If their plan failed today, if they couldn't find this other monument, they'd eventually have to think of a new plan and go the Sands as they were. They couldn't go on like this forever. They were wandering aimlessly through the desert, and it would only be a matter of time before Shahzad got angry and killed another of them. It had to stop. And when they got to the Sands of Time, one of them would have to die, and it was going to be him. He couldn't put that responsibility on any of his other men, not after all they'd already been through for his sake. The duty was his and his alone.
Though, he was worried about what would happen to Xavia when and if he did die. Being fate bound, they were supposed to share the same fate, which meant if he died, she should as well. The only way to stop it was if one of them willingly gave up their own life, choosing their own death. He'd be doing just that, in spilling the Sands, of course, but severing the connection of the fate bound was painful. It was often rooted in far deeper than either realized, and the old stories spoke of the anguish being terrible, heartbreaking, more so the stronger the connection was. Not that their connection was very strong with the way Xavia had fought it, but still, he just didn't want to hurt her. Hopefully it would never come to that.
He took a breath, hearing footsteps coming towards them. There were two men; one with a faster, harsher gait. That was Shahzad, without a doubt, he could recognize the way the man walked. The other was walking in time with the first, but with a much more light, easy step; one of the Royal Guard, to be sure.
"Here they come," Nadim verified, whispering nervously, close to his ear. "Shahzad and Mahmud. Are you ready for this?"
"Are you?" Tahir asked, in a low, hushed tone. "You're the one that's going to be doing most of the talking."
"Well, I'm as ready as I'll ever be," Nadim replied. "I just hope Shahzad will listen."
Tahir nodded as the men came to a stop in front of them. They stood there silently for a moment without speaking, just breathing. Tahir could almost feel Shahzad's eyes on him, evaluating him, testing him. His breathing was slow and even. Tahir said nothing, not even acknowledging his old friend.
"Well, what have you found out?" Shahzad asked after a moment, his voice breaking into the quiet.
Tahir turned toward Nadim slightly, hoping to the heavens that the man would sound convincing. If there was any doubt in Shahzad's mind, any doubt at all, their plan would be ruined. This was the only chance they were ever going to get.
"Look," Nadim began, in an irritated, almost scolding tone, "this is a big monument and the entire thing is about the Sands of Time, how it was lost and how to find it. Now the last time I checked, that was exactly what you wanted to do. However, instead of letting me rest and take my time with the translation so I can get it right, you told me that I needed to get it all done in one night! Now this just doesn't work for me, so unless you want me to tell you complete gibberish, we're just going to have to stay here a few more days."
Tahir held his breath, waiting for Shahzad's reply. Nadim had done a good job; he sounded exactly the way he always sounded when he was frustrated and acting irritable. However, it was also the type of response that would often make Shahzad completely lose his temper, so he was slightly concerned.
"Well, you must have at least found out something by now," Shahzad snapped, annoyed but not completely enraged. At least, not yet.
"Yes, well, everything I've read so far has said that the Sands of Time are gone. They're lost and they're gone. So if you want to follow that reasoning, we might as well just go back to the city now, because there's nothing out here!"
There was no sound for a moment, save for Shahzad's breathing, still even and controlled. Tahir could imagine his brows etched in a deep frown, and he waited for the blow up. One second, two seconds, three. Nothing happened. Tahir was surprised. Shahzad wasn't good at controlling himself, or he hadn't been, before. When he was angry, he was wild and passionate, not cold and reserved. He was angry, wasn't he? Yes, he had to be, Tahir could hear it in his voice, in his breathing even. He knew how to read people, even if he was blind and Shahzad was definitely angry, but not the way he usually was. Normally it was loud and fierce, but now he didn't yell, didn't scream; he was calm, with a quiet kind of fury. Somehow it seemed more dangerous than before. Shahzad was changing, losing himself, it seemed, and there was nothing Tahir could do.
"Fine," Shahzad said at last. "You can have today, and then we'll see." His voice was placid, relaxed even, but edged with contempt, hate.
Neither Tahir or Nadim spoke.
After a moment, Shahzad uttered, "Come, Captain," and the two men turned and walked away, with not a word of berating them for being slow with the translation.
