When Hirama resolved that she must save the lives of Lafirat and the others, she lost all appetite for the meat her parents had provided. She pushed the bowl away and pretended to sleep. Her brother, Hiram, entered and mocked her for wasting the "delicious" feast before falling into a deep sleep himself.
Hirama lay awake, her heart pounding with fear. She knew that to save the prisoners, she would have to abandon her family forever. The biggest obstacle was the cage door—it was designed to shriek loudly at the slightest touch, enough to wake her parents, Zurkas and Maziba, from even the deepest slumber.
*The Parents' Cruelty**
Zurkas and Maziba entered the room to check on their children. Zurkas, suspicious of Hirama’s empathy, shone a light in her face. Hirama feigned a deep sleep, even imitating her brother’s snoring.
Maziba laughed at her husband’s worries, saying, *"How could she open the cage without us hearing? I swear by our marriage, if she tries such a thing, I will slaughter her myself, cook her, and we will eat her meat to vent our frustration."*
Zurkas added, *"Killing her instantly is too kind. We should tie her up and cut pieces of her flesh off one by one while she is still alive until she dies of the pain."*
The two then left to feast on meat and drink wine, locking the children's room from the outside. Hirama, hearing their gruesome threats, wept silently but her resolve only strengthened.
*The Midnight Breakout**
Using a secret sleeping powder from her trunk, Hirama blew the dust onto her brother Hiram to ensure he wouldn't wake. Finding the door locked from the outside, she climbed the walls like a lizard and escaped through the thatched roof.
She moved stealthily, watching her parents partying in the distance. The cold night air made her teeth chatter. The sound caught her parents' attention, but they dismissed it as forest noises. Hirama realized she was in a "tight spot" (*tsaka mai wuya*)—she couldn't move without being heard now that the music had stopped.
Suddenly, she remembered her sleeping powder. She blew it into the wind, and it drifted toward her parents. Within moments, Zurkas and Maziba fell into a heavy, snoring sleep.
*The Great Escape**
Hirama rushed to the cage. The prisoners—Lafirat, Uzaifat, and Abul Shaja'a—were in a deep magical trance. Realizing she couldn't carry everyone, she ran to her father’s laboratory and grabbed a white bottle of magical powder. She remembered hearing Zurkas say this powder had "ninety-nine uses," but was dangerous if used incorrectly.
She slung Uzaifat and the others over her shoulders and blew the powder on the Mother of Witches and her children to wake them. *"We must run for six hours without stopping,"* she whispered. *"If we don't, none of us will survive my parents' wrath."*
The Race for the Border**
They sprinted through the forest. Hirama’s speed was supernatural; even the Mother of Witches, a powerful being, could barely keep sight of her dust. As they reached the border of the **Huzurul Has** forest—the limit of her parents' magical domain—Hirama collapsed, gasping for air.
Half an hour later, the Mother of Witches and only fifteen of her children arrived, screaming in terror. Zurkas and Maziba had awakened and chased them, catching and eating the witch's children one by one during the pursuit, devouring them—bones and all—while still running.
The Final Confrontation at the Boundary**
Zurkas and Maziba reached the border but skidded to a halt. They could not cross into the forest of Shumbul; if they did, the magical laws they lived by would cause them to burst into flames.
Zurkas, his face contorted with rage, pleaded with Hirama: *"You have betrayed us. Give us the three humans and the remaining witches to eat, and we will forgive you. You are neither human nor demon; no one will accept you but us. Everywhere else, you will be feared and hated."*
Hirama laughed bitterly, tears in her eyes. *"The era of your tyranny over other creatures is over. This is my final farewell to you."*
*A New Journey Begins**
At that moment, Uzaifat, Lafirat, and Abul Shaja'a woke up. Lafirat immediately understood what had happened. She asked Hirama why she had abandoned her parents to save them.
Hirama replied, *"My parents are oppressors. They would kill me if I stood in their way. I have chosen to save you and start a new life elsewhere."*
Maziba, driven to madness by the betrayal, tried to lunged across the border, but Zurkas held her back, reminding her they would perish instantly. Uzaifat, enraged by the sight of the monsters, drew his sword to attack, but Lafirat held him back.
*"The task ahead is greater than this,"* she said. *"Leave them be. Perhaps his end will eventually come at your hands."*
They turned their backs on the monsters and walked deep into the Shumbul forest, leaving Zurkas and Maziba biting their fingers in frustrated rage.
