Who are Saddam's Spies
Find out in this brand new, action packed novel from Daliyah Hanin. In Saddam´s Spies,Ms. Hanin has created a gripping masterpiece with a new adventure on every page.Beware, though, once you pick up this irresistible tale of historical fiction about Saddam Hussein´s evil regime circa the Gulf War period, you might as well cancel all appointments,prior engagements, and even routine activities. Once you begin reading the adventures of Fatima Atik, Saddam´s niece chosen to be an Iraqi spy,you´ll be hard-pressed to put it down.
THE EXERPT
The ride down was gusty, but not strong enough to push me off track. I heard some voices as I got towards the bottom, and then looked down. Some shepherds were relaxing near my landing point and I was afraid I might land on one of them. “Watch out,” I called. They just looked at me and laughed. One of them joked, “Our prayers have been answered. Allah has sent us a beautiful virgin.”
When I got to the bottom, I lost my balance and fell on my back. The sharp rocks hurt and I banged my head, too, but the helmet protected me. None of the three men came to help, but as I stood up they approached. I took off my helmet to see them better and shook my hair loose. Perhaps they would recognize me and leave me alone. I glanced up to see when Sensei would arrive, but he hadn’t started coming yet. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” I asked firmly. They laughed.
“Who are you, an angel from on high?” one of them inquired as he started examining my rope.
I yanked the rope out of his hand. “I am from the President’s palace and you are trespassing on the President’s land.”
He turned to his comrades and mocked me, “We seem to have taken a wrong turn, my friends. We have stumbled onto Saddam Hussein’s land, and this must be his queen.” He bowed very deeply, overdoing his show of humility, and, while he was prostrate, he grabbed my rope again and pulled it backwards, making me once again tumble on my back. I tried to unfasten the clips, but being too unfamiliar with my gear I found myself tied down by my own equipment. Again, I looked up, hopeful that my teacher would slide down to my rescue, but nothing.
“Well, your Majesty, let us see what kind of a queen you truly are.” Two of the three attackers grabbed my arms, while the apparent leader stood over me. I struggled to roll away, but with my harness being used against me, it was hopeless. To distract him for a moment, I smiled seductively.
“Let me show you our special technique in the palace,” I invited, hoping to buy a few moments until help arrived. The sidekicks tried to take off my harness, but it was too difficult. They didn’t waste the chance to fondle me, though. I stopped fighting, and the leader bent down on top of me. He untied his wrap, and then asked me my name. “I am Queen Hussein,” I said.
From his belly he laughed, and moved his face towards mine. His vile breath and broken teeth made me question my strategy, but I figured that Sensei would get there at any moment. The men on my sides seemed more interested in touching me than holding me, so as the leader got his face close to mine, presumably to kiss or lick me, I yanked my hands away from the assailant’s, grabbed his head and pulled it straight towards my forehead, smacking his upper lip and nose into the hardest part of my head. He curled back in pain, and as he stood up to get off me, I cocked my knee close to my chest and released all the power in my leg directly into his groin. He grabbed himself and laid on the ground, unsure whether to nurse his bleeding face or crushed testicles.
I then rolled over to one side and lifted my harness off over my head, like taking off my shirt. One of the clips fell off and I grabbed it to use like brass knuckles. One of the shepherds grabbed my other hand before I could stand up and, pulling it towards him, looked at me directly and said, “There is no Queen Hussein. Do you think you’re Queen Zenobia?” His reference to the ancient monarch of 2000 years ago surprised me. Her husband had been king of Palmyra, now part of Syria, and when he died, she took his place and fought courageously against the Romans. She won many battles before being captured by the aggressors. “Why don’t you come home with me?” he said. Comparing me to Queen Zenobia, who ended living as a matron in the Roman Empire, seemed to go too far.
“You don’t have golden chains to take me away,” I replied, alluding to the way she was led off by the Romans. “But I’ve got this,” I said, swinging the rappelling clip towards his head. He blocked my advance and I only scratched his face slightly. I pulled both my hands towards my chest and rolled away.
As I turned upwards, I saw Sensei’s rope dropping into place over the side of the ledge. In a minute he would arrive to save me, so I knew the fight wouldn’t last long. I called his name, but the wind made it impossible for him to hear my cry. My opponent jumped on top of me and put his weight squarely on my hips, stopping me from getting up. He put his filthy hand over my mouth and kept me pinned in place.
The third man took his walking staff and positioned himself near Sensei’s landing point. My teacher, unaware of what was below, continued his backward descent. Near the bottom, he slowed down and looked between his legs. His attacker stayed behind him, out of view, and prepared his swing. Unable to break free, I couldn’t call out a warning. I heard a loud cracking sound as the wooden weapon hit Sensei’s helmet, and then a brief grunt of pain when his legs took the next impact. With great might in his arms, my teacher pulled himself up the rope, one hand over the other, until he was about five or six meters in the air, well out of reach of the stick.
