At the graveyard of peasants in the morning.
After the aftermath of Taz's wedding, the corpses of Afra, Siraj and Fadi were collected and purified.
The body of Fadi was transferred with an escort of the guards, Two arrows, the high priest and priestess and Two brothers.
Those notable people carried their deceased comrade to his final resting place.
As they neared the grave that was dug for him. The guards lowered his body and stood around his grave to prepare their offerings.
The guards placed bottles of alcohol over Fadi's wrapped corpse.
Daghir threw a golden ring and made a prayer for him.
Tanaz approached his grave. She stared at it with lost eyes, sighed and rubbed her forearms. She took off her short sword, held it over his grave and said, "May this sword serve you well, old friend." She dropped the sword carefully and returned to her spot.
Talal stepped forward, prayed for Fadi and threw in a food basket.
Roheen stepped forward, made a prayer for Fadi and threw in flowers.
Hilal stepped forward, threw in a book called, 'How Beasts Reproduce,' and returned to his spot.
Numair stepped forward and threw a pouch of dinars and another containing the sacred plant.
They prayed individually for him and left one after another.
Taz headed to the other side of the capital, in an open field.
There lay the corpses of Siraj and Afra atop oiled wooden planks. Their corpses were covered with a cloth wetted by oil.
She stood there with Ahmad, Hajras, Yara and Noor. Soon after, Daghir came as well to attend the funeral.
Taz looked at him and said, "You don't have to attend both funerals, Daghir."
Daghir panted softly and said, "Out of respect for the people who protected my home, I must."
Daghir joined the line of grievers and stood silently.
Ahmad looked at Noor and said, "Are you sure you want to burn their remains? I can prepare graves for them."
Noor looked at Ahmad with saddened and red eyes and said, "Yes, as the tradition of our people demands it."
As Ahmad reached into his pockets to pull out matches, Daghir stepped in and said, "Let me handle it, Advisor."
Ahmad nodded.
Daghir aimed at Siraj's stand and shot it with a small fireball, then did the same with Afra.
The corpses were engulfed in flames as the grievers watched.
The next day, at Ahmad's villa.
Ahmad sat in his garden alone while he smoked and drank his beverage. Soon, Nash came in and greeted Ahmad.
Nash sat beside him and said, "I've heard about the funeral."
Ahmad smoked his pipe and said, "Why didn't you attend it, Nash?"
Nash rubbed his palm and said, "My sister forbade me."
Ahmad scoffed, saying, "Obeying your elders is a must, but you must differentiate between matters such as this."
"I know, uncle," Nash said.
Ahmad sighed, then said, "I'm not mad at you, but your wife is saddened and upset. As her husband, you should be by her side."
Nash looked at Ahmad and said, "Does she need me? I've seen her fight at the wedding."
"She may be an arrow, a formidable fighter and a magic user, but under that tough veil, she's a girl who feels pain," Ahmad said.
"I know, uncle," Nash said.
Ahmad stared at Nash, then said, "Then why are you here with me, son? Go to your wife. She deserves your company more than me."
"I don't know how to lessen her pain," Nash said.
Ahmad grabbed Nash's shoulder and said, "Flowery words and honeyed speech aren't needed, but being by her side and embracing her is."
Nash stood up slowly and said, "I'll try, uncle."
He walked a couple of meters away, looked at Ahmad and said, "Do I need to knock on her door?"
Ahmad sighed, rubbed his face and said, "She's your wife, Nash!"
Nash headed to Taz's room, anxious and pondering what to say to his wife. He had never dealt with these issues before, as Athir always put a fake happy personality around him.
He reached her door and raised his hand to knock but remembered what Ahmad had told him. He took a deep breath and hoped he wouldn't barge in while she was in an unfavorable moment.
He opened the door slowly and stepped inside.
Luckily, his wish came true. Taz was sitting at her desk and writing in her notebook. She wrapped her head with a green scarf and wore an expressionless mask.
Taz knew about Nash being at her door, but she had no energy to spare to act like a happy wife.
Nash approached her, peeked at her notebook and found that she was practicing her handwriting. He leaned on her desk and said, "What are you doing?"
Taz kept writing and said, "Wasting time."
"Is this one of your hobbies?" Nash asked.
"More or less, I do it to keep my writing readable," Taz replied.
Nash stayed silent as he had nothing more to talk about.
