*
Noor turned her attention to the map once again, squinting her eyes as she checked it more closely. Sure enough, far to the north of Sana'a, a small X had been drawn right above Syria on the border of a city called Damascus.
"How did you know this?" Maimuna asked, the colour drained from her face.
"I didn't," Fareed replied. "Until now, it was merely a suspicion. But you have proved me right."
Noor stared at the small X, trying to notice any difference between it and the other X's. It was impossible to do so, as they all looked virtually the same.
A secret hidden in plain sight.
"Noor," Fareed said, "open that book beside you and turn to the eightieth page."
Wordlessly, she reached for the tome beside her and hefted it onto her knees, ignoring the stab of pain in her injured
