It was getting late when Illya and A'lia finally spotted the oasis in the distance.
"It is not a mirage?" he called out her cautiously.
"No it is not."
"How did you know how to find this place?"
"With this, " A'lia smiled as she pulled her scarf away from her face, holding up a compass in her hand.
"Ah clever these native Moroccans," he smiled. The two struck the camels with their riding crops, urging them to gallop towards the island of green in the midst a sea of sand. Illya saw rising up above the trees, two rocky outcroppings that he surmised were the paps of Sheba.
The oasis was as wonderful as A'lia had said; lush green grass, plenty of trees for shade and of course the pool of water whose source ran down from the rocks like milk from a mother's breasts.
They topped off their water skins kneeling at the pool's edge; then A'lia playfully splashed Illya with her hand, then he did towards her. Before they knew it they had toppled in the water fully clothed, laughing together.
Illya pulled her up from the water towards him, their lips brushing for a moment. He kissed but then pulled away. "No this cannot be." he warned. though by the look in her eyes, he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. He could not risk her having a girlish infatuation with him, and he would not take advantage of that, even though he was attracted to her.
He helped her from the pool, musing to himself that the wet clothes felt good in the heat, but one by one he peeled off the layers until he was left with just a pair of leggings. A'lia disrobed while his back was turned, slipping back into the water.
"Join me Ilyãs," she called to him, as he draped their clothing out to dry. He avoided looking in her direction as he built a fire to prepare a meal, ignoring her entreaties though the erection in his pants urged him not to.
Concentrating on methodically unloading some supplies, a cooking pot, dried meats, vegetables, spices and couscous to be prepared; his amorous thoughts finally diminished. He wandered off, gathering some fresh dates. Putting enough distance between he and A;lia for the girl to abandon the pool in privacy She dressed herself quickly in her already dry clothes.
"You do not wish to bathe?" she called to him.
"No, I will be fine," he said, daring not to strip down and risk a renewed state of excitement. He couldn't take advantage of her like this, it wasn't right, even though she was a willing partner.
"Ilyãs you have readied the makings of a meal, that is the work of a woman or a sla..."
"You were going to say slave were you not?"
"I am sorry, yes I was. You have to understand, that is how I was raised."
"I do, " he said to her with just a bit of annoyance in his voice, " but you need to realize that slavery is wrong. No one has the right to own another human being. Everyone has a right to their own personal dignity and freedom to choose their life. Is that not what you want for yourself?"
"The country where I came from...the Soviet Union did not believe in the rights of the individual, only in the collective. Everyone owed their meager existence to and for the good of the State. I grew up having my entire life controlled, just like you. My life was not my own, just as yours has not been. If you wish to live a life away from here, " he waved his arm in a broad sweep of the landscape," then you must understand that you are no better or different than anyone else."
He walked away from her, taking the black cast-iron pot with him to fill with water. When he returned he let A'lia have her way, preparing and cooking the modest, but aromatically spiced stew for the both of them, when they finished their meal they drank mint tea, ate fresh dates, then prepared to bed down for the night. They unfurled their bedrolls; Illya making sure that his was a proper distance from A'lia, lest temptation become too much for him.
"Ilyãs, it will be cold tonight, the desert can become quite cool very quickly once the sun has set, would it not be better if we lay close together?"
"A'lia, much that I would like to lay with you right now...I cannot. Please do not be offended, as you are a very beautiful young woman, and I admit that I am attracted to you, but now is not the time."
"Ilyãs if you are worried that it is because you think I am a virgin, fear not. My father thinks I am...but I have already had several lovers."
"I'm sorry A'lia, that will not change my mind...for the moment. Now close your eyes and sleep, we must get an early start in the morning."
Illya rolled to his side with his back facing to the her as he fought to calm the renewed excitement in his pants.
.
The next morning Napoleon and Narcissus had an early start, at least it was just after sunrise so that was early to her. Surprisingly she had not complained about the sleeping accommodations or being woken.