Tahir was slightly astonished. The whole affair had the feel of Shahzad being just about to blow up, and he never stopped when he was like that, but this time he did. Somewhere along the way, with Faiza and his father's deaths and becoming a tyrant sultan, he must have learned to keep it inside. The man had hardly shown any feeling, and what he had shown was quiet, composed hate. It made him feel uneasy.
"That seemed...too simple," Nadim stated after a moment, echoing Tahir's feelings exactly.
"Yes, it did. It's not like him at all, but let's not complain about it. We got what we wanted," he replied. "Now we've got to get ready."
"Jalal," Tahir whispered as quietly as he could, keeping his lips as closed as possible. He knew the guards were all around them and watching them closely for any signs of foul play. They weren't even supposed to be allowed to speak to each other while they stood in line for meals, but it was their only chance.
There was a shuffling sound in the sand in front of him. Jalal had likely heard him and was now shifting around to try to know what was going on.
"Don't look at me," he breathed quickly, to avoid suspicion from the guards. Nadim's breath was hot and heavy with worry at his back. If they were caught... "We need you to make a diversion," he said urgently under his breath. Nadim coughed loudly as he heard movement to his right. He paused, waiting. Footsteps came closer, then backed away. Silence. "Tell the others, make a riot," he went on.
Jalal still hadn't said a word. That was good, it meant less of a chance for the guards to hear and a better chance for their plan. As long as he had heard. Then softly, barely distinguishable from the breeze, he asked, "Why?"
Tahir wasn't sure whether Jalal was just wondering what was going on, or if he was hinting at distrust. With The things he'd led them into so far...they had a reason to not want to follow him. "Xavia and I have got to get away—we'll spill the Sands," he said. He felt like the guards were staring at him. "—can't explain right now—when Nadim signals—" He broke off as there was a simultaneous shuffling and stepping that rippled throughout the entire line. They were moving forward.
Jalal moved quickly away from him with a clank of iron chains.
Some hardtack and a piece of bread was pushed into his hand a moment later, along with a filled skin of water, as he was shoved out of the way of the progressing line. He stood there for a moment until Nadim came up beside him.
"This way," Nadim said, placing a hand on Tahir's shoulder and pointing him in the right direction.
Tahir followed his footsteps across the sand, back to the monument. They sat down against it in the shadow, grateful for the shade after standing in the sun for just those few minutes. It was midday, and it was hot. "So do you think they'll do it?" Tahir asked, after a moment.
"Of course," Nadim replied. "I know Jalal, and they trust you, all of them.
Tahir sighed, thinking of the man who'd died for trusting him, hardly more than a day ago. It could easily happen again. "Nadim—if we pull this off, the rest of you...for helping us—"
"We knew the risk when we started out—even if the circumstances were different before. The risk of not helping you is far greater to Arabia."
"He could kill you," Tahir stated.
"Yes, and you could die out in the desert from the heat," Nadim replied, "...the heat! Oh my, you're going to get dehydrated! Here, take this." He tossed his own water bottle at Tahir, who pushed it into his pocket, next to the key that was still hidden there.
"And don't drink any of yours right now. You're going to have to ration, and I mean really ration...don't drink any water unless it's absolutely necessary. Well, I mean, drink some of everyday, but don't drink much. Maybe there will still be some in the saddlebags..." Tahir heard him moving around, then settle back onto the ground with a dissatisfied grunt. "The horses aren't even saddled. Hopefully Xavia hasn't drank much of hers yet...wait, one of the horses is saddled. One of the guards is on it right now, but you'll have to take it, it'll have food." He paused for a moment, before going on. "In fact, stop eating right now, you need to save that. Here take mine, too."
Tahir sighed as more bread and hardtack was thrust at him. He reluctantly put it all into his pockets, ignoring his rumbling stomach. Nadim was right, he supposed. He wasn't starving right now, but later, he could be. A fortnight in the desert was going to be difficult to survive. Perhaps they could ride faster and get there faster, but that would throw off the directions. If they got lost out there, they would die, without a doubt. Rationing was the only way.
"Anything else you need to stuff my pockets with before we start out?" Tahir asked sarcastically, fingering his bulging pockets. Hopefully no one would notice.
"Mm? No, the guard is getting off the horse, though, that's good. Hopefully they won't take the saddle off..."
Tahir sat quietly as Nadim observed the situation. He could hear the horse he spoke of, the soft clop of its hooves against the sand, the Royal Guard talking amongst themselves, perhaps the Thieves as well.