"Why are you here, Nash?" Taz asked.
"I wanted to see you," Nash said.
"You should know why I'm not going outside," Taz said.
"I know, but I can't leave you alone," Nash said.
Taz sighed, dropped her pen and said, "I'm not sure you understand what I mean, Nash."
"Daghir told me about your hair," Nash said.
"That cunt," Taz muttered.
"It will grow back eventually. Give it a month or two," Nash comforted.
Taz leaned back and said, "I made a mistake during that fight; if only I didn't remove my mask."
Nash smiled and said, "You fought a mere master of flames, Tanaz. Even a rookie would've avoided that mistake."
Taz stared at him in disbelief.
Nash chuckled, then said, "I'm jesting!"
Taz laughed.
Nash crossed his arms and said, "I went to your farm yesterday. It's ready for cultivation."
Taz crossed her arms and said, "From my perspective, it's our farm, husband, but it needs farmers and animals."
"Daghir sent a caretaker to the farm," Nash said.
"He doesn't even own a farm; how did he manage to do that?" Taz asked.
"Daghir doesn't, but his brother does," Nash said.
"Do they all have weird mustaches?" Taz sarcastically asked.
Nash giggled, then said, "Yes."
Suddenly, Taz's door was banged, and Yara barged in.
Yara looked at them in fear and said, "Tanaz, an enormous man is calling for you!"
"Where?" Taz and Nash asked.
"In the roof garden with Ahmad," Yara said.
Taz's mind went into fight mode. She grabbed her sword and rushed to the roof.
Once she entered the roof with her sword drawn, she realized Yara lacked awareness and danger assessment skills.
The enormous man wasn't an enemy; he was King Kurigalzu. He sat with Ahmad like old friends, eating dates and drinking coffee.
Kurigalzu looked at Taz and noticed her weapon, then spat out a date seed and said, "Hunting lions is a dangerous hobby, Tanaz."
Taz sheathed her sword and muttered, "Damn that pale woman."
She approached Kurigalzu, sat before him and said, "My servant saw you as a threatening presence, King Kurigalzu."
Kurigalzu smiled, then said, "The pale girl has sharp senses. But as far as I know, Tanaz, you took her in as a slave."
Taz froze.
Kurigalzu chuckled, coughed, then said, "But I'm not here for that. I'm here to extend a formal apology on behalf of the royal family in my name."
Taz clasped her hands, saying, "Words aren't sufficient for the atrocity committed at my wedding."
Kurigalzu stroked his beard and said, "I'm not so dull to offer mere words and expect it to be enough. I'm offering you something none has obtained in the last two centuries."
Taz looked at him in awe and said, "I thought the king's favor was a fairy tale."
Kurigalzu snatched the pipe from Ahmad's mouth, smoked it and said, "The king's favor is real. It's not given away often because either the people are unworthy or the king of said time is greedy." He returned the pipe to Ahmad and said, "You've done me more favor than you think, Tanaz. If anything, you're worthy of my favor more than my kin."
"How do I initiate the king's favor?" Taz asked.
"Firstly, there are rules. The favor will not revive the dead, nor will it bestow the knowledge of the future, are we clear?" Kurigalzu informed.
Taz nodded and said, "Yes."
Kurigalzu pulled up his sleeve. A Jinn placed a bowl before him, then pulled out a knife. He slashed his wrist diagonally and let his blood pour onto the bowl.
Taz looked carefully at his hand and found that his blood color seemed unusually dark.
Kurigalzu pushed the bowl to Taz and said, "Mix your blood with mine."
"Will I need to drink it?" Taz asked.
"No, you won't be able to handle my blood," Kurigalzu said.
Taz bit her wrist, and it spurted blood onto the bowl.
After a sufficient amount had been poured, she healed her wrist.
Kurigalzu placed the bowl between them, looked at Taz and said, "Tanaz, you now have three wishes to ask from the king of Mesopotamia."
Taz pondered.
She looked at Kurigalzu and asked, "I want my first wish to be about knowledge."
"Ask, and you shall have it," Kurigalzu said.
"The medallions of the arrows; I know they copy the soul of their wielder, and they're indestructible. I want to know if the medallions are stored in the kingdom," Taz said.
"Yes, we have a hall containing medallions dating back centuries," Kurigalzu informed.
"My second wish is to attain a medallion from that hall," Taz said.
"By my power as king, you shall have only one," Kurigalzu said.
