Two weeks later, in the afternoon.
A stage was set up in a large, crowded plaza in the heart of Baghdad. It waved the war flag of Mesopotamia and had members of the royal army guarding it.
The war flag had Ishtar riding a lion and shooting her great bow.
The crowd stood around the stage, silent and worried; It's not ordinary to see the royal army present in such a place.
Chatter was heard, and some exchanged rumors as to who it was that would arrive.
A nobleman of the city climbed the stairs of the stage. He wore fancy green robes and a black turban. He was of ordinary height and build and had a beige skin tone.
The man stood proudly before the crowd and greeted them in a deep, loud voice. He told them that the prince was aware of the problems the people faced from the revolutionaries. He told them, "Fear not no more; the prince has a cure for this plague!"
Numair climbed the stairs and walked toward the nobleman as if he was a king in the presence of peasants.
He stood tall before them and said, "Greetings, brothers and sisters! I'm Numair, a military Major. I was sent here by the king and the generals themselves! To rid this great city, the capital of science, the world's wonder from its illness!"
The crowd cheered.
Numair extended his arm to the crowd in a charismatic manner and said, "I know the words of a mere man aren't enough to convince you how solemnly and determined the military is in helping the people of Baghdad."
He pointed to the stage's stairs with an open hand and said, "I beseeched our king to bless us with his aid in this battle, to which his majesty agreed! Let me present to you the warrior given to us by the arrows of Ishtar. Luna-wolf! Also known as the Jinn slayer of the south!"
The crowd cheered louder, though some thought Numair's talk was a bluff as the arrows were rarely seen.
Taz climbed the stage.
She wore dark garments and carried her two swords. She wore her mask and tied the severed head of a revolutionary man to her waist.
It was a fresh kill, apparent from the natural skin tone and the blood dripping on her pants.
She stood before the crowd without saying a word.
The crowd feared her, and their doubts about Numair's introduction disappeared.
Out of the hundreds of men and women that stood around the stage. None was brave enough to utter a word in the presence of the calamity that stood before them.
A calamity disguised as a human.
One look at the mask made men wet themselves out of fear. One look at the severed head made men vomit out of anxiousness.
Yet Taz knew that wasn't enough.
She pulled out her curved sword. The silver blade turned red from blood. With a closer look, the remains of men were in the sticky half-dried blood.
Her feet were coated with lightning and gradually covered her entire body.
The lighting snapped loudly, almost deafening. The luminosity nearly blinded those who gazed at her.
She aimed her hand at the sky and shot a thunderous bolt to end her terrifying entrance.
Numair approached the stage's edge and shouted, "This is a declaration for all revolutionaries. We already killed one of your members, and soon we will have your leader's head! Wherever you may hide Ras Al ghoul! I will find you. That is my pledge to the people!"
The crowd cheered, inspired by Numair's speech and terrified by Taz's gruesome declaration.
Numair and Taz descended the stage and let the nobleman close the announcement.
They went behind the stage, out of sight.
Taz untied the severed head and threw it on the floor.
"Finally, it smelled like shit," Taz muttered.
Numair crossed his arm and said, "After your introduction, you can no longer keep your presence hidden in Mesopotamia. Are you ready for the trouble it might bring?"
"I am ready. After all, that was my goal from the start," Taz replied.
Numair patted her shoulder and said, "Keep your senses sharp. After that announcement, our foes will lurk in every corner of this city."
Taz nodded.
Meanwhile, with Talal.
He gathered in the war room along with Prince Haider. Talal stood face-to-face with him on the other side of the table.
Haider looked at him and said, "Your plan is bold, son of aegis."
Talal crossed his arms and said, "It's basic storytelling, Prince Haider. The hero Ras Al Ghoul is facing a difficult task against the villains of his tale. What will he do? Shall he pack his belongings and run, or should he face his enemies to prove who is good and evil once and for all?"
Haider smirked arrogantly and said, "The novels of Babilim affected your planning, but I can see you're no mere soldier. In both cases, we win. Though I do not fancy that your entire plan depends on the abduction of an officer."
