Over the next few days, Alibaba was busy with his tutoring and fretting over Morgiana. She hadn't returned yet and it was worrying him. Alibaba hadn't heard of anything terrible happening in the city but that could just mean there were no witnesses.
He was sure that Morgiana was fine, the girl was nigh indestructible and had an innate fighting skill. She also wouldn't hurt anyone that didn't deserve it. But he also knew how the slums could be and he wasn't sure if it was ready for a Fanalis on the hunt.
In order to keep himself from going crazy in his worry for his friends, Alibaba threw himself into his schoolwork. He was in the library looking for a book to help when he saw Sabhmad at one of the tables. He was reading a scroll contently, no one else around. He must have maxed out his social meter with Abhmad earlier and escaped to the library. Normally Alibaba would leave him alone, knowing this was his brother's safe haven in a way. However, Alibaba needed to know more about the attacks on the ships. With Morgiana yet to return and no word from Kassim, he couldn't pass up this opportunity to speak with his brother alone. Any other time he'd be with Abhmad and his groupies. Alibaba couldn't approach at that time. He wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise to just speak with Sabhmad. This was a perfect chance.
"Sabhmad." The older boy jumped when Alibaba spoke. He must not have noticed Alibaba's approach. Alibaba set his books down on the table and across from the other boy. He tried to give a reassuring smile, but he wasn't sure how successful it was.
"Alibaba," Sabhmad muttered in surprise. "What do you want?" Sahbmad didn't curl into himself as much as he would outside of the library. He must feel really comfortable here. Alibaba mentally sent an apology, knowing the conversation might ruin what relaxation he had.
"Well, I've been thinking about the attack on the ships. I'd like to know more about them." Right now Sabhmad was his only source of information for the attacks. Whatever he knew would be a big help. Sabhmad frowned and squirmed in his seat.
"I-I really don't know much." He admitted softly. Alibaba shook his head and waved at the insecure aura his brother was admitting.
"Whatever you do know would be a huge help!" He said. "I don't know anything about them, and you're the only one I could think to go to." Sabhmad balked in surprise at the declaration. He pointed a shaky finger at himself.
"Me?" Alibaba nodded his head rapidly with a happy hum.
"You're really smart Sabhmad, I'm sure you know more about this than what others do." And Alibaba meant that. Sabhmad was a smart man, always was. He was just painfully shy. Sabhmad was always able to see things that others didn't and was a great help with the rebellion in the other timeline as their palace informant. Alibaba always had a great respect for his brother since then.
"W-well. If you think so." Sabhmad said this slowly as if expecting Alibaba to retract his word. Alibaba waited patiently for his brother to continue. When there wasn't any rejection, Sabhmad swallowed nervously and started to speak.
"The first I heard of it, it was last month." So it started while Alibaba was gone. He expected that, even if he was hoping for a different answer. "Lady Leania had mentioned her husband wasn't able to attend a luncheon because he was busy arguing with the captain of his latest shipment. Half of the ordered goods were gone." That was a lot, whoever attacked had a large ship and plenty of help. Why only take half though? Why not the whole thing?
"What was the shipment?" Alibaba tried to think of who Lady Leania was married to, but it escaped his head. He was never good at remembering people who didn't make a large impression on him.
"Cloth mostly, I-I think a lot of the shipment came from the islands on the outskirts of Reim. They sell their cloth for cheap, so it wasn't that much of a loss, but Leania said her husband was furious." Alibaba didn't blame the man. Even if the product was cheap, the sea-fair and the market loss was enough of a dig into his pocket to cause a ruckus.
"The next I heard of an attack, it was a few weeks after that. Lord Nab's ship from Partveria was attacked. They took seventy percent of the supplies. What was taken varied from more cloth to small weapons." Once again, they didn't take all of the supplies. They left some behind. Why? What was the point of doing that?
"Were there any official reports on the attacks?" If Alibaba could find a full manifest then maybe he'd be able to find out just what things the pirate had left behind. Sahbmad shook his head though, dashing that thought.
"As far as I know, none of the attacks have been reported to the dockmaster." That was strange. Alibaba frowned at the news. The nobles were complaining about attacks, but they weren't reporting them? It was counterproductive. Suspicious too considering the amount of money they were losing. Alibaba could only think of one reason why the nobles weren't reporting the attacks. They didn't want their ships to be inspected or to give over the full manifests. That would mean illegal goods.
