Shadow of the Sands

CHAPTER 14

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Zurayeh woke from her restless half-sleep, she was unable to rest in her enemy's stronghold. She rubbed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair.

She now got up from the bed and went to the door to listen. Footsteps came and went, and it kind of confused her.
Zurayeh stepped back, she tried to compose herself. After a minute, she heard someone outside the door.

The door slowly opened, and Zurayeh watched carefully, wondering what would happen next. A female servant entered, carrying a plate of food.

"Na-Baron wants you to eat this," the servant said in a quiet, almost traumatized tone as she slid the plate toward Zurayeh.

Zurayeh looked at the disgusting food and then at the servant.

"Why are you so afraid?" she asked, trying to gauge the woman's reaction.

The servant glanced around nervously. " Na-Baron... he can be very cruel," she whispered.

Zurayeh nodded, understanding the fear. She took the plate and sat on the bed, but instead of eating, she continued talking to the servant.

"I uh.. need to use the toilet," she said, trying to sound casual. "Can you take me there?"

The servant shook her head quickly. "I'm not allowed to let you out."

Zurayeh leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Please, I really need to go. It won't take long, and no one will know."

The servant hesitated, clearly torn. "If they find out, I'll be punished," she said, her voice trembling.

Zurayeh saw an opportunity. "If you help me, I promise I won't tell anyone. Just this once, please. Besides, if you don't let me go, they'll notice the mess and you'll get in trouble for that too."

The servant looked around nervously, biting her lip. "I can't... I'm sorry," she whispered, backing away.

Her voice kind of sounded desperate.

Zurayeh added, "I understand you're scared, but imagine if it was you locked in here. Please, help me just this once. You'll be saving me a great deal of pain and yourself a lot of trouble."

The servant's resolve wavered. She took a deep breath, glanced around once more, and then nodded slightly.

"Alright, but you have to be quick. Follow me."

Zurayeh nodded, as she followed the servant out of the room, she quickly scanned the hallway. Her eyes landed on a heavy candlestick on a nearby table.

She moved quickly, quietly. Zurayeh grabbed the candlestick and, with a quick motion, she struck the servant on the back of the head. The servant crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Zurayeh knelt beside the servant, feeling a hint of guilt but knowing she had no other choice. She took the servant's key and walked away from the servant. She had to warn her people about the impending attack on Sietch Tabr

As she moved silently through the halls, Zurayeh nearly missed a well hidden room. She approached the door and listened carefully. She didn't hear anything so she slowly opened the door

She walked inside the room and she found shelves lined with numerous scrolls. The Harkonnens, lacking advanced AI, had stored their crucial information on these scrolls. Zurayeh wondered if any of the scrolls contained important future plans.

She searched through the scrolls, finally finding something... a map. Could it lead to Sietch Tabr? But why would the Harkonnens need her if they already had this information? They were smart, or was she wrong?
She folded the map, she slipped it into her pocket and headed for the door. The moment she stepped out, she bumped into an enforcer.
Zurayeh grunted, quickly reaching for the piece of shattered glass in her pocket. But before she could react, the enforcer had already raised his gun.