Disclaimer: I do not own The Wrath and the Dawn. It belongs to Reneé Ahdieh. The dialogue and action in the Khalid/Shahrzad scenes are from the book.
A/N: Big thank you to all of my reviewers, readers, and followers!
I actually don't have really anything to say before this chapter...shocking, I know. Enjoy!
Chapter 13: The Assassins
(Corresponds with Chapter: Someone Who Knows of The Wrath and the Dawn, pages 302 - 316)
The pounding in his head was growing stronger with every passing minute. Beads of sweat began dripping down the sides of his face, and his vision had started to become blurry from the exhaustion, making him unable to focus on anything.
It was very late in the night. Finding himself restless and in need of some fresh air, Khalid decided to leave his room. Since it was so late, he didn't even bother putting on a qamis. No one else would be awake and wandering around the palace except for the few soldiers standing guard outside various rooms. As usual with just about everywhere he went, he brought his shamshir with him as he strolled down the corridor to a balcony that overlooked one of the gardens.
He had hoped the walk and the evening air would help ease his agonizing aches.
It did not.
Looking around at all the bushes and flowers in the moonlight, he exhaled slowly and prayed for the pain to stop. But it seemed like the pounding in his head was only getting worse, and he felt like he could no longer think of anything at all.
It had been nearly two months since he last slept, and he could certainly feel the toll it was taking on his body. But he would continue to deal with it. He had no choice. Monsters didn't deserve an easy life. They were only entitled to constant misery.
After standing outside for a few minutes, he proceeded to make the slow trek back to his chamber. As he turned the corner, he didn't notice at first the thumping sounds coming from a nearby corridor, having assumed it was only the hammering in his head.
It wasn't until he heard the panicked shrieks coming from the direction of Shahrzad's room that he realized it wasn't all in his mind.
Bolting toward the corridor that led to Shahrzad's chamber, he found a terrified and trembling Despina racing away from the room, calling out for Jalal. Upon seeing Khalid approach, Despina quickly stopped herself.
"Shahrzad...Shahrzad's..." was all Despina managed to get out as she was out of breath. Khalid didn't need her to say anymore as he finally looked around him and saw the splatters of blood on the marble floors and the mutilated bodies of the multiple guards who lined the corridor, including the two who had been standing post outside of Shahrzad's room.
Unsheathing his shamshir, he ran to her room and his heart began pounding harder than his head had been that evening. It felt as if all the air had left his lungs.
I can't...I can't be too late...please don't let me be too late!
Stepping over the two guards' bodies, he thrusted the doors to Shahrzad's room open and found a terrifying sight waiting for him.
His Shazi was being held against the wall by a man clad in dark clothing. His arm was pressed against her neck, and she was kicking him, trying to break free.
He heard footsteps rapidly approach him from his left. Without hesitation, he slashed his shamshir across the figure's body, causing the man to fall to the ground with a thud.
Those who broke into Shahrzad's room would not make it out alive tonight, Khalid was certain. There would be no negotiating.
Suddenly, he heard Jalal's voice call out from behind him. "Take Khalid out of here!"
Khalid saw Vikram out of the corner of his eye step forward with his talwar out, but made no move to escort him away. He knew better. Waving his own sword, Khalid began heading toward Shahrzad and discovered there were at least eight men with their swords drawn. And they were all blocking his way to her.
Vikram took the lead to battle the dark figures, while Khalid and Jalal fought beside him. Their swords cut through the air, clanging against their enemies' before finally slitting their bodies. The figures began falling to the ground as life left them.
As he fought, Khalid's eyes flicked back to Shahrzad every moment they possibly could, making sure her captor wasn't injuring her any further or taking her away from the palace. Seeing the man's hands on her fueled his rage, and his slashes across the dark figures became more fierce and relentless.
"Khalid Ibn al-Rashin!" the captor's voice called out from near the entryway to the terrace as Khalid delivered the fatal blow to the last of the intruders, with the exception of Shahrzad's detainer. Blood sprayed across Khalid's bare chest, but he wasn't phased.
He instantly strode in Shahrzad's direction, his fury swelling with each step as he saw his Shazi's tear-filled eyes while the man held her by the roots of her hair.
This man would pay terribly for this.
But as he neared, the man pulled on her hair more tightly, causing Shahrzad to let out a cry. Khalid immediately stopped.
The captor began to laugh as he brought out a dagger and placed it against her neck.