The sky was red, and that to Napoleon did not bode well, wondering if the old sailor's adage about a red sky in the morning carried over to a desert sky.
It wan't long before dark billowing clouds appeared on the morning horizon, followed by white flashes of lightning; he could hear the rumbles of thunder in the distance.
They quickly packed up the jeep, putting up the canvas top and securing the side flaps, not bothering to worry about eating anything. They had to stay ahead of the approaching storm, not knowing how bad it would be.
The winds began grow steadily as Napoleon knew they they were fighting a losing battle to stay beyond the storm. The winds stirred up the sands into a bilious wall that was moving up quickly behind them. The increasing signal from the homing disc urged Napoleon onward; that at least was giving him hope that Illya was not far off, and was hopefully at the oasis called the paps of Sheba as the boy Naser had told him.
.
Illya woke, feeling a sand-filled blast of wind hit him in the face. He sat up, seeing ominous weather looming from the west. The sky was filled with black clouds and skeletal fingers of lightning were reaching out from them. Then there was a huge clap of thunder, following by another sharp gust of hot wind; it could only mean one thing.
"A'lia!" He called waking her. " There is a shimoom coming, we must find cover!"
The girl grabbed her blanket, throwing it over her head to protect her from the beginnings of the sandstorm." Come, there is a cave!" she called. They grabbed the reins, leading the camels after them to the back side of one of the rocky outcrops. "There!" she called, "we will have to leave the camels the outside, but we should take our water bags and supplies in with us, as sand could ruin them all!.
"The camels?" He shouted.
"Will not fit, they will survive; they are accustomed to this land. Now hurry before the sand hits us! " They turned to see an immense wall of sand barreling down on them like a giant tidal wave.
They grabbed the supplies, throwing them into the cave before stooping to enter themselves.
Illya and A'lia huddled together under their blankets, trying to protect their eyes, nostrils and lungs from the dust that was billowing into the mouth of the cave.
"We must go farther inside!" He yelled at her, pulling the girl to her feet as he dragged her back into the darkness. He threw an extra blanket over their supplies, leaving them there as they retreated deeper into the cave.
The dust cloud lessened the father they went, then Illya found several torches. He dug around in the one pack he had dragged with them until he found matches then lit the torches, at least giving them some illumination in the midst of the darkness.
Brilliant colors suddenly caught his attention as his eyes were drawn to the walls of the cave. They looked like the ancient paintings he had seen in the temples of Egypt, with bright ochre, greens yellows and blues.
"A'lia, do you know what this is?"
"They say these are tributes to Bilqis herself. See, she sits on her throne, and beside her stands Suleiman himself and at their feet are depicted the great treasures, from his mines. These are very ancient, before the time the Queen of Sheba was converted, as it is forbidden to depict such imagery in the Qur'an."
The paintings clearly showed the paps of Sheba as the backdrop to the portrait of the Queen and Solomon, making Illya wonder if this were some sort of message.
.
The winds were beginning to buffet the jeep violently back and forth, though Solo could still see though the gusts of sand, but visibility was becoming poorer by the minute. The winds were beginning to hit the dunes hard, as he watched them beginning to move and shift like the tides on the surface of water.
There was something dark in the distance, what he could barely make out what looked like trees. Suddenly the jeep stalled.
"Shit!" Napoleon cursed, as he tried to start it a few more times. He reached around back, grabbing their bedrolls, tossing one to Narcissus. "Wrap that around your head and cover your mouth and nose."
"What are you crazy? I'm not going to go out in that?"
"We can't stay here, this jeep could be buried in the sand in minutes. That's got to be the oasis ahead, we can dig in there! Now grab a backpack and hold on to me and what ever you do, don't let go!" He checked the homing signal on the dashboard one more time, finding it beeping strong and steady, meaning that it was within a hundred yards or less. It had to be coming from the oasis.
