13| The Creature

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13| T H E   C R E A T U R E

Hayat was almost caught at midnight when she had sneaked into the study chamber of the King. She was told that all the important parchments and records were maintained there.

The guards swapped their duty every twelve hours and there was almost a fifteen minutes respite despite the strict security.

Hayat had only entered the chamber and looked through the first set of drawers which contained a heap of paper piled up meticulously.

She had gone through a few of them when she knew her time was more than over. It was all written in arabic and she didn't know how to read it. She hurried back out of the chamber and the moment she did, the guards had rounded the corner.

She could hear her own heartbeat pounding fast against her chest but she tried to hide it with a smile. The guards had only bowed in respect as they passed her to return to take their position.

The hallway was dark as she walked through it, passing each wIndow and chamber in that corridor.

She had been walking slowly, her heart was returning to it's normal pace when she heard a low guttural voice behind her.

She had turned abruptly and the sight made her lose her balance, she fell back to the ground and began crawling backwards with a screech.

Terror written all over her face.

In front of her, stood a creature she had never seen. It was not human, instead it was a wraithlike dark creature and Hayat knew it because it had no legs, it simply floated on the floor, it was cloaked in black  and in place of his eyes were two pits of blazing fire. It's stature was greyed and decayed looking, like a decomposing corpse, and its breath sounds rattled like it was trying to suck more than air out of a room. Its hands were glistening, greyish, slimy-looking, and scabbed.

Tendrils of shadow halo it's entire outline. They swirl as though alive, caressing it's cloaked skin and dissolving into nothing before reappearing again.

"Help!" Hayat was trembling. Black dots had begun to cloud her vision. She shouted, ignoring the way her stomach had churned into knots.

The creature kept on advancing towards her. "Please! Stop." she squirmed.

"How can you see me?" It's voice was gravelly, nothing like Hayat had ever heard. It was hovering above her as if trying to puzzle a mystery.

When the guards came running into her direction, it didn't disappear instantly, Hayat watched it walk through the walls in hallway until it completely disappeared.

"My lady! What's wrong?" One of the four guards asked out of concern. She had stared at the wall, watched it with a terror stricken face.

She was gobsmacked, the guards seemed to be unfazed even though the creature had floated away from right in front of their nose.

"Didn't you see it?" The guards shared a puzzled look. "What my lady? We don't quite understand you." Hayat had wondered if she had only imagined it all.

No, she hadn't. She had watched the  creature glide through a wall, a solid wall as if it was nothing but a curtain.

With a heavy heart, she had walked back to her room. The guards had only walked behind her in silence.

That night she had nightmares of the creature. She had barely slept and when the dawn had brought cool air and dense fog, Hayat had got up to wear her attire for the training with the general.

She had made a lousy walk from her chamber to the courtyard where she was supposed to have her defense class with Umar.

As she crossed the garden into the open field, her eyes searched for Umar but she couldn't find him.

At this hour in the morning, the courtyard was barely crowded. Umar had been half an hour late.

"I am sorry! I am sorry!" He repeated as he strode towards her in a hurry. Hayat had been sitting on the ground, waiting for him. "You are late the first day." She complained while getting up and brushing off the dirt from the back of her pants.

"Apologies my lady, I had to attend in important meeting with the council." He informed. He had brought two sharp blades along with him and handed one to Hayat.

As soon as Hayat held it, she realised it was very heavy and when she tried lifting it, she knew it would require more strength and stamina to attack the general.

"Early in the morning?" Hayat questioned.

"The entire night." He corrected. So the general had not slept too. It somehow gave Hayat a strange sense of relief.

Now he wouldn't make fun of her incase she was clumsy.

"All good? I mean why would a meeting go on an entire night."

"It was an emergency. There is a bandit who  on a regular basis has been looting the treasures of the kingdom. The trade is being affected. We suspect the rebels are behind it but nobody has exactly seen his face. He has been attacking the nobles on road while travelling. As if it was not enough, there has been constant attack on our batallion on the east side of the border. The king is stressed and so is the emir."

"Why would the emir be stressed out? Isn't the Royal king the one who makes decisions." Hayat wondered.

