The Endless Golden Dunes

Chapter 40: The Path of Ishq

TUGULDUR

  
‘You are a clever man, but folly chases after everyone.’
  
That was what the superiors told Tuguldur after they had found out about the failed attack.
  
They were at a camp, but hidden from the view of others by concealing themselves in the biggest tent, the tent of Tuguldur, the commander of the band. The entire floor was of carpet and in the center, a large chair.
  
‘Zoroastrians are the eternal inhabitants of these mountains,’ Tuguldur said. ‘How do you expect us to expect them?’
  
‘You lost about twenty-three men in that failed raid of yours,’ the leader continued, not listening to any one of Tuguldur’s excuses. ‘We Mongols do not know defeat, and yet you have bathed in it.’
  
‘I think it is worth mentioning that it is also not my fault.’
  
‘That everyone says. But why am I berating you? You can make up for your mistakes of course, though it will be quite difficult.’
  
The man walked towards the table and roughly picked up a glass of mead and drank the entire thing in two gulps. He sighed and sighed with satisfaction. He cleaned his lips with his sleeves.
  
‘This is good!’ he exclaimed. ‘I would very much like to get drunk from this.’
  
‘You are getting off topic, I believe.’ Tuguldur informed.
  
‘Are you eager for punishment?’
  
‘If there is a punishment, that is. You can trust that I am more than capable of regaining your favors.’
  
‘Ah, but can you say the same with the Khan? I doubt it. But he is busy with other plans, so he might have forgotten you even exist.’
  
The man was getting on Tuguldur’s nerves now, but he had to remain calm. It was important if he wanted to achieve his goals.
  
‘Two-thousand men is all I ask from you.’
  
He laughed. It was a laugh like a tidal wave, great and loud.
  
‘I think you have drunk more than I have these past five years,’ the superior said. ‘Really, do you expect me to spare two-thousand men for you just so you can fail again?’
  
‘I will not fail again. You can trust me. Do you not remember the t times when I was fiercely successful? Even now, I have rarely lost a battle. I am like the ocean, and I have proven that multiple times. By the spirits of my ancestors I will crush these Abbasids and make it easy for the Khan to conquer Baghdad.’
  
The superior was silent for a moment. He put down the glass of mead and stroked his thin beard. After that, he sat upon the wooden throne-like chair in the center of the room.
  
‘Twelve-hundred,’ he said. ‘You may take it or you may leave it.’
  
‘I shall take it.’ Tuguldur replied.
  
‘Then it is settled.’
  
With a groan, he got up, but before leaving, he looked at Tuguldur.
  
‘Fail again, and you have dishonored yourself.’
  
And he left. Tuguldur smiled. He knew what he must do, and he had his eye on the desert.

ALI

  
Ali had taken his life the Sufi route.
  
Still, he wouldn’t have considered himself a Sufi. Though many times Gregorios told him he had the heart of one, Ali simply thanked him and said ‘I wish to not put labels on myself.’
  
Speaking of his heart, it was beginning to go through despair, though not because of Ali.
  
‘I fear for Ismael,’ it said. ‘I fear that his own despair will consume him and make him void of all joy.’
  
‘Pray to the One that that does not happen,’ Ali replied. ‘God knows him better than he himself knows, and He shall give Ismael the peace he deserves.’

***

  
It was only a few days later that the two brothers met again. Ismael was fidgeting in excitement like a filled bottle about to burst.
  
‘Why so joyful?’ Ali asked.
  
‘Akhi, I may have found a solution to my sadness.’ He replied.
  
Ali’s eyebrow raised, and he smiled.
  
‘Is that so?’
  
‘Yes! And it involves me teaching.’
  
Ali resisted himself from making a jest on the subject. Controlling himself, he continued.
  
‘And what shall you teach?’ he asked instead. ‘Wood carving I am guessing.’
  
‘You would be correct. I would like to teach these soldiers the art of creating art.’
  
‘What gave you the inspiration to do such a thing?’
  
When he said that, Ismael’s smile began to disappear. His eyebrows knitted and he fell into thought.
  
‘I … I really don’t know why, if I want to be honest. I simply decided one day that I wished to teach what I am good at to others. It was a call by something beyond me, and I felt I had no choice but to comply with its wishes.’
  
Hearing that, Ali’s smile grew wider.
  
‘That, my brother, is the call of the universe.’ He revealed.
  
‘Pardon?’
  
‘Always, the universe wants us to achieve our destiny, and it does it by giving us signs. For you, it has given a command, and you have followed it. You are heading in the right direction now.’
  
‘The universe … wants me to achieve my goals?’
  
‘Every time someone achieves their destiny, the universe becomes more beautiful and gives out more love. With love, the world becomes just a little bit more balanced and worth living in. And because love is released from a soul who has achieved his destiny, it is only logical for the universe to help you achieve it.’
  
The knowledge first affected Ismael by having him be shocked, then his face began to light up, gain color. Soon, he was grinning ear to ear.
  
‘Then I should start right away!’
  
And Ismael began to run away before his brother could give any remark. Ali chuckled a bit and looked at the sky.
  
‘Lord, You move in the strangest ways,’ he said. ‘But those movements of Yours are indeed the best, and the most beneficial.’