Under Desert Skies
Chapter 4
The sound of rocks falling echoed up the stony ravine, following the midday swelter as Yasmine looked over at Ali, Jafar and Ahmed before pillowing her head against the rock wall. The bright blue sliver of sky looked so peaceful now masking the dangerous heat of the desert sun. The quiet sounds of conversation swelled around them, making her start to nod off slowly. She felt exhausted from so long in the saddle that she just had to close her eyes, even for a few moments.
"Princess. Princess, it is time for you to wake now."
She opened her eyes startled. "I only slept for a few minutes Ali. Let me sleep a bit more please."
"Try all day little Princess." Jafar chuckled as the sound of a fire crackling reached her. "We have dinner ready if you care to eat at all."
Rubbing her eyes, Yasmine looked up the crevice to be greeted by the dark spread of stars above her. "I slept the entire day? Why did you not wake me as soon as the sun set; we could have been on our way by now." she pushed the deep cowl of her cloak back a bit.
"Better to eat first than have the Caliph's men find us by our rumbling stomachs." Ahmed quipped from the fire as he turned a spit. "The hare is almost done so come and eat with us Yasmine. Then we shall be on our way."
With a yawn she came and sat by the warmth of the fire, looking down to see Rabi feeding with the other horses on the tough scrubs on the ravine bottom. Shaking her head to clear it, she turned her attention back to the fire, feeling her mouth water slightly. All this fleeing had worked up quite an appetite. Companionable silence descended around once the food was passed around after a hasty grace. She made short work of the meat, slicing it up easily with her borrowed dagger. With a content sigh she sank back patting her stomach.
"I take it you enjoyed your meal Princess?"
"Yes I did Ali, it was..." she began looking up at him but fell silent, seeing yet not seeing Ali.
"Princess...what is it?"
She didn't reply, her jaw hanging slack at the horror of what she was seeing. Ali was still looking at her but he wasn't the grizzled weather beaten man that she recognized. The Ali who sat before her was a broken old man, body decrepit, thin, bony and broken. The lips had pulled back in sharply, the soft roundness of gums betraying the loss of teeth.
"Little Princess, what is wrong?"
Her gaze whipped around to see Jafar...or rather what was left of him. His throat lay open, slit like the belly of a fish, from end to end. Skin and flesh hung off of the rest of him in thin bloodied strips, his face and body scraped raw down to the pale gleaming bones. She scampered back looking around frantically; what was going on?
"Yasmine, talk to us; what has disturbed you?"
Trembling she turned to see the hand on her arm, the broken hand with fingers splayed out like stiff boards. She looked up into Ahmed's face to see the empty holes where his expressive brown eyes had been. The head cocked to the side once with what was to be a puzzled expression.
"Princess, answer me!"
She closed her eyes and shook her head, backing closer to the wall what was happening here, why was she seeing this like that? Fearfully she opened her eyes again to see everyone looking at her curiously; they all looked like they had a few seconds ago. She blinked rapidly, confusion descending over her completely.
"Are you all right little Princess?" Jafar asked, looking into her face. "You do not appear to be ill."
"I-I'm fine Jafar. I simply need sleep. What town are we heading to?"
"Abu Khali." Ahmed replied outing the fire with handfuls of dirt. "It is not far so we should reach there before dawn."
"Very well then." she rose from her spot, dusting off her pants. "Shall we get moving then?"
Ali looked at her before nodding his head. "May I talk to you for a moment Princess?"
She bobbed her head as she jumped down off of the small ledge and headed towards Rabi. "Is something troubling you Ali?"
"I should be asking you that. Are you sure that you are-"
"I am fine Ali. I thank you for your concern. I simply need to rest and once we finally are far enough I can do that in relative peace." Yasmine quickly saddled Rabi. "I do apologize for cutting you off so Ali. I need more sleep than I am letting on."
"It's all right Princess. You do look as if you could use some sleep." Ali replied as he saddled his horse. "When we reach Abu Khali, my friend, Ioudas, will give us temporary shelter; for the day at least."
"We all could use some sleep." Jafar mused aloud. "But onwards we go. We must make haste if we are to reach the town before dawn."
"So, if you do not mind Yasmine, shall we start?" Ahmed looked at her with a grin. "Or do you prefer the ravine?"
"You are looking to get yourself into trouble Ahmed." she snorted as she spurred Rabi into a brisk trot.
They all chuckled as Yasmine lead the small party out of the ravine bed and into the desert. The faint path was littered by small pebbles forcing them to walk their horses slowly. Endless stretches of scrub topped dunes paraded past them in their silent journey, the soft echoing of the hooves' clip-clop numbing the distance.