Talal smirked and said, "During our time of preparation, I've sent a man to live among the peasants of your city. It appears that Ali is a kind-hearted man, moral and fair. These traits are noble but have no place on the battlefield."
Haider stroked his beard and said, "I also heard that you requested the aid of beast hunters before the announcement. Can you tell me why?"
"The man stole the infamous traps that almost caused a war between the great powers. If I assumed correctly, he might still have them," Talal said.
"Even if he did, maintaining those traps is no easy feat. To think he still has them in a functional state is impossible for a band of revolutionaries," Haider said.
Talal placed his hands on the table and said, "I also require the aid of your personal Jinn."
Haider chuckled and said, "They're no toys to be lent. They're bound by the ancient law to serve the royal family."
"When they take Numair, I need it to scout the area of their camp and tell me what their camp layout looks like. It's crucial to this mission's success," Talal said.
"If it's a mere scout, I have no problems with your request," Haider said.
"And what about the beast hunters?" Talal asked.
"I will send two to support in case the traps are active," Haider replied.
Talal stood straight and said, "Thank you, Prince Haider."
Meanwhile, with Numair and Taz.
They patrolled the streets of Baghdad, accompanied by the guards.
They started with neighborhoods of the nobles, then the working class, down to the slums of the peasants.
All the time, they patrolled in a distinct pattern, same route, same time, same people; they never changed a thing.
At the end of their long patrol, they split up with the guards near the house of wisdom, and Numair, accompanied by his fearsome guard, spent their night at a fancy tavern.
At the end of the current month, four days later.
They reached the usual slum path.
Numair leaned closer to Taz and said, "Do you feel it?"
Taz hummed and whispered, "We're being watched."
"I'll fake taking a piss in that alleyway over there; keep your distance," Numair whispered.
Taz nodded.
They reached the open-ended alleyway.
Numair stopped the patrol and told them he needed to take a moment alone in the alleyway nearby.
One of the guards tried to stop him from going alone, and Numair reassured him and said, "Nothing dangerous about taking a piss."
Numair entered the alleyway and stood far from them, near the other end.
He gave them his back and started peeing on the wall.
Taz told them to keep their eyes on him, and she looked the other way.
A few seconds later, two groups of masked men approached from both ends of the alleyway.
They wore clay masks and brown garments.
Taz ordered the guards to protect Numair, and she immediately took the rear-guard position.
Numair noticed the men rushing towards him. He quickly lifted his pants and went to fight off the abductors alone.
The guards rushed to Numair, only to be shot with arrows and killed.
Taz left the alleyway's entrance to fight the group rushing toward her. She pulled her broad sword and faced the attackers.
They spread out evenly in front of her with their swords drawn.
One of them glanced in Numair's direction and said, "Good, that Major has been taken."
"You won't take the Major while I'm alive!" Taz threatened.
Taz glanced at her foes and thought of a battle plan to kill them.
Magic takes more concentration and might leave her open for attacks. A sword fight would be unwise since her foes had a numbers advantage.
There was only one option left for her to proceed.
She sheathed her sword, stepped back and left a distance between her and them.
She copied Nasya's technique by shooting lightning out of her fingertips, though it required pristine accuracy.
She aimed at the men on the edges of the formation and shot their hearts with thin yet intense lightning sparks.
She killed two, then aimed at the other two at the edges of the formation and killed them.
There was only one man left.
His legs shook in fear, and he begged for his life.
She approached him, punched his chin hard, and then the man passed out and fell on his stomach.
She looked in the alleyway and didn't find Numair there.
"They took the bait," She muttered.
She lifted the man, carried him on her shoulder, and left the scene.
After a while.
She rode back to the base, and the rebel was kept behind her on the horse's back.
She reached the gate, disembarked, carried the man on her shoulder and took him to the interrogation chamber.
The chamber had a stone wall and a wooden floor. It had two pillars in the middle of the room with arm chains and cuffs.
She placed him in the middle, cuffed, and stood over him. She shot his back with a weak lightning bolt to wake him, which he did.
He sat on his knees, looked up at Taz, and panted anxiously.