Khalid's heart threatened to burst from his chest. He saw the man whisper something to her, but he couldn't hear what he said. He could only hear Shahrzad's response.
"I don't beg. Especially to dead men."
"And the mighty Caliph of Khorasan?" the man asked loudly. "Does the King of Kings have any pleas?"
Fires of anger flared within him and he continued his journey to Shahrzad, raising up his shamshir.
"Don't move, you bastard son of a whore! Or I'll slice a maggot hole across her throat. You can watch her die, just like your mother."
Khalid stopped instantly.
The terror, the horror...those haunting memories of that day flooded back to him. The day his world fell apart…
The blood...the screams...His mother's lifeless body left laying in pools of crimson...
If he had to witness such a thing happen to Shahrzad, he wouldn't be able to go on living.
It couldn't happen. He would not let it happen.
He brought down his bloodied shamshir to his side.
"I will kill you for that," he heard Shahrzad tell the man. Her captor just laughed at her.
"What do you want?" Khalid softly asked. He would do anything to end this. Anything to make Shahrzad safe again.
"Drop your weapon."
Without even thinking about it, Khalid did as he asked, and his shamshir clattered to the ground.
The man grinned and gestured to Jalal and Vikram. "Tell them to drop their weapons."
"Stop it!" Shahrzad shouted.
Khalid kept his eyes focused on the dagger that was against Shahrzad's neck. When Khalid remained silent, trying to quickly develop a plan to get out of this tragic mess, the man pressed the dagger closer to her neck.
Khalid would not risk her life. Never. He wouldn't take any chances. He had no choice.
"Jalal. Vikram. Do as he says," Khalid ordered them, resigned to follow the man's demands.
"Khalid!" Shahrzad exclaimed, but Khalid refused to look at her. He couldn't bear to see the terror in her eyes while she pleaded for him to not listen to this man. He needed her to understand that he wouldn't be able to live without her. He would not let her die because of him.
"Don't do this. Jalal, don't listen to him. You can't - " Shahrzad was cut short by her captor.
"Say one more word, and I'll make certain it's your last." He moved his hand that was holding her chin up over her mouth. As he did so, Shahrzad bit down on his hand, causing him to let out a yelp. She then banged her elbow into his body as the man's dagger dragged across her neck. His heart racing, Khalid sprinted forward and pulled her body tightly against his, away from her captor. Momentary relief came over him at having Shahrzad in his arms again.
Vikram threw the man down to the ground, and Jalal came up to him to knee him in the chest. Jalal then used his sword's hilt to pound against his jaw.
"In what world did you think you could get away with this? To my cousin? To my family?" Jalal shouted as his continued to beat his face.
"Enough!" Khalid yelled out, bringing dead silence to the room. Picking up his shamshir from the floor, he let it scrape with a screech against the floor.
Jalal then walked over to Shahrzad's side, and Vikram backed away.
Khalid approached the man's bloodied body. This evening's events were all Khalid's fault, and he was the one who needed to make it right by being the one to administer the punishment.
Towering above him, Khalid placed the shamshir against his throat. "She was right. You are a dead man. But I'm willing to discuss degrees of pain."
This man had to suffer for what he had done to Shahrzad and for the torture Khalid had to endure watching him hold her captive.
The man just laughed.
"Who sent you?" Khalid asked him in a deathly whisper.
"Someone who wants to see you suffer."
"Tell me, and I will spare you a measure of the pain you greatly deserve."
The man began to cough from the blood falling down his throat. "Do you think I fear you, boy?"
"I will ask you one last time. Then the answer will be torn from your lips."
"You think to thwart the hands of fate? No matter how long you try to fight it, you will pay the price, Khalid Ibn al-Rashid," he said with a pointed look at Shahrzad.
"We are now past words. In this, I am definitely my father's son." He allowed his sword to cut into his throat, and it began to bleed.
The man just continued to laugh. "You wish to know who sent me, mighty King of Kings? I'll tell you. Someone who knows."
Choking on his own blood, he then lifted his neck up to slide it against the blade.
Khalid stared down at him, taking deep breaths.
Someone who knows...but who could possibly know?
Vikram came forward to observe the dead man's body. Pulling up one of his shirt sleeves, he found the drawing of a scarab.
"A Fida'i dog," Vikram murmured with disgust.
Khalid stared at the mark.
Assassins. They were hired assassins. How could this have happened? How could they have gotten inside the palace? Who paid them to do it?
