📌 Previously in Chapter 24:
Zayd received a visit from Rahim al-Talib, a confident and mysterious merchant from a noble trade family. Though Rahim offered no threats, his interest in Zayd made it clear: The Crescent Corner was now on the map. Zayd realized that influence draws attention — and that attention needs a stronger foundation.
📍 Scene: The Crescent Corner – Morning
Zayd sat at the shop's back table, flipping through his worn leather notebook. Beside him, Qadir chewed dried fig slowly, half focused and half daydreaming.
QADIR:
"Still thinking about that lion man? We should've offered him lemon water at least. Hospitality matters, you know."
ZAYD (smiling faintly):
"Rahim al-Talib isn't the kind of man who remembers water. He remembers moves. And I think it's time we make one."
QADIR (suddenly alert):
"Wait… moves like… expansion?"
Zayd nodded, turning to a blank page in his notebook.
ZAYD:
"There's a skill in this village that's going to waste. Did you notice how many blacksmiths live here?"
QADIR:
"Of course! Strong arms, big voices, bigger beards. All working from sheds, or worse, not working at all."
ZAYD:
"And why aren't they expanding?"
QADIR:
"No money. No shop. No way to leave the village — most have families, some take care of their parents. They can't risk going to Aleppo or Baghdad just to earn coin."
ZAYD (calmly):
"Exactly. But what if the shop came to them?"
📍 Scene Change: Courtyard Near the Mosque – Afternoon
Zayd and Qadir met with three local smiths: old Yusuf, young Khalaf, and middle-aged Abbad. Their arms were like rope, their palms calloused, and their expressions uncertain.
YUSUF (gruffly):
"You want to start a smithy? With us? Where's your forge, boy?"
ZAYD:
"I don't have one. But I have coin. I have wood. And I have trust in your skill."
KHALAF:
"We've heard that before. Traders come through and offer silver for work… then vanish before payday."
ABBAD:
"You're not even a craftsman. What do you gain from this?"
Zayd stepped forward, his voice steady.
ZAYD:
"I gain what you gain — stability. We build the shop together. I front the cost. You work and take the fair share. And we don't stop at horseshoes and axes. We craft for the caravans. Tools, bolts, fittings for trade carts. Things that move business."
There was a pause. Yusuf stroked his grey beard.
YUSUF:
"If you lie, we'll know. And hammers are heavy."
QADIR (grinning):
"And heads are soft."
Yusuf burst out laughing. So did Abbad.
KHALAF (nodding):
"I'll do it. I've been waiting for someone to believe in us."
📍 Scene Change: Vacant Stall Lot – Evening
They stood before an unused patch of land near the market path — once a clay stall, now empty. Zayd looked at it like it was already built.
ZAYD:
"We'll call it The Ember Forge. It starts here. Stone, iron, and sweat."
QADIR:
"And tea. Lots of tea. You'll see — I make a mean pot while watching other people work."
Nimr circled overhead,
End of Chapter 25