Yousif bin Yousif
When night fell, Fazal, Housein, and I left towards the hills overlooking the coastal plains wherein the town of Al-Gareeb slept. The brush, especially thick here, cut into my exposed legs beneath my skirt, thorns pricking at the wooden soles of my sandals, threatening to stab my feat when the time came. As we crept through the rocks and brush, peeking around the side we could see the town, rather large and wealthy for it’s situation, with two-story mud-brick homes and many shops and wells - obvious fruits of their trade.
“I see a few fires - but they’re in homes damn it.” I gritted my teeth and looked around the shadowy group of buildings. “We’ll have to break into one that seems empty.”
Fazal whispered, “And if there’s anyone inside? We’ll need to make them quiet.”
With a sigh, I nodded in agreement. He was right of course - and we had to continue things fast. Who knows how long until a patrol or random nightwalker finds us in the brush? With a wave of my hand, we quietly made our way down the dirt paths between the buildings, peering through windows as we passed. Looking into one especially small home, I couldn’t make out any shapes of bodies, and a soft glow emanated from within. Waving them over to me, I grabbed my knife, and quietly as I could, creaked open the door. Not seeing more than a humble dwelling - a few pots, tools, and the like inside - we slowly crept in. It was so quiet - one could hear the waves all the way, perhaps a mile out from the sea. Waving the guys over - I picked up a small bronze pot from beside the fire, and began moving hot coals into it with my knife, slowly building a pile of the embers. Suddenly, the bleating of an animal made me drop my work in fear, turning about to see where it had come from. Behind me, a black dog came out from the other room, barely visible in the dim light.
“Manat curses me - damn it!” I whispered, unsure what to do, panicking as the dog barked and howled in surprise from the unfamiliar folk. Looking to the other men around me, Fazal and Houssein immediately leaped upon it, grabbing it’s maw with a whimper of fear coming from the animal. “Just kill it quietly and let us go.” I hissed, returning to my work, hearing the sounds of muffled panic as the boys took their knives and cut the animal’s throat, stabbing it until it made no more noise.
“Fucking dogs.” I muttered, picking up the pot of coals. “If we are lucky they will ignore us. Come on - let’s get back to the brush.” Nodding, the other men, blood covering their hands and knees, followed me to the door. I only paused for one moment, looking at the doorway to the other room, nobody among us aware of the child standing in terror against the wall, looking down at the mutilated mass of fur on the floor.
Making back to the field of brush beside the town, we made quick work of our craft. Finding it easy to drag the many unkempt brambles close enough to the nearest house that the threat of it spreading could be real, we easily stacked the brush and small dead bushes into a large and threatening pile. Quickly assembling a small but strong fire, and tossing it into the pile - it was not long before the flames began to lick the sky - and most importantly - the thatch roof of the nearest house. Knowing our task was done, we began to flee, hearing behind us the screams and shouts of “fire”.
Alya bint Jabari
“Yup - that will work.” I said, watching as the town upon the hill was thrust into a panic, the fire already spreading to a small collection of homes. I stood there watching, hearing the screams of panic, but more pressingly, the feet of one of our scouts.
“They sent a group of guards to the town to help stop the flames.” He said, almost out of breath. “But kept a few of them around in case the slaves tried to flee.” I spat at the ground, cursing. “
“Fine. We’ll handle them a lot easier at least.” Turning back to the group of warriors under me - I nodded, waving them along as we began our trek weaving through the brush and stones of this rocky coastal plains, stalking closer and closer until we were but a hundred yards away from the camp. Taking my spear in both hands, I pointed at four of the warriors behind me, pointing them to go around to the side of the camp closest to the town, so they wouldn’t escape and warn the town. Waiting for a few moments for them to get into position, I raised my spear, and pointed it at the camp, as everyone rose from their crouches and sprinted forwards - leaping over rocks and brambles. It was horribly dark in the moonless sky, we had to blindly run through the field, tripping over stones and sticks, stumbling, but able to gain footing once again. The three guards standing closest to I were nearly paralized in fear as the raiders pounced, some turning to flee but tripping on their watchfire, one man falling face-first into the hot coals as the smell of burning flesh plumed into the air, his horrid screams answered by nobody, leaving him blinded and scrambling through the dark on his hands and knees. I heard a scream come from the other end of the camp, as our brothers sent around began wrestling those fleeing towards the town to the ground. Though they tried - I saw a shadow pass by them, curses! Resolving he would