Taz stood before him, looked at him and said, "This can go two ways, rebel."
"What are you going to do?" He asked.
Taz walked back and forth and said, "I'm not sure. Too many things I want to try on you."
"I won't betray our hero!" The rebel said.
"Hero, huh? I guess you fools consider us the villains," Taz said.
"You're rotten, and so is the king," The rebel said.
Taz took off his mask forcefully.
The rebel turned out to be a young man with a light-brown skin tone. He had honey-brown eyes and pure soft skin. His hair was short and silky, and his features resembled an innocent look.
Taz smiled underneath her mask, stroked his hair and said, "You're quite handsome for a man who's about to be tortured."
"If you're planning to kill me, then do it," The rebel said.
Taz gripped his hair, pulled it back and said, "I'll give you a better offer. Tell me about your leader, and I'll make you my slave."
The rebel glared at Taz and growled, "Mesopotamians cannot be slaves."
Taz let go of his hair, walked to the table to her left, took off her mask and placed it on the table.
She returned to him and said, "You threw your privileges away when you joined the revolutionaries."
He looked away and didn't answer her.
She kneeled, gripped his face, forced him to look at her and said, "I wish to bring you back home unscarred. It would be a shame if my new property got damaged."
He spat at her face and said, "Go fuck yourself, mad whore."
She chuckled wickedly, went behind him and whispered into his ears, "I can't have a disobedient slave in my home."
She tore the back of his shirt with her hands, pulled out her dagger, placed the tip on his right shoulder blade, and scarred his back in a long vertical line down to his lower back.
He screamed in agony and threatened to take Taz's life.
"We're still not done, my slave," Taz chirped.
She hovered her hand above his scar and shot the wound with faint lightning to make him feel sharp pain.
He whimpered and winced and told Taz to stop.
She went in front of him, kneeled, and gripped his face. His tears were falling, and his eyes appeared tormented.
She smirked and said, "I don't care about the mission. I want you to become my slave, my property; you'll only live to satisfy my desires."
He breathed heavily and said, "No."
She gripped his cheeks tightly, licked the tears off his face and whispered, "I will make you my slave, one way or another."
She tore off the front of his shirt, touched his hairless chest and dug her nails deep into his skin.
He groaned in pain and tried to pull himself away.
She stood, smirked at him and said, "I can't control myself if you keep resisting me like that, my lovely slave~."
"My name is Batil!" He shouted.
Taz slapped him harshly and said, "New rule, Slave. You'll only speak when I allow you to speak."
"Fuck you!" He growled.
She slapped him again and said, "I will break your nose next time."
"I'll fucking kill you!" He growled.
She kicked his testicles, stood back and said, "On second thought, I don't want to damage your pretty face."
He cried and screamed.
Roheen walked in and closed the door behind her.
She approached Taz and said, "The whole base can hear his screams."
Taz looked at her and said, "I was having fun with him," she gripped his hair, lifted his head, and said, "Isn't that right, slave?"
Batil looked at Roheen and pleaded, "Get this mad woman away from me!"
Roheen looked at Taz and asked, "Who is he?"
"Numair has been abducted. This pretty man is the last remaining attacker," Taz replied.
Roheen was stunned by Taz's cold response and shouted, "Why didn't you tell me about his abduction!?"
Taz stroked Batil's hair and said, "I was busy taming this man."
"I won't be your sex slave!" Batil argued.
"When was Numair abducted!?" Roheen asked loudly.
"About an hour ago," Taz replied coldly.
Roheen rushed out of the chamber and slammed the door shut.
Taz sat before Batil and said, "You must understand, Batil. I will never let you go. Refuse all you want, but I will make you mine in the end."
"I will not; I'm a free man," Batil said.
Taz stood, walked to the table to her left, grabbed a steel rod and said, "Can you define freedom, Batil?"
"It means I'm not a slave for anyone, and I do what I wish," Batil replied.
Taz turned to Batil and said, "That definition seems vague. You say you're not a slave for anyone, yet you follow the orders of Ras Al Ghoul. You said you do what you wish, but that statement is false."