But smugglers weren't a strange sight in Balbadd. For the most part, they were harmless; passing through with the understanding to pay an unsaid tax and move on without any trouble. There was little that nobles needed to truly worry about getting caught messing with. One of which made the hairs on Alibaba's arm stand up. One thing that was not allowed in any circumstance was the buying and trading of slaves. If that was what was left behind...Alibaba shook his head. He couldn't get ahead of himself. There was no need to through assumptions where there wasn't proof.
"Do you know where in the waters the ships were attacked? Or if there were any details of them?" Sabhmad shook his head again. Alibaba wilted. It was a long shot. The nobles liked to complain, but they were smart enough to not give out too many details if they were dealing in shady businesses. It looked like Alibaba was going to have to wait for Kassim and Morgiana to get back to him.
Either that or he caught Avner before the man left the palace. He met with Rashid each evening to give a full report of the day's port. Alibaba doubted the man would give him any clear answers though. This technically wasn't Balbadd's problem since the attacks were outside their waters and the attacks weren't often enough to cause a true panic.
All Alibaba could do now was wait.
Fortunately, Alibaba did not have to wait for very long. It was in the middle of the night and Alibaba was awoken by a noise. He stilled in his bed as he heard footsteps in his room and hushed whispers. He reached to his nightstand where Amon's dagger was resting and flew out of bed with the blade at the ready.
"Who's there!" The whispers stopped immediately at his order. Alibaba stood straight and refused to let the sudden silence unnerve him. There were intruders in his rooms and it was too dark to see clearly. There was a breeze from the open balcony. Alibaba had been leaving it open for Morgiana in case she needed it to get back inside. He wondered if this was her. He heard a man's timber of voice though.
"Answer me!" He gripped Amon tighter. He couldn't release any of Amon's flames in the room. There were too many flammable things around. Besides, revealing that he had a Djinn Equip was something to avoid for as long as possible.
"Paranoid much Lord Prince?" The title was a mocking drawl. A very familiar drawl. Alibaba dropped his arms and turned to light a candle. The added light brightened the room and Alibaba was able to see who was in his room.
"Kassim? Morgiana?" They were standing at the foot of his bed, calm as can be. Kassim was dressed differently than how Alibaba last saw him. His pants and shoes were the same but under his over the shoulder sash was a red short-sleeved tunic. He also had a gold necklace on his neck with a ruby at its center. Alibaba wondered where Kassim had got it. He didn't remember seeing it within Amon's treasures. Then again, there was so much there Alibaba probably wouldn't have noticed it.
"I found him," Morgiana reported, looking all too much like a cat that brought its master spoils from a hunt. From the way Kassim's hair was mussed and how he was tilted away from Morgiana, Alibaba didn't think the analogy was all that far off. Kassim must have been brought in by flight-via-Morgiana. A truly terrifying and knowledgeable experience. Alibaba could empathize.
"T-thank you Morgiana." He smiled nervously and sat the candle down on the nightstand. Now that he knew who was in his room he was able to calm his heart and set Amon down as well. Kassim was right, he was being paranoid. Alibaba didn't have enough enemies to worry about an assassin in the night.
As he shook his head from how silly he was being, Alibaba noticed something tucked under Kassim's arm. It looked like rolled up parchments. Seeing it brought Alibaba's mind to the situation at hand. If Morgiana and Kassim were there now, it meant he was going to finally get answers on the Barasi.
"What did you find out?" Kassim's mouth turned down, making Alibaba's stomach clench. It wasn't going to be good news then. Kassim went to the center of Alibaba's room and sat on the floor.
"Get some more candles lit and sit down," Kassim ordered. "It's going to be a long night." Alibaba shared a look with Morgiana. She looked as grim as Kassim, which furthered Alibaba's worry. This was bad. Maybe even worse than what he thought.
Alibaba quickly lit a few more candles to help brighten the room. They made sure to not light too many to arouse attention from anyone watching outside but Alibaba wasn't all that worried about that. Most people were asleep at this time and the guards didn't usually look up when keeping an eye out.
"Dexia wasn't kidding when he said the Barasi were powerful." Kassim started. He rolled out the parchments he brought with him onto the floor. They were maps, three to be exact. One was of the waters surrounding Balbadd's marine space, one was of the city itself, and the other of the desert routes that led to the city. He focused on the one of the city and brought out a small bag from his pocket. Opening it revealed pebbled rocks from the streets.