Then something made him reach beneath his seat, grabbing the strange box-like device that he had found what seemed like ages ago, when he first began his search for his partner. He shoved it into the safety of his pocket, then held onto the jeep as he stepped out, making his way around to the passenger side, getting hold of Narcissus, holding tightly onto her hand as he lead her towards their dark haven amid the blowing sands.
They leaned into the wind fighting against it as they pushed their way to the oasis. It was almost impossible to see now but then they felt the grass beneath their feet. They kept moving until the heard the belching roar of a camel, moving towards it amidst the howling wind and booming thunder, until they found three beasts kneeling down in front of an entrance to a small cave.
Napoleon pushed Narcissus inside first then crawled in after her, both of them still with their blankets wrapped tightly about themselves.
Once his eyes adjusted to the dark, he urged her forward to get them away from the sand and dust that was blowing in after them.
There was a light in the distance, as they continued moving forward.
Suddenly Napoleon saw a familiar blond head shining in the torchlight.
"Hey is there any room at the inn?"he called out.
Illya leapt to his feet, grinning from ear to ear. "Napoleon! I knew you would not give up on me!"
The two men grabbed each other in a back-slapping bear hug.
"What no wise crack about being late?"
Illya lowered his head, smiling slightly, "No not this time my friend. You are very much a sight for tired eyes."
"That's sore eyes." Napoleon corrected him.
"Sore, tired what does it matter? I am still pleased to see you."
"Same here buddy, but I have to admit you didn't make it easy to find you."
"I was not exactly in a position to do that." Illya half hid his smile, then his expression went cold when he spotted Narcissus lurking in the shadows behind his partner "You! Vy chertovski suka_you fucking bitch!"
"So how was it being a slave? I'm sure it suited that boring personality of yours." Narcissus said.
"I should kill you with my bare hands!" Illya snarled as he took a step towards her, but Napoleon stepped in his way.
"Now is not the time tovarisch. I'd much prefer us all getting out of this alive, and let the Old Man decide what he wants done with her. Alright?"
"Da, kak vy hotite_yes, as you wish," he said allowing himself to calm down.
"So are you going to introduce your charming companion?" Napoleon smiled as he eyed A'lia. He saw his partner looking suddenly very shy, and if the light hadn't already been tinged red by the flames from the torches, he would have sworn Illya was blushing.
"This is A'lia the daughter of Sheik Ali el-Mahdi Karmaj...my former master, but that is another story for another time, just as will be my payback to you Narcissus." he added for good measure.
"Shame you didn't die you stinking Russian."
"Narcissus enough!" Napoleon snapped at her, then turned his attention back to the Sheik's daughter.
"A'lia, this is the friend I spoke of, Napoleon Solo." Illya said.
She nodded, but said nothing, simply covering her face modestly with her scarf.
"So Napoleon did our little bird here fill you in on their real plans for the faux diamonds?" Illya asked.
"What do you mean? They had something different in mind from what we thought?"
"Most definitely," Illya said. "The diamonds were being used in a prototype laser as it's prism. They eventually planned to use full sized models with much larger manufactured diamonds, launching them into space mounted on satellites; their first targets being the U.N. then both the American and Soviet defense systems...quite a devious plan and far from the financial ruin that were first thought their goal."
Napoleon suddenly had a strange look, as he reached into his jacket pocket.
"The prototype, it wouldn't happen to be this would it?"
"My machine!" Narcissus cried out, " you beast, you had it all this time?"
Illya turned to the girl. " A'lia, may I have your diamond necklace please?"
She reached beneath her robes, undoing the chain then pulling it out, handing to him.
He pried the largest of the diamonds free from the soft silver-pronged setting, handing the necklace back to her, then taking the device from Napoleon's hand; he mounted the gem in place.
Suddenly the cave filled with a bright flash, blinding them all momentarily
A'lia screamed as she saw a tall white figure looming behind Illya and the others as the smoke and their vision cleared."Ay-ah! It is a jinn! He has come to punish us for trespassing!"