"Where are we going after Abu Khali Jafar?" Yasmine asked quietly.
"We are going to an oasis deep in the desert. We will have a rest, water our horses well, get our bearings and head out from there." Jafar looked over at her. "Do not tell me that you wanted to shop in Abu Khali, little Princess."
Ali chuckled at the look Yasmine shot him. "I think you have insulted the Princess now."
"I should say so." Yasmine replied rather huffily. "I do not shop like that. Only when necessary; and I certainly wouldn't need the help of men to get what I need."
Ahmed coughed politely, covering up his laughter. "Your point is duly noted Yasmine. I believe that Abu Khali is just up ahead. I shall go on and make sure there is somewhere we can stay for the day."
She scowled at Jafar as he mumbled about helping Ahmed and took off with him towards the horizon. "So it is to the desert we go?" she looked over at Ali.
"Yes. This oasis he speaks of, I do not know it. As far as I know there are a few oases in this desert, but none in the interior." Ali frowned. "I just hope we reach it with no problems if it truly does exist."
"We shall Ali. You should try to see the good in situations such as these."
"I know your words are intended to inspire. But in circumstances as these, you must always expect the worst so you are not caught off guard."
Yasmine smiled with a faint laugh. "How many times did you drive that into my head? I still think that one should see the good as well as the bed. Focusing only on the negative can affect how you perceive things."
Ali didn't say anything, simply making a non-committal noise in the back of his throat. Yasmine watched him for a few minutes before looking back to the road ahead; she had upset him with her words yet now wasn't the time for her to be swallowing her words. She would make up for her unwittingly harsh words later. The simple dwellings of Abu Khali rose up to greet them as they trotted into the city slowly. Even as she cast her gaze around something seemed terribly off to her; she couldn't quite place her finger on it. She stole a glance at Ali, seeing the same cautiousness in his expression.
"It would seem that Ahmed and Jafar have become lost here. Shall you be all right if I leave you to search for them quickly?" Ali asked, bringing his horse to a rein close to hers.
"I will search also. It would make things a lot faster." Yasmine stilled Rabi's anxious dancing. "I know you do not like the idea but it would be best to move with speed so we are out of eyes' reach."
Ali nodded his head before starting his mount down an alleyway. "Be wary Princess."
Yasmine nodded at his words, watching as he disappeared into the shrinking shadows before she went down the opposite alley. She watched the shadows carefully as she looked for the familiar dun and brown horses of Ahmed and Jafar. 'I know you two are here; where are you? And why would you be hiding from Ali and me?' Yasmine paused as the alley turned sharply to the right, veiled in pitch black. 'I am heading back. Something is terribly wrong here...' Wheeling Rabi around sharply, she quickly made her way back down the alley to where she had talked to Ali last.
"How nice of you to join us Princess..."
Yasmine stiffened in her saddle at the sound of the mocking voice. The scarred and grizzly face that sneered up at her was not one she recognized; neither was the husky figure that followed the rough face familiar. "I am afraid that you have mistaken me for someone else." she started Rabi forward only to see the road bristle suddenly with armed men. Rabi reared up sharply, hooves slashing air.
"I am sure that I see Princess Yasmine before me. A traitor to the Caliph must pay for her treason."
Yasmine's face stiffened as she brought Rabi under control. "I will not die for a crime I did not commit." she replied evenly. "Let me pass and all shall be well between us."
"That's not possible Princess." the beefy hand disappeared behind the broken stall and dragged out Jafar.
"Jafar!!" she started forward, seeing him hang limply from the hand by his cloak. He was beaten badly, the bruises starting to purple his face darkly. "Unhand him this instant!"
"That can't quite happen." the man gave a sadistic grin. "All you have to do is come back with us and they shall be spared."
"They?" she swallowed hard, a feeling in the pit of her stomach sinking deeper. "Who are they?"
The man simply smiled again as he motioned with his other hand. Yasmine started with a repressed gasp as Ahmed and Ali's prone bodies were brought out, bound, gagged and blindfolded, before they were flung down before her causing them to stir slightly and look around blindly.
"What ever they demand Yasmine, refuse it!" Ahmed yelled towards the destroyed stall, earning himself a few kicks in the gut.
"Stop it!" she said in a tight voice; the anger inside was coiling now, slowly but surely.
"Forget us Princess! Run and save yourself!" Ali cried out as he managed to lurch to his feet suddenly and tackle one of the men to the ground.
