WINNER OF READERS CHOICE AWARDS 2020 (Historical Fiction)
Stone hearts.
Silver to gold.
And the fierce need to prove oneself.
Highest ranks: #1 in Arabia || #3 in History || #51 in Assassin || #90 in Spiritual
A/N: JazakAllah khair and thank you all for 10K reads and 1 K votes! This means A LOT to me, so here's a little something for you all to celebrate! *I remember I initially named Falaq's siblings as Babar and Jasmin, but I've changed their names to Burak and Jamila, since that seemed to fit the personalities more. I'm very aware the names sound similar to those in Ask Lataftan Alnamaz buuuuut the characters have nothing to do with that 😊. Enjoy!! Unedited
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The prison was silent as the grave. Amaan and Idegir seemed to be the only prisoners at all, crammed together in a tiny cell, stripped of all their possessions except the clothes they were wearing. Idegir had already fallen asleep like the living dead.
The darkness was all consuming. It infiltrated every single ounce of sight, velvety and suffocating. His heart pounded louder and louder until it was all he could hear in his head. Sweat drenched his body. The darkness reminded him of the months he had spent alone in the desert, replaying the killings of his beloved companions in his mind. Imagining the unnatural killers springing out of the darkness to end him.
The same feeling consumed him now.
He clasped his hands around himself, shame creeping up his spine. What would his people think, seeing him like this? What had happened to the warrior whom nothing could shake? He had once been as steady as a mountain and deadly as a lion. Today he was a coward, reduced to being afraid of the dark.
Noise outside shattered the illusion to his relief. There was the briefest of shouts before it was cut short, almost as though quietened swiftly. Amaan sprang to his feet, listening with all his might.
The guards guarding his and Idegir's cell muttered to each other, and within moments one had lit the flame of his torch.
Amaan's gaze followed theirs down the darkness. Nothing was in sight, but they could feel the third presence.
The guards drew their spears and swords, the whites of their eyes in shining in stark contrast to the ebony skin.
Amaan thought he imagined something flit past the light. His heart beat quickened. Idegir snored in the background, deep asleep.