"I think we should do this now," Nadim said suddenly, firm and adamant.
"What? Already?"
"Look, the Thieves are mostly done eating and we can't risk them taking the saddle off that horse," Nadim explained urgently.
Tahir could hear him scrambling to his feet. "But what if Jalal hasn't said anything yet?" he asked in a loud whisper. He wasn't sure that he was entirely ready yet; he was feeling nervous and unsure of himself, now that the time had actually come.
"It doesn't matter. We don't make any real moves until they start rioting. If they don't do anything, we tell Shahzad some lies and hopefully he trusts us more for it."
Tahir didn't reply.
"Come on, man, be bold!" Nadim was saying.
Well, that was odd, having Nadim telling him to be bold. Tahir drew a breath. Alright, the time had come. It was sooner than he'd thought, but he'd known it was going to eventually, anyway. Might as well be now. He stood up. Time to throw caution to the winds, just like in the old days, with Shahzad and Faiza at his side. He smiled slightly; he was one of the Forty Thieves, he knew how to face danger without even blinking an eye. They stepped forward.
In a matter of moments they came to a halt in front of where Tahir presumed Shahzad's tent was. The Royal Guard was all around, talking, though they fell silent when Nadim and he approached. Everything was still; the only sound was their breathing.
"What do you want?" one of the men finally questioned them in a deep, brassy voice.
"I want to tell Shahzad about what I found on the monument," Nadim replied. "I think he'll be very pleased with it."
The man was silent for a moment, as if trying to decide what he thought of this, before grunting, "I'll let him know." He walked away and pushed the tent flap out of his way with a whooshing sound.
Nadim's breath came from a different direction, as he swiveled around, glancing about throughout the camp, locating the Thieves, signaling to them that this was the time.
Tahir hoped that he looked nonchalant about it and that they got the message alright.
In a matter of moments, Nadim turned back around with a disinterested, "Hmm."
Tahir smiled slightly, feeling his heart beating hard in his chest, not quite pounding, but close enough. To calm himself, he thought of Xavia, tried to picture her in his mind's eye. He was surprised by how easily he seemed to...connect with her almost; he could see her now and knew exactly where she was. It was said that the fate bound in the days of old could even speak to each other in their minds. Perhaps he would try it...Xavia, we're going to run. There was no response from her, at least, not that he could tell. Ah, well, it was worth a shot.
Suddenly the world seemed to erupt into two different sounds. The first, quieter one, was the sound of footsteps, Shahzad's and the guards, and the tent flap being thrown open. The second was much louder and involved much shouting, clanging chains and Jalal yelling out, "Left! Right! Left! Right!"
"What is going on?!" Shahzad shouted, now standing right in front of them.
"Uh—I don't know, Sir," the guard who'd spoken to them stammered in confusion.
From what Tahir could tell, it seemed that all of the guards were simply staring in confusion while the fourteen Thieves were simply walking away in a very organized manner.
"Well, go stop them!" Shahzad commanded. "They're all chained together, it shouldn't be difficult."
"Right, Sir!"
There was a stampede of footsteps as they all marched away to stop the Thieves.
"What to you two want?" Shahzad asked after a moment.
Tahir felt Nadim's breath hit his face, waiting for him to make a move. He was silent for a moment, weighing things out. There was still Shahzad left, standing somewhere in front of them, and two guards, one at each side, from what he could make out of their breathing patterns.
"Well?" Shahzad asked again, growing impatient.
"Sir, we—" Nadim began.
Tahir concentrated on where Shahzad was, feeling for exactly where his breathing was coming from. There was no wind to throw it off, so his mouth was right there. He drew his arm back fast and propelled it forward, knocking into Shahzad's nose. There was a slight cracking sound as the man fell back, against the ground.
"Took you long enough!" Nadim exclaimed. "I really hadn't planned out what I would say, and I was drawing a blank there."
Tahir laughed slightly as he was set upon by one of the guards, grabbing him from behind, one arm around his waist and one over his shoulder, next to his neck. He jabbed his elbow into the man's stomach as hard as he could. The man fell back, groaning in pain. He heard the other one, who'd likely been fighting Nadim, do the same. It was surprisingly easy.