"No, actually he makes the final decision. Both his sons make suggestions and the King approves of the one he supports. He wants to teach his sons and watch them learn how to tackle these situations. Anyway, you have to be careful about your back and abdomen." Umar pressed his hand to his abdomen. "Be aware and alert at all times." Hayat could only nod her head in understanding.

"Intimidate and do not get intimidated. Here, hold it like this." He corrects her while being careful to not touch her. "Like this?" "Yes!"

"There are basically 8 angles of attack with a sword when cutting - straight down, straight up, diagonally down to the right, diagonally down to the left, diagonally up to the right, diagonally up to the left and left and right strikes horizontally." Umar even demonstrated each position to her and she carefully studied each posture, trying to copy him.

"Let's begin then." Umar moved back and she followed his stance. They moved in a circle. "This is the time when you can actually study your opponent and know what his first attack could be. You have to be prepared to dodge it and before rejoicing in the fact that you dodged it, you have to counter attack him before he is prepared for it." Umar had asked her to attack him first. They had both moved in a circle before Hayat made the most predictable move of an immature fighter. Her hazel eyes were locked on her amber-eyed nemesis.

Umar stepped away from her with a mocking bow. He dodged it like it was a piece of cake and in a lightening like speed attacked her back, his sword turning her's, metal clashing to metal, and within seconds her sword was flying away from her hands before it dropped to the ground.

Hayat had been breathing heavily after repeating the exercise four times. She was very frustrated too.

Umar had only smirked everytime her sword fell to the ground.

"I am not learning anything. I am only losing." Hayat huffed out of exasperation.

The general laughed a hearty laugh. "You will not learn it in a day. Besides, you have strength."

"Is that supposed to be a consolation for losing everytime?" She sighed. "No absolutely not! I say it because I am on the receiving end of your blow." He smiled.

"I need a break." Hayat panted. "Sure." The general wasn't panting at all and Hayat tried to ignore it. They began to drink water that a khadim had been holding for them all this while.

Hayat rubbed her face with the towel that he'd offered her. "Ready again?"

"Yes but this time you attack first." Hayat ordered. "You won't be able to defend yourself." Umar warned her but she shrugged it.

She had watched attentively but the general was so fast that she couldn't perceive it. She tried to move back to save herself from the impact but instead ended up tripping over a stone and falling on the ground.

"Umar!" Called out Tayyab. Hayat's gaze had instantly found him, behind Umar. To his right was an older gentleman whose carriage and countenance were distinctly reminiscent of Umar’s. At his left was a nervous-looking man, clutching an armful of scrolls. Flanking him was a retinue of soldiers and bodyguards, Usman leading them.

Tayyab ambled towards her leaving his courtiers alone.

For a perilous beat, Hayat considered turning her sword towards him. At this distance, she knew she could hit him. But the sword was not very sharp—meant only for target practice.

It might not kill him.

She didn't pick her weapon.

It’s not worth the risk.

As he drew near, she willed her heart to cease its irrational pounding. If she intended to conquer this monster, she had to first quell all fears of him. Quickly.

He stopped several paces before her.

And turned to Umar.

“General, may I speak with you privately.” His voice was deathly quiet.

“Sayyidi.” Umar dipped his head, touching his fingertips to his brow and walked away. Tayyab's eyes shifted to her with dispassion. Hayat watched him take in her appearance—the lack of a mantle, the haphazard knot of hair  and the sweat that trickled down her forehead.

He watched it before moving away to talk to Umar. Hayat couldn't hear what they talked about but she knew Tayyab's face had hardened and Umar had only smirked.

Hayat had gotten up from the ground brushing off the dirt from behind her back for the nth time. After a few seconds, Tayyab glanced her way once before making an about turn to leave.

He left along with his followers.

As the general returned to her with a bright smile casted upon lips, Hayat couldn't help but ask, "What was all that about?"

"Nothing. He was just warning me to be careful with your classes and to ensure that you don't end up hurting yourself. He also wants me to go easy on you and take a few blows to boost your confidence." Umar laughed as if he had cracked up some joke.

Hayat only glowered in response. He thought she was weak.

She'd prove him wrong soon. There was a reason why she had wanted to learn sword fighting from the best warrior in Hudaan, so she could easily defeat Tayyab.

