Khalifa

19 Destiny

But what good are preparations when one is ignorant to the myriad secrets that can take away one's bliss?

Whatever little light the torches lit around the palace give out, it only highlights his figure and she watches as he pulls the hood of his cloak over his head, the rain soaking him, before he turns his back to her and walks away.

When he's out of her sight, Noura returns to her chamber, the hair on her body standing in nervousness. Adam has already left, and soon she'll have to leave too.

She doesn't know how she cuts the time-- overthinking, moving between the balcony and her chamber, pacing around restlessly, watching the sky change colors until the first ray of sun pierce through the horizon and begins to break the dawn, the sound of the rain only a dull echo now as it dims. That is when her hearts stills as a knock on her door comes.

She has already changed into dry clothes with a cloak over them. Noura goes to the door and cracks it open, peeking outside cautiously.

"Who is it?"

"Sayidati, it's Daud," a man says. "Adam has sent me."

She opens the door now and finds a cloaked man standing by the wall, where her guards are lying passed out, having his eyes downcast. Noura takes in the unconscious men, feeling guilty inside.

Hafez wasn't the one to guard her door tonight, so thankfully he isn't there. But she cannot have him arriving at the crime scene and getting fed up with her imprudent actions. She must be done over with it soon.

"Lead the way."

He tips his head and Noura follows him as he leads her through the empty corridors, not the usual ones she walks around through the palace, and takes her outside. Instead of going to the stables, he takes another route.

"Where are we going?" she asks him, fingers subconsciously curling around her dagger.

"We'll be leaving through the back of the palace, sayidati," he informs her. "There are men on guard at the front."

She wants to point out that there are men on guard everywhere here, but he guides her through an abandoned pathway to an opening where two horses have already been arranged for them.

He brings one forth for her and Noura quietly mounts it. He mounts the other one and snaps the reins, and soon they're riding out of the palace towards the city.

If the morning was to arrive any earlier, today because of the heavy clouds in the sky it's late. She's grateful for the lingering darkness, for once appreciating how it's concealing daylight and buying her time. Though she prays Adam hasn't left cracks in the plan. She's in no position to be dealing with additional drama if she's found absent.

They arrive at a court and both of them dismount their horses. The city is quiet and dead asleep at the hour, if anyone awake might be busy praying at the mosques or their houses. She doesn't spot anyone on the roads, the streets deserted too, but just a few lanterns lit around.

Daud ties the horses at a shade and leads her inside the small building. She breathes a sigh of relief when she sees Adam, his familiar self rather than the unfamiliar man she has been with causing her to relax a little. He strides to her and dismisses Daud with a wave of his hand who disappears to leave them alone.

"Change the cloak."

He takes her soaked cloak from her and wraps a dry one over her body.

"Do you think anyone might have seen us coming here?"

He shrugs one shoulder. "Not together, at least."

"What if someone is really spying on me?" she voices her concern.