*Masha Allah, the journey of the Soldiers of Islam continues toward the unknown dangers of Shumbul.*
*Book 3
**The Escape Plan**
When Hirama resolved that she must save the lives of Lafirat and the others, she lost all appetite for the meat her parents had provided. She pushed the bowl away and pretended to sleep. Her brother, Hiram, entered and mocked her for wasting the "delicious" feast before falling into a deep sleep himself.
Hirama lay awake, her heart pounding with fear. She knew that to save the prisoners, she would have to abandon her family forever. The biggest obstacle was the cage door—it was designed to shriek loudly at the slightest touch, enough to wake her parents, Zurkas and Maziba, from even the deepest slumber.
*The Parents' Cruelty**
Zurkas and Maziba entered the room to check on their children. Zurkas, suspicious of Hirama’s empathy, shone a light in her face. Hirama feigned a deep sleep, even imitating her brother’s snoring.
Maziba laughed at her husband’s worries, saying, *"How could she open the cage without us hearing? I swear by our marriage, if she tries such a thing, I will slaughter her myself, cook her, and we will eat her meat to vent our frustration."*
Zurkas added, *"Killing her instantly is too kind. We should tie her up and cut pieces of her flesh off one by one while she is still alive until she dies of the pain."*
The two then left to feast on meat and drink wine, locking the children's room from the outside. Hirama, hearing their gruesome threats, wept silently but her resolve only strengthened.
*The Midnight Breakout**
Using a secret sleeping powder from her trunk, Hirama blew the dust onto her brother Hiram to ensure he wouldn't wake. Finding the door locked from the outside, she climbed the walls like a lizard and escaped through the thatched roof.
She moved stealthily, watching her parents partying in the distance. The cold night air made her teeth chatter. The sound caught her parents' attention, but they dismissed it as forest noises. Hirama realized she was in a "tight spot" (*tsaka mai wuya*)—she couldn't move without being heard now that the music had stopped.
Suddenly, she remembered her sleeping powder. She blew it into the wind, and it drifted toward her parents. Within moments, Zurkas and Maziba fell into a heavy, snoring sleep.
*The Great Escape**
Hirama rushed to the cage. The prisoners—Lafirat, Uzaifat, and Abul Shaja'a—were in a deep magical trance. Realizing she couldn't carry everyone, she ran to her father’s laboratory and grabbed a white bottle of magical powder. She remembered hearing Zurkas say this powder had "ninety-nine uses," but was dangerous if used incorrectly.
She slung Uzaifat and the others over her shoulders and blew the powder on the Mother of Witches and her children to wake them. *"We must run for six hours without stopping,"* she whispered. *"If we don't, none of us will survive my parents' wrath."*
The Race for the Border**
They sprinted through the forest. Hirama’s speed was supernatural; even the Mother of Witches, a powerful being, could barely keep sight of her dust. As they reached the border of the **Huzurul Has** forest—the limit of her parents' magical domain—Hirama collapsed, gasping for air.
Half an hour later, the Mother of Witches and only fifteen of her children arrived, screaming in terror. Zurkas and Maziba had awakened and chased them, catching and eating the witch's children one by one during the pursuit, devouring them—bones and all—while still running.
The Final Confrontation at the Boundary**
Zurkas and Maziba reached the border but skidded to a halt. They could not cross into the forest of Shumbul; if they did, the magical laws they lived by would cause them to burst into flames.
Zurkas, his face contorted with rage, pleaded with Hirama: *"You have betrayed us. Give us the three humans and the remaining witches to eat, and we will forgive you. You are neither human nor demon; no one will accept you but us. Everywhere else, you will be feared and hated."*
Hirama laughed bitterly, tears in her eyes. *"The era of your tyranny over other creatures is over. This is my final farewell to you."*
*A New Journey Begins**
At that moment, Uzaifat, Lafirat, and Abul Shaja'a woke up. Lafirat immediately understood what had happened. She asked Hirama why she had abandoned her parents to save them.
Hirama replied, *"My parents are oppressors. They would kill me if I stood in their way. I have chosen to save you and start a new life elsewhere."*
Maziba, driven to madness by the betrayal, tried to lunged across the border, but Zurkas held her back, reminding her they would perish instantly. Uzaifat, enraged by the sight of the monsters, drew his sword to attack, but Lafirat held him back.
*"The task ahead is greater than this,"* she said. *"Leave them be. Perhaps his end will eventually come at your hands."*
They turned their backs on the monsters and walked deep into the Shumbul forest, leaving Zurkas and Maziba biting their fingers in frustrated rage.
*Masha Allah, the journey of the Soldiers of Islam continues toward the unknown dangers of Shumbul.*