get help soon, I yelled out into the night. “Help all the slaves you can and run! They’ll be back soon with more!” Panicking, I ran over to the nearby post, where a young man hung bloodied, lifeless, his skin noticably blackened and scarred even in the darkness of night. I pushed back my revulsion, resolving instead to throw open the nearest tents, finding a group of young girls - no older than ten years no doubt, huddling in fear, their ankles tied together on a rope. I looked at their pitiful, starved sight - and could barely breathe, barely able to force myself to throw down my weapon and kneel in front of them. “H-hey. It’s alright.” I stammered, trying to reach a hand out to them, all three flinching backwards at the gesture. “I’m not going to hurt you - I promise.” I said, trying best to muster my most motherly voice. “I’m here to take you home. Home - back to your mother and father.” They looked at me with more confusion than relief, and with nothing else to do, I crawled towards them, and took out my knife, grasping at their rope-bindings as they squirmed and pressed against the tent wall in fear. With two quick cuts, I managed to release them, before stuffing the knife into my belt. “Please… Just take my hand. I promise not to hurt you - I promise.” They just looked at me, only one seemingly believing me. With no other choice, I grabbed the frightened two by the arm and pulled them outside, yelling at a group of young women. “Hey! Take these kids with you!” Who immediately ran over to those I was dragging behind me. “Oh Dinah!” One girl cried, tears falling down her face, going to grab the girl who left on her own free will. Upon hearing the familiar voices, all three ran to the group of young women, cowering in fear behind their legs as the women shuffled them along and away from the camp. As I looked up to the smokey sky - against the backdrop of the flaming village I could make out the shadowy figures of a massing group of men headed our way. My heart raced - we needed to leave, now.
“Is that everyone?!?” I screamed, looking about.
“I think so!” I heard a voice call to my left, and, relieved, I picked back up my spear and began running with the crowd away from the camp, and towards the rocks and brambles to the north - leaving behind a shambled mess of fallen tents and cut ropes.
Layla Barakat
I had been lying awake in the cold sand when I had smelled smoke. My mind, which was filled with fear, pain, and grief, couldn’t think, I couldn’t feel, I just stared at the sky - the scene playing over and over again in my mind. Whenever the sumerian ship had bought other girls - and not me for my lack of a figure… they must’ve thought I was worth far less if not for a slave girl sold off to foreigners. Instead - the leader with the axe ‘rewarded’ his men with me… I felt sick, my stomach was like a rolling sea. I felt dirty - I felt disgraceful. I felt more dead than alive, and as the moments flashed back to me, all I could do was hurt and watch the stars above. Nobody to help you - nobody to save you, and if there was someone watching me from above - they didn’t care. They didn’t care as they grabbed me, stripped me naked, and hurt me beyond anything I could forget - the stars didn’t care and left me to suffer with indifference. I curled into a ball, the cold night’s wind making me shiver. As I moved, I felt the rope around my ankle tighten - my foot had gone numb a long time ago - after they left me when they were done. They threw me with the rest in a pile like rubbish - like the bones after the meal. When my mind finally snapped out of the cycle of thoughts and feelings I couldn’t get out of my head - that I was a used whore, that I was worthless now, I could do nothing but squeeze my eyes shut, and bang my hands against my head, trying to force myself to just stop thinking!
I didn’t notice the screams of the guardsmen. I didn’t notice the shuffling of feet around me, the panic by which the girls begged the strangers to cut their ropes. I barely registered as one girl beside me, named Zahra call them over to cut me loose. When he touched me- tried to pull me up, I smacked him, swatted at his arms and legs and screamed at him. I didn’t want to be touched I didn’t want some stranger on me, never again. They just stared at me as I cried on the ground, Zahra kneeled down beside me and begged me to stand up. I could barely move as she tried to pull me up. My legs were like jelly, they wouldn’t hold me up, they couldn't. I tried to tell her, I tried to tell her I couldn’t move… She just put her arm under my shoulder and helped me stumble with the rest into the darkness. One foot after another, my bare feet were easily cut by the sharp rocks - though it all just felt numb and sureel. We seemed to walk for ages before we came to a clearing, where the mass of slaves and raiders were standing, tending to the stab-wounds and broken ankles of those lying on the ground. I could hear Zahra exhale with true exhaustion, before putting me down beside her. I sat there, glancing at her beside me for what may have been several minutes, before she began to sob and weep, and I hugged her, because I too didn’t know how to feel any other way but to cry.
Olivia Ingels
Seven days later.
