"Of course, of course," Eleish said, recognizing the man for some sort of guard despite his plain robe. "I was simply admiring your beautiful mosque. I am from the north, but I have long heard of the splendor of the Al-Futuh Mosque. Words are cheap, though. It is such a joy to behold in person."
The man nodded, unmoved. "Let me walk you out, brother."
Eleish uncrossed his arms and flashed the gun that he had concealed under his sleeve since extracting it from the leg holster in the courtyard. "I would prefer that you walk me into the madrasa," Eleish said, in reference to the school and residence behind the mosque.
The man's eyes blackened. "Pointing a gun in the house of God?" he snapped without a trace of fear.
"Now," Eleish growled and waved the gun at him. "Either you start walking, or you die here… in the house of God."
The tall man glared at Eleish; hatred crystallized in his eyes.
Eleish recognized the look. He had seen it in the faces of other extremists, right before rash reactions had led them to a quick martyrdom. Eleish steadied his gun, aiming at the man's face. But rather than rush at Eleish, the man casually turned and began to walk across the courtyard. Never lowering his weapon, Eleish followed him across the courtyard and into the building behind.
They walked down a dark narrow corridor, whose faded gray walls were devoid of any decoration. "I want to speak to the Sheikh," Eleish said.
"You mean, to kill him," the young man said flatly while keeping his head fixed straight in front of him.
Eleish shook his head at the man's back before realizing the futility of the gesture. "I mean to speak with him," he said.
"Then follow me."
Their footsteps echoed in the otherwise still hallway. They walked past a series of doors toward an L-turn at the end of the corridor. Just as they reached it, the creaky sound of a door opening behind them caught Eleish's attention.
"Son, is that you?" a deep voice asked.
Even before glancing over his shoulder, Eleish recognized the Sheikh's voice.
"Go back to your room, Father!" the tall man screamed. In one motion, he pivoted and lunged at Eleish.
Eleish jumped back. Stumbling, he had to steady himself against the wall behind him, just as the young man landed hard at his feet and grabbed wildly for his ankle. Eleish jerked his foot free of the man's grip. Once he had regained his balance, he knelt forward and rested the gun's muzzle against the fallen man's forehead.
"No!" Sheikh Hassan screamed. "Leave Fadi be! Save your bullets for me."
Without budging his gaze or the barrel of his gun, Eleish spoke to the Sheikh in a calm but commanding tone. "I have not come to kill anyone. But so help me Allah, I will kill both of you if need be."
Lying on his belly, the young man stared up hatefully at Eleish, his eyes challenging him to pull the trigger.
The Sheikh must have recognized the expression because he shuffled closer and spoke to the young man. "Fadi, leave it be. The man has come to talk. So we will talk. All are welcome here."
Eleish rested a foot on Fadi's back. "Put your hands behind your back!" he barked.
Fadi glanced over to the Sheikh before complying.
With his free hand, Eleish reached down and pulled a pair of handcuffs from under his robe and then cuffed the young man's hands behind his back. Once Fadi was secured, Eleish turned to the Sheikh. "Where is a private place for us to speak?"
Hassan pointed a shaky hand back to the door from where the light emerged. "In my room."
Eleish pulled Fadi to his feet. He pushed him forward as they followed the shuffling cleric back to his room. The last one to step inside, Eleish closed the door behind them. Smelling musty from stale air, the room looked more like a dusty old library than someone's living quarters. Aside from a metal cot in the corner, the room was littered with old books and parchments. The bookshelves overflowed. And stacks of books rose from the floor. A large leather-bound volume was open on the reading stand with a magnifying glass resting atop.
With a wave of his gun, Eleish directed Fadi and the Sheikh to move to the far wall.
Standing against the wall, the Sheikh opened his mouth in a forlorn smile, which exposed two decaying front teeth flanked by spaces where other teeth should have been. "How can we share any kind of discourse at gunpoint, my son?"
Like a tail wagging on a wolf, the grin struck Eleish as out of place on the feisty old cleric. "We will manage," Eleish said.
Wide-eyed, Fadi glanced at Hassan, but the Sheikh shook his head ever so slightly and then turned back to Eleish. "It is God's way." He shrugged calmly. "Are you a believer, my friend?"
"In what you preach?" Eleish asked.
"In Allah," Hassan barked, but then resumed his pleasanter tone. "And the life he commanded us to live as told to the Prophet."
"I am a Muslim," Eleish said.
"Then we are brothers," the Sheikh said confidently. "And we have nothing to fear of each other."
