Summer vacation was coming up, and Kalim was not looking forward to it. He knew what would happen the second he returned home, and if he could get away with it, he'd stay at the NRC over the entire break.
Jamil was still unaware of what awaited him the second they returned to the Scalding Sands.
He knew of the Sacrifice...but was unaware of the lengths the Al Asim would go to keep that particular secret. If one of their enemies knew that he was the 'embodiment' of all the curses and retribution towards the Al Asim for their sins, then he could be used to redirect it back to the family several times over.
Kalim was so tired of hiding his true nature. Leading a double life was just downright exhausting on so many levels.
As they stepped foot into the lavish palace of the Asim, Kalim's guard was up. He could feel the eyes of the elders on Jamil...and to a lesser extent, himself. They knew Jamil had become the Sacrifice, and that they would need to separate him from Kalim as soon as possible.
So Kalim became extra clingy, to Jamil's annoyance.
He didn't care how it looked to the others...he wasn't going to let them take Jamil away.
However the elders were crafty...it would take only one slip up and Jamil would be trapped forever in a cage.
So Kalim would have to be extra crafty. He knew the path to the prison by heart, though he had never gone near it in this lifetime.
The Viper clan (save for those who had agreed to stay behind to avoid suspicion from the Al Asim...in exchange for a chance to strike back at their captors) were safely away in Kalim's domain.
Several clans had discreetly 'relocated' themselves under the Al Asim's watch. They were so secure about the magical contracts/curse they had said families under that the idea of them being able to actually escape never occurred to them.
Kalim knew he had to time this perfectly. Which was why he was so glad he found that lamp in his past life. Without it, none of this could be possible.
Late at night...
Jamil didn't know why Kalim's father had called for him this late at night. He knew Kalim had been extra clingy, but he couldn't figure out why. Kalim had been distancing himself for a while now, so the sudden change worried him.
As he was being lead down a path he didn't recognize, he noticed several guards discreetly take point around him. Suspicion filled him, as he knew this was standard practice to prevent escape from certain factions. A deep seated fear filled him...was it possible Kalim had known something was about to happen?
One moment he was about to turn a corner, the next the pendant around his neck became red hot, almost to the point of burning him.
One of the guards shouted in pain as he writhed on the floor in agony from a nasty curse. The others took out their swords, ready to strike.
Two more fell to the strange curse the pendant had on him.
"Seize him!"
Before Jamil could act, an arm wrapped itself around his waist and another covered his mouth.
He felt himself being twirled before falling into a strange void that was so cold he almost couldn't breathe. For several long, painful moments he felt like he fell through what could only be a hellish void...before the comforting warmth of the sands surrounded him again. Catching his breath and noticing the frost that had covered him melting rapidly, he took in his surroundings. He was not in the Al Asim palace any more. He wasn't even in Silk city, from what he could tell.
The warm arm around his waist was rather comforting in a way. He almost felt sorry they let go once he had his bearings.
It took him three seconds to realize that the person who had been holding him...was the famous Gryffin. Jamil knew of his mask, it had been in several papers and all over the internet after all.
The moment his eyes moved past Gryffin, he saw the city in the distance.
His mind raced, as he knew perfectly well that Silk City was hundreds of leagues away from the one he saw now. One he had only heard of, and had been heavily interested in visiting once he graduated Night Raven.
"...Is that Oasis City?" he asked.
Gryffin nodded.
Jamil saw some cars heading their way, all of them suited for deep desert travel.
"Hey Boss-man! Is this the new recruit you mentioned to us?" asked Seti.
Jamil had become more or less familiar with the Red Sands group after all the times they kept stumbling on Kalim after a kidnapping.
Gryffin nodded and made several hand signs.
Seti replied in kind, and Jamil wondered what they were saying.
He took the hint and got into the truck, tired and very confused.
Oasis City was beautiful, and full of life. There were plants everywhere, and it made him wonder how they were able to sustain so many in a desert climate. All of them were appropriate for the region, but they would still require water.
He saw a few man-made canals that reminded him of Silk city, and the familiar equipment to provide a cooling mist from home. A little too familiar.
A few moments passed before he also began to notice statues placed at intervals around the city. All of them of a proud gryffin, sometimes even posing as if to attack. Some children were even playing around one of the statues that were on the ground, using it's wings as a makeshift slide of sorts.
It was a thriving city, a complete change from the near abandoned town it had been just a few short years ago.
The shock of being so far from home was starting to set in. He was still very confused as to why the Al Asim had tried to capture him, like he was some sort of criminal.
Try as he might, he couldn't stay completely awake. The adrenaline started to wear off, as had the fact that his internal time clock told him it was close to midnight.
He ended up passing out before the reached their destination.
Kalim pretended to be oblivious to the fact Jamil was missing the next morning. However by mid-afternoon he was asking questions about where he was.
"He went to visit his parents?" said Kalim.
"He was rather tired last night," lied his father. "He left early this morning to see them."
"I guess I'll talk to him at dinner then!" said Kalim with false cheer.
He knew damn well Jamil wasn't anywhere near Silk City...he had gone between long enough to kidnap him after all.
"That might not be possible," said his father. "I asked him to run a few errands. You might be able to see him in a few days."
"But you almost never ask him to run errands," said Kalim. He was enjoying this a bit too much.
"Enough. Jamil won't be back for a few days. You'll have to learn to do without him," said his father sharply. And that was the end of the matter.
Kalim waited another day, before he started asking even more pointed questions. His father refused to meet him and his mother only changed the subject.
After the third day, when he had enough of poking holes in their story, he decided to go find Jamil himself. After all according to his parents, Jamil was 'out on errands'.
Surely his friend would like some company!
Kalim found his way barred by the guards.
"What's wrong? I just want to find my friend," said Kalim, keeping up his guileless persona.
"Your father doesn't want you out in the city. Not without an escort."
Meaning he didn't want Kalim to learn Jamil was missing.
Kalim thought about trying to push his way past, before an evil idea occurred to him.
An hour later he came back. Before the guards could attempt to stop him, something caused them to pause in shock.
The second one came near the young heir, a massive and all too familiar breed of snake appeared from under his clothing.
It was wrapped around his neck like some sort of twisted necklace.
"Is this protection enough?" asked Kalim 'innocently'.
The guards were dumbstruck, as that particular breed of viper only answered to certain members of the Al Asim family. They were extraordinarily deadly, and a single bite was often enough to kill a grown man in minutes.
They were also ridiculously intelligent, almost to the point that some had joked the snakes were practically human.
None of them attempted to stop him a second time, which had Kalim walking past them whistling a cheerful tune. The snake disappeared under his clothing, leaving only a faint black outline under his clothing.
"He had WHAT on him?!" was heard thirty minutes later from the main palace, which was a considerable distance away.
Kalim cackled, and the viper around his neck hissed in something that sounded disturbingly like laughter.
The two made their way around the city, looking in all the familiar places for Jamil, though Kalim