"Where did you get these?" They were of good quality and surprisingly up to date. Alibaba didn't know where in the slums one would be able to find maps like these.
"I managed to catch Zainab and Hassan before they left for the islands. They gave me these copies from the ship." Ah, that was right Zainab and Hassan now worked on a ship that traded between the surrounding islands and the mainland. It was good to hear that they were doing alright.
"They took out Mehdi, Reza, Vahid, Sepehr, Omid, and even Musa." With each name, a rock was placed on the map, showing which gang territories were captured. Alibaba gaped at the Barasi's influence. That was nearly all of the slums! Three of the four main pillars of the slums were absolved. Kassim pointed to the few places that the rocks weren't placed.
"All that's left is Mirno, Papak and his brothers, Tirdad, and what scattered brats that haven't run to the Barasi for protection." That was not a lot. Alibaba studied the map carefully. Papak and his brothers ran the brothels, protecting the girls from rowdy customers and making sure they were paid fairly. They held firm in the slums' main street for the nightlife. Mirno's business was snuggled next to the western wall, near the gates there. Along with his gambling and fighting rings, Mirno helped smugglers coming in on foot for a fee if they went through that gate. Mirno and Papak's gangs were the largest territories that the Barasi hadn't captured.
Tirdad and his people hung around the docks, picking up what work they could by the ships that pulled in there, helping those that were carrying not-so-legal merchandise that needed to get off the ship. Tirdad was responsible for supplying most of the black market's merch. He was the slums' very own trader. Alibaba didn't know the man well, only second-hand information. What he heard while he was still living on the streets was that the man was someone with high morals despite his place in the slums. There were things he refused to touch or sell from the docks. Alibaba remembered a time that Kassim had thought about moving them to Tirdad's territory. Kassim planned on working for Tirdad for protection so that Alibaba and Mariam would be safe. Then Rashid picked up Alibaba and the rest was history.
"How were they able to take over so much?" The Barasi had nearly three-fourths of the slums under their belt. It wouldn't be long before they got the others at the rate they were moving. It begged the question of what their secret weapon was. Kassim sighed heavily and cracked his neck.
"Before that, have you heard about the naval attacks on noble ships?" Alibaba nodded his head, recalling his talk with Sabhmad and the dinner with the family. He never was able to catch Avner alone, and he was hesitant to speak with him in the presence of others. Alibaba didn't want to make a huge deal out of it only for the whole thing to just be simple pirates who were being antagonistic. His father didn't seem to be concerned, or at least he wasn't doing anything about it.
"Noble shipments are being attacked outside our waters. They're thinking its pirates." Though Alibaba was starting to doubt that even more now. Kassim wouldn't have mentioned it unless the Barasi was involved.
"They're not wrong," Kassim said. "It is pirates that are attacking, but the Barasi are the ones commissioning them. The pirates attack, steal what was ordered and then some for themselves and then meet up to deliver the goods." Kassim pulled out the map of the sea. He cleared off the pebbles on Balbadd's map and starting setting them onto the new one.
"Zainab and Hassan don't know how many ships were attacked exactly, just those that their captain knows and the ones that are near their ship's route." Still, there were a surprisingly large amount of pebbles being placed. The islands were relatively safe, but the attacks were worryingly close to their waters. Other areas were in the direct trading routes for Reim, Partveria, and Heliophapt. Not Sindria though. Those ships were untouched. Smart. If Sinbad heard his ships were being attacked he'd jump on the next one to find out what was happening. They wouldn't want to risk that.
"I've asked the small brats if they knew what was being taken on the ships." Kassim meant the orphans that were left on the streets. They were scattered out in the slums, leaking into every territory. They were normally left alone by the gangs, seeing no harm in them running around so long as they don't get in the way. Kassim capitalized on that as a kid and in the other timeline. The kids became his informants for the price of a few gold coins or just a hot meal. Kassim might call them brats, but he had a soft spot for the kids since he was one growing up. When running the Fog Troupe he used the kids as runners, messengers of sorts, to get information around and rumors started at his beck and call.
"At first, I was told the same line each time. Cloth, food, wine, and weapons." Kassim's eyes darkened and his mouth soured. Beside him, Morgiana stiffened and Alibaba saw her eyes tighten. Alibaba straightened as he felt fear strike down his spine.
