📍 Scene: Caravan Trail between Mosul and Sinjar — Early Morning
Age: Zayd is now 15 years old
Zayd rode at the back of a slow-moving caravan, his cloak drawn tight against the cold desert wind. A year had passed since he arrived in Mosul, and though he had swept floors, run errands, and read every scroll Ustadh Faruq would allow, Zayd knew he needed to move.
He had gained the guild's trust. Now it was time to gain the world's.
📍 Scene Change: Desert Campfire, Night
A young guard asked him casually, "Why travel alone, merchant boy?"
ZAYD (calmly):
"To learn the land. A map drawn by feet is worth more than one drawn by ink."
The man laughed, but Zayd meant every word. He was now fluent in Arabic and Turkish, and had begun learning Farsi. At every stop, he traded news for stories, dates for rumors, and observations for friendships. He was becoming what he had once hired — a man of many masks.
📍 Scene Change: Flashback — Rocky Hills Near Diyala, One Year Earlier
A younger Zayd, just turned 14, wandered the hills near a small town in Diyala, having left Mosul for the first time. It was a lonely, dusty afternoon.
Suddenly, he heard weak screeching from a nearby cluster of stones. Curiosity drew him in — and what he saw startled him.
A young eagle, its wing twisted, bleeding and broken, struggled to move.
Zayd approached slowly, whispering verses to calm it. The bird didn't flee. It had no strength left.
He tore strips from his own shirt, creating a small splint. For two days, he camped by the rock, feeding it crushed dates and water.
ZAYD (softly, to the bird):
"You and I, we're both broken. But we'll heal. Together."
He named the bird Nimr — "Tiger" in Turkish, for its defiant eyes.
📍 Scene Return: Caravan Trail, Present
Now, one year later, Nimr flew overhead, majestic and proud. Its wings fully healed, the eagle had become Zayd's constant companion — a creature of the wind, fierce and loyal.
A boy in the caravan stared in awe.
BOY:
"Is that bird really yours?"
ZAYD (smiling faintly):
"He found me when I had no path. And I found him when he had no wings."
📍 Scene Change: Sinjar Market — Midday
In the bustling town of Sinjar, Zayd helped a rug merchant decipher a forged bill of sale. In exchange, the merchant taught him how to appraise Armenian carpets — how to recognize genuine dye, knots per inch, and tribal patterns.
Later that week, he mediated a dispute between two coin changers by quoting from the Quran and offering a compromise using market logic.
Whispers began to spread:
"That young man with the eagle? He sees through lies like glass."
Closing Narration
At 15, Zayd ibn Suleiman had not yet wealth nor power. But he had eyes that noticed everything, a tongue sharpened with three languages, and a bird that soared as freely as his ambition.
He was no longer a poor boy from Al-Qarah.
He was a traveler, a translator, and now… a student of men.
End of Chapter 7