"General, I want to ask you something." Hayat said hesitantly as Umar picked up his sword once again.

"Please call me Umar." He replied.

"Only if you call me Hayat."

"Deal!"

Hayat had wanted to ask him about the ghost or the creature or whatever it was that she'd seen in the hallway. "Is the east wing haunted?" Umar laughed so hard, it made her groan in irritation.

"No absolutely not. Why would you say so?" He asked as soon as he could stop laughing. "Because I saw a creature yesterday. It floated through the walls. I don't know what it was. It didn't have normal eyes. All I could see was fire instead of them." She tried to explain every bit of what she had seen. Umar had gone still as if he couldn't believe it.

"Did it have legs? Were you alone or  Did anyone else see it?" He catechize.

"No. It was as if it was floating a few inches above the ground and I was alone but the guards couldn't see it even when it walked through the wall right in front of them" She responded.

"How is it possible?" Umar questioned to no one in particular.

"Why what's wrong? What was that creature?" She studied him carefully.

"He is Naaf and he belongs to Tayyab.  What's astonishing is that nobody apart from the prince and I can see him." He replied before excusing himself.

"Are you certain that the guards didn't see him?" He turned back to confirm once again. "Yes I am certain." She remembered it discretely that the guards had given no reaction to the creature as it walked through the wall.

"We'll continue tomorrow." He had said before leaving.

Hayat's mind had been swirling with questions as she walked back to her chamber. She didn't know what Umar meant but she had no doubt that he had gone back to Tayyab to inform him.

She was glad that the creature had only seen her when she had rounded the corner to her  wing.

She had taken a bath and felt her aching muscles relax from the warmth of the water.

She had later gone to the kitchen door on the first floor in the evening, and knocked thrice before hearing a footstep nearing the door. She then heard four knocks from the other side of the door, just as it was written. An indication for her to reveal whatever she knew. She leaned on to the door and whispered quietly, "I had been attacked so I couldn't gather a lot of information. I only know that there is a passage way on the terrace of Tayyab's wing that leads to the training ground. I am sure there are more passages in his chamber. I am still looking for the map." She had knocked twice when the message was complete, then she heard the footsteps retreating away from the door.

She had wondered who it could be but didn't come up with anything else.

At night when she had been ready to go off to sleep, her hair braided, her gown switched to her night attire, she heard a knock on her door.

"Yes." Hayat muttered half-way expecting Leila to enter through the door but she was startled to see Tayyab walk in. He stood by her bed, but his eyes looked everywhere other than her.

Hayat lingered on the bed waiting for him to say something. A moment later she realised that it was her nightdress that was inappropriate for he didn't look her way at all. She instantly grabbed a large cushion, the color of bright carnelian. She pulled it against her chest and wrapped her slender arms around its center to hide the transparency of her dress.

He walked around in her bed chamber before turning to her. "Did you eat dinner?" He asked.

“I’m not hungry,” she stated.

He inhaled, and she watched his shoulders move in time with his breath.

Then he returned to the foot of the bed so that they were positioned on opposite ends, as far from each other as possible.

So strange.

"I came to ask you about your day. How was your first day of learning defense?"

"Good, until you came." The edges of the future caliph’s amber eyes tightened, ever so slightly.

"You hate me. Don't you?" His eyes held her gaze firmly. "Can you blame me?" Hayat had replied with a hint of malice in her tone.

She watched Tayyab heave a sigh of breath, "I can't find a safe tutor for you. I've decided to teach you Arabic myself. I'll be sending some papers and stationery everyday. I'll personally teach you whenever I can but if I am not available, I'll send you exercises and If you follow the pattern carefully, you'll learn Arabi in no time." He said and didn't even wait to hear her response, he strode out without even a simple glance her way.

Hayat knew she'd hit a nerve but it only made her smile triumphantly.

She could now learn more about Tayyab and his kingdom from Umar.

And she didn't really have any option when it came to learning arabic. She had to learn it fast if she wanted to gather information from the library and the study chamber of the King.

Hayat rolled on her side and burrowed into the mass of silken pillows. Her bronze ankles dangled off the bed as she fell asleep.

Her mind finally at ease.

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