"What are they really taking?" He asked hushedly. He was afraid of the answer. If it made those two react in such a way, it had to be terrible. Kassim barked a sardonic laugh, looking too much like the old Kassim for Alibaba's tastes.
"Oh, they are taking that. But they're also taking slaves and way more swords than what's advertised. A couple of older brats told me after they ran a milk run for the Barasi. When they found out, they wanted to leave. I told them to go to Mirno or Tirdad." Alibaba felt sick as Kassim's scowl deepened.
"They were found dead in the waterways the next morning, stripped and beat to fucking hell." Alibaba bent over, eyes wide. He knew the dangers of the slums and of betraying a gang, but that was something else. The Barasi were ruthless, and they weren't going to leave any loose ends to hang. Two kids, and who knew how many others were dead because of them. The nobles didn't know because they didn't care. The ships weren't reporting the attacks because they were dealing in slaves and illegal weapons. Avner had no official reports to give Rashid so the King couldn't do anything.
"It just gets fucking better. They're not only hitting the water but the trading caravans too. Mirno's furious because it's cutting into part of his profits. The Barasi have got bandits covering the desert trading routes all around the city. How we got here without encountering any was a miracle." Kassim made new markers on the next map, setting up numerous dots all around the city.
"How has no one caught this?" The ships were one thing, but the trading caravans too? This was ridiculous! Alibaba looked at the three maps together and blanched at the implications. Right now, the damage was minimal and in its infancy. In the future though? This could get ugly for Balbadd and it could happen really quickly. The more people get attacked the less people will want to risk the chance of coming. That would bring less people to the market, which will damage Balbadd's profit. When Kassim had attacked, it was one swift blow that gave the monarchy a debilitating injury. This was a sickness. Slow, painful, and deadly. The longer it went on unnoticed or untreated the worse it will get.
"How should I know?" Kassim asked. "Do you have any idea just who your precious nobles are? Cause they're into some shady shit." Alibaba felt his hackles rise at the tone Kassim was using. He was nearly snarling, sounding like he did when they were leading the Troupe. Alibaba knew that he and Kassim were different and could never be the same. Still, he didn't like hearing his friend when he was like this. It reminded him too much of when he wasn't able to snap his friend out of the darkness.
"I don't condone what they're doing. You know that." Kassim frowned at the rebuke but didn't argue. Alibaba took what wins he could and continued on. "That being said, if this goes on there will be trouble. We have to stop both the Barasi and get the nobles to justice." To catch the nobles they just need proof which wouldn't be easy by any means, but it will be less complicated than the gang. The nobles would still have a sale bill of sorts for their 'purchases' and 'goods' if they found those, connected them to both the nobles and the slave traders, the job will be done.
The Barasi though, to stop them they have to know how they were able to do all they could. To be able to afford both bandits and pirates they'd have to be really well funded or they had a different ace up their sleeves. And if it was the latter, it must have been a pretty big ace.
"Without joining you can't get much information about the Barasi themselves. What little I got was from the dead kids." Alibaba flinched at the reminder of the two informants. Kassim's eyes were bitter and his mouth turned down. He must be furious that they didn't get to Mirno or Tirdad in time.
"Luckily, one of them got a look at one of the supply deposits the Barasi have hidden. He said that there were piles of weapons, enough to arm an army." That could not mean anything good. They might be preparing for an all-out gang war. Who they would strike would be anyone's guess. Mirno was the most powerful but Tirdad had the best defense. He was by the docks and had contacts with a lot of the captains. It would only take a few words before he cleared out and got his people to safety. Though, that could be a tactic in itself. Get Tirdad to leave and take over the territory then. Papak and his brothers were relatively safe, being the most visible of the gangs. People would notice if anything happened to them. That was a flimsy defense though.
"He told me where the place was and I went there with Morgiana." Kassim waved a hand at the redhead. "She found me the day after I met with them. We snuck inside the storehouse. Just like the kids said, the place was filled. The Barasi are getting ready for something." And what was that exactly? A gang war? Or worse? Whatever it was, Alibaba knew that it needed to be stopped.
"While we were in there, a couple of guys came by." Kassim's face turned grave. Alibaba wondered just what could be worse in the situation. "One had a sword with him. They were too far away to hear but we saw him melt steel with just one touch of that sword." Magic tools. That just made everything worse.
