Chapter 2

Ali didn't come back home and turned off his phone. Jana was waiting for him at home as usual after work, but he was delayed. She called him but his phone was off, which made her very worried. Suddenly, the doorbell rang and she sighed, thinking he had finally arrived. She went to open the door, but it was not her husband, it was her cousin Samira. Jana was surprised by her arrival at this time and without informing her beforehand.

Jana said, "Samira, welcome, but it's strange for you to come at this time without even telling me that you're coming."

Samira replied, "I'm sorry, Jana, but your husband called me and asked me to be with you today. He said you might need me, but he didn't tell me what happened and what you need me for."

Jana looked at her in surprise and said, "What are you talking about, and where is Ali? I've been trying to call him, but his phone is off and I don't know where he is. I've been very worried about him. This is the first time he's done this."

"I don't know, my dear. He told me that and then ended the call. I tried to call him again, but his phone was off. You tell me what happened." Samira replied.

"I don't understand what's happening, Samira. Can you tell me what's going on? I feel like there's something strange going on. Where is my husband now? His behavior towards me yesterday was strange. It was like he was saying goodbye to me. He was holding me, hugging me, and kissing me eagerly. He hasn't done that in a long time. There's a secret in all of this, and your coming here and him asking you to come to me may be related to that secret. I want to know the secret now."

The doorbell rang again, and Jana rushed to open it, hoping it would be her husband.

But she found a man with papers and he said to her, "Are you Mrs. Jana Abdul Salam?" "Yes, I am. But who are you and what do you want?" she replied. "I am here from the court to deliver this paper to you. Please sign here and take the paper," he said. Jana asked, not understanding what was happening, "What paper?" "It's a divorce paper. Your husband, Mr. Ali Al-Sulmani, has divorced you," he replied.

Janna couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was completely unaware of what was going on around her, still in shock. Her cousin Samira was beside her, also in shock. How could this be

possible? There must be something wrong happening around them.

Tears started rolling down Janna's face, and her mind was almost gone. "I can't believe that Ali divorced me for no reason. We didn't fight, and nobody was angry. Love was spreading all over our house. What happened, and why didn't he tell me? There must be something abnormal happening, and he didn't tell me. I can't believe it, Samira, I can't believe that my husband divorced me for no reason and disappeared, and his phone is off," Janna said.

"This is really weird and illogical. There must be a secret behind all of this. I could have said that maybe he met another woman and wanted to marry her and leave with her, but my mind refuses this. The issue must be bigger than having another woman in his life," Samira replied.

After Ali divorced his wife, his mother took him to meet the head of the Bani Khalid tribe. They both took the train as the journey would take about five hours until they arrived at the house of the head of the Bani Khalid tribe in one of the villages in Upper Egypt. Ali's mother began talking to her son, saying: "Listen, my son. You are now free from your marriage and on your way to the head of the tribe."

"You will listen to him, and he will deliver to you the book containing the laws of the Bani Khalid. You have been chosen, my son, and I hope you are worthy of the task and make us proud. A whole generation will sing your praises for your heroism."

Ali replied, "Sing my praises? What heroism are you talking about, mother? I don't understand anything. I don't understand the nature of the mission chosen for me, nor do I know the secret of this book that distinguishes our tribe and the laws within it. I don't know the reason for choosing someone from the family every hundred years to carry out a law from its laws that only the elder and the person chosen for the task know."

"Don't rush, my son. You will know everything when you get there, and the elder will tell you everything."

"Okay, mother. I'll be patient until I know the truth."

After more than four hours on the road, Ali and his mother finally arrived at the grand house of Bani Khalid in one of the remote villages of Upper Egypt. This was Ali's first time seeing the house of the elder of the family, and his first time visiting this town. Ali was in awe of the sight of the grand house, which he had never imagined to be of such a large size. It was like a great palace with strange engravings and unique architecture that he had never seen before. At the entrance, there were two statues in the form of tigers, each with a crown on its head adorned with a lotus flower gem.

The gate was opened for them, and each of them entered the palace. They were welcomed by a forty-year-old man dressed in the traditional attire of the people of Upper Egypt. He greeted them warmly with a smile, but Ali was still in shock from the sight of the luxurious house that he had never entered before in his life. Its magnificence was something that left him speechless

and unable to express. It was a house like the houses he saw in mythological movies and read about in stories. He never imagined himself to be from a family that owned such houses or palaces, to be more accurate.

