.

"We have to find a way to put an end to him, once and for all." Aliyu continued as if he hadn't noticed anything, though there was a definite coldness in his voice as he spoke. "For too long, he has tampered with our plans. Like a thorn sticking out of the path, he's sought to thwart our plans for as long as I can remember. We cannot let this continue. We must find a way to end him."

"I can have my men ambush him at the mansion." the man facing Kabeer spoke. "My men are highly skilled."

"Don't be stupid." Kabeer said. "We all know that mansion is impregnable. Besides, your men would be outnumbered ten to one if they were to enter the mansion."

"You speak as though you've been inside it before." the man said. Kabeer paused for a brief second, before he said "I have."

The gasp that followed was more pronounced than the previous one.

"You - You have?" Aliyu was astonished.

"Yes I have. Today, in fact." Kabeer said, relishing the feeling of having everyone's attention.

"How?" several men asked together. Kabeer quickly explained the circumstances which led to his visit to the Al-ghala mansion. When he finished narrating his tale, the man beside him clapped him on his back.

"That is very good, Kabeer. I am impressed." Aliyu nodded at him. "You shall meet Abbas after this meeting and tell him every single detail you can remember about the inside of the mansion. Abbas, you shall draw a plan of the building and hand it over to me."

Both Kabeer and Abbas nodded eagerly.

"Now gentlemen, I must remind you all that these are dangerous times. The signs which we have been warned of are beginning to manifest. Now, more than ever, we need to exercise caution. I would advice that none of us should travel alone anymore. It is important that we watch each other's backs and be our brothers keepers.

"The Jewels, are the key to everything. Once we have them before us, all our problems shall be resolved. I choose to believe that before this month is over, Insha Allah, we would have fulfilled out duties once and for all.

"Many of our comrades have fallen during the course of their duties. It is important that we remember their sacrifice, in hopes that it will strengthen our own spirits as well. There are things worth dying for." Aliyu finished.

Each of the men nodded in agreement, as Aliyu stood up from his seat, a sign that the meeting had ended. Everyone else stood up as well.

Meanwhile, several miles away, a pair of stormy-gray eyes were peering out the window, narrowed to mere slits. Fareed was standing in his study, gazing down at the city as the call for Magrib prayer echoed across the streets. He smiled to himself, for at that very moment, his messenger was climbing over the wall of Kabeer household.

*