Napoleon turned, seeing a man completely robed in white with a head wrap and scarf masking his features but he was holding a weapon aimed in their direction.
"A'lia, I don't think genies have need of handguns." Napoleon said.
"And you slave, Ilyãs, I'll take that device. Hand it here." A familiar German voice spoke.
"Adolphus Kruger I presume." Napoleon said.
"Kruger!" Narcissus hissed, " You took your sweet time getting here!"
"And you Narcissus are lucky that Central has not issued an order to eliminate you for your incompetence."
She ignored the comment, instead grabbing the prototype weapon from Illya's hands.
"And he is not the slave Ilyãs you idiot, he is U.N.C.L.E. agent Illya Kuryakin."
"Really? Such an oversight on my part, but no matter. He and you Solo are soon to be a pair of very dead U.N.C.L.E. agents." Kruger said.
"What about the girl?" Illya asked.
"Oh she will be coming with us, once the storm has ended, I will be returning her to her father for a substantial reward no doubt. Though the idea a having her as a bride and bedding her is still a possibility, as her father might just reward me with her hand for having killed the slave who deceived him and kidnapped his daughter. Though I'm not sure if I'd want baggage such as she, and I'm sure I would tire of her quickly."
Kruger flipped a switch on the device, powering it up. Just as the signal reached it's highest pitch indicating it was ready to fire, Illya and Napoleon both made their move, diving at the man and Narcissus.
The weapon went flying from Kruger's hand as it fired; the intense beam of light strafing across the cave ceiling and then down along a side wall, bringing rocks crashing down around them all.
When the dust cleared, they realized the opening to the cave had been sealed in, filled over completely with huge boulders.
The laser was laying on the cave floor, minus the diamond that was now buried somewhere among the stones and debris scattered everywhere.
"You fools!" Narcissus shrieked, "now look what you've done!"
Napoleon and Illya helped each other up, dusting off their clothes as they helped A'lia to her feet.
"Are you alright?" Illya whispered to her.
"Yes, but is he an evil jinn?" she asked eyeing Kruger.
"No," Illya laughed, " just an ignorant lackey for an evil organization called Thrush."
"Thrush, is that not a bird?"
"It stands for...never mind," Illya said, "it is too much of a mouthful to even bother saying."
"Enough of your jabbering Kuryakin!" Narcissus spoke. " Now you girl, give me those other stones."
A'lia reached for her necklace, then panicked as she searched desperately, not finding it.
"Look for it!" Narcissus hissed, " that laser is our only hope of getting out of here! We need those gems!"
After several minutes of searching and digging about, it was obvious the necklace along with the loose gem were buried somewhere and would be impossible to find.
"I suggest that we explore the opening in the cave wall, "Illya said calmly, "perhaps it will lead us to another way out?"
"Fine, you lead the way...slave." Narcissus said, rubbing his recent experience like salt into a wound.
Napoleon and Illya glanced at each other warily as they grabbed torches, leading the way into another darkened cave, followed by A'lia, Narcissus then Kruger who still had possession of his handgun.
"We are going down," Illya whispered to his partner, "feel the incline changing?"
"Is that good or bad?"
Illya only shrugged his answer.
"Shut up you two!" Kruger growled at them, "No talking!"
After a while Narcissus called them to a halt. "This is getting us no where."
"You have a better option?" Napoleon asked.
"Quiet Solo! Let me think."
"I was wondering what that burning smell was." Napoleon said, immediately receiving a slap in the face for his smart remark.
"We keep going, now move it!" She ordered.
A short while later they could see a thin shaft of light beaming down from somewhere high above them, the light illuminating something that seemed to sparkle.
"What is that? A'lia asked.
The agents moved along the walls of an apparently larger cave, finding more torches along the way. They lit them one by one, each positioned in front of what looked like large polished shields. Illya wiped away the layers of dirt, allowing the metal surface to reflect the light from the torch. He and Napoleon did that for each one they found until the cave was bathed in the dancing flames of torch light.
