to hang on, until … until what? He wasn’t quite so sure anymore.
However, his natural pride kept him on his feet. He would not be defeated that easily! Furthermore, the hard lessons that his father had taught him in the past had their worth, so he was not easy to knock over.
Meanwhile he was additionally suffering due to the heat and knowing that Scarface would come back, that much was sure.
His mind worked frantically to think of something to do. Though this time, his usually quick intellect full of ideas did not present any glorious solutions on how to get himself out of this dreadful situation.
The searing pain in his arms and wrists and especially his wounded back were not helping him to think clearly.
At some time around noon he heard two of Scarface’s men whispering to each other; after a short while one of them came closer and grabbed his shirt – or rather what was left of it – at the front side and had a look at his chest.
He let out a low whistle. “Well, have a look at what it is we have here. If it isn’t a very special kind of treasure that we have found.”
"Damn it, luck really is not on my side today“, Rayan thought dejectedly – because the man had found his tattoo. As first son of the Sheikh he had received a tattoo on his chest shortly after his birth. It depicted a blue waterfall over which a reddish sun could be seen, a silver moon and three stars – the symbol of Zarifa.
The men literally ran to Scarface and only moments later they prepared their horses and rode away in a hurry. Rayan could figure out easily where they would go: for sure they wanted to get for themselves the bounty that his father had put on his head and also it was likely that they wanted to double check if he really would approve of them executing him.
Maybe this would cause enough of a distraction to give him a break? Surely they would leave him alone now until the riders came back?
However, when Scarface came back to him, one glimpse at his sadistic smile was enough to shatter his hopes into pieces.
1989 - Zarifa - A brief reunion
The sun had wandered over the sky like on any normal day and more slowly than ever the evening dawned. Rayan meanwhile was in a state in between live and death. Six times they had performed their cruel ritual; or perhaps it was even more, he was no longer able to count.
His pride had changed to silent desperation and in the meantime he was no longer able to register his whereabouts or anything else around him.
He just dangled from his bonds. Even if he wanted to tell them the location of the rebel settlement now, he would no longer have been able to cling to a single thought or to say a phrase that made any sense. It was like he was swimming in a deep sea of pain.
His friends, who were condemned to just helplessly observe his torture, were sure that the purpose of this punishment had been changed from “making him talk” to “making a statement”. Whatever that was. They had discussed desperately between each other if they should reveal the location instead of Rayan. They even considered if they should start some kind of red herring by telling them a fake place, just to make the men stop torturing their leader.
However, they came to the conclusion that all would be in vain. It would not help him anymore.
Suddenly there was movement amongst Scarface’s men.
The two messengers were about to return and they were accompanied by a noble visitor: His Excellency Sheikh Sedat Suekran al Medina y Nayran had arrived.
Scarface informed him proudly about the intensive punishment and led his master to Rayan, who was stuck unconsciously in his bonds. The ugly Tarman grabbed the chin of the defenceless Rayan and pulled him up, so his leader could look into his face to acknowledge his identity.
It was not possible to reckon what Sedat was thinking or feeling. He just confirmed with a nod that it indeed was the most wanted leader of the rebels, his former son. Then he demanded to hear more about the imprisonment.
It was hard to say if he acted consciously or not but the moment Rayan heard the voice of his father his final spirits were awoken. With effort he opened his eyes and tried to make eye-contact with his father.
Barely audible and more groaning than really articulating, he spluttered: “Father? Father help me – I am dying …”
Scarface slapped him in the face with his free hand, the one that was not holding his victim up. What boldness to address the noble Sheikh in such an informal way!
Rayan collapsed completely and plunged into a merciful unconsciousness.
There was a flash in Sedat’s eyes, which was barely visible, while his face remained motionless. Instead His Excellency said: “I am going to tell you now, how we will proceed with this scum: we will hang them tomorrow at dawn. One after the other. We will start with him”, he signaled towards Rayan.
“Then we will see if the others will continue to keep silent. Release him and take him back to his friends. Also, provide them with water, we do not want him to die before we can hang him tomorrow, do we?”
Scarface laughed bleatingly: this idea was very much to his liking.
2014 – Prison of Dubai – Thoughts of a break-way
Ashraf was in mortal fear.
He had known from the very beginning that the job was going to be risky, yet was not able to resist the large amount of money that he had been offered.
He had calculated that the death of the Sheikh would cause so much chaos that it would enable him to slip away without any problems.
However, he had underestimated the Colonel: his troops had not reacted with their typical lethargy, but had immediately gotten on his heels.
On top of that he had failed to make even a scratch on his victim. This would not impress his client, so he could not count on any help from that side.
He was on his own that much was sure.
It was crystal clear to him that the Sheikh was deadly serious with his threat: “There is no wall thick enough to not be able to reach you and you are going to die very slowly. This is my promise.”
His blood ran cold when he just thought about that moment and those ice-cold eyes without any mercy.
The Sheikh was known to keep one hundred per cent of his promises.
Therefore, Ashraf really was a dog’s breakfast if he did not succeed in getting away soon.
The Colonel’s people had already interrogated him for hours, but that did not bother him. From time-to-time one of the officers couldn’t help himself from hitting the assassin, but they were not able to break Ashraf. He was no weakling: if he was, he would not have been chosen for the job.
He had some kind of back-up plan up his sleeve, but for this to work out it was necessary for him to be brought back to his cell. He had - thanks to Allah! - thought ahead and taken counter-measures just in case he would end up in this prison.
“Always calculate for the worst,” was his motto, which had guided him well through life so far and had helped him get out of hairy situations in the past.
Hopefully his cousin Ali would already be waiting to get him out of here. Ali was a bit of a retard, but to break him out of jail, all he had to do was follow Ashraf’s instructions, which he had given him in advance. He was smart enough to carry out the plan.
All Ashraf needed now was a little bit of patience. At least that was what he told himself to calm down.
2014 - Hotel room in Dubai - Desert wind
Carina was sitting on her bed inside her hotel room. Her meager budget had only allowed her to book a 3-star-hotel,