Aiman shook his head, “Whatever knowledge you have it will remain with you.” Slowly, numbly Aiman rose from his spot on the floor. He turned and began walking out of the house.
“Why in such a hurry young scholar? This is the only way. You won’t find anyone else who will give you the information you seek, whether you are a scholar or not. Allah is just another name for the God of Abraham, is he not? All I ask is for you to swear on something solid, real, substantial, and that which you care about. Why do you refuse? It would be a simple thing, an oath for knowledge. What could be simpler?”
“I will walk in the sight of my God for as long as I can, without shame. I will be true to myself and to his laws as set down in the Quran.”
“Then you’ll die here, never knowing that which you seek. And for what? Your god is the same as the Christians, they swear upon all sorts of things. Why should you be so strict in your beliefs? Why should Muslims wear their burdens like martyrs? Swear on your mother like every other Christian and you shall have what you need.” the old man spat out.
Aiman said through numb lips, “My God does not allow what you ask. We have nothing further to discuss.” He took a few more steps.
“The laws you follow were written by a man, flesh and blood like you and me. Why should your laws be stricter when praising the same God as the Christians and the Jews?”
Aiman knew there was truth to what the old man was saying. His words twisted and wormed their way deep into his brain. He knew them to be half-truths, meant to confuse him. He knew who he was. He wouldn’t let this old man deceive him. But there was truth in his words, Muhammad was a man, a holy man and a great prophet, but a man all the same. It was blasphemy to even speak his name. The old man spoke at least a partial truth.
His legs felt like lead as he forced himself to continue to walk towards the exit, before he heard a loud tired sigh behind him.
“If you truly seek only the location of the village, then Allah be with you.”
Aiman turned slowly, he was still numb from the impossible demands made upon him. He saw the old man looking at him calmly. There was no mirth in his eyes, but there was no malice or hatred either. Aiman replied slowly, “Speak your mind, if you’ve a will to.”
The old man pointed a bony finger towards the north east. “The village was said to be there. On an Island somewhere on the east side of the lake. If there is more to know, it is beyond what I was given. It is good to see one from the west hold the teachings as sacred truths, and our laws unbreakable.” The old man added the last with a small smile.
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Aiman nodded his thanks, “Thank you. May Allah watch over you. Ma'aasalaama.”
Aiman did not wait for a reply. He suddenly felt the need to be very far away from this old man and his village. When he exited, he found his steps hurried. Walking down the street he felt like everyone in the village was watching him. He felt exposed and vulnerable.
He made it to the edge of the village. Glancing behind him he saw several villagers watch after him. Their eyes followed his movements and he felt real danger for the first time. He moved with practiced calm towards his friends.
When he reached them, he didn’t stop but walked by them slowly, “We are being watched. Take up our equipment and supplies and move with me, but do not panic, act calm.”
Tara looked up as if to protest but Acharya silenced her with a glance. In hushed tones he said, “we move.”
The group walked slowly away from the village. They used the hills as much as they could. The villagers probably knew exactly where they would be heading. And there was no telling who would come for them. Their steps slowly increased in speed as the made their way back south.
“If they mean to hunt and kill us,” Aiman said when there was no one within eyeshot, “they will come when darkness falls.”
“Then we will have a nice surprise waiting for them,” Acharya said with a smile. “After all we are who we are, and the night gives us a special advantage.”
“That is not an option,” Aiman said coldly.
“I know Aiman,” Acharya said. “I’m not looking forward to having to kill people to defend ourselves. But *if* it comes to that then they’ll find their throats ripped out and they can bleed out.”
Aiman nodded. He knew that his alpha was right. A true warrior entered the arena knowing himself and having all his weapons at the ready. If they were threatened then the people that did it would find a fight on their hands that they couldn’t win.
For the entire rest of the day, they traveled. Putting distance between themselves and the village. Mary watched Aiman carefully. Something had happened in that village. Their Enforcer was bent forward in a stoic silent determination, which was usual for him. But his shoulders slumped forward, making him look tired and worn. He kept looking up into the sunlight multiple times, staring up into the hot golden orb. She could have sworn that she saw him mutter to himself as well. Was he praying? Whatever had happened to him, whatever was said must have really shaken him.
The group stopped among some trees. Acharya told them all to rest. Tonight, they would move by moonlight, with Asclepius leading them through the darkness. None of them were able to sleep, even with the shade of the trees, the temperature was just too hot. That and how Aiman had been eerily quiet and the concern in Acharya’s manner. They were being hunted, this much was almost a certainty now.
When the sunlight drained from the horizon, they all packed up their gear. Before Aiman or Asclepius could leave, Acharya stopped them with a whisper, “Wait.” He looked at each pack member and nodded. “We’re going into the Whyte Plain.”
This didn’t seem to faze them. “We’ll use it to hopscotch our way back north and then east towards the Kabultiloa ruins. We won’t stay in the Whyte Plain for long, a couple dozen yards at a time. We don’t want to over shoot our goal.” He paused and looked up into the night sky. “Stay sharp everyone, ready?” They all nodded and replied in the affirmative. Acharya took a deep breath and feeling for the membrane between the two planes, he pushed.