The one on top of me rolled me over on to my stomach and pulled my hands behind me. I felt him start to wrap my rope around them, and though I couldn’t release myself from his strong grip, I intertwined my fingers and pushed my wrists apart a few centimeters. Then I let him tie me up. “Stay here, Queen,” he commanded, and then grabbed his staff and headed to the melee. As soon as he had taken a few steps, I escaped from the ropes. Having left a little space between my wrists, I was able to wriggle out of the bindings rapidly. Without any weapon, however, I was of little use in the battle.
The two aggressors started batting wildly at Sensei. He was too high for them to reach, but their strikes shook the rope so much that he couldn’t climb any higher. Sensei began rocking back and forth, causing his tether to sway from side to side. The motion made the two men separate from each other, each one trying to hit him on one end of his arc or the other. He then pulled up the length of rope that was below him, wrapped some of it around one of his arms, and looped another part of it around one of his feet. That gave him a stepping area to support himself rather than straining his arms holding on to the rope.
As Sensei’s swings got larger, I grabbed my climbing harness in one hand and an attached clip in the other and moved behind one of the attackers. Presumably Sensei intended to attack one of them while I hit the other. With an animal-like shout, he propelled himself up in the air and came crashing down on his target. The enemy swung his staff at Sensei, who used the excess rope that he had gathered around his arm to catch the solid weapon.
At the same time, I came from behind, threw my choker around the face of the other one and yanked backwards. I lifted my leg high, putting it in the small of his back, and caused him to lose his balance and drop backwards on the jagged rocks. I fell, too, but having been prepared for the drop, I wasn’t hurt. My harness was caught under his chin, so I placed my feet on his shoulders and pulled as hard as I could.
Having grabbed the weapon of his assailant, Sensei jabbed him in the groin, causing him to keel over in pain. He then held the stick at both ends and rammed it on the back of his neck. His opponent’s face took the total brunt of the fall on the rocks.
As I struggled to keep the harness over my enemy’s face, he tried to pull it off from around his neck. Having conquered the first attacker, Sensei spun around and saw the two of us on the ground. He lifted up his newly acquired weapon and then drove it right into the center of his target. I heard the pained exhale the enemy made as he grabbed his stomach, unable to breathe. Since he was limp beneath me, I released my hold on the harness and stood up. He was unable to move, using all his strength to gasp in a little air.
Before looking at my teacher, I glanced at all three of our attackers to make sure they weren’t able to start again. Two were bleeding profusely from their faces, and the third was still struggling to breathe. I looked towards Sensei for approval. He looked at my victims, shook his head in disbelief, and then smiled at me. “You are a smart girl, Fatima.”
THE EXERPT
The ride down was gusty, but not strong enough to push me off track. I heard some voices as I got towards the bottom, and then looked down. Some shepherds were relaxing near my landing point and I was afraid I might land on one of them. “Watch out,” I called. They just looked at me and laughed. One of them joked, “Our prayers have been answered. Allah has sent us a beautiful virgin.”
When I got to the bottom, I lost my balance and fell on my back. The sharp rocks hurt and I banged my head, too, but the helmet protected me. None of the three men came to help, but as I stood up they approached. I took off my helmet to see them better and shook my hair loose. Perhaps they would recognize me and leave me alone. I glanced up to see when Sensei would arrive, but he hadn’t started coming yet. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” I asked firmly. They laughed.
“Who are you, an angel from on high?” one of them inquired as he started examining my rope.
I yanked the rope out of his hand. “I am from the President’s palace and you are trespassing on the President’s land.”
He turned to his comrades and mocked me, “We seem to have taken a wrong turn, my friends. We have stumbled onto Saddam Hussein’s land, and this must be his queen.” He bowed very deeply, overdoing his show of humility, and, while he was prostrate, he grabbed my rope again and pulled it backwards, making me once again tumble on my back. I tried to unfasten the clips, but being too unfamiliar with my gear I found myself tied down by my own equipment. Again, I looked up, hopeful that my teacher would slide down to my rescue, but nothing.
“Well, your Majesty, let us see what kind of a queen you truly are.” Two of the three attackers grabbed my arms, while the apparent leader stood over me. I struggled to roll away, but with my harness being used against me, it was hopeless. To distract him for a moment, I smiled seductively.
“Let me show you our special technique in the palace,” I invited, hoping to buy a few moments until help arrived. The sidekicks tried to take off my harness, but it was too difficult. They didn’t waste the chance to fondle me, though. I stopped fighting, and the leader bent down on top of me. He untied his wrap, and then asked me my name. “I am Queen Hussein,” I said.