"Look!" A'lia gasped, pointing at mounds and mounds of what looked like gold, urns goblets, chests filled with coins, pearls and jewels. There were gem encrusted scepters and breast-plates, staffs tipped with golden head pieces inlaid with rubies, pale blue necklaces of Persian turquoise and dark blue lapis lazuli.
"Ilyãs! It must be the treasure of Suleiman!" A'lia gasped.
"Suleiman...as in King Solomon? King Solomon's mines?" Narcissus said in wonder as she grabbed a handful of pearls and gemstone necklaces.
"I stand corrected." Illya laughed, " I thought it only a myth."
"You fools, don't you realize we've not only found a way to get out, but we've found one of the greatest treasures known to mankind?"Narcissus placed a jeweled diadem on her head, lifting one of the golden scepters in her hand. "Who needs Central?" she laughed out loud. "I'll be the richest woman on the face of the earth, and with this sort of wealth comes power!"
"And what about my cut Narcissus?" said Kruger. " If I hadn't shown up then this treasure would still lie hidden."
"Don't worry Kruger," Illya said, " I am sure she will see to it you get your pound of flesh, befitting that of a Thrush Shylock."
"You three," Narcissus barked at them, "On your hands and knees and find me a large diamond. One I can use in the laser. I'll burn a new opening to escape, but unfortunately you will remain here, as this treasure trove will become your tomb. Now move and start searching!"
Illya, Napoleon and A'lia went down on their hands and knees, digging through the piles of gold and silver objects, finding gems and jewels of every kind and description, but no larger diamonds.
"Here!" A'lia called out, holding up a diamond pendant. " I have found one!" It looked to be at least ten carats in weight, but was crudely cut and polished.
Narcissus snatched the jewel from the girl's hand, prying it from its setting, putting it in the cradle for the laser.
"Narcissus, that is not a good idea." Illya warned. " do not do it."
"Shut up you know it all Russian!" she yelled at him as the device began to pulsate faster and faster, the signal from it increasing in intensity.
"I suggest we take cover now," Illya warned Napoleon and A'lia, pulling them behind the shelter of a large rock.
The weapon began to glow as Narcissus aimed it towards the opening in the cave above their heads, then suddenly light began to emit from the device, not in one steady steam but firing wildly, sending the beams of light in different uncontrolled directions.
The ceiling of the cave roared as it collapsed in an instant, coming down upon Narcissus and Adolphus Kruger.
When the rumbling and dust settled, Illya, A'lia and Napoleon rose from the safety of their hiding place. An opening to the outside world had appeared through a side wall, sending them scrambling up and out of the cave just before there was another great cave in, sealing it closed forever behind them.
The knelt on the ground for a few minutes, coughing from the dust as they tried to catch their breath. Illya looked back at where the cave open had been, suddenly reciting a bit of Shakespeare.
"All that glisters is not gold, often you have heard it told. Many a man his life has sold...Gilded tombs, to worms enfold, had you been wise as bold...fare you well, your suit is cold."
"Waxing a bit poetic aren't you chum?" Napoleon said, offering his hand to the Russian, helping him to his feet.
"Not really, this whole think has smacked a bit of the dramatic, almost mirroring parts on one of Shakespeare's plays."
"Ah, now I get the Shylock remark...The Merchant of Venice, if I'm not mistaken?" Napoleon asked.
Illya suddenly reached out, grabbing A'lia in his arms, kissing her with great passion, while his partner stood by, rolling his eyes, wondering what that was all about.
.
Three weeks later Solo and Kuryakin had returned from the Paris headquarters of U.N.C.L.E. having filed their report on the affair in Morocco. The results being the prototype weapon destroyed, the faux diamonds lost in the cave-in and of course the deaths of Narcissus Darling and Adolphus Kruger, the loss of both would be a blow to Thrush's hierarchy for the moment.