"Stop it now," she yelled as they started pummeling Ali. "You shall kill him if you continue!"
"True. And they do still have their uses. More than this one here I would say. My Master will be pleased to know that this went off so smoothly,"
Yasmine fought down the bitter bile that rose in the back of her throat. "And what shall happen to them if I come peacefully?"
"They shall live." the man replied easily. "Is that your choice?"
With a heavy sigh, Yasmine vaulted herself off of Rabi and stood beside her horse quietly. "I shall come without a fight."
"As I expected; you should have fled when you had the chance Princess. You wouldn't and couldn't survive a day on your own though. Bind her arms behind her back securely." the man ordered. "You are too full of nobleness and ideals Princess; your downfalls if you will."
Yasmine closed her eyes as the rough rope was tied tightly around her wrists. 'What a way to end...no honour in this at all.'
"Now that we have her," the man said, drawing a blade as he hoisted Jafar up. "We certainly don't have any room for this extra baggage."
"No!" Yasmine fought against her captors as she saw the blade go for Jafar's throat. "No you cannot!! You said that he would live! You gave our word; has it no honour?"
The man didn't reply, simply smirking.
"No!!" Yasmine fought against the blindfold as they struggled to put it on. The last thing she saw was the bright slashing motion of steel followed by the bright red line before darkness descended. "No! Jafar!!"
"Take her horse. It's an Andalusian and we can sell it when we arrive back at the city. The money this fine beast will fetch will have many helpful uses. "
Yasmine struggled against her captors as she was slung on the back of an animal, most likely a horse, and her ankles tied roughly. Two more bundles were slapped down beside her, as she tried to look back in vain; she could hear Rabi's wild whinnies as she fought against the men who yanked on her reins.
"Let her go this instant!!" she yelled back in blind vain. "Let her-"
She slumped against the haunches of the animal as a bludgeon connected with her temple and knocked her out cold.
"Get up." the unkind words were followed by a boot to the stomach. "Your food is here. Don't even know why we're feeding you four at all."
Yasmine looked around groggily as the blindfold was finally ripped off, allowing her eyes to adjust to the flickering light of the campsite. Blurry figures sharpened as her eyes focused; Ali and Ahmed sat there, a dark expression on Ahmed's face, and to the right lay Jafar's motionless figure. Once the bonds were loosened enough for her to eat, she scrambled to Jafar's side, knocking over her bowl of thin watery liquid.
"Jafar," she turned him over, peering into his face. "Please do not be dead."
"If you had just fled, all of this would have been a lot easier." came his thick slow groan as he opened his eyes slowly. "But I am glad to see that you are safe little Princess."
Yasmine hugged him gratefully. "And let them slit your throat like a thief's? What kind of person do you take me for Jafar?"
He smiled at her, breathing slowly as he closed his eyes again.
"Jafar needs rest as well as attention to his wound." Ahmed said quietly before he lowered his voice to a whisper. "And as soon as we get out of here, the better for all of us. They are at most two days away from the city; I recognize this part of the desert."
Yasmine didn't reply, looking back at Jafar; a thin red line was on his throat where the tip of the dagger had scored his skin. It gave off a faint sickly odour while the red was still as vivid as when it was cut.
"How long have we been traveling for?" she asked in a whisper looking back at Ali and Ahmed.
"Two days now. They pushed a fast pace and had me lead them." Ali replied in a monotone.
'Two days...' She looked back down at Jafar who lay there, still bound. "Guard! Come here at once!"
The guard flicked her a brief dismissive glance before turning away.
Gritting her teeth with rage, Yasmine rose to her feet. "Did you not hear me, you bumbling fool? I ordered you to come here. He needs attention and I will require certain things."
The guard sidled up to her as Ali and Ahmed rose and hovered behind her defensively. "And what may I ask, will the Princess be requiring?" he asked in a saccharine voice.
"Hot water, bandages, herbs and-"
A glob of spit went flying into the air and landed on her face, making her stop abruptly as she flicked it off rapidly. Ahmed launched himself with a growl at the guard, landing a solid punch in the gut. The guard smirked down at him before backhanding him sharply and sending him to the ground. Ali raised Ahmed up with his bound hands, talking to him in low mutters as he helped him back to the tiny fire they had been given.
"You have plenty of impudence; I should have beaten it out of you at Abu Khali, you little bitch."
Yasmine steeled herself as the guard raised his hand high.
"Hamza!"
