Author's note: Finally, my exams are done and the ordeal is over. One more thing is that I had enough time to finish another chapter for this story. Anyway, just because I've finished my test, I'm giving you readers out there a longer chapter than usual. But not that long, just a bit longer than usual. Well then, let's get on with the show!

Chapter 7 – The Bandits of Zarul

The prince awoke inside his tent. He felt the hot burning rays of the sun touch his skin as he sleepily walked out of his tent. As he walked up towards the water source in the oasis, he noticed Jamal was already up and running. The prince took a drink from the refreshing water in the oasis and felt in slide down his throat. He then walked between two large coconut trees and neared Jamal as he walked. Jamal heard the prince coming and gave the prince a smile as their faces met.

"So, had a good night's sleep?" asked Jamal.

"Quite," replied the prince drowsily. "How are the other two doing?" He gestured towards the two bandits, a man and a woman, who were tied up and lying on the hot surface of the sand. Jamal shrugged and walked towards the bandits. Picking up a stick, He poked the man bandit in the head until he was awake. It didn't work. Jamal threw the stick away in fury and gave the man bandit a good kick in the shins. The man roared in pain and awoke instantly, his mind fully alert.

"Where am I?" he said. His gaze avert from the prince to Jamal and then back to the prince once again. His eyes widened with shock at the image of the prince. "You!" he said in exasperation. The prince looked at him, his face totally delude of emotions. The man bandit struggled in the ropes he was tied up with. Jamal kicked him again, this time in the abdomen, and the man went still. He glared at both of them, hatred in his eyes.

"Now," said the prince after a long pause. "Tell us, what makes you come out to the desert this far?" He brandished the dagger of time that was dangling off his belt and clenched it tightly in his hands. Jamal tucked his hands up, apparently waiting for an answer. The man replied in a hoarse tone.

"I will never tell anything to the likes of you, even if it costs me my life," spat the man. The prince remained unnerved, playing with the dagger in his hands.

"Is that so? Well then, let's see if your friend here has anything else to say." The prince walked towards the woman bandit, who was sleeping soundly on the ground and shook her up. She woke up with her eyes half opened. As she opened her mouth to speak, she instantly remembered everything that happened the night before, how a hand flew straight into her face, knocking her unconscious. She gaped at the sight of the man she saw last night and fear rose inside her. She turned to her comrade who was awake and their eyes met.

"Osran, where are we?" she said, her eyes watery. He didn't reply.

"I can answer that," said the prince vaguely. Her head shot back at the prince. "You attempted to kill my friend right there," he pointed at Jamal and Jamal nodded. "And you also intended to kill me."

"Yes," said Jamal. "And we want to know, why did both of you, out of all people, came this far out into the desert?"

Both of them remained silent. The prince was starting o fond that he and Jamal were getting nowhere of getting information and he had to resort to the last option he could think of. He was going to use force. He walked up towards the man, pulled up his head by the hairs and placed his dagger right at the bandit's throat. The man yelled in protest, writhing around in his ropes. The prince pulled the bandit's head higher, causing pain to surge around his hair area.

"Now, either you tell me what your intention is, or I slice your throat and leave you to die here," said the prince angrily.

"NO!" the man roared against the pain in his head. "I will never tell the likes of you ANYTHING!"

"Are you sure? Wouldn't it be painful if I let this dagger cut your seemingly vulnerable throat and watch as the blood spills out from it?" The prince pushed the dagger into the man's throat a little deeper.

"I will..never," the man started to choke against the pressure of the dagger at his throat.

"So be it then." The prince released the dagger from the man's throat and held the dagger high in the air, waiting to give the final blow.

"STOP!" the woman bandit cried out. The prince refrained and placed his dagger down. "I will tell you everything you want, just let us be!" She had tears streaming down her eyes. The man beside her couldn't believe it.

"No, you mustn't tell them Saren, do you know what the consequences are if you did?" said the man breathlessly. She turned her face towards him, regret in her deep hazel eyes.

"I'm sorry Osran, but if I do not, they will murder you. And they may even murder me as well. We will have to break the rules for now, if not, we will serve a much greater fate than what we shall face in the labyrinth."

The prince has heard the word 'labyrinth' and his curiosity was starting to build up. The woman finished talking and she turned her face back to the prince. Her tears were gone, but her eyes still looked watery.

"Now what do you want to know?" she asked. She forced herself to say out those words. The prince looked at her for a moment.

"We want to know everything," replied the prince. He kept his dagger back onto his belt and waited for her response. Jamal felt that the information was going to be useful and he concentrated on everything she was about to say. She gave a deep a sigh.

"We are bandits from a group called the bandits of Zarul." She said her voice steady. "Our group lives near a temple, many know of it as the Temple of Time." The prince and Jamal's eyes twitched as they heard those words. "We kill and steal from the journeyers who were on their way to the temple. At this very oasis, we planned every attack, either we kill them silently or kill them on. We are merely bandits of the group; there are others, who have more influence and power than us. We merely received orders from our leader and carrying them out obediently. But other than that, the details are rough. All we know that there are three high ranking bandits in our group and there is our leader, Zarul."

"This is all the truth?" Jamal asked, curious. She gave him a nod and he understood it immediately. "Where can we find this so called group?"

"Our base is farther down this oasis, at a large cave somewhere there." She motioned her eyes indicating the base's direction.

"You'd better be telling us the truth, if you aren't, we'll skin you here right now."

"I am!" she said hurriedly. "This is all I know, please, spare us!"

The prince and Jamal looked at each other. They then left the two bandits, who were arguing against each other and packed their stuff.

"Think we can trust them?" asked Jamal. He packed his tent and was ready to go.

"I think we can, she seemed pretty scared at the sight of the dagger on her friend's neck."

"Well, I guess you are right, but we have another problem. What do we do with them?" Jamal pointed towards the two bandits.

"Nothing. We'll just leave them there. Come, we must find this base."

"Alright then." The both of them then walked away from the oasis and were now on their way to the cave mention by the woman named Sarren. Jamal was nice enough to leave them a bottle of water to drink.