Batil looked at her and growled, "I do what I want!"
Taz stood before him and said, "Really? Let me ask you, how many times have you wished to kill that person who made your life miserable, yet you didn't do it?"
"It's called common decency," Batil argued.
"How many times have you wished to bed that pretty girl in your neighborhood yet didn't do it?" Taz asked.
"I won't force myself on anyone," Batil retorted.
"How many times have you wished to live the life of a noble, but you weren't able to achieve it?" Taz asked.
Batil stayed silent.
Taz kneeled, looked into Batil's eyes and said, "Freedom is nonexistent, fantasy, illogical, yet it's a medicine to the hearts of peasants. They keep believing in it until they die, thinking they will someday achieve it, but it never happens. Do you know why, Batil?"
Batil glared at her.
"Because freedom is a correlating accessory of power. A lion sleeps in open areas because it knows there's no one to defy his rule, but a rabbit sleeps in holes because it knows powerful creatures lurk near him; it has to abide by the laws of survival, or else it will perish," Taz said.
Batil stared at the floor.
Taz gripped his chin, forced him to look at her and said, "Do you know who has power in this chamber?"
She smirked, leaned closer and whispered, "I have it―and I will use it to break you."
Meanwhile, with Numair.
He got pulled out of a wagon while he was unconscious. The rebels dragged him to a tent in their camp and tied him to a chair. Three armed rebels stood to watch over him.
One looked at the other and said, "Did the arrow follow us?"
"No, but the watcher told us he captured one of us and killed the others with magic," The second rebel said.
"Fate is with us since that arrow couldn't follow us," The third rebel said.
"I'll go notify Ali, wake up the prisoner," The first rebel said.
The second rebel grabbed a bucket of cold water and splashed it on Numair.
Numair gasped loudly and woke up shocked by the cold.
He panted, widened his eyes, looked around and fixed his gaze on his abductors.
The second rebel approached him, punched his face and said, "Good evening, Major!"
Numair grunted and said, "You fucking prick!"
The second rebel laughed and said, "Careful about what you say; there are no guards to prevent us from killing you."
Numair glared at him and said, "I can kill the two of you without weapons or guards!"
The third rebel punched his face and said, "Your rank inflated your ego, Major."
Numair grunted, spat blood on the floor and growled, "I will inflate your mother's womb, you fucking bastard!"
The rebels laughed.
A man entered the tent from behind them.
He wore a sky-blue shirt and white flappy pants. He had a beige skin tone and a thick twirly mustache. He had small weary eyes and sharp facial features. He was of average height and had broad shoulders.
He had a curved sword strapped to his waist. It has a golden sheath and a brown leather grip.
He looked at Numair and said, "Major! You blessed us with your presence."
Numair leaned back and said, "Ali Ras Al Ghoul, the biggest prick of them all."
Ali chuckled, placed his hand on his chest and said, "Now, Now. That is not a way to talk to your host, Major Numair."
Numair giggled and said, "I had better hospitalities in whore houses."
Numair and Ali laughed together.
Ali punched his face, grunted and said, "You better show some fucking respect to the new king of Baghdad!"
Numair leaned to the side as blood dripped out of his busted lip. He looked at Ali and said, "You're no King, only a criminal and a thief."
Ali grabbed a chair, sat before Numair and said, "Criminal? The people consider me a hero, a champion of the oppressed. You damn puppets made me appear like one to get the people to turn on me."
"You consider leaking information to our enemies as an act of righteousness? You're delusional!" Numair argued.
Ali leaned back and said, "The money I gained was given back to the poor, families flourished, the starving children were fed, and beggars found shelter and could live a decent life!"
He leaned closer to Numair and said, "Now, tell me, Major…. What did you give back to the people?"
"While you slew our people, I protected these lands from our enemies. I risked my life to make Mesopotamia safe from danger, and now I will gladly give away my life to take your head," Numair said.
Ali leaned back, laughed and said, "It is amusing to think I present a danger while I am the one who actively seeks the betterment of our people."