Everyone looked up to see a figure silhouetted in the lone tent at the end of the encampment by the light from within. A brief motion could barely be seen as a shadow scurried up to the figure and bowed before coming their way. The flickering light of the encampment returned now as the tent flap was closed and activity returned. Yasmine watched as the figure came closer to them, scowling at the guard.
"I believe that Master Ioudas said that she is to be unharmed Hamza." the man said in a prim and curt voice.
"Be quiet Faizel; you're nothing more than a lap dog." Hamza growled as he lowered his hand with reluctance. "What does Master Ioudas want?"
The sound of spit against he ground came now followed by a contemptuous snort. "Ioudas...the deceitful snake."
Yasmine looked back to see Ali with a dark expression on his face. She turned, looking curiously at him; never before had she seen such an extreme of emotion from him. Hesitantly, she took a step forwards to him when Faizel's voice stopped her.
"Yasmine, Master Ioudas requests your presence."
"Tell him his request is denied." she replied before heading back to her spot beside Jafar and looking over his newly festering wound; she didn't like the look of it one bit.
"Yasmine, Master Ioudas requests your presence."
Yasmine stiffened at the cold touch of steel at her pulse before she craned her neck up to see Hamza's malicious grin. She rose silently, motioning for Ali to stay where he was and tend for the others. The walk down to the tent at the end seemed painfully slow, Hamza's prodding with the butt of his dagger not helping much. Once she reached the end, Hamza pushed back the flap and shoved her in roughly. She stumbled to the ground, expecting sand to fill her mouth and eyes. Only the softness of plush carpet greeted her as she looked around carefully; the deceptive tent masked a large interior. And there in the middle was a large cushion, a slender man seated on the top, his black hair free from the headdress that lay by his side.
"You must be Yasmine. You grace me with your mere presence and beauty." he said in a soft baritone. "Please, have a seat." he gestured to a cushion beside him.
"That is Princess Yasmine to you." she said in a low voice.
"Ah Yasmine," he rose gracefully and approached her. "Those you cannot claim anymore now can you? The harsh titles of traitor, disowned and condemned are the ones open to you now."
She didn't respond as Ioudas came in closer; when she had heard Ali mention him briefly almost three days ago, she had thought he would be a much older man and not the young one who was circling her now with an almost predatory gaze that made her feel nervous. 'Keep your wits about you Yasmine. This is the chance you have been waiting for,' She returned Ioudas' sudden smile easily. 'Make him believe; then. . .'
"Will you not sit Yasmine; I am sure you're very weary for such an arduous day."
Yasmine simply widened her smile and took his proffered arm and sat down beside him. 'I feel so cheap for doing this; it must be done however; Jafar has to make it out of here.' She pretended to look around curiously as Ioudas watched her for a few minutes, face pensive as he untied the rope around her wrists.
"Yasmine, I have a proposition for you." he said finally. "I am afraid though that I can't word this any other way for it has been on my mind constantly for these past few days."
"Speak Master Ioudas; I shall listen." she said in a gentle voice and an even sweeter smile. 'And he's eating this right out of the palm of my hand now. . .I cannot believe that he is doing this. . or me.'
"Come with me Yasmine. I can protect you from the ones who hunt you and will until you die." he took her hand in his suddenly and held it to him like a precious jewel. "I can take you away from all of it."
"Master Ioudas," she lowered her gaze; that zealous glaze over his eyes made her even more uneasy. "You asked me something completely different from what you said you were going to say. . .unless, you are offering to take me away from this and save me from my horrible tragic fate."
"Yes, that is what I am offering you!" he exclaimed, clutching her hand closer. "Come with me Yasmine!"
'So you can have a cook and wench at your disposal for as long as you wish until you tire of me. I am ending this now.' She smiled up at him. "Master Ioudas," she paused as she forced a blush to her cheeks. "I...I. . ."
"Oh my most benevolent Yasmine!" Ioudas crushed her to him in ecstatic joy. "You shall come with me as I had hoped. This is the start of-"
Yasmine raised her hand and hit him in the back of the neck hard. Ioudas' hold around her loosened as he slid to the ground like a sack of meal. 'Ugh; good riddance.' She pushed him off the rest of the way before she searched around the tent looking for a dagger; they had taken the one she had borrowed from Ali. Coming up to a table littered with papers she brushed them aside to reveal a dagger, the hilt overlaid with gold and a simple ruby. She took it and cut a doorway through the fine linen of the tent walls and slipped out like a shadow. Wraithlike, she crept past the sleeping guards and the inattentive few to the campfire where the others were. She narrowed her gaze as she saw Hamza seated by the fire, sharpening his dagger and muttering to himself. 'This should work very nicely.' She grabbed the good sized chunk of rock and started spinning around before she let it fly. It sailed up through the air and landed deep in the faint smattering of dunes that hey had camped by. Hamza's head snapped up at the noise before he looked back at his prisoners and went to investigate the sound. Yasmine stole behind him, using the dunes for cover, as he slipped and slid up and down, finally reaching the object.