"Guards!" Shahzad was calling now, slightly recovered from the blow.
"Get my horse ready, I can get Xavia," Tahir said to Nadim.
"Aye," Nadim replied, before running off.
He heard Shahzad scrambling on the ground, as were the two guards. He really didn't have the time to fight them again; he had to get moving fast, before the rest of the Royal Guard came. Hopefully they were having a hard time with the others, that would hold them back longer. "Xavia, come here!" he called into the tent, as he tried to decide just where on the ground the other men were.
Shahzad helped him by speaking, "You're not going to get away!" he shouted. "I have the Royal Guard!" He was standing now, his breath came straight forward to Tahir.
Tahir lunged forward, running straight into Shahzad. Against him, he easily found the man's saber and backed away, pulling it out of the sheath, metal ringing. He could feel the other men, who had been approaching him from the sides, back away slightly. They were surprised, but it would only be a matter of time before they pulled their own blades. "Xavia!" he shouted again.
Just then, she appeared, coming out of the tent, her green eyes quickly taking in the scene. "We're running away?" she said, half in a question and half just stating it.
"How did you know?"
She shrugged, a slight smile curling on her lips. "Aside from you coming and beating Shahzad and the guards? I had an odd feeling about it."
Tahir stopped for a moment, slightly startled. He'd tried to tell her, could she have...? He didn't have time to think about it now, he could hear the men pulling their sabers from their sheaths, metal sliding against metal.
He dashed forward between them and grabbed her hand. "Come on!" he said urgently. He started to step, then realized he didn't have the faintest idea where he was going.
"A horse?" she asked, glancing into his eyes.
He nodded and she tugged his hand in the other direction. They ran like mad, ignoring the shouting and the men running after them, just behind them, so close they could almost touch them. Xavia's hand pulled on his, darting to the right, then back left again, flying like the wind, trying to lose them. It worked slightly; they seemed to be the faster runners, but he was afraid it wasn't enough. They were still close.
They came to a halt suddenly, and he could smell the horse, musty and hay-like.
"I brought some extra water and dried apricots, from Shahzad's side of the tent," Xavia was saying, pulling the objects out of her pockets.
"Good, good," Nadim replied. "You'll need them."
The articles were stuffed into what Tahir could only assume was the saddlebags; it appeared to him that they simply disappeared into nothing. The men were coming; he could hear the two of them, fast footsteps pounding into the earth, breathing coming hard, rasping.
"Ta—"
He spun around and sliced into one of them with his saber, before Xavia could even really get out a proper warning. The other, surprised at his comrade's sudden death was also easily dispatched with a saber thrown into his leg. At least, Tahir assumed it was his leg, as he fell to the ground, crying out in agony.
Xavia winced, while Nadim muttered, "That was quick...," then more intensely, "oh, you need to go. Now."
Tahir turned slightly, listening. There were footsteps, a lot of footsteps, running and stomping into the ground, as they came. The Royal Guard was finally done with the others, then. He hoped his men would be alright and that they wouldn't punished too severely for helping them get away. That is, if they got away. The men were coming fast.
Xavia put her foot up onto the horse's stirrups, swinging herself easily into the saddle.
He stepped over quickly and felt for the saddle, following suit. He landed behind her, rather uncomfortably in the saddle that was far too small for the both of them. Still, it would work, and she handed him the reins.
He kicked his heels into the horse's side, starting it off running. They needed all the speed they could get, until they were much farther away from the camp than this.
"West!" Nadim shouted from behind them. "That's to your right, Tahir!"
He pulled back hard on the reins and turned the horse around, switching directions.
"So where are we going, exactly?" Xavia asked from in front of him.
He smiled slightly. "I'll explain on the way, once we're farther away from here."
There was a smacking sound from back behind them, at the camp, and then horses' hooves. Beating, throbbing, pulsing into the ground, scattering and stampeding all around them. Nadim had let the horses go. They wouldn't be followed, or at any rate, not fast enough to get caught.
First of all, I want to really thank everyone who reviewed last chapter! I think I got more reviews than I ever have on one chapter in this story and it really made me happy. You guys rock my world! And I also want to apologize for this taking so long, school started and it takes up a lot of time. However, things should be settling into a bit of a routine now and I'll hopefully be able to get out a chapter once a week or so. Hopefully. So review, it makes me happy!