Authors note: I'm sorry for not updating this story for such a long time. I've been very very busy lately so there wasn't much time to finish up this chapter. But now, here it is, chapter 6. Enjoy and please submit a review!
Chapter 6- In the Desert of Time
The wind was cold as night came. The prince and his comrade, Jamal walked on straight towards the temple of time. Feeling the chill of the night, the prince shivered as he walked on the sands on the desert. Jamal seemed unnerved by the cold. He took out a bottle of water he brought and sipped a few drops from it. The water was refreshing.
"How long have we walked?" the prince asked through gritted his teeth while speaking, trying to fend of the cold that hit his skin. Jamal closed his bottle and placed it back into its original place.
"Half a night," said Jamal, taking out a compass. He looked at it for a few more moments before he placed his hand in a certain direction. "The Temple is to the north, if I estimated correctly, we should be there in about…" He scratched his chin. "2 more days."
"Damn, is it really that long?" the prince asked.
"We'll just have to see and find out. Come, we must press on," without further ado, Jamal walked pass the prince. The prince followed suit.
After some time, both of them arrived at an unexpected oasis. The oasis had luxurious coconut trees, standing high. The water there was clear, like crystal.
"I think we should rest here for now," said the prince, putting down his weapons and bag. "We make camp here." The prince grabbed a lonely stick on the ground, and stuck it right into the sand in front of him.
"Good idea, help me out with this tent," Jamal took out a wide cloth and the prince looked for long sticks to use as stands for the prince. The moon was shining down beautifully down at them as they finished. The prince felt a sudden awe looking at the bright moon. An image of Farah came whirling into his sub consciousness. Farah, please be safe. Before long, Jamal and the prince went to bed in each of their tents.
The prince lay motionless on the blanket he was sleeping on. He used the leaves as a pillow, not one of his greatest ideas, but it worked. He felt at ease in his sleep, dreaming about Farah and Babylon, and how they ruled over gloriously over it. He turned his body to the side. A smile formed on his shaggy face as he dreamt about her longer still.
A sudden noise outside the tent awakened him. The prince sat bolt upright on the blanket, his mind fully awake. He reached out for the dagger of time which lay in front of him.
"So, you've finally awoken eh prince?" said the dagger. The prince was startled by the sudden voice but he still kept his composure.
"What's outside?" he asked the dagger cautiously.
"Few bandits, don't worry, you'll be able to handle them easily."
"Hmm, easy for you to say."
The prince exited his tent noiselessly, like a skilled assassin on a killing mission. He sped up and hid behind on of the tall coconut trees in the oasis. The shadow of the tree kept him out of sight. He was invisible for now. Straining his ears, he heard a few voices about 2 meters behind him. One was a man's voice, gruff and vague. The other was a woman's.
"Hold him still so I can find where his money is," said the man angrily. He was fuming. The woman struggled with Jamal's body, feeling his heavy weight overpowering her. She dropped Jamal's body to the ground breathlessly.
"Damnit, why are men always so heavy?" she said, wiping the sweat off her exceptionally large forehead. The man searched inside Jamal's pocket, finding nothing, he spat onto the ground.
"This man is broke, maybe even more broke than us!" he muttered. He took out a small but deadly looking dagger out from his waist pocket. "I'll just finish him off and deal with the other one later!"
"I think you will be dealing with him much sooner."
The bandit spun his body behind at the direction of the voice. His eyes widened with shock at the image he saw. A man came stepping out of the shadows, like a ghost.
"Who are you?" he said, staggering a few steps back. The woman beside him looked just as shocked as him. The man didn't answer. The bandit asked gain, brandishing his small dagger. The woman took out one as well.
"My name is none of your concern, leave now or you shall feel the consequences," said the prince coldly. He gazed them a stare with full of killing intent. The two bandits stood their ground, not wanting to move a single step. The prince took out his dagger. It gleamed brightly in the pale moonlight, it's blade magnifying the moon's rays.
"If that is what you wish, so be it," said the prince. He dashed right at the two bewildered bandits, disarming both of them with his dagger. He spun behind and kicked the man in the face with enormous force. The man bandit dropped to the ground. His nose was bleeding badly and it may have been broken. The woman stood rooted at the spot, feeling fear and panic clenching at her throat. She saw the merciless eyes of the man, a hand flying straight at her face for a moment and then, everything went black.
The prince stared at the two bandits who were now unconscious on the ground. One was bleeding badly, the other was knocked out. He turned his head behind and saw Jamal snoring loudly behind him. Sighing, he walked up towards Jamal and shook him up. Jamal woke up half-heartedly, groaning as he got up.
"What is it?" he asked sleepily while rubbing his eyes.
"Well, right just now, someone took you out of your tent, search in your pockets and when they found nothing, they attempted to kill you," the prince explained.
"What in God's name are you talking about?" Jamal said, puzzled. The prince held out his hands towards two lifeless bodies lying right beside Jamal. Jamal stared at them in surprise. "My God, you were telling the truth!" The prince nodded. "So, what are we going to do with those dead bodies now?"
"They aren't dead, they are knocked out." Jamal spun his head towards the prince.
"Knocked out? You should have just killed them right there for what they tried to do to me!"
"Relax; I kept them alive so we could question them in the morning. Here, help me tie those two buffoons up." The prince threw Jamal a rope. Before long, they finished tying up the two bandits. All they had to do now was sleep.
To be continued…