Episode 17
The Ranch was as silent as a grave yard. Three days had passed and Abdul was still unconscious. Mohammed was out of town, so there wasn’t anyone to help them at the moment.
“Please wake up…”Amina’s tears dropped on Abdul’s naked and hairy chest.
Nobody knew what had happened to the master. He had only screamed, and passed out after that. For now, his clothes had been taken off, and a piece of white clothe was tied around his waist.
“You do not have to cry mistress, the men have gone in search of a healer. There could be a way out.” Keerna knelt beside Amina and gave her hands a squeeze. But Amina couldn’t be consoled.
“Allah is cruel to me…” Amina’s lips shivered. All her life, she had dreamt of love and happiness, and just as she was about to get it; something stepped in and blocked it.
Nobody knew what had happened to Abdul. There weren’t any markings on his body; some of the ranchers speculated that he had been hit by a powerful demon. But there wasn’t any evidence. Such things had only occurred in ancient times, when the people were still loyal to the gods and goddesses of the land.
“Do not speak that way mistress. Allah is not cruel to anyone. He has a reason for this. Where is your Iman? Where is your faith?” Keerna whispered.
Keerna had noticed Hazim’s absence for a few days now, but she couldn’t ask anyone about it. The master’s health was priority and they had to find a way to revive him.
“We cannot tell the Sultan or prince Fadin about this. They have more important matters to attend to. Matters that concern us all,” Amina’s lips shivered. She hadn’t seen this coming. She hadn’t known that her joy would fade away; and that sorrow would welcome her so swiftly.
Keerna nodded and adjusted the silky gray scarf on her head.
“We have to be patient mistress.”
Nabila found it difficult to stay at the master’s side. Guilt washed over her, and the fear of taking his place enveloped her mind. As she stood outside his bedroom, tears stung her eyes.
Her hatred for Amina had led her to this. The serpent of Ukdran had killed the wrong person. And there wasn’t any cure.
“I am doomed, there is blood on my hands.” Nabila’s lips trembled as she cried.
She couldn’t tell her mother what had taken place, for the woman had warned her about the price she had to pay. Nabila was sure there wasn’t any remedy to Abdul’s situation, and her fears increased when she thought about the invisible serpent.
That night, when the master had fallen, all the men in the ranch had searched Amina’s bedroom, but they hadn’t found anything. This scared Nabila more. The serpent of Ukdran was a mysterious creature. It could hide in the darkest places and it could stay hidden in the light as well. It only revealed itself to those it wanted.
She had meditated and tried to find the serpent with her mind, but there was no connection. And it made her wonder, if the serpent had died in the room; or if it was waiting to strike her on an occasion
“Nabila?” A soft voice called her, and she jerked out of her thoughts.
Keerna had stepped out of the master’s room to get some warm water for Amina’s bath. She had found her friend weeping silently. Though they weren’t in speaking terms, Keerna was moved by Nabila’s tears.
She knew why Nabila was crying. It showed that she really cared about the master. Her love was pure and true, but misplaced.
“Why is everyone weeping in this ranch? By Allah, I will lose my faith as well.” Keerna moved towards her friend and pulled her in for a hug.
Nabila clung to Keerna’s shoulders and cried softly.
“Forgive me Keernahaza. I am a wrongdoer.”
“It is alright my friend. You were blinded by love and passion. You love the master, which is why you cry so hard.” Keerna patted her back and kissed her cheek.
But Nabila’s tears were for another purpose. She knew she would pay the price, but she didn’t know when.
“I must go see my mother, maybe there is a way to avert the curse of Ukdran,” Nabila thought. She had to find away to appease the serpent deity. Abdul had abandoned her for a Shuwa woman; even after all her years of faithfulness.
Maybe he deserved what befell him. Now that he was doomed for death, she could move on with her life. She would fall in love with another. But Amina would be doomed forever, and this was what she had always wanted. Amina would be in greater pain, for the rest of her life.
“I must leave for the outskirt, I must see my family.” Nabila pulled away from the hug.
“This isn’t a good time Nabila, what if you wait a few more days? We need each other…” Keerna wasn’t comfortable with her friend’s plan.
Nabila was about to cook up a reason, when two cowboys stepped into the ranch, with an old woman. She wasn’t of Islam. She wore a dress with glittering pearls upon it. Her dusty black hair wasn’t shielded from the eyes of men. Her neck was long and scrawny; and her eyes were like two little pebbles. They were sharp as an eagle’s, and deadly as a mamba’s. She was blind. But her third eye was open.
“The healer of Neferti comes…”one of the boys announced.
“Why did they let her in here?” Nabila whispered to Keerna. She was a pagan!
“We must do everything to save the master.” Keerna replied in a soft voice.
As the woman was led towards the master’s chambers, she turned her head sharply and pinned her eyes at the spot where Nabila stood.
A strange sensation ran through Nabila, the woman was a child of Ukdran!
“There is evil in this ranch. We must first drive it out.” The healer mumbled, and continued on her way. A devious smile played on her lips as she discovered what had happened to the master. A child of Ukdran had used dark magic; it would backfire.
“I must go, I must leave…” Nabila rushed towards the room she shared with Keerna. In a matter of hours, the healer could cure Abdul and that would mean her death.
Keerna wouldn’t let her go, “No, you have to stay!” Keerna rushed after her.
Amina was still crying, when the old woman stepped into the room.
“Wipe your tears daughter, your husband was destined for many years. He cannot be allowed to cross to the Vale of dark shadows. His mind is trapped within his own body. His soul is lost and his spirit is wanting.”
The woman snapped her fingers, and the little girl she came with, dropped the basket of potions.
Amina was surprised to see her.
“You can help him?”
“Yes, but at a cost…” The woman nodded.
“What cost?” Amina was prepared to give the woman all the expensive things Abdul had gotten for her.
“A life, but not yours,”
“My life?”Amina’s brows joined together in surprise. She was ready to lay down her life for Abdul.
The healer shook her head, “No. You both are meant to be. You will grow old with your children, but a wolf would eat one of them…”
Amina cringed at this dark prophecy. The woman sensed her fear and bit her lips to silence.
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