Definitions:

Fajr = morning prayer at dawn.

Two

She cupped water in her hands and splashed her face; refreshed as the chill sunk into her skin. Looking into the mirror, she could see the tension built in her expression. She watched droplets trickle from her face and fall. When she blinked, one slid from her lashes and trailed from her cheek to rest at her chin.

The stranger from yesterday had been no ordinary man. By just looking at his attire and armor, she assumed he had to be an Assassin. What else could those daggers and bracers indicate to? She shivered at the thought of the weapons actually killing another person.

"I fed a killer yesterday," she muttered to herself soundlessly. Perhaps she should have mentioned her suspicions to her father after all.

She froze when she heard rustling outside. Footsteps grew louder as they approached the washing room. The door closed firmly behind the source; it was Maher, her pushy cousin.

"Why look into the mirror, dear cousin?" Maher's voice resonated through the room. "It's not going to make you any prettier, you know."

"Peace upon you, Maher," Esma said to her cousin's reflection in the mirror and made sure to ignore his remarks. Why did he close the door? She threw a glance over her shoulder to look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Peace upon you as well, Esma!" He strode towards her as he brushed a light brown lock out of his face. "Silly cousin. I'm here to help out Uncle! You should know that," he retorted while dipping his hand in the water. "Did you do Fajr today?"

Esma backed up and reached for a towel. "This early in the morning?" She slightly frowned. "And of course I did Fajr. Did you?"

"I couldn't get up. You should wake me up next time," he winked at her.

Ugh,Esma thought in disgust. Maher's winks were the worst: indecent and unwanted. "If the Lord wills it," she answered languidly, "but you should take your prayers more seriously."

"Oh, what's one prayer. It'll be fine." He looked himself over in the mirror and gave his reflection a charming smile. Esma pressed her lips together in wear as she watched her cousin. Such a vain man. She shook her head in disapproval and quickly continued to the kitchen.

Her father was already busy getting the dough in the oven. When he noticed her coming in, his face instantly brightened. "Peace upon you, my dear! I hope you slept well."

"May peace be upon you as well, Father. I did, thank you. Did you let Maher in so early on in the day?" She made a waving gesture to the washing room and refrained herself from pulling a face.

"Couldn't really let him stay outside, could I?" Maghrub chuckled. "Don't look so gloom, Esma. He's a good son. May the Lord reward him."

Esma sighed. Aside from Maher's daily share of annoyances, her father was probably right; he was always willing to help her father after all.

"Anyway, Esma, I need you to bring some freshly slaughtered sheep. Maher will help you carry, but make sure to be careful, because there is another execution today by Majd Addin at the plaza." Maghrub suddenly seemed worn out at the thought of the tyrant Majd Addin performing his 'justice'. His eyes lifelessly grazed the cutting board before him before he snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at his daughter. "Be careful. It might be crowded on your way." He spoke with a gentle, but tired voice.

"Ah yes," Esma nodded and hesitantly looked at her father, fearing to see that tired expression of his again. But he was smiling like it didn't affect him anymore. "I almost forgot the executions." Esma averted her eyes and unconsciously clenched her fists. That sorry man; judgment cast upon him not by the Lord he committed it to.

"Did I hear Majd Addin?" Maher said as he walked into the room. "Who is he accusing of crimes they have not committed today?"

"I don't know," Maghrub curtly answered. "I don't want to busy myself with what that man does."

Esma sighed with a quiet prayer in thought for the accused. "May the almighty Lord guide the innocent".

She took a few of the freshly baked breads and handed one to Maher. Maher was taken by surprise by his cousin's sudden act of generosity, but he happily accepted the food nonetheless. "Thank you, cousin!"

"Don't mention it. Don't want you to starve to death while you're here."

"Achmed's has really good sheep," Maghrub said as he wiped his hands dry to his apron. He pulled out his pouch and counted the coins he needed for the trade. "It doesn't need to be big, just pick one that is fit and take it to the butcher." He handed his daughter the coins.

Esma dropped them in her own pouch and looked up to Maher. "Shall we go then?"

