Chapter 51: Somewhere In the Desert
Amora had only been to Arabia once before. Back when they were all tribes and before the Djinn had come in the form of Islam. Then as now she did not like the place. It was far too hot, and she was far too cold blooded for this. She used the ice within her veins to keep herself cool, and ignored the laughter of the wizards next to her. She looked at them and then in the Arabic she knew said. "You are all surprisingly calm for what is about to come." She had thought they would all be terrified, she'd heard stories of what the Djinn had done to the wizards of Arabia the last time.
Hashim, the senior most wizard in this company laughed. And in the broken Arabic he knew replied. "We saw the Djinn and we hid the last time. This time we shall fight and we shall honour our ancestors."
"How did you manage to hide? The histories say the Djinn wiped out every single wizard they came across." Amora asked, she had studied the books in Asgard's library intensively before coming here.
Hashim laughed again. "We used the thing the Djinn scoff at. We used the people. They did not always like the Djinn and so we hid in plain sight. We became the people and so they ignored us. They only sought the fools who were open enough to rebel against them."
Amora nodded, and then asked. "How is it that they became as they did? The Djinn were historically not such religiously motivated creatures in the past." She remembered dealing with Muhammed's grandfather, also named Hashim, he had been an affable fellow.
This Hashim before her sighed. "Something changed. When Muhammed was born things continued as they had always been, but then when he turned fifteen, something changed within him. He met an angel Gabriel who put ideas within his head. We believe that this was the Christian God's attempt to take him away from the path. But of course he went further. He believed that God had spoken directly to him and he converted to a single system. He imbued his system with the blood of the world serpent, and from there he converted others. He spread a message and slew any who stood in his way. Abbad, his best friend became his most loyal lieutenant and ensured that nobody stood in his way."
"And the other Djinn just went along with this?" Amora asked. She could not imagine the Djinn she had met before doing that.
"Some did. They were tired of being summoned for the desert folk or for the Christians. They were tired of being seen as something they weren't. Therefore, they took things into their own hands. Muhammed gave them a message and a purpose and they followed it. Abbad went first then others, and when Muhammed married Ayesha, he brought her family over to his cause." Hashim said, he stopped then as if he was remembering something horrible.
"What did that do?" Amora prompted, hating herself for asking.
Hashim sighed. "Then things got worse. Ayesha was a good girl before her marriage. She said her prayers and she fought and trained. Then she was married or sold to Muhammed, and she was radicalised by him. Some say this was because she wanted to avoid being raped by him again. Others say she became radicalised because he threatened her actual love. Whatever the cause, she became his staunchest ally. She led the rape and sack of Medina and Mecca, and other places. They rebuilt them in her image. Muhammed encouraged her in her depravity and she, his. It became some sort of hellish landscape. When Ayesha died Muhammed broke, worse than when his sons died. Then he had hope, but with her gone, he stopped caring."
Amora looked at the man and asked. "I thought she died after him?"
Hashim laughed. "Oh no, she died long before him. During a fight in the desert somewhere. He used his power to keep her soul alive though. And that was put into the Quran."
That surprised her. "So, what does he want? Muhammed that is. He achieved dominion over Arabia, even now thousands of years later the people here worship him. What more does he want?"
"To bring everything under his control. Everything. Nothing can be left unchecked." Hashim replied.
"Why?" Amora asked.
Hashim sighed. "Because his father promised him it, and because Gabriel promised him it." Hashim took a drink and continued. "He will not rest until everything is under his control, as the final declaration of his strength and he will destroy everyone and everything that gets in his way."
"How does one defeat him?" Amora asked.
"Truly?" Hashim asked.
"Truly." Amora replied.
"Your King will need to come and fight him open battle and destroy him completely with the power of the Old Gods." Hashim said. "Meaning, the thunder must be brought and the love of his life must be sacrificed."
