The sun hadn't risen yet when Noor and Leonardo left the riad.
She carried only her Qur'an, a small satchel, and a silver pendant her mother had once called a shield in disguise. Leonardo wore a linen thobe and concealed a holstered weapon beneath his coat, though Noor had told him—no bullets today.
Not until they knew the truth.
Not until they met the girl who claimed Halberd was her father.
The Letter's Trail
The letter left at the Quran school had no return address—but Noor recognized the handwriting.
It matched a name from one of the surveillance files Matteo had decrypted weeks ago: Lina Fariq.
Age: 16.
Known aliases: Unknown.
Location: Casablanca.
Noor pressed her palm to the envelope and whispered a prayer. "Guide me to the one who still remembers Your name."
Casablanca
The train ride took eleven hours.
Long stretches of wheat fields and sleepy towns gave way to the rhythm of city noise. Casablanca pulsed with life—too loud, too fast, and too full of memory for either of them to rest.
They checked into a small inn by the port.
Noor refused to sleep until they found the girl.
The Masjid of Names
Lina wasn't in any registry.
But she had mentioned a masjid she once prayed in—Masjid An-Nur, "the Masjid of Light."
It stood quietly behind a textile market, barely marked.
They entered after Asr prayer, removing their shoes in the shade of the wall. Noor stepped forward while Leonardo waited by the door, hands tucked behind his back, eyes watching everyone.
Inside, Noor found her.
A girl seated cross-legged, clutching a tattered Qur'an like a life vest.
Her face was tired, young, and too wise.
"Lina?" Noor asked gently.
The girl's head snapped up.
Tears welled instantly.
"You came," she whispered.
The Revelation
They sat in silence first.
Noor offered tea. The girl refused.
Then, softly: "He calls me Ishrat now. Not Lina."
Noor didn't interrupt.
"He changed my name so I'd forget what I was," she continued. "He took me from my mother when I was six. Told me she abandoned me. But I remember... she taught me to say Bismillah before every meal."
Noor's throat tightened.
"I didn't know I still remembered you until I saw your photo online," the girl whispered. "You taught us at the girls' madrassa for one month before you vanished."
Noor's heart cracked.
"I taught you to memorize Surah Al-Falaq," she said.
The girl nodded, crying now.
"And now… he wants me to help trap you."
The Warning
Halberd had found them in Morocco.
Not through satellites.
But through Lina.
She'd run away from him two weeks ago.
He'd let her.
So she'd lead him back.
"He's already on his way to Fes," she whispered. "He thinks I'm still there."
Leonardo's voice was a whisper behind them.
"Then we have to move now."
But Noor was watching the girl.
"Do you want to leave him?" she asked.
Lina nodded. Slowly.
"Then come with us."
The Chase Begins
They left Casablanca at midnight.
Took the coastal road south.
Matteo guided them via radio silence—only encrypted pings.
The car they drove had fake plates.
The girl said little.
But Noor watched her.
How she prayed with her eyes shut tightly, mouthing the verses like they were passwords to survival.
How she flinched at every horn.
How she clutched Noor's sleeve when she slept.
Leonardo never asked questions.
But his hand never left the steering wheel.
The Fork in the Road
In the middle of the desert, Matteo sent coordinates to a remote safehouse: an abandoned school built in the early 1900s.
They arrived at dawn.
The gates groaned open.
Inside—quiet.
Too quiet.
Leonardo moved first, sweeping the rooms with trained precision.
Noor guided Lina into a small classroom.
"Rest," she said softly. "We'll leave again by Asr."
But just as she turned—
Lina froze.
"I hear something."
Noor stepped closer.
And then the window shattered.
The Trap
Smoke grenades.
Flash.
Screams.
Lina was pulled back by Noor just as a second blast rocked the wall.
Leonardo dragged them both behind a desk, firing twice through the smoke.
Voices shouted in Arabic.
But Noor knew the dialect.
Not Moroccan.
Algerian.
Then she heard it.
A voice she hadn't heard since childhood.
Calm.
Low.
Like the scrape of steel on stone.
"Come now, Noor Fatima. You taught others to pray. But have you prepared yourself to meet your Lord?"
Halberd.
The Confrontation
Noor stood.
Even as bullets tore through the floor.
Even as Leonardo yelled her name.
She stepped into the hallway with her hands raised, her hijab fluttering behind her like a white flag.
"I am not your enemy," she said.
"But you are mine," Halberd replied, stepping into view.
He was older than she remembered.
Gray hair.
Eyes like ink.
And beside him—two men armed to the teeth.
"Give me the girl," he said.
Lina whimpered behind Noor.
"I was her teacher once," Noor said.
"Then you taught her to betray me."
"I taught her to choose."
Halberd's face twisted.
"I gave her purpose."
"No," Noor said, stepping forward. "You gave her fear."
Leonardo's Stand
From the other end of the hallway, Leonardo moved silently.
One man fell without a sound.
The second turned—fired.
Leonardo dove.
A bullet grazed his shoulder.
He rolled, aimed, fired once.
Silence.
Only Halberd remained.
He raised his gun toward Noor.
And Leonardo shouted, "No!"
The Choice
But Lina was faster.
She stepped between them.
Arms wide.
Tears falling.
"He isn't my father."
And Halberd paused.
Just for a second.
That second cost him everything.
Because Leonardo tackled him—hard.
They hit the floor.
Gun discharged.
Blood pooled.
Halberd gasped once.
And died.
Aftermath
They left the building by noon.
Noor carried Lina's hand the whole way.
Leonardo's wound was cleaned in the car.
Matteo met them outside Tangier.
No questions.
Just a nod.
And a quiet whisper: "It's done."
Final Scene: The Whisper
That night, Lina prayed beside Noor.
After, she said: "I don't know who I am without fear."
Noor touched her cheek.
"You are His. Always."
Later, as the wind blew through the courtyard, Leonardo stood behind Noor and whispered:
"Even when we run, faith walks beside us."
And she replied, "Let's stop running."
He smiled.
And for the first time since Vienna—
They both slept in peace.
To be continued in Chapter 21…