A Room in the Caravanserai Darbar Khan, the magician, pulls out new heroes from his magic box of stories. Hamza’s brother Ayjil, his son Alamshah and their friend Tul Mast were also on their way to Sabayil for Hamza’s wedding. After many days at sea, they ran into a heavy storm. The waves rose high, dark clouds covered the moon and stars, and they were blown off course by the strong winds. One night, their boat finally ran aground, on a sandy beach barely lit by a pale moon. The three companions overheard some sailors talking in a strange language. Under the cover of darkness, they quickly heaved the boat ashore and hid it under a mound of sand. When they walked into the town, they realized to their horror that they were in Takaw, the kingdom of Hamza’s enemy, Malik Argus. They knew that if they were discovered, Malik Argus would surely kill them. So, they traded their Persian clothes and disguised themselves as local merchants and went in search of a room. They knocked on the doors of several inns in town, but all of them were full. Finally, their boatman took them to an innkeeper who gave them a room in his caravanserai. The caravanserai was a noisy place filled with travellers, merchants and animals. Camels chewed hay, grinding their teeth as their jaws moved from side to side. Tired soldiers put aside their weapons and lay down to rest. The three men were led through a dim doorway, up a narrow staircase, to a tiny room on the upper floor of the caravanserai. It was small and cramped but it was the only vacant room.
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