"Where would they get something like that?" Magic tools were rare in these parts of the world. Alibaba never heard of one gracing their markets. Could it be Al-Tharmen? Did they visit Balbadd after seeing Kassim in Quishan? Were they trying to speed up their plan to take Balbadd?
"Kassim left to tell Mirno." Morgiana piped in, speaking for the first time in the discussion. "I followed the two men to their base." Alibaba shot a betrayed look to Kassim.
"That's too dangerous! Kassim why'd you let her do that?" Kassim scoffed at Alibaba's question. He reached into his pocket for a cigar, finally giving into his urge to smoke.
"You really think I had any say in that? She just up and left me without a word." That did not surprise Alibaba actually. Morgiana glared at Alibaba as if daring him to reprimand her. Wisely, he chose not to.
"What did you find out?" Morgiana nodded her head, glad that he didn't push the issue. He still didn't like the thought of her going out alone in the slums while the Barasi were in control. He didn't even like Kassim being out there, and he knew the slums like the back of his hand.
"I don't think it was the main base. It was too small and there weren't any smells of large gatherings of people." Smell? Oh, Alibaba forgot. Morgiana, being a Fanalis, had better senses than an average human. They were the best hunters of the Dark Continent for that reason.
"There was a small gathering there, five people. Three men and two girls. I recognized the girls, they were the twins that were with that man the day we got here." The twins with Dexia. Alibaba didn't know who those two were. He looked to Kassim in a silent question but the older boy just shrugged. He didn't know either. These Barasi were complete mysteries.
Morgiana shifted in her seat, an uncomfortable look on her face. "I wasn't able to overhear much before being caught. They said something about their plan almost being ready, and that they had to speak to some man about their magic tools."
"You were caught?" Alibaba exclaimed. "What happened, were you okay?" She looked fine, and obviously, she got away but that could mean anything. Morgiana looked at him in surprise but nodded her head silently. Alibaba sighed. "Good. I'd hate it if you were hurt trying to help me. Thank you. You did a good job." With what she overheard, it implied that someone gave the magic tools to the Barasi. Alibaba had a pretty good guess who that was. Al-Tharmen was on the move, and like Alibaba thought they were five steps behind the group.
"I wanna know how she was found out," Kassim stated, eyes darting to Morgiana's still form. "I thought you Fanalis were supposed to be the best hunters or something? Doesn't that imply you can be stealthy if needed? Can't be a good hunter if the game hears you." That last bit was said mockingly. Alibaba hissed his disapproval at Kassim. Sometimes Alibaba wondered if Kassim liked playing as a bad guy just for fun. There was no reason to be mean to Morgiana about this.
Morgiana's hands curled into fists and she stared down at the ground. Her lips drew thin at Kassim's words and she looked like something was bothering her greatly. Alibaba worried that Kassim had hurt her feelings.
"One of the men was Fanalis. He smelt an intruder. I was able to leave before they saw me." Fanalis...Alibaba's eyes widened. There was a Fanalis in Balbadd that wasn't Morgiana? That was unbelievable. Alibaba turned to Kassim.
"I don't remember any Fanalis in the slums." That would have been something he'd have noticed. Kassim looked at Morgiana carefully. He then tilted his head back and blew out a cloud of smoke above them lazily.
"That's cause there wasn't any. These Barasi have a lot of new faces." Kassim scowled at the ceiling. "And we still don't know who the leader is." Alibaba shuddered in his mind. The Barasi were powerful, with five upper echelons. They knew the twins and a Fanalis were there, but the other two were unknown. And then there was the leader. Which of the five was the leader? Or was the leader even there that day when Morgiana spied on them? What were the Barasi after? Why were they doing this?
"Wait," Thinking of the five people and the three that were known made something pop in Alibaba's head. "If that man was Fanalis, wouldn't he be able to track you?" Morgiana said that the man had smelt her, meaning he had her scent. If Morgiana could hunt humans by just their scent, then couldn't he? What if he followed her to Kassim, or to the palace?
"No." Morgiana shook her head. "I covered my scent by jumping in the water and rolling in the dock's fish haul." Alibaba and Kassim stared in wonder at that. Kassim's mouth was open in surprise.
"That's why you smelt like dead fish when you got to Mirno's?" He asked. Morgiana nodded sharply. Alibaba couldn't help but chuckle at the image of Morgiana diving into a pile of dead fish to cover her scent. It was a humorous thought. He wondered how the sailors and shipmates thought when they saw it. Mirno's reaction to seeing her would have been hilarious too. Morgiana sure knew how to make a first impression.