They both entered the palace's hall, where every piece in it was unique and designed in a style that caught the eye.

One of the palace ladies named Salima received them. She was the older sister of Salmani, and was in her sixties with wrinkles covering her face, but she was still in good health and had an imposing presence. When you saw her, you found yourself bowing to her out of respect and admiration. Salima spoke to the man who received them at the gate and said, "Mr. Mahmoud, give the news to Mr. Salmani that Ali and his mother have arrived safely at the palace."

In response, he said, "I will go immediately, madam, and inform him of this. Excuse me." She said, "Please." Mrs. Salima turned to Um Ali and said to her, "Welcome, Ali's mother. We haven't seen you in many years. The last time you were here was more than thirty years ago when you and your husband came to the eldest to give him the news of the birth of your son Ali and affirm that he would be the chosen one to implement the family's last law, as he possessed the required attribute that appeared on him at birth." Ali looked at Mrs. Salima with surprise and confusion, not understanding what the required attribute was that they chose him for to implement the last law, and what that law was, as he still knew little about his family's history and did not understand anything because of his upbringing far from the tribe and its traditions. Mr. Mahmoud interrupted Mrs. Salima's words and said to her, "Mr. Salmani wants to meet Ali's mother and Ali now." Mrs. Salima said, "Very well, Mr. Mahmoud. Please, come with him, and I wish you luck, Ali, for the next hundred years of the next generation will sing of your heroism. Don't forget that it is the last of the laws."

Ali did not speak or comment on her words, as he was still in a state of surprise and astonishment at everything happening around him. They all headed to Mr. Salmani's room to meet him. Mr. Mahmoud knocked on the door to ask for permission to enter. Salmani allowed him to enter. Salmani was sitting on a large decorated chair with a huge stick, at the top of which was a tiger head, with a lotus-shaped jewel in the middle, similar to the statue standing at the palace gate. Salmani pointed his hand to Mahmoud to leave and close the door behind him. Then he said, "Please, have a seat. I was pleased to meet you today. I have been waiting for this day for more than thirty years. I prayed to Allah to extend my life until you, Ali, receive the book containing the laws, so that you can implement the last law, which is one of the hardest laws in this book, my son."

Salmani stopped talking for a moment and said to mother's Ali "Say goodbye to your son and leave us now. Your mission is over. Go and rest and pray for him to return safely to you."Ali's mother hugged her son tightly and said, "You are the pride of the family. I want you to come back to me safely, my son." Ali spoke up and said, "Mother, I don't understand anything. What's happening around me and what's the secret of this book?" Salmani interrupted him and said, "You will know everything today, my son. Just say goodbye to your mother now, and then I will tell you everything." Ali hugged his mother tightly, kissed her, and became curious to know the secret.

Salmani pointed to Ali's Mother to leave the room and close the door behind her. Ali's Mom left the room. Salmani made sure that the door was closed properly and said to Ali, "Come, my son, and sit down while I tell you the story of the Bani Khalid family and the story of that chosen young man from the family every hundred years. Listen, my son. Eight hundred years ago, your great-grandfather Khalid bin Al-Qasim Salmani was the one who is attributed to the Bani Khalid family. Your great-grandfather was of pure Arab origins, and his family was rich and of noble descent. His father ruled his tribe, and he was his only heir. He used to train every day in sword fighting, and he was very skilled. He was the knight of knights, my son. One day, news came to his father that there was a tribe that did not know its origin or where it came from, and they had decided to attack his tribe and seize power. Khalid was a confident young man. Your grandfather had a mark on his leg… Whoever bears this mark or is born with it from the tribe's offspring, he will lead the tribe and become its ruler." Ali interrupted him and said, "Which mark are you talking about, Grandfather?"

I will tell you, my son: About a year before the birth of Khalid, your grandfather Qassim Al-Sulmani met a fortune-teller while hunting in the wilderness. On that day, the fortune-teller had been attacked and wounded by a tiger, but when your grandfather Qassim found him, he helped him and treated his wounds until he was able to go back home. The fortune-teller had a beautiful daughter, and when Qassim saw her, he fell in love with her.