"Only a rock. An animal must have hit it." Hamza turned to go back to the campsite. "Glad that city is a few days away now."
Yasmine bent down and grabbed the rock. "I am sure that you are Hamza." she snarled as he turned at the sound of her voice only to find a rock smashing into his face. She barely noticed the gash on his cheek as she made sure that he was unconscious and stole back to the campsite. Ali and Ahmed looked up at her in surprise as she came and sat between them.
"Make ready to leave." she gave Ali the dagger. "I will get the horses."
They nodded their heads as she stole off towards the horse paddock. She crept along silently until she was as close to the gate lock as she could get. With painfully slow motions, she reached out and unlocked the gate, all the while making sure that the guards were looking at the fire. Moving silently to the back of the paddock, she searched out for two good horses as well as Rabi. Finally, she spotted the creamy white of Rabi's coat in the center of the other horses, gleaming red in the firelight. She placed her fingers to her lips and whistled a high birdlike call. A few heads barely turned as Rabi came trotting over at the sound, straight towards Yasmine.
"Good girl." she murmured as she stroked the muzzle that descended. "See those two horses there? Yes, those two; bring them here for me. Good girl."
Yasmine watched as Rabi trotted off. 'Thank Allah I have a very intelligent horse.' She looked around quickly and spied some reins coiled carelessly around a post. 'Their sloth is my gain at the moment.' Taking it, she untangled them and waited as Rabi herded the other two horses her way. She talked to them gently as she slipped on the reins and secured them. Tying them to a post she quickly attached Rabi's before she slipped underneath the fence and mounted Rabi's bareback. Grabbing the other reins in either hand, she trotted around a bit before charging the gate at full speed. The door swung open wildly as she rode out, all the unrestrained horse going free. She pulled up sharply where Ali and Ahmed were waiting patiently. She gave each of them a set of reins and help Ali pull Jafar up onto his horse. Already, she could see a few of the men, catching some horses and saddling them to give pursuit.
"We shall split up. Ahmed, which way is it to the place you spoke of?" Yasmine asked as Rabi danced around eagerly.
"That way Yasmine, as the crow flies. We shall meet you there!" Ahmed quickly replied, with a jerk of his head as he caught onto her plan "Allah go with you!" he called as he and Ali took off in to opposite direction.
"And also with you!" she called back as she urged Rabi into a dead run and headed for the heart of the desert.
The cry of a vulture made the weary figure astride look up. 'I am not dead yet. Find yourself another carcass; one that is preferably dead before you feast upon it.' Yasmine looked back at the sand gratefully; the blue of the sky and the glare of the sun were hard on her weary eyes. The tiny scrubs slid in and out of focus as she struggled to not succumb to the heat. She had been riding for the past four days, her pursuers haven given up the chase by day three. It wasn't easy to maintain the path that Ahmed had told her to take; even harder was the fact that she had no food with her and especially no water. Both she and Rabi were on their last bit of stamina.
With a sigh of exertion, Yasmine moved her lips, the parched, cracked skin splitting once more, blood trickling out slowly. Her hands felt as if they couldn't move from off the reins, her rear. . .she didn't even know if she still had one. Suddenly, Rabi stopped, with a tired whinny. She looked up to see a massive hill, the sun winking off of its top. She slumped against Rabi's neck as everything went black for a few seconds.
"Come on Rabi. Just this hill and after. . ." she fell silent, not wanting to think about after.
Rabi gave a faint nicker as she started up with plodding steps. Every once in a while, Yasmine managed to raise her head and pat Rabi's neck to give her encouragement to get up the slope. One in front of the other the hill seemed as if it was growing larger and larger. Yasmine sighed and rested her head against Rabi's neck as the horse plodded up the slope, closing her eyes; and she didn't think she would ever open them again.
Furor: I got this one done finally
Jasmine: Yeah I should say so. And I think you'd better finish that chapter...chapter 17...Princess is getting anxious and all. So are other people.
Peridot: It's her death wish really.
Princess: Ya know. Don't make me sic Spatula on you; she has flaming tongs...
Crystal: *pops head in* Flaming tongs? That doesn't sound too pleasant...
Furor: O.o Gotta go!! Ja ne!!!