The good humor passed, and Alibaba was faced with the issue once more. Al-Tharmen was behind this, Alibaba was sure. They had a rising gang looking to cripple the noble's trading for an unknown reason other than just pure hatred for the higher class. They armed to the teeth and had an unknown amount of magic tools. One confirmed that had a distressing ability. Either the sword acted as an acid, or it heated up so quickly and so much it was able to melt anything like molten lava. Alibaba hoped for the latter. Amon would be able to defend against that.
Well, he would if Alibaba could get his magoi in order and be able to summon the Djinn's power properly. Coming back to the past sent all of his senses into a knot that he had been able to mostly get over by now. All except his magoi. It was a misshapen thing now. He had the magoi of when he was a normal twelve-year-old, and then the magoi of when he was a twenty-two-year-old Djinn user who could do a full equip. He never noticed the change in his magoi because he was never able to sense that kind of thing. The only reason he knew was because Amon had commented on it shortly after the Dungeon. Alibaba hadn't practiced summoning Amon's powers, scared he'd mess up and burn the palace down.
They were outnumbered, outpowered, and they needed a plan of attack now. He couldn't let this go on. Not with Al-Tharmen involved, with the misdeeds of the nobles going unpunished, with the death of two kids who just wanted to survive. This had to stop, but where to start. Alibaba wasn't any good with leadership or planning. He was a trader on the best of days! Nothing more. Kassim would be better at this. He was the true leader of the Fog Troupe and the rebellion in the other timeline.
"Do you have a plan Kassim?" The older boy looked over the maps with a critical eye. Alibaba looked as well. There weren't enough pebbles to cover each map, but he remembered what they all looked like. There was too much. The Barasi were hitting too many places at once. They needed to whittle it down but to do that they'd have to stop the power roll they were on. They had to stop the gang's growth where it was before it got any larger. To do that, they'd have to get the rest of the slums united. Kassim saw the map that Alibaba was focusing on. Balbadd's streets were a complicated maze to a stranger, but Alibaba had lived there for enough years to know each street and what gang owned what block. Kassim knew more.
"It'll be insane," Kassim commented. He must be thinking of the same thing that Alibaba was. That gave Alibaba hope, if Kassim thought of it as well then it was an idea worth thinking about. "It's never been done before." The warning was half-hearted though.
"Can you get Mirno, Papak, and Tirdad to meet together?" Alibaba asked. Kassim sighed and rolled his eyes at the request. "I know it's never been done but if we can get what's left of the slums to form an alliance of a sort it'll be harder for the Barasi to expand." The whole reason why they were able to get so far so fast was because of their magic tools, yes, but it was also how the gangs isolated themselves. Each one for their own, never looking out for their fellows. It worked in keeping their families safe from turf wars but when faced with the Barasi it was dangerous.
"And how do you plan on convincing them to do that?" Kassim asked with a sarcastic edge. Alibaba shrugged, truthfully not having a single clue. Those three were some of the oldest and most powerful of the slums. Mirno was one of the founding pillars of the slums. He honestly didn't think that they'd listen to him or Kassim, mere pups in comparison. One a street rat playing at being royal and the other a wolf who left his territory and disbanded his pack. The odds were against them but Alibaba didn't care. They had to try.
"The first step is getting them to meet in the first place. We'll worry about the rest then." Not the best way to deal with it, but it wouldn't matter if the three men didn't meet. Kassim looked like he wanted to argue but stopped himself.
"Fine." He groused. "We'll try your crazy idea. I'll see if I can get Mirno to speak with them." Because if Mirno called on someone to talk, they came. No questions asked. If they got Mirno to agree, the others would come. Though, Alibaba admitted, Mirno would be the hardest to convince.
"You're going to be the one to talk to them though." Alibaba blanched at that. He spluttered, arms flailing wildly and almost knocking over a candle.
"What?" He squawked. "I can't do that! I'm on house arrest right now! I can't leave the palace and you're much better at these kind of things!" Kassim was the real leader between the two of them! Why couldn't he see that?
"Hah?" Kassim looked at Alibaba incredulously. "What the are you talking about idiot? I don't do wimpy stuff like that! You do the talking!" The two delved into a petty argument then, demanding that the other be the one to speak to the gang leaders.
Morgiana watched silently with a smile on her face.