The fortune-teller thanked Qassim for his help and generosity and told him that he looked like a noble person from a noble lineage. Qassim told him that he was the son of Al-Sulmani, the ruler of an Arab tribe on the outskirts of the forest. The fortune-teller asked about the beautiful girl, and Qassim told him that she was his only daughter and that she was not yet married. Qassim then offered to find a suitable husband for her, and the fortune-teller agreed, as long as Qassim asked for her hand in marriage.

Qassim said that he had no objection, as long as the fortune-teller's father agreed to the marriage. He asked the fortune-teller to tell his father that he wanted to marry , the fortune-teller's daughter. Before leaving the fortune-teller's house, the fortune-teller shook hands with Qassim and thanked him once again. However, at that moment, the fortune-teller put a spell on Qassim, making him return to marry his daughter and become the expected ruler of the Sulmani tribe.

Ali listened carefully to the family story and was intrigued. He wanted to know more about the symbol, the book, and the laws. He asked his grandfather what happened next.

Qassim went to his father and told him that he wanted to get married. His father was happy for him and asked who the lucky girl was. Qassim told him that she was a very beautiful girl, the daughter of a man named Tiam the fortune-teller. When Al-Sulmani heard Tiam's name, his face changed from happiness to extreme anger. He said to Qassim,What do you say, have you gone crazy, that you want to marry the daughter of a expelled fortune-teller from the tribe due to his bad behavior and indulgence in the profession of magic? It's impossible for you to marry this girl, and I will never allow it.

Qasim was almost losing his mind. He was bewitched by the girl and wanted to marry her because the fortune-teller made him attach to her through a spell he cast on him. Qasim didn't care about his father's words and his refusal to the marriage. He was determined to marry this girl and wanted her to be his wife. However, Salmani swore to end this story and wouldn't allow Tyam Al-Araf to spoil his tribe, nor would he allow him to return to this tribe no matter what it takes.

Qasim went to the tribe council to meet with its advisors to inform them of this matter and to seek their advice on how to deal with it.

Ali asked, "What happened after that? How did they handle this matter?"

Salmani, his grandfather, said to him, "The story is long, my grandson, and you seem tired from your travels, you haven't rested yet from the hardships of travel, and you haven't eaten anything yet. You need to rest, and food will be prepared for you in your room. After you eat and rest, tomorrow, I will continue the story for you so that you know the secret… the secret of the book and the laws until the time comes for you to deliver the book and start the chosen mission. You have two more days, my son, before the start of your mission and the delivery of the family book, which contains the laws and the last law that will only appear to you when you receive it."

Ali asked, surprised, "What? A law that does not appear in the book unless I receive it myself?"

Sulmani replied, "Don't worry, my son. Now go to your room."

Ali went to the door to leave his grandfather's council room to look for his room, but his grandfather stopped him and said, "It's not through that door that your connection with it has been severed, and you will only exit through that door when you finish your mission. But there is another door that leads to the room prepared for you for some time. He took him through a door hidden behind a huge picture, and when he pressed a button, the door opened for him, leading to another corridor with a group of rooms, and Ali's room was at the end of the corridor. Its door handle was different from the other doors, where the door handle was a tiger's head made of silver."

Ali had a question on his mind that he wanted answers to. He entered a beautifully organized room that was prepared for him. The room was very spacious with a bed in the middle, covered in a red bedsheet with green branches and red pillows adorned with yellow branch patterns. There were beautiful paintings everywhere in the room, but there was one painting in particular that caught his eye. It was a painting of a knight riding a tiger with the same crown and jewel on its head. Ali wondered what the secret behind this painting was.

He sat on the bed and found himself getting tired from thinking, so he rested his head on the pillow to take a nap. But he was soon overwhelmed by sleep. When he closed his eyes, he began to see strange things and people carrying swords circling around him. There was also a young man wearing a strange outfit with a dagger belt and a shiny sword in his hand. He approached Ali and said, "I am waiting for you. Your end will be on my hands." He then placed the sword on Ali's neck, and Ali felt the blade's edge. Frightened, Ali screamed once and woke up in a panic, looking around everywhere. It was all just a dream.

Ali said, "Oh God, what was that dream, and who was that young man in the dream, and what did he mean? It must have been just a figment of my imagination. I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan."

© Doaa Khaled

Washindi laws