Napoleon and Illya did however leave out the fact that the cave possibly contained the lost treasures of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba; that information was better off left unknown. If it were ever discovered, the problems it could cause would be quite insurmountable, especially if it were Thrush that got their hands on that amount of wealth.
Napoleon had gone off in search of some lunch, while Illya had gone off shopping with A'lia, helping to attire her in wardrobe more befitting a new entry-level employee of U.N.C.L.E.'s Paris logistics office' her position there given as she was even more intelligent than Illya had first surmised.
Napoleon returned to their suite at L'Hotel, a secret hideaway at the heart of the left bank amidst the cultural riches, bohemian and high fashion of St. German-des- Prés. The hotel's unique circular design giving it an elegant, but mysterious atmosphere.
Solo approached their door, when it suddenly opened and a hand appeared holding what looked like a sock.
"Excuse me?" he said to his partner, then heard Illya whisper a few words to him, holding his hand out, palm up through the opening in the door."
Solo shook his head with a smile as he opened his wallet, withdrawing a familiar foil packet, placing it in to the Russian's hand. Illya suddenly snapped his fingers indicating another. Napoleon pulled a second packet from his wallet, placing it in the waiting hand.
He watched as Illya obviously in a state of undress peek out giving him a wink, "A'lia give you her regards." With that the door was closed slowly in his face. Then he heard the word "Spacibo" called out to him.
He wasn't really surprised by that move, knowing the Russian was attracted to the girl. A quote from Shakespeare suddenly came to mind, after remembering Illya's own poetic moment with words from the bard a few weeks prior.
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they all have their exits and their entrances, and one in his time plays many parts...enjoy this part tovarisch." Napoleon smiled as he walked away to find some feminine companionship of his own for the evening.
.
A month later a courier arrived at the compound of Sheik Ali el-Mahdi Karmaj, a man seeking the purchase on behalf of a buyer a young slave named Naser. When the Sheik saw the amount of the offer he was shocked.
"Surely no slave is worth his amount?" He questioned the offer of 4,000 darahim; quite less than equivalent of $400 in American currency. It was all the money the buyer had squirreled away to use for a vacation he had been planning.
The Sheik made no hesitation in accepting the offer, thinking the buyer was a fool. But who was he to judge? The sale was made and the boy was taken away in the custody of the representative of his new master.
Naser sat beside the man who drove the the jeep away from his former home, the only one he had ever known. He studied the man's unfamiliar profile, then became frightened as he watched him remove a dark wig, and peel away a bearded mask from his face.
"Ilyãs! You are alive!" The boy laughed in delight.
"But of course I am." Illya smiled, " Naser, how would you like to go to school to learn to read and write?"
"I do as commanded master," he bowed his head reverently.
"Naser, I am not your master. You are free, you can choose your own life now. I am not commanding that you go to school, merely offering. I have a friend in Cairo, a Professor Mustaffa el-Hazziz who is the curator of the Museum of Egyptology. * And he is most willing for you to come live with him and his family while you study."
"He would welcome me into his home?"
"Yes Naser, you would be welcome as a friend not a servant or a slave. But it will not be an easy life, though free you still need to work hard to educate yourself."
"I think you will be very happy to know that the lady A'lia is alive and well. She had embraced her freedom and now she too understands how terrible slavery is."
"Is she there is Cairo?"
"No, and I think it best that you do not know where she is."
"Will you be there in Cairo then Ilyãs?"
"No, my work will not permit it, though I may be able to visit you from time to time. So what is your choice, Marrakesh or Cairo?"
"Cairo." The boy smiled.
"I thought so," Illya smiled back at him. He reached beneath the seat, withdrawing a book then handing it to the boy. "A gift for you, your first book. It it a copy of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights," he smiled.
.
FINIS
* ref "The See the Pyramids Along the Nile Affair"
Author's note: special shout out to Avery1 for her love of Shakespeare and her inspiration for me to explore the writings of "the bard."