Letting out a frustrated grunt, he hurled his shamshir toward the doors.
"What?" Shahrzad asked.
"The Fida'is. Hired mercenaries. Assassins," Jalal answered.
How would Khalid ever be able to find out who hired them? Was it his Uncle Salim? But how could he possibly know? How could anyone?
"My God. You're bleeding," Khalid suddenly heard Jalal say, taking him away from his thoughts. He whipped around to face Shahrzad and immediately picked her up in his arms. Shahrzad began insisting she was fine and pleaded for him to put her down, but he would not have it. He refused to listen to her. It was his fault she was hurt, and he needed to fix her.
Jalal and Vikram followed them as they left the room. When Khalid stepped through her doorway, he knew Shahrzad saw the lifeless bodies.
"They're all dead," he said solemnly while looking straight ahead. "Every guard in this corridor is dead."
Shahrzad tightened her grasp around Khalid's neck. As he carried her around the corner, the general and a group of soldiers came crashing through a set of doors.
"Is she hurt?" the shahrban demanded to know.
"I'm fine. Really, I am," Shahrzad replied.
"She's wounded," Jalal interjected.
"It's not bad. Put me down. I can walk."
Khalid continued to refuse to listen. He wouldn't look at her. All he cared about was getting her to his chamber and tending to her wound. He would not let his injured Shazi utilize any more energy and strength to move.
"I can walk, Khalid," she repeated, but he just ignored her and kept on walking. The soldiers joined them, lighting their way with torches.
Shahrzad finally surrendered to Khalid's wishes as she leaned against his chest. Khalid secured his grasp on her.
Stopping when they reached the doors to his antechamber, he turned to one of the soldiers. "Guards are to stand post here and at the doors leading to my chamber until further notice. Be advised - if there is the slightest breach at either entrance, you will answer to me," Khalid stated menacingly.
One of the guards nodded in understanding before opening the door for them. Khalid carried her through the antechamber, followed by the threshold of the second set of doors to his room, where he finally sat Shahrzad down on his bed.
Going over to his cabinet, he pulled out some strips of linen and a small jar of salve. On his return to the bed, he also grabbed the pitcher of water that was sitting on his desk.
Kneeling on the ground before her, he smoothed her hair back to examine her injury.
"I told you. It's not bad. It can't be much worse than a scratch," Shahrzad told him.
But her perfect skin wasn't supposed to be marred by a scratch at all. She wasn't supposed to be touched at all, let alone by an assassin!
This was all his fault. Taking a piece of cloth and wetting it, he put it against the scratch to wipe away the blood.
Why did he let her volunteer? Why did he go through with the marriage? Why did he have to fall for her?
Seeing that assassin's hands on her and being left unable to do anything but obey his demands brought him complete and utter agony. He hated it.
How could this happen? How did they even break into the palace?
He placed another piece of cloth in the water, but was disrupted from his train of thought when Shahrzad took the cloth away from him and laid it against his face to wipe away the blood.
His eyes finally met hers as he allowed her to clean him.
His precious Shazi...how could he endanger her? How could he fail to protect her?
She brought the cool, damp cloth to his chest. Once his body was cleaned, Khalid leaned his forehead against hers and took hold of her hands.
"I want to send you away. To a place where none of this can touch you," he said softly.
She leaned away from him, looking appalled. "Send me away? As if I were a thing?"
"No. That's not what I meant."
"What did you mean, then?"
"I meant that I cannot keep you safe. From anything."
"And your answer to that is to send me away?" she indignantly said in a quiet voice.
"My answer is not an answer. It is a willingness to do whatever it takes - even something as distasteful as sending you from my side."
"And you expect me to obey? To go wherever you command?"
"I expect you to trust me."
"You should know I will not take kindly to you treating me like a possession," she said with a frown.
"I have never treated you like a possession, Shahrzad."
"Until you spoke of sending me away."
Why didn't she understand? He just wanted her to be safe.
He brought his hands down to her waist. "You're my wife. They are hurting you because of me."
"They? Do you mean the Fida'is?" she paused. "Who are they? To whom do they pledge loyalty?"
"To whoever can pay their price. Loyalty ebbs and flows with the tide; gold does not. The men who hire them have little to offer beyond that."
"And you think it will help if you yield to such men?"
"I don't care what they think as long as you're safe."
"You should care. It's time to start caring. You cannot continue to rule this kingdom in such a callous manner."