From his belly he laughed, and moved his face towards mine. His vile breath and broken teeth made me question my strategy, but I figured that Sensei would get there at any moment. The men on my sides seemed more interested in touching me than holding me, so as the leader got his face close to mine, presumably to kiss or lick me, I yanked my hands away from the assailant’s, grabbed his head and pulled it straight towards my forehead, smacking his upper lip and nose into the hardest part of my head. He curled back in pain, and as he stood up to get off me, I cocked my knee close to my chest and released all the power in my leg directly into his groin. He grabbed himself and laid on the ground, unsure whether to nurse his bleeding face or crushed testicles.
I then rolled over to one side and lifted my harness off over my head, like taking off my shirt. One of the clips fell off and I grabbed it to use like brass knuckles. One of the shepherds grabbed my other hand before I could stand up and, pulling it towards him, looked at me directly and said, “There is no Queen Hussein. Do you think you’re Queen Zenobia?” His reference to the ancient monarch of 2000 years ago surprised me. Her husband had been king of Palmyra, now part of Syria, and when he died, she took his place and fought courageously against the Romans. She won many battles before being captured by the aggressors. “Why don’t you come home with me?” he said. Comparing me to Queen Zenobia, who ended living as a matron in the Roman Empire, seemed to go too far.
“You don’t have golden chains to take me away,” I replied, alluding to the way she was led off by the Romans. “But I’ve got this,” I said, swinging the rappelling clip towards his head. He blocked my advance and I only scratched his face slightly. I pulled both my hands towards my chest and rolled away.
As I turned upwards, I saw Sensei’s rope dropping into place over the side of the ledge. In a minute he would arrive to save me, so I knew the fight wouldn’t last long. I called his name, but the wind made it impossible for him to hear my cry. My opponent jumped on top of me and put his weight squarely on my hips, stopping me from getting up. He put his filthy hand over my mouth and kept me pinned in place.
The third man took his walking staff and positioned himself near Sensei’s landing point. My teacher, unaware of what was below, continued his backward descent. Near the bottom, he slowed down and looked between his legs. His attacker stayed behind him, out of view, and prepared his swing. Unable to break free, I couldn’t call out a warning. I heard a loud cracking sound as the wooden weapon hit Sensei’s helmet, and then a brief grunt of pain when his legs took the next impact. With great might in his arms, my teacher pulled himself up the rope, one hand over the other, until he was about five or six meters in the air, well out of reach of the stick.
The one on top of me rolled me over on to my stomach and pulled my hands behind me. I felt him start to wrap my rope around them, and though I couldn’t release myself from his strong grip, I intertwined my fingers and pushed my wrists apart a few centimeters. Then I let him tie me up. “Stay here, Queen,” he commanded, and then grabbed his staff and headed to the melee. As soon as he had taken a few steps, I escaped from the ropes. Having left a little space between my wrists, I was able to wriggle out of the bindings rapidly. Without any weapon, however, I was of little use in the battle.
The two aggressors started batting wildly at Sensei. He was too high for them to reach, but their strikes shook the rope so much that he couldn’t climb any higher. Sensei began rocking back and forth, causing his tether to sway from side to side. The motion made the two men separate from each other, each one trying to hit him on one end of his arc or the other. He then pulled up the length of rope that was below him, wrapped some of it around one of his arms, and looped another part of it around one of his feet. That gave him a stepping area to support himself rather than straining his arms holding on to the rope.
As Sensei’s swings got larger, I grabbed my climbing harness in one hand and an attached clip in the other and moved behind one of the attackers. Presumably Sensei intended to attack one of them while I hit the other. With an animal-like shout, he propelled himself up in the air and came crashing down on his target. The enemy swung his staff at Sensei, who used the excess rope that he had gathered around his arm to catch the solid weapon.
At the same time, I came from behind, threw my choker around the face of the other one and yanked backwards. I lifted my leg high, putting it in the small of his back, and caused him to lose his balance and drop backwards on the jagged rocks. I fell, too, but having been prepared for the drop, I wasn’t hurt. My harness was caught under his chin, so I placed my feet on his shoulders and pulled as hard as I could.
Having grabbed the weapon of his assailant, Sensei jabbed him in the groin, causing him to keel over in pain. He then held the stick at both ends and rammed it on the back of his neck. His opponent’s face took the total brunt of the fall on the rocks.
As I struggled to keep the harness over my enemy’s face, he tried to pull it off from around his neck. Having conquered the first attacker, Sensei spun around and saw the two of us on the ground. He lifted up his newly acquired weapon and then drove it right into the center of his target. I heard the pained exhale the enemy made as he grabbed his stomach, unable to breathe. Since he was limp beneath me, I released my hold on the harness and stood up. He was unable to move, using all his strength to gasp in a little air.
Before looking at my teacher, I glanced at all three of our attackers to make sure they weren’t able to start again. Two were bleeding profusely from their faces, and the third was still struggling to breathe. I looked towards Sensei for approval. He looked at my victims, shook his head in disbelief, and then smiled at me. “You are a smart girl, Fatima.”
posted by OBONO at
9:40 PM
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