Numair glared at him and said, "What do you think will happen if our country crumbles? Do you think our enemies will take pity on us and treat us fairly?"
He leaned forward and said, "Kemet will annihilate us, and the Persians won't be any better. When that happens, the weight of all the lives lost will be on your shoulders, Ras Al Ghoul."
Ali looked at the rebel behind him and said, "From my experience…." He looked at Numair and said, "The Persians are the key to the prosperity of Mesopotamia."
Numair widened his eyes in shock and shouted, "You gave our secrets to Persia!!?"
Ali stood up, laughed and said, "To take down a lion, you need the aid of hyenas."
Meanwhile, with Taz.
She wore her mask, left the chamber, and told the guards that the prisoner inside mustn't be touched or harmed as he was now under the Arrows' custody.
She noticed that Talal and Hilal stood next to each other in the middle of the courtyard. They rallied soldiers that were split into two groups.
She stood next to the soldiers and listened to their battle call.
Unlike the usual. It was Hilal who gave the speech, and Talal stood behind him.
Hilal stood straight, crossed his arms behind his back and said, "We have selected you all for this task because you're battle-hardened and experienced. Our foe is no mere man. He has the strength of beasts and the cunning of foxes. I would advise you all, fellow officers, to keep your senses sharp and your hearts in the right place."
He placed his hand on his chest and said, "Remember! No survivors, no pity, no mercy."
Taz walked to Talal and whispered, "Our enemy is collaborating with Persia. Most of his men aren't Mesopotamians."
Talal widened his eyes, looked at Taz with shock and said, "How did you know!?"
"The prisoner broke and told me," Taz said.
Hilal looked at them and said, "What happened?"
Talal stepped up and shouted to the soldiers, "I am Major Talal Al aegis; heed my words, officers!"
"This is no longer a raid on a rebel camp! We're now at war with Persia, and our enemies dwell within our borders, near our pride and the monument of Mesopotamia's history, Baghdad! Brace yourselves for combat and kill all who defy our king!"
One of the officers stepped up and said, "The night is dark. How can we see our enemies?"
Talal pointed to the sky and said, "Wait for the signal of Prince Haider. Two blue suns will appear in the sky and light the land brighter than our sun, but do not look at them directly under no circumstance!"
The soldiers marched to the rebel camp in groups of two.
Hilal led the first group, and Talal led the second.
Taz went with a separate unit. Three officers were tasked with supporting her as she was entrusted with eliminating Ras Al Ghoul.
Meanwhile, near babilim.
A giant blue fireball arose from the royal palace. It reached the sky and roared fiercely.
It flew in the direction of Baghdad, deafening all who stood under it as it screeched like a mad falcon born from the depths of hell.
It traveled rapidly and took only an hour to arrive in Baghdad.
It drew closer to the city, and then a second fireball arose from the royal palace of Baghdad. It was of equal size and intensity.
In perfect harmony, it flew with the first fireball, paralleled each other. They burst at incredible speed, leaving behind them a trail of flames.
The soldiers were in their positions near the camp.
The camp had three entrances.
One to the north, where Hilal's group was positioned to storm.
One to the west, where Taz and her guards were waiting to ambush Ras Al Ghoul.
One to the south, where Talal's group was positioned to cut the rebels' escape path.
The battle plan was for Hilal and Talal to strike at both sides and force the enemy to flee in Taz's direction.
Though Taz's group was not alone.
They were backed by two beast hunters to provide aid and to shoot those who tried to flank her.
"Get ready; they're near," She said to her guards.
The two fireballs neared their position and separated from each other.
One went to the north side of the camp, and the other went south.
"Do not look at them!" Talal shouted to his group.
The two fireballs roared and grew until they became more extensive and shined brighter than the earth's sun. The camp hiding in the moon's darkness became exposed under their light.
The two groups began the attack, and Taz's group neared the western gate to block their escape.
The rebels woke up due to sudden brightness that pierced through the fabric of their tents and headed out to figure out what had happened.
They were shocked to see the soldiers of Mesopotamia approaching their camp.
One of the rebels looked at one of the suns directly to figure out what it was. The image he saw shattered his mind and burned his eyes as he screamed in agony.