"My third wish is to have an enchanted sword," Taz said.
"I cannot grant you an enchanted sword, but I can guide you to attaining one," Kurigalzu said.
"This doesn't count as a wish," Taz said.
"True, but I'll give you the resources and the materials to ensure you get it," Kurigalzu said.
Taz inhaled deeply, then said, "Then I want the third wish to be for you to ensure I get an enchanted sword."
"You shall have my full backing and support for that in the name of the king," Kurigalzu said.
A blue Jinn appeared and picked up the bowl.
Kurigalzu looked at the Jinn and commanded, "Preserve this bowl as a testimony of the deal struck."
The Jinn nodded and vanished.
Kurigalzu looked at Taz and said, "There's one other matter. Have Ahmad told you about the new military division?"
Ahmad cleared his throat and said, "No, my king."
Taz looked at Ahmad and asked, "What's this new division?"
Ahmad looked at Taz and said, "It's experimental for now. It's a parallel version to the arrows, only that it operates internally with the same level of authority."
"Whenever you want to transfer to it, the door is open," Kurigalzu said.
"I'll take it into consideration," Taz said.
Kurigalzu stood up and said, "That concludes my visit then." He looked at Ahmad and said, "I expect to see you tomorrow morning for the meeting."
Ahmad nodded and said, "I'll be there."
Kurigalzu left the roof.
Ahmad looked at Taz and said, "A public execution will be held tomorrow. Do you want to attend?"
Taz looked at Ahmad and said, "Not interested, uncle. I have a farm to maintain."
Ahmad stood up, then said, "I'll leave for work, take care of yourself."
On the next day, in the early morning.
Taz walked into a fancy, spacious corridor decorated with gold and silver. She kept on her new mask and her head scarf and was armed.
She knocked on the door thrice and said, "Are you there, A'saal?"
None answered.
Given the news she heard, she had her worries but couldn't leave empty-handed. She opened the door and entered, then closed it behind her. The room was dark, and the only light source was the sun seeping through the curtains.
Taz saw A'saal on the far side. She sat at the window near her bed and stared at the world outside. She wore a white bed dress and had her entire head covered with bandages like a mummy.
Taz approached her slowly and carefully, then sat on A'saal bed. With her hand at her dagger, Taz cleared her throat and said, "This is where you hid all this time?"
A'saal didn't reply.
"I needed you, A'saal, yet you weren't there for me," Taz said.
A'saal didn't reply.
"Did you know that the royal family and one of the advisors conspired against me?" Taz asked.
A'saal didn't reply.
"Of course, you did, and you didn't bother to do anything about it," Taz said.
"I don't blame a person for valuing their life over others, but when that person is someone who knows I'll do anything for them, I expect the same from them," Taz said.
Taz stood up and said, "I came here to let you know what happened to your family and what will become of us as friends."
"Asad barged and massacred his way into my wedding, and in the end, I slew him and his cousins. The royals involved in the conspiracy are being executed as we speak before the people," Taz informed.
Taz took a step to A'saal and said, "And for us, A'saal. I no longer see you as a friend but as an enemy."
Taz walked to the door, stopped, and said, "I forgot to mention one last thing. Roshan was one of the people who took the side of Asad and dared to threaten me personally. With the king's blessing, I'll kill her in her home before her children."
A'saal glared at her with her owl eyes and growled like a beast.
Taz glared at A'saal, saying, "Be a good freak, and keep confining in your cave like a foul-looking monster."
"You will not kill her, little girl," A'saal spoke in a beastly voice.
"You need to pick a side, you old bitch! And from what happened, the opposers all died before me," Taz threatened.
"If you have any respect for me and Yasmine, you'll stop this madness at once!" A'saal shouted.
"I've always given you respect and loyalty for what you have done for me! You're the one who hid here while you could've stopped your family from killing mine!" Taz shouted.
A'saal tore off her head bandages and revealed why she hadn't left her room. It was all for hiding the proper form of golden-age hunters.
Her skin was pale beige, her jaw was expanded, and her monstrous fangs extended beyond her lips. Her expression was no longer that of a human but a feral beast.
She was repelling, disgusting and graceless.
"I'm supposed to represent my house and be the caretaker of knowledge! Does this freak you see fit into those roles!?" A'saal shouted.