We had been riding - desperately attempting to catch up with Alya’s party for days now, ever since we had gotten the word from a man on camelback of who and what they had found. The neighboring village leaders and I had quickly assembled as many men as we could on the backs of camels, taking with them not only weapons but as much food and water as they could on the backs of their animals, forming a group of more than eighty warriors. We had barely slept but three times over the course of the trek - riding for most of the day and night before we would allow ourselves even a moment of rest. The camels were worn down and exhausted, such that we had to whip and prod them to keep going at this pace, many of their flanks were covered in small wounds from our efforts to drive them on. We saw their little camp when we found their trail leading to a small water source - barely a pond by which a mass of men, women, and children sat, baking and burning in the sun. I could barely believe my eyes at the miserable sight. Many of them were very gaunt, and many didn’t seem responsive as I dismounted and made my way to where Yousif stood watch, sweating like a pig upon a large black rock-formation. He looked down at me with the most miserable stare, and, looking at the freed slaves, I could see why. It made my stomach drop to see so many people barely clinging to life. Walking up to Alya, who sat dazed beneath a scraggly tree, I asked with sheer panic. “What the hell happened here?” She looked up at me with some relief, but not much. “We ran out of food four days ago - my god I’m happy you showed up. She began to push herself up, taking much longer than I had ever seen her. “So many mouths… we tried to ration things - but eventually all we were left with to feed fourty mouths was whatever we could find… and it wasn’t much.”
I was shocked and shaken by the number. “Fourty? That’s… Oh gods above. That many?” She seemed to just nod as-a-matter-of-factly as if I was stating a painful obvious. “You’ve seen them. Thank the gods we haven’t had anyone die - just twisted ankles and broken bones. We were lucky to find water before we croaked.” She tried to chuckle, but that vanier of light heartedness quickly slipped away into a somber frown. “I’ll tell the people to start handing out what we brought - I’m just happy we found you guys when we did. Any later and - and- … well, best not dwell upon those things.”
The following day we left immediately to the south, a new bloodlust within us. We left ten extra men on camels to help guide the group back towards Yanbu, retracing the group’s trail back towards the town of Al-Gareeb. Sure enough, we found it populated. Perhaps they thought what we had done was just a raid - but as we approached, we could see shepherds bring their flocks inside their homes, and a panic erupted in the town, many dozens of men and women arming themselves with little more than sticks and whatever weapons they could find. As we approached closer and closer, the more tense things became. I looked to my left and to my right, at the cold stares the tribal leaders gave the town, and knew nothing good would come this day. I swallowed my fear, and waited for one of those of the village to cross the gap - sweating under the heat, even as the evening set in, and the sun began her descent into the sea. Finally, one man emerged from the crowd, carrying an axe slung over his shoulder, wearing a leather tunic plated with bronze. “Why do you return? Have you not done enough harm to my village?” He spat at us, glaring between those men who bore weapons beside me, and I.
“We come seeking justice you son of a dog.” I said back between gritted teeth. “You shamelessly abducted innocents to sell to foreigners, did you not?”
“What womanly attitudes you northerners have. Olivia - the Prophet of Allat - does not understand the right I have as a warrior to take captives. So what will you do to me? Hm? You have already burned down homes of the innocent and taken away my livestock. I think the score is settled.”
“Not until you learned.” The man next to me barked.
“Learned?” The chief said. “And how do you plan to teach me your womanly ways?”
“I don’t.” The man beside me responded, before kicking his camel and charging the man before him. Immediately the rest of the men around me charged, as the chief of the tribe of Al-gareeb fell within a mob of hooves and metal, the small band he had assembled fleeing into their homes and into the brush, many of whom were simply chased down and cut down in the preceding minutes. I could do nothing but watch as those I called my subordinates forced a retaliation upon the town - even as I screamed at them to stop. Through the haze I spurred my camel through the looting men, and towards one who leveled his spear at an old man some few yards away from him, grabbing his spear, and sitting between the two - the spear pressed against my dress. The warrior, and those others around him, whipped their heads to see me, glaring him in the eyes. “We are DONE here. They have learned their lesson. We will take the chief’s body with us as a war prize, and we will bring warriors with less animosity when we install a new leader. YOU will go home and break this lance you wished to use to dishonorably inflict your anger upon an unarmed man. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” I hadn’t noticed the tears running down my face, as the man upon the camel stared at me with fear. Nodding, he dropped the spear from his shaking hands. “GO - BEFORE I CURSE YOUR HOME TO PLAGUE.” I screamed, the man immediately turning tail and running back the way we came in. By this point - a circle had formed around me, all of whom looked at me with confusion. I spat at the ground, scowling at the group of men, many of whom were holding items they had stolen or bloody tools of war. “Tie up the corpse chief to my camel and we will drag him back to Yanbu. The rest of you will learn discipline or I will see you beaten like the jackals you are. I looked down at my hands to see them clenched, my heart beating with righteous indignation. “I lead shepherds - not rabid dogs.” I muttered, before making my way through the crowd, and out of the town of Al-gareeb.