Inside the blue sun was a rare breed of Jinn; It was a blue Jinn.
They were rarely seen in centuries, only known through tales of travelers.
Tales of the Blue Jinn talked about their might and power; one alone is enough to decimate a village and slaughter a beast.
But to see two of them working side by side with the Mesopotamian Military was nothing but a display of unnatural power.
Hilal took the lead of the charge and stormed into the camp.
He wielded a massive, curved sword, a meter and a half long.
Two rebels charged at him. Hilal swung his sword and decapitated both of their heads with one strike.
He let a roaring battle cry that made his foes cower and his allies inspired by his display of strength.
Talal saw Hilal from a distance and smiled brightly at his friend's performance.
A rebel charged at Talal.
He parried his sword, slashed his neck and struck down his blade straight into the skull of the rebel. It split and poured out his brain and blood.
Taz crossed her arms and waited near the west entrance for her prey to emerge as she hummed a song.
Ras Al Ghoul came out of his tent. He had barely accustomed to his rebirth and covered his ears with all of his strength as the noise of battle, crying men and the clash of blades overwhelmed his hearing.
He looked around and saw his men in battle against the Mesopotamian military. He had so many questions, but as things stand. He can't fight properly, and his eyes are pained because of the brightness of the two blue suns.
He ran out to the western entrance, as it was the only one that wasn't occupied by his foes.
He escaped unnoticed, and as Talal planned, he found Taz blocking his escape route.
He looked at her in awe and said, "Even demons want my head."
Taz kept her arms crossed, tapped her foot's toes on the floor playfully and said, "I'd gain no satisfaction in killing a weak foe. Your greed and hate made you inject the essence into your veins, and now look at what you have become."
Ali giggled and said, "I am honored by your kind words, Arrow. I did what was necessary to even the odds against the king."
Taz relaxed her arms and said, "Do you honestly think being a beast hunter is enough to kill the man who stands on equal grounds with the emperor of Kemet?"
Ali became angered and growled, "Then tell me! How could a peasant fight against a crushing and oppressive force!? Thousands, if not millions, like me, suffer daily, and all they can do is pray for better days! I was one of the few who stood up and refused to bow down to the tyrant!"
"You're entitled to suffer, not to be happy," Taz said.
She grabbed her broad sword with both hands, placed her left foot forward, lowered her body and said, "I pray you can find peace after I cut off your head, Ali."
Ali pulled out his sword, took his stance and said, "I'll find peace when I know the people are living happily in their own country."
Taz activated her reinforcement magic and inhaled deeply.
She charged at him and swung her blade at his neck. Ali blocked it with his sword and groaned in distress as he didn't expect Taz's strike to be this powerful.
He used his blade to push her sword down and tried to slash her chest with a horizontal strike.
She jumped back and evaded his strike. She drove her sword into his chest, and he parried her strike.
He swung his blade to her neck, and she ducked under it.
She slashed his front thigh and drove her sword into his stomach. He screamed in agony and looked at her with a pained stare as blood flowed from his mouth.
She pulled out her sword and slashed his other frontal thigh. He fell to his knees as his legs couldn't hold him.
She backed away, sheathed her sword and said, "Suffering is the birthright of all living creatures, Ali."
Ali coughed blood, looked at Taz and said sadly, "This life hasn't been kind to me―I hope the afterlife will not be the same."
Taz approached him, kneeled, placed her right palm on his heart and said, "I pray your tortured soul will be accepted into the gates of heaven and live an eternal life of peace."
She stood up and pulled out her curved sword slowly.
Ali closed his eyes, gasped heavily, and lifted his head high.
Taz decapitated him with all her might, and his head fell next to his corpse.
She sheathed her sword, turned to her guards and said, "Spread the word. The ghoul hunt is successful."
One of the guards ran into the camp and yelled, "The ghoul is dead! The ghoul is dead!!"
The rebels, or what remained of them. They dropped their swords and got on their knees as they declared their surrender and admitted defeat.
Taz walked into the camp and looked around for Hilal and Talal.
