6

“Wait here,” Khalid said, crouching low behind a pile of rusted barrels.

He disappeared into the darkness, leaving me alone.

I wanted to run, to take my chances in the wilderness rather than place my fate in his hands.

But where would I go?

The mountains were vast and unforgiving, and the warlord’s men would hunt me down before I got far.

Khalid returned moments later, his expression grim.

“The path is clear, but we have to move fast.”

I didn’t respond, didn’t even look at him.

I followed because I had no choice, because the alternative was worse.

The sound of shouting behind us sent a jolt of panic through me.

“They’ve noticed,” Khalid said, his voice tense.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me into a sprint.

The next moments blurred together—a chaotic mix of running, hiding, and the deafening crack of gunfire.

My ears rang, and my vision swam with tears and fear.

14

KHALID

We were close—so close I could taste the cool, untainted air of the forest beyond the camp.

But the guards were closing in, their shouts growing louder.

I turned, raising the pistol I had stolen days ago.

The weapon was heavy in my hand, but its weight was familiar.

I fired twice, the shots echoing in the night.

The men fell, their bodies crumpling to the ground, but there was no time to dwell on it.

I grabbed Noura and pushed her forward.

“Go!” I shouted.

She hesitated, her eyes darting between me and the bodies on the ground.

I could see the revulsion in her expression, the way she recoiled from the violence.

But she ran.

We reached the tree line, the dense foliage swallowing us whole.

I forced myself to slow down, listening for the sounds of pursuit.

The night was quiet again, but it was a fragile silence, ready to shatter at any moment.

Noura collapsed onto the ground, her body trembling.

“Are you hurt?” I asked, kneeling beside her.

She didn’t answer, didn’t even look at me.

15

NOURA

I couldn’t stop shaking.

The images replayed in my mind—the flash of the gun, the sickening thud of bodies hitting the ground.

Khalid had killed them without hesitation, his movements precise and cold.

Who was this man?

He knelt in front of me, his face unreadable.

“We’re safe for now, but we need to keep moving.”

“Safe?” I spat, my voice trembling with anger and fear. “You killed them.”

“They would have killed us,” he said simply.

I wanted to argue, to scream at him, but the words caught in my throat.

He was right, wasn’t he?

Those men wouldn’t have spared me.

But that didn’t make it any easier to accept.

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why risk your life for someone you don’t even know?”

He hesitated, his eyes searching mine.

“Because your father asked me to. And because no one else would.”

It wasn’t the answer I wanted, but it was the only one he gave.

“I believe Allah sent me here to save you. I couldn’t watch a fellow sister in Islam get sold off. Living a life in a war-torn country is already hard enough.”

16

NOURA

The darkness clung to me, heavier than the worn fabric of my scarf, smothering any breath of hope.

Khalid’s whispered orders pushed me forward, his hand on my arm firm and unyielding.

Each step we took away from the crumbling ruins of the camp felt like walking deeper into a labyrinth of uncertainty.

I didn’t trust him.

How could I?

“You’ll be safe if we keep moving,” he muttered, his voice barely audible over the crunch of gravel underfoot.

Safe.

A word so foreign it felt like a lie.

We reached the edge of the treeline, the faint hum of distant engines making my pulse quicken.

I dug my heels into the earth, wrenching my arm from his grasp.

“Why are you doing this?”

My voice wavered, barely stronger than the breeze.

He turned, his expression unreadable in the dim moonlight.

“Your father begged me to find you. Said he’d give anything if I could bring you back alive.”