"Whenever you're ready," Maher replied with his mouth full.

الله أكبر

From afar Esma could already see the wide crowd that had gathered around the execution plaza. As they drew closer she could see that some people were eager to see the "criminals" hanging, while others protested loudly against Majd Addin's quick judgment. There were four people tied to the rack; none of them really looked like a high rated criminal, except the first man who wore something that resembled an armor. Then again, how did one know how a criminal looked like? An old lady caught her eye, she was the last one in the row and had her head hung low in defeat.

"Unbelievable," Esma muttered under her breath, "they even have this old lady for prosecution. Never before did we have so many executions as now. Surely they can't all be criminals."

"I wonder," Maher thought aloud, "Majd Addin couldn't be wrong over all of them. Perhaps one of the four is actually guilty. Like the first one, he doesn't look all too righteous." Esma turned to look at her cousin.

"Weekly executions? That's just plain madness. By the Lord we were born and by the Lord we will return. That's how it should—"

"BAAAH!"the young sheep on the leash bleated, drawing its owners' attention.

Maher grinned and leaned in towards his cousin. "It seems our child can't wait to go the butcher."

Esma moved out of his way and ignored his remark. "You are right. It's not like we contribute anything by watching Majd Addin perform the executions. If anything, he probably feels even more powerful to have gathered such a wide crowd." When she turned to continue her way, Maher suddenly grabbed her arm, his fingers pressing into her smooth skin firmly.

"Hey Esma," he said in a husky voice while he pulled her towards him, ignoring her reluctant stance. "I have something to ask you."

The sheep bleated again, but was ignored this time.

Esma blinked and looked into Maher´s eyes. "What is it?" she asked with a less steady voice than she had intended. Something about him unnerved her, perhaps it was the look in his eyes; they had a different kind of glint in them than usual. She tried to pull her arm back, but Maher's grip was too strong. "Will you let go, please? I dislike you touching me."

"This counts as touching you?" Maher asked incredulously. "I'm barely touching you, cousin. Now listen, I want to know why you are acting so distant with me. You are evading me."

"What?" Esma uttered in dismay. "What are you going on about?" She tried to pull away, but Maher was surprisingly stubborn. "We shouldn't make a scene on the streets," she hissed.

"There's no need to make a scene," Maher retorted with a hard squeeze in her arm. "It's just a simple question!"

"You're hurting me," Esma retorted with a glare. As she figured he would not let go until she gave him an answer, she began to explain, "I am not acting distant with you and I'm certainly not evading you. I am here at the plaza with you right now, aren't' I?" She clawed at his hand with her hand that was holding the sheep's leash, but it was to no avail. "You should be ashamed of yourself: acting this disrespectful towards your own cousin!"

Maher squeezed in her arm again in response, making her flinch in pain. "I run around all the time to help you get things done. I think it's you who doesn't respect me! Why won 't you show some gratitude?"

"You mean this? Aren't we running errands for father? He's your uncle! If you can't do something sincerely without wanting something in return, then I'd prefer you not help at all!"

"Tell that to your father! See what he'll do without me!"

All of a sudden someone shoved Maher's back powerfully, causing the young man to stumble forward and hit to the ground. Esma gasped in surprise and jerked her head up to see a man dressed in white pass them. In a flash she recognized the dangerous attire and the strong body build: it was without a doubt the same man from yesterday! Fear grasped her heart, but at the same time she wondered in amazement if he had just pushed Maher off her. She stared after him in astonishment.

The sheep bellowed in indignation as the man carried himself towards the execution plaza with a calm and confident stride. Esma swallowed dryly. Suddenly it struck her that this man might be out to kill someone in the crowd. With everyone focused on the execution it was a perfect distraction for this man to strike as no one would pay attention around them! She wrapped her hand around her mouth in horror at the prospect.

Maher cursed as he got up, his voice making Esma snap out of her thoughts. She looked down to her cousin, feeling upset over his irrational behaviour and decided to go ahead without him. Unintentionally she followed the hooded man in white to the execution plaza. Her heart raced in her chest and she flicked her gaze around, wondering if any of the guards had noticed him.

