Chapter Seven
Ali steadied himself against the wall, the room spinning only slightly less than it had been earlier. His dark eyes focused on the door as the soft knock came from it and Mikhail slipped in. The elder man seemed to look over the younger with a critical eye.
"They found something?" Ali asked at last, unable to contain his welling curiosity. If the spies had found something, it would make their job that night so much easier.
"How do you feel?"
"If you do not answer I will go out myself," the younger man growled.
"They've found him."
"Where?" He could not hide the anxiousness from his exhausted voice.
"A villa. About two hours travel if taken by quick horses."
"Then we'll leave now."
"Ali, your brother would never forgive me if I allowed something to happen to you."
Ali stopped as he was moving past his brother's good friend, his dark eyes burning. "I will not stay behind while the Turks torture my brother to death. He will not speak for them and they will kill him if we do not hurry."
Mikhail looked down at his dusty boots. "No man can hold out forever."
"Mahmoud would not tell them anything!" Ali growled harshly. "He is not just any man."
They'd left without another word between them, taking the quickest horses the village could provide. Ali remembered little of the two hours it took to get there. He vaguely remembered that his horse, while quick on his feet, was easily spooked and had tried to throw him not once, not twice, but three times on the journey. He'd succeeded only once.
Ali did not remember the grandeur of the hellhole that they came upon. It was amazingly tall with walls all around it and a beauty that was not often found in the desert. He did not remember how they got past the guards or how his knife had grown so dark with blood. He only remembered Mahmoud and the first sight of his brother.
Mahmoud Hazr was chained to the wall of a small room, only a single candle burning in the corner lit his face which was half turned to the wall. His entire body was bruised, turning an ugly shade of blue and purple. His hands were limp in the chains, one finger on his left hand at an odd angle that made Ali cringe at the sight. His shoulder looked as if it had been painfully jerked out of its socket and the bruising proved more than one rib to be cracked or broken.
Mikhail swallowed a gasp of horror. "Hurry," was all he could say and motioned for Ali to move to his brother.
"Mahmoud?"
A set of chocolate coloured eyes fluttered open slowly and the elder of the brothers looked up. "Ali…?" he murmured, still not turning.
A smile tugged the other's lips, though it be one of worry. "Yes. You look terrible, you know that?"
"I feel terrible."
Ali knelt by his elder brother, slipping a stolen key into the chains and easing the other from them. Mahmoud groaned softly as he fell from them, limp in his grasp. "Mahmoud?"
The elder man finally turned to look at his rescuer and Ali saw the jagged gash down the left side of his face that had his eye swollen nearly shut and blood soaking the dark skin. The headstrong man felt himself shudder and pull his brother to him protectively, vowing quietly to kill whoever was responsible. Not one of them would flee. Not on this night.
"Ali…no," Mahmoud commanded quietly. "You must not… I…thought I'd lost you… You will not…" He was gasping between his words and Mikhail helped Ali pull him up and to his feet between them.
"Leaving so soon, the three of you?" Acar's taunting voice echoed behind them. He stepped from the shadows and a smirk was on his face. In his hand was a pistol. "Look at you! You are a persistent one, are you not? From what I hear, it runs in your family's bloodline."
Ali turned to Mikhail, a silent request in his eyes before the latter took Mahmoud's full weight. The younger Hazr brother turned to the Turk who had chased them relentlessly. "Be thankful that I do not have the time to kill you properly," he growled.
"To kill me properly!" Acar mocked. "Yes, you might try."
"Go on, Mikhail," Ali said sternly, leaving no room for debate. He watched the retreat wordlessly and then turned back to find the Turk smiling horribly.
"I know more than you'd expect," he said as if picking up a friendly conversation. "Though not from your dear brother. He was rather tight-lipped about your affairs. Oh well… The next session would have broken him."
"You know nothing of my brother."
"I know he is an Englishman," Acar said confidently, waiting for a reaction from the younger Hazr. He frowned when he received none. "And you as well, is that wrong?"
"Very."
"Not a good Christian Englishman?" the Turk asked mockingly.
Ali shrugged. "I've never been a good anything, much less that." There was no warning by his movements or forewarning by his eyes. The slightly smaller man had launched himself at Acar before either knew what was going on and the Turk was against the wall with a knife against his throat, blood seeping in a thin line. "I hate you."
"I'm sure you do."
"I will kill you."
"Yes, but you hear them as well, don't you? I'm no fool, Ali Hazr. My men are coming and if you don't leave this instant no one will get out alive. Not you. Not your elder brother. Not your foolish friend Mikhail the Druse. I am no fool."
Ali gritted his teeth together and was gone in a flash of swirling colours, leaving Acar watching him with a smirk upon his features. "You'll not be rid of me for good," he murmured to himself.
Violet Russell: You changed your name! I looked on this and was very confused at first. Hope I did alright in this chapter! Thanks for reviewing so faithfully!
Estriel: I don't know how I do them well b/c I'm always frightened half out of my wits when I start a new fandom that I won't get them in character. Lol… So no real tips, terribly sorry! Thank you for reviewing
Kerowyn: Thank you for the spelling help. I'm a horrible speller… Spell check is my friend and it failed me that once. :sigh:
AnnaMaxwell: I know you're reading this! REVIEW, ANNA-CHAN :P
HOPE IT WASN'T TOO SHORT!