Taz didn't have an answer to satisfy the materialistic A'saal, nor one for how she felt about her appearance. After all, Taz covered her head for the same reason A'saal hid in her room. They both never wanted to display their flawed, ugly looks.
It was a stalemate against Taz, and there was no escape this time.
Taz has two options: either she retracts her stand against A'saal and Roshan or takes the path of unfairness and proceeds with her plan.
Without answering the broken lioness, Taz walked out.
On the afternoon of the same day.
Taz headed to her new farm—the one she hadn't seen nor was able to during her conflict with the royals.
She looked at the map while she rode her horse and muttered, "It should be here."
She soon arrived and found it.
The farm was large and had a spacious field. On the side, it had a stable.
She disembarked her horse, led it by its leash and entered the gate.
A man came to her. He was in his middle age with a scruffy beard and dirtied turban.
"Who are you? This is a private farm!" The man said.
Taz looked at him and said, "I'm the owner, Tanaz."
"How can I verify your descriptions if you wear that mask?" The man asked.
"Are you Amin? The farm's caretaker?" Taz asked.
Amin looked at her suspiciously and said, "I am. Who told you that?"
Taz stored the map in her pocket and said, "Daghir told me. I'm the one who hired you."
Amin cleared his throat and said, "Apologies, Lady Tanaz. I needed to make sure of your identity."
"Don't be; you're diligent. That assures me that my farm is in good hands," Taz said.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lady Tanaz," Amin said.
"Have my husband Nash come here? Or Daghir?" Taz asked.
"Nash and Daghir came here this morning, inspecting the fields and buildings," Amin said.
"Is everything in working condition?" Taz asked.
"Yes, but we lack farmers, fertilizers and seeds," Amin said.
"What about animals?" Taz asked.
"We have none," Amin replied.
Taz sighed, then said, "How much time do you need to make this farm generate revenue?"
"It'll take us months before we start selling our first harvest," Amin said.
"You seem experienced. How long have you been working as a farmer?" Taz asked.
Amin chuckled, then said, "All my life, my first memories were in a field."
Taz crossed her arms and said, "I'm planning to start with fruits, especially those related to alcohol. And I want to plant trees. Can you manage it, Amin?"
Amin crossed his arms behind his back and said, "It can be done. I only need what I asked of you."
"Write a report of the expenses and the farmers' salaries," Taz said.
"Who do I send it to?" Amin asked.
"Me, if I'm not here, send it to my uncle," Taz said.
"It will be done," Amin said, then nodded.
"What about security? Do you know anyone reliable?" Taz asked.
"I could recruit men from the slums, but I doubt they'll be trustworthy," Amin said.
"You're correct. I can't always be here to protect the farm," Taz said.
Amin looked at her in confusion and asked, "Are you a soldier by any chance?"
"I'm not a soldier. I'm one of the generals' fighters," Taz said.
Amin looked at her in awe and said, "So the rumors are true? You're the one who they call the wolf."
'It's a given title, not one of my choosing," Taz said.
"Is it true that you eat people?" Amin asked.
"Do you want to test that information?" Taz asked sarcastically.
"No," Amin replied flatly.
"I don't enact unjustified violence. Be good to me, and I'll be good to you; loyalty is priceless," Taz said.
Amin nodded, smiled and said, "Fair enough, Lady Tanaz. I'll start writing the expense report. Farewell."
"Farewell, Amin," Taz said while she watched him leave.
Taz housed her horse inside and walked to her new home. She stood before the building and stared at it.
It was a two-floor house with a garden porch and green walls.
"Bit big for my taste," Taz muttered.
She went inside and looked around. The first floor had a storage room, kitchen and a living room.
"Basic decorations," She muttered.
She went upstairs and found two bedrooms, a library, and a study room overlooking the fields.
She entered the first bedroom and found it neatly decorated; she knew instantly that the decorations were new.
She smiled, then said, "I guess Nash wants this to be our bedroom."
She went to the second bedroom and found it to be neatly decorated, with the difference in the bed being smaller than the previous room.
"Yara's room," She muttered.
She went into the study room. Its decorations were weirdly similar to Ahmad's study room.
"I guess this is uncle's wedding gift," Taz said.
She went into the library. Its decorations were similar to Ahmad's library, with a large window to the north side.
"The room relies on natural light―smart," Taz muttered.
She went downstairs, sat in the living room and sighed. She stared at the roof and said, "This is my new home, forever."
The End