Haraam = Forbidden

Halal = Allowed (According to Islamic Law) 

Hijab = a type of scarf worn by Muslim women, covering the head and neck without obstructing the face.

---Nadir's POV---

Pain webbed through my hands, the joints stiff and uncooperative, as if denying any movement would prevent the pain that was sure to come. I cursed slightly as these injuries proved to be an unforeseen setback.

By now the Sheik was most likely found and I hoped he had suffered a great amount of pain from the poison I injected him with. He always took great delight in watching his slaves contort and suffer, so I found it to be fitting that he was offered the same curtesy.

These injuries prevented me from seeking out my next target though. An annoyed sigh escaped me as I tried to move my fingers to my own will but the only they did was tremble and twitch, swollen and useless.

A sigh escaped my lips as I leaned down in my seat, smiling warmly at the couple that had provided me with food and shelter for the past few days. The man smiled and nodded, murmuring something to his wife and daughters before they slipped out of view.

No doubt they were going to clean my wounds once more and change the bandages. I sighed, dreading the painful process but there was nothing I could do against it.

After a few days of rest, the wounds were swollen and infected, a combination of sweat, strands of the rope and dirt had crept in the wound when I had held onto Tahir's reins and refused to let go when he had pulled back.

As a result, my hands were almost unusable, wrapped in thick layers of gauze and salve to the point where I barely felt the heat radiating from the cup of tea I had been sipping from.

And where I was barely able to hold onto said cup.

I sighed as the sugary mint tea warmed my throat before I leaned forwards, my hands trembling violently as they cupped around my drink before I put it back on the table. I was accustomed to pain, it was inescapable in life.

Soon enough the wife walked over with a bowl of steaming water, one of her daughters following with a tube of salve and fresh bandages.

They smiled apologetically when I groaned but they knew I didn't mean it badly. It just sucked having to endure this kind of pain. Gently she started to unwind the bandage, not even flinching or curling up her nose at the sight of the swollen and mangled skin.

"This is surely going to leave some scars, sir." She murmured, dipping a clean cloth in the bowl before dabbing at the wounds to clean them. I nodded and hissed in slight pain as she instructed me to dip my hands in the water and hold them there.

"I expected as much."

"You must really love that horse." The daughter murmured, her green eyes vibrant and wide with awe as she shot me a look under her lashes. I chuckled lowly as my fingers tingled, the heat seeping into my muscles and slowly relaxing them.

"Tahir is my best and only friend. I wouldn't trade him for all the coin in the world." She nodded in understanding, eyes shooting at her father. "I can relate to that. Father used to have a gorgeous hound, Gadi."

I blinked in surprise, as most of the Muslim community I had encountered had frowned upon dogs. She noticed and shook her head. "Its not haraam to keep dogs, Sir. I've read the Qu'ran time and time again; It is halal to keep pets and touch them, though if doing so they can not be kept indoors as it is not hygienic and when our dog salivated on us, we'd simply wash our hands and clothing."

Nodding at her to show her I understood, she continued, "Anyways, Gadi had his own place in the barn and was permitted to roam around. Father used him to hunt for meat before we opened this place."

The mother nodded, a warm smile on her lips as she removed my hands from the bowl and dried them gently. "He was such a gentle soul. Always playful when he was at home but loyal to a fault."

I frowned, as they spoke in the past tense of their dog and I was almost hesitant to ask of what happened. The mother shot me a look, her lips thinning as her eyes flickered with hidden rage. "He was missing from the pen one day. We found him dead a few days later. Hanged." 

Anger flooded through me as the daughter averted her eyes, wiping away a tear that threatened to fall. "Someone found it to be sinful that we kept a dog and decided to take manners in his own hands."

"Amira! We do not know what happened." The mother scolded quietly but the daughter scoffed and tugged her hijab closer against her face. "Yes, I'm certain that Gadi hung himself in that tree. Whoever did it, I hope Allah punishes them for their actions."

Silence rang heavy through the room as the pair nursed my wounds to the best of their abilities and left, the mother apologizing for Amira's words but I waved away her apology.

If someone had laid a hand on Tahir the same way, I'd killed them with my bare hands.

