Nomads

Chapter 3, Pt 4- Black is a Cold Colour

Alsaqr was petting one of Nader's many horses in the stable, he had always admired horses for their beauty, and body build.

He looked up to Nader, as he came up to the sable through the windy-foggy morning, wrapped heavily in a woolen cloth. Traces of white snowflakes in his hair and beard. He was breathing heavily, almost panting to keep his lungs warm. He entered the stable in haste, taking of his gloves, rubbing his hands and blowing his warm breath into them.

Alsaqr looked at him, wondering about what his wife had done the night before. There sure was something very strange about her. He had found it difficult to sleep, and was awoken early in the morning. He had a few theories in mind, but he wanted to wait and observe more before he could come to any kind of conclusion.

Nader sat down beside him, "What happened, my friend?", he asked, "you seem very weary and worried."

"Ah... it's uh... it's nothing Nader. I just found it hard to sleep last night. It is too cold out here." Alsaqr said to him with a half-hearted smile, with guilt in his mind that such a good man's wife could have been like that.

They had lunch together, Alsaqr kept trying to make eye-contact with Ruqayyah but she neither gave any smile, nor looked back at him. All she did was sit there through the lunch, with dead eyes, almost as if nothing had happened and she was back to herself when they had first met when Alsaqr had woken up.

"Nader, tell me more about your wife. Is she from around here?" Alsaqr asked when they were sitting in the evening, sipping tea and watching the light from the sunset make the snow glow up in a soft orange glow. The city looked beautiful during the sunset.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Nader asked, suddenly growing anxious and concerned from his question.

"Oh, I am just asking out of slight curiosity. I know merchants have a taste of finding wives from foreign countries." Alsaqr replied carefully, noticing the concern in Nader's voice.

"Ah, I see", Nader said with a sigh of relief, "she is my childhood friend. Her house is in the lower part of the city. I used to live there too and struggled hard until I became a man of fortune."

"Interesting, childhood friends grow up to marry each other. Lovely indeed." Alsaqr said with fake chuckle.

"We both love each other after all." Nader said with a smile.

Alsaqr had his dinner in his room, he was constantly wondering what would happen in the night. That night was bitterly cold, and Alsaqr could hear wolves howling in the distance. He had paranoia, because of which he would look around nervously and hallucinate even the slightest movements to be ghastly.

He had almost fallen asleep when suddenly his heart dropped and he started to feel heavy. The atmosphere of the room felt extremely drowsy. He looked towards the door in utter fright, and he saw Ruqayyah walking up to him, with the same small, evil smile adorning her beautiful face, lips slightly parted as she her tongue soft caressed her lower lip. Alsaqr felt paralyzed again, he could not move a muscle. She came up to him and bent over him.

"It doesn't seem like you are planning on leaving soon." She whispered as she slowly slid her hand inside his robe. Alsaqr had been chanting a prayer under his breath, as soon as the chant was over, he felt his body suddenly become light, in swift movement he grabbed hold of her hand with one hand placed his index finger on her forehead, he quickly did another chant and she shrieked in a high pitch, torn voice.

She backed away with a swift motion and ran out of the door, as Alsaqr watched in horror.

The next morning, Alsaqr was sitting with Nader in the stable. He was petting Nader's horses, when he saw a small built horse staring at him. He had never seen such a breed of horse before.