In the Shadows of the Mountains - Chapter Four: The Breaking of Restraint

The atmosphere in the Seljuk camp was thick with tension and humiliation. Word of the Byzantine ambush had spread quickly, and whispers of failure hung in the air like smoke from a smothered fire. The men were shaken, but none more so than Tariq ibn Sahl, who stood with his fists clenched at his sides as his superior officer tore into him with a fury reserved only for the gravest mistakes.

“Do you understand the shame you’ve brought upon us, Commander?” His superior’s voice was sharp, each word a lash across Tariq’s pride. “They attacked us during our worship, and you were unprepared! You, who were entrusted with the safety of these men!”

Tariq kept his head bowed, jaw clenched so tight he could feel the ache in his teeth. Inside, his heart boiled with a mixture of shame and rage. He had miscalculated; he had let his guard down at the worst possible moment, and now he bore the brunt of his failure. Each scathing word was like salt in a wound he couldn’t ignore.