She found Hilal. His face, arms, and clothes were all soaked in blood.
She approached him and asked, "Did you find Numair?"
Hilal sheathed his curved sword and said, "I was busy sending those Persians to their maker."
She turned around and muttered, "I need your assistance, my companion."
Qareen materialized before her and said, "I'm here!"
Taz jumped back and said in frustration, "Shit! You startled me."
Qareen stepped back and said, "Apologies…."
Taz sighed and said, "It's okay. Can you fly?"
Qareen shook its head and said, "No, but I can jump high."
"It's better than nothing. Tell one of the blue Jinns an arrow needs to have a word with it," Taz said.
Qareen stepped closer and said, "What if they refuse?"
Taz crossed her arms and said, "Then I'll shoot them down."
Qareen turned around, began to run as it hopped with each step, then jumped high and screamed to the blue Jinns, "The arrow would like to have a word with the both of you!"
Then the Qareen fell to the floor.
Qareen looked at them and waited.
The fireballs weakened and floated down to Taz.
Taz kept her sights down until she noticed their brightness began to fade.
She looked up and saw them.
The blue Jinns looked surprisingly human to her.
They had the image of muscular men with blue skin tones. They wore flappy pants and had a red scarf tied to their waists.
They landed on the floor gently and approached Taz.
Taz relaxed her arms and said, "Thank you for sparing the time."
One of the blue Jinns growled, "We didn't come here for pleasantries, woman!"
Taz pointed at him and retorted, "You better watch your fucking tone before I add blue Jinns to the list of my victims."
The other blue Jinn calmed the first and said, "Calm down, brother. We all serve the same king." It looked at her and said, "Tell me, arrow. What did you wish to talk about?"
Taz looked at him and said, "Does the king know about the presence of Persians among the ranks of the revolutionaries?"
"I sensed their blood, but I didn't think they dared to take arms against us," The second blue Jinn said.
"Even her blood isn't fully Mesopotamian. She reeks of Persia's scent," The first Jinn said.
Taz remained silent.
"If what you say is true, we must notify the king," The second blue Jinn said.
Taz walked past them and said, "Follow me. Let's see if one of them is still alive."
The Mesopotamian military gathered around the remnants of the rebels and shouted slurs at them as they threw sand on their faces.
The Qareen teleported before the rebels and announced, "Make way for the arrow!"
The soldiers jumped back and made way for Taz.
She walked among them with the two blue Jinns behind her. She stood before the rebels and said, "Which of you is Persian?"
The rebels remained silent.
Taz turned to the blue Jinns and said, "Can you sniff the Persian out?"
"They're all Persians," The first Jinn said.
Taz looked at them and said, "Huh, they should serve as proof for the king and Prince Haider."
She looked at them and said, "Take one each, and the rest will be handed to the generals."
"Or I could take one of those puny humans and throw it at the king of Persia," The first Jinn said.
"We don't act to our whims, Jinn. We act at the orders of the king and his generals," Taz taunted.
"I understand, arrow. We will take one each," The second Jinn said.
The Jinns teleported behind the rebels, grabbed one each, and flew away.
Taz looked at them as they flew away, then at the soldiers, and said, "Take the rebels away."
She walked away and muttered to her companion, "Where's Talal? He should've been giving the orders instead of me."
"He's with Numair at that tent in the corner," It said.
Taz went inside the tent where Numair was held.
She saw Talal tending to Numair.
Numair's face was bruised and turned purple from the beating he received. His left hand was cut off, and his right eye was removed.
"Is he alive?" Taz asked.
Talal looked at her painedly and said, "He's alive―Those cunts were sure to kill him if we arrived late."
Taz crossed her arms and said, "I took care of the mess with the remaining rebels."
"Did you kill them?" Talal asked.
"No, I handed two to the Jinns so they could deliver them to the king and Prince Haider, and the rest I ordered the soldiers to take them away," Taz said.
Talal sat beside Numair on the floor and said, "Shame…."
Numair groaned, gasped heavily and said, "…They're Persians…."
"I know, Numair," Taz replied.
The End