📌 Previously in Chapter 14:
Zayd, now 18 years old, impressed a group of senior merchants in Damascus by accurately predicting a sudden shift in the spice market. He gained access to rare scrolls from India and China and was invited to observe a private merchant council discussing trade routes through Byzantium.
📍 Scene: Damascus Silk Court, Mid-Morning
The fragrance of crushed jasmine and fresh papyrus lingered in the corridors as ZAYD IBN SULEIMAN entered the Silk Court of Damascus. Rows of silk bolts shimmered in pink, green, and gold. He walked beside Ustadh Harun, one of the master traders who had taken a liking to Zayd's clarity of speech and sharp eyes.
USTADH HARUN (whispering):
"You see, Zayd… silk isn't just thread. It's a flag. Whoever controls its trade writes the language of luxury."
Zayd nodded, observing how each merchant marked their bolts with personalized seals, some in gold, others in wax or rare dyes.
ZAYD (quietly):
"And every seal is a story of where they've been... and what they fear."
Harun smiled.
USTADH HARUN:
"Well said. Come — there's someone you must meet."
📍 Scene Change: Upper Terrace of the Silk Court
They arrived at a private terrace where a group of foreign dignitaries stood around an elderly Greek-Jewish merchant named Daoud al-Yunan. His reputation was formidable. Zayd had heard his name whispered among Persian and Indian traders.
Daoud studied Zayd with cool, curious eyes.
DAOUD AL-YUNAN:
"I hear you predicted the saffron collapse in Mosul… and the cinnamon swell in Tyre. You have good ears for winds, boy."
ZAYD (respectfully):
"Only because I listened when older men cursed at the wind."
A few merchants chuckled. Daoud's lips curled slightly.
DAOUD:
"Then perhaps you'd like to try something harder than wind. I've lost a shipment of silk bound for Baghdad. Disappeared. I suspect foul play. Interested?"
ZAYD (cautiously):
"Do you want the truth… or what's comfortable?"
DAOUD:
"The truth, always. But whispered."
Zayd accepted the challenge. He would have three days to uncover what had happened. And in doing so, he would not just be solving a trade dispute — he would be entering the unspoken world of spycraft and shadows that linked trade, crime, and politics.
📍 Scene Change: A Secluded Courtyard in Damascus — That Evening
Under the moonlight, Zayd fed Nimr, his eagle, tearing strips of raw quail with care. The bird's sharp eyes reflected the flicker of a nearby oil lamp.
Zayd sat alone, staring at a silk map with trade routes traced in ink.
ZAYD (to himself):
"They hide the truth in warehouses, in false crates, in false names… But I see the pattern. I will find it."
Nimr let out a low call, as if affirming his master's vow.
🔚 Closing Narration
Zayd, now 18 years old, was no longer a boy wandering in curiosity. He was a man walking in whispers — where coins clinked quietly, and blades shone behind silk.
He had stepped into a new world. And someone in that world was watching him.
🔜 Next in Chapter 16:
Zayd meets a mysterious woman — a wealthy and powerful merchant unlike any he has known. She sees through his words… and he feels something unfamiliar stir in his heart.
And so begins a bond of unspoken affection and poetry.