But didn't she see that would be impossible for him to do? He was divided...between his kingdom and the queen of his heart.
"You speak as though you understand. As though you know."
"You're right. I understand nothing. I know nothing. And whose fault is that?" Frustrated, she pushed his chest away from her to get up, and she started heading for the door.
Why couldn't she just accept the fact that it's better for her to be ignorant?
"I've told you why," he said as got up off the floor. "It is not safe for you to know these things. To know - "
"To know what?" She asked as she turned around. "To know you? As if I could ever hope to achieve such a thing. Yet, like a fool, I've wanted to learn. To understand what pains you, what brings you joy. But I remain ignorant of even the most trivial of things. I don't know your favorite color. What foods you detest. What scent brings to mind a treasured memory. I know nothing, because you fight me every step of the way."
What did she want him to do? He wasn't ready for her to know his past. He didn't want her to be burdened with his problems.
"I don't know what you want from me, Shahrzad. I only know I can't give it. Not now."
"It does not have to be so difficult, Khalid-jan. My favorite color is violet. The scent of roses makes me feel at home, wherever I am. I do not enjoy fish, but will eat it to make a loved one happy, suffering through my smiles."
What was he to do? To truly know him would bring her even more pain.
When he said nothing in reply, she let out a annoyed sigh before heading for the door. "Goodnight," she said.
But Khalid was not willing to let her go away. He would not let this horrific night end like this. Quickly striding toward her, he put his arm up against the door to keep her from exiting.
"What do you want me to do?" he murmured.
She continued to look at the door instead of at him. "Prove that a real man doesn't make a show of what's his. It just is."
"Is it? Are you mine?" he asked, because he honestly couldn't tell with her.
"I told you; don't try to own me."
All he wanted was for her to be his equal who stood at his side!
"I don't want to own you."
She finally faced him. "Then never speak of sending me away again. I am not yours to do with as you will."
This whole time, he suddenly realized, he had been saying it all wrong. She wasn't his...
"How right you are. You are not mine. I am yours." He took his hand off of the door.
Shahrzad stared at him for a long moment before finally lifting her hands to caress his face. He couldn't handle it when she touched him...he would unravel and lose all control. He still wasn't even sure if she wanted this. Was she only tempting him to get answers from him like the last time? He closed his eyes in an attempt to restrain himself.
She then brought up her hands to his brow and then ran them through the curls of his hair before sliding them down to his neck. He opened his eyes, wondering how much longer he'd be able to resist her…
"Why won't you touch me?" she questioned him wistfully.
After a deep breath, he replied. "Because if I start, I won't stop."
She brought her hands down to his chest. "Who asked you to stop?"
"What if I can't give you the answers you want?"
"Then give me this," she stated before reaching up to press her lips against his. He didn't deserve this. He tried so hard to resist, but when she let her tongue linger on his bottom lip, he found that he could not. Putting his hands on her waist, he pulled her up against his body. He pushed her up against the door as he returned her kisses, and she encircled her arms around his neck.
He was so absorbed in the moment, he didn't even hear the knock coming from the other side of the door.
"Khalid," she said breathlessly while he placed kisses on her neck.
"Sayyidi," a voice said through the door.
"Khalid," Shahrzad said again, this time grabbing hold of his hands to make him stop.
Cursing whoever it was outside the door, he angrily turned the handle.
"Yes," he sternly said upon opening the door up just a crack.
"The shahrban wishes to speak with you. Captain al-Khoury may have determined how the intruders gained entry into the palace."
With a nod, he closed the door.
He ran his palm against his the side of his face. He really didn't want to leave her…to deny her again after their argument over his secrets...but these were important matters…
She was still leaning her back against the door. "Go," she instructed him.
But...he didn't want her to go…didn't want her to think that she wasn't the most important thing in his life. "I - "
"Don't worry. I'll stay here."
Relief washed over him.
"Thank you." As he went to open the door, he stopped to smile.
"What is it?" She asked as she gave him a puzzled look.
"It's a fitting punishment for a monster. To want something so much - to hold it in your arms - and know beyond a doubt you will never deserve it."
Then he left the room.
A/N: So FYI, after this part in the book, there is a section from Khalid's perspective when he talks to Jalal and Jalal gets all mad that he risked his life and also tells Khalid that it's time to tell Shahrzad everything. Then Khalid returns to his room, has a freakout moment, and the faqir comes. I'll make sure to recap this at the beginning of the next chapter too, haha.
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