I sighed, stretching out on the seat as my stomach rumbled quite loudly, considering the smells that wafted from the kitchen. I was waiting eagerly for dinner, as the family's culinary skill was heavenly.

Soon enough plates were set in front of me with the usual scents wafting up to greet me. This time it was a serving of Shish tawook, skewered chicken in garlic sauce, accompanied by freshly baked pita bread.

I grinned and thanked them for the meal before grabbing my utensils and waving their worried gestures off. I was fine to eat on my own.

Although, not even a few minutes after they brought me my drink, I blinked up when someone sat down beside and in front of me.

---Carson's POV---

I had to give it to him, he didn't even flinch. His mouth was still open, holding a morsel of the chicken skewer in front of him as he frowned slightly, eyes flitting from me to Mord' U. My right hand smirked and lifted a brow as the assassin didn't even move away.

In fact, he simply shrugged and dug into his food, closing his lips around the skewer to take off a bite of the chicken!

"What took you guys so long? I've been here for the past week."

Mord' u scoffed and shook his head at the man's remark while I leaned back in my seat. My eyes flitted over the assassin's body, from his vibrant green eyes, hair curling across his brow and cheeks, to his bandaged hands.

No wonder he hasn't made a move yet... he's injured. But how?

He rolled his eyes, noticing my eyes lingering before he jutted his chin towards the bandages. "Horse got spooked in the storm." He ripped a piece off of the bread to dip it in the sauce as he continued eating.

He wasn't even looking at ways to escape the room, even if we were sitting right beside him. Leaning forwards to look him in the eye, I questioned him about his lack of reactions.

"Really?" He scoffed, swallowing his bite before he sipped from his drink. "You're obviously here on your own accord, so I'm assuming that your previous employer is dead." Mord'U chuckled slightly, "You mean the man you killed?"

Green eyes sparked vibrantly as he looked up from his meal. "And do you have any proof of that?" Silence answered his question, as both Mord' U and I knew we couldn't pinpoint the Sheik's murder on the assassin sitting in front of us.

"No..." I confessed before leaning back with a smirk, "though it seems quite odd that three of your former masters have died... Nadir."

He stilled at the mention of his name, making me grin widely. Hell, I've been sending my men back and forth, trying to find out as much of our illusive assassin as possible.

And no wonder that information about Nadir was so hard to find; his village had been raided by slavers and when the villagers themselves had retaliated, the slavers had responded by slaughtering those they couldn't sell and burned the village down.

I wasn't even sure if Nadir knew... Perhaps he did know and it was one of the reasons he was so bent on revenge. This time we were one step ahead of Nadir though; not only had we managed to pinpoint and confront him, we also knew who his next target was going to be.

"Why are you so calm? What's stopping us from taking you into custody and turning you in to the guards? I've no doubt in my mind that they'll kill you on sight." I questioned as Nadir slowly cleaned his plate while Mord'u actually had the nerve to order some food when the owner passed by.

Nadir smirked around his glass, as if he knew things I'd never know. "Its quite clear that you don't have any proof of the Sheiks' unfortunate demises. If you were able to blame me, you wouldn't have sat down to have a chat; you'd have brought in the Sheik's guards and retrieved your reward for doing so."

Cleaning his lips, he pushed himself up when the owner came by with the food, forcing Mord'U to stand up and allow Nadir to pass, or risk having to answer some questions from the owner that didn't need answering.

"The only reason why I'm not in shackles is because you don't have any proof. I'm not stupid; your men have been shadowing me everywhere I've went, in the hopes of catching me off guard so you can get your precious money." 

Nadir's eyes burned as he leaned forwards, clutching the table in his bandaged hands, though I knew it must've hurt him to do so. "But here's my question for you; Did the men you call Sheiks deserve their fate or not? I'm no murder; I'm not killing men. I'm killing monsters."

He pushed off of the table and paid for his food, and then left, presumably for his room. Mord' U and I sat in an awkward silence at the table, our food steaming on their plates, almost forgotten.

I sighed and decided to eat the food. Scaring Nadir wasn't going to work, so all we had left was like he said, to shadow him until he tripped up and made a mistake.

Everyone makes mistakes... I'm just wondering what I'd do when Nadir actually messes up his plans.