The young sheep gave resistance as he was dragged along, making Esma clench her hands around the rope and pull him along with little patience.

Suddenly Maher ran past her, pointing an accusing finger towards his assailant. "Hey stop!" he cried in anger. "Why didn't you stop him, Esma?" he grit out between clenched teeth, but didn't wait for an answer as he continued his pursuit.

"Wait, Maher!" Esma called after him. "He could be... dangerous," she finished in a mumble as Maher was already out of hearing distance. She frowned in worry and watched her cousin run towards the crowd. Suddenly she realized with a start that the man in white was gone. Where did he disappear to so quickly? Had he blend into the crowd? Slightly confused she slowed her tracks, which the sheep seemed grateful for as it stopped resisting.

Maher was such an idiot for rushing after such a suspicious looking person! The man's disappearance probably meant he had not set eye on Maher, but his target must be someone from the crowd. Should she tell her cousin about her suspicions? Would they be able to prevent murder?

She looked up to the stage where the Majd Addin was having his speech. Even if she would mention the man's occupation to Maher, there was no way they were going to find him among the crowd. Making a scene might even get them killed with the corrupt tyrant overlooking the plaza.

The sheep bleated loudly and jerked against the leash, forcing Esma to take a few steps forward. Just as she was about to call Maher, a desperate cry emerged from the crowd. With wide eyes Esma witnessed the mass of people break apart. The fear and panic on the faces of the people made her freeze on the spot. Had she been right? Had the man made his victim among the crowd? Feelings of regret overwhelmed her as she wondered if she could have prevented it by speaking up sooner.

"MAHER!" she yelled. The sheep bleated loudly with her. "Maher, where are you?"

The panicked crowd surged past her. A woman bumped into her and pushed her aside with her flailing arms, carrying an expression of sheer despair on her face. Another person tripped over the leash of her sheep, resulting in the rope being pulled out of her hands in a grating motion. It was just enough force to knock Esma down. She yelped as she fell to the ground, catching her weight with the palms of her hands painfully. Shaking her head she could just catch a hint of white as her sheep disappeared into the frenzied mass.

She defensively raised an arm in an attempt to prevent being trampled by the people and tried to get up, but the pushing of other people made it nearly impossible. Why was everyone in frenzy? Was the murderer on a killing spree?

"Murder! Murder!" It sounded around her. People screamed and stampeded around like there was no tomorrow.

Who had been murdered? Esma's heart beat rapidly in her chest, making her breathing ragged. She tried to get on her feet again, but her long skirt hindered her from doing it quickly. Someone bumped against her shoulder, making her stagger on her feet.

"Get out of here before you get killed!"

"What happened?" Esma called out, picking up her skirt as she started to run, following the woman that had addressed her.

"Majd Addin has been assassinated! Right in front of everyone's eyes!" the woman said out of breath.

"What? Majd Addin was killed?" Esma exclaimed in shock. That was a completely unexpected answer! She threw a glance over her shoulder, trying to make out what had happened to the remaining crowd. There wasn't much to see except for running people and even disassembled guards. The guards seemed confused as some were even trying to climb up the buildings. "Who killed him?" Esma gasped as she turned back to the woman.

"It was a tall man dressed in a white, hooded robe; couldn't see his face at all! Obviously someone like him wants to stays anonymous!" She snickered over her own remark.

Esma's breath faltered. How anyone could even manage a smile at a time like this was beyond her grasp. The description the woman had given fitted the man from yesterday perfectly. Was he the one who had killed Majd Addin? By the Lord, killed...She suddenly felt lightheaded.

How could anyone even have the heart to killanother human being? Then again, Majd Addin did execute innocent people. If this had been the reason that had driven The Brotherhood to assassinate Majd Addin then perhaps The Creed was not as evil as she had initially believed. Though they were still assassins, taking lives in cold blood!

Even if the crowd had not seen his face, she would never forget his features anymore. That well-formed jaw and the straight nose had all belonged to a killer. She would definitely recognize him and this very fact scared her.

Beta reader: Novoux