Arabesque

Munif

It hadn't taken long for Munif to find Dassai. He perched on top of the bridge, watching as the unsuspecting traitor neared, oblivious. With perfect timing Munif leapt down on him. Dassai's legs buckled. He fell hard on his hands and knees, grunting as the breath was knocked out of him. Rolling clear, Munif didn't give him a chance to catch a gulp of air. He punched both his fists down on Dassai's back, then flipped him over and slammed a knee into his chest to hold him down. "Fajeer, Fajeer," he said in a mocking tone. "That has always been your failing: you never look up."

Ignoring Dassai's struggle to breathe, he crossed his arms, grabbing the cloth around the man's neck with both hands, further choking off Dassai's windpipe. Munif took great delight in the look of surprise and pain on Dassai's face.

Dassai closed his eyes. "It is... too late... to stop it."

Munif suddenly went cold, relaxing his grip. "Too late to stop what?" He shook the prone man.

Dassai sucked in a breath. "The Carac went to... They summoned... just before dawn." His eyes opened and there was such finality in them that Munif recoiled. "It is done."

Munif looked up in horror as light from the first sun painted the sky red. Dassai took advantage of Munif's loosened grip, slipping both arms within Munif's, breaking the chokehold. Before Munif could react, Dassai slammed the heel of his left fist into his opponent's chin and pushed Munif's shoulder with his right hand. Munif crashed backward onto the pavement.

Still struggling to breathe, Dassai scrambled to his feet, giving Munif time to recover. Within seconds, they were facing each other again.

Munif struck first, shoving with his left hand and then striking Dassai in the throat with his forearm. He tried to slip his arm under Dassai's shoulder to throw him back to the ground, but the attack had slowed him. Dassai easily avoided the move, pushing Munif off balance and scything his right leg at Munif's ankles.

Dassai connected cleanly, sending Munif crashing once again to the street. Shards of pain stabbed through him as the blisters on his calves burst open. Munif fought to stay conscious as agony swept over him and blood flowed down his legs.

Dassai chuckled. "You also tend to distract easily. And," he said, sneering, "it appears you did not escape the fire unscathed."

Dassai's voice had come from somewhere to his left. Munif fought to regain his sight, frantically blinking to clear the fog. He pushed himself upright and found Dassai looking at him, a sly grin on his face.

"It's true," Munif said. "I didn't escape the fire unscathed. But you won't escape here unharmed, either."

Dassai's smile dissolved as both men squared off once again. Munif, struggling through pain that turned the edges of his vision red, knew he did not have much energy left. Maybe enough for one last strike, but that was all. It would have to be a killing blow.

He balanced himself the best he could, locking the fingers of his right hand. With a tremendous scream born of pain and fury, he launched himself at Dassai, the hard edge of his hand slicing toward his foe's windpipe.

Too slow. Mere inches from his target, Munif felt his outstretched arm pushed away as Dassai easily sidestepped the blow and locked his hand behind Munif's head, forcing him to look toward the ground.

It seemed to take hours for Dassai's knee to come up. The first blow crashed into the left side of his chest, cracking three ribs. Munif would have fallen down yet again but for Dassai's grip.

The second stroke took him in the chin, and this time, Dassai let go. Munif's head snapped back, and as he fell he could feel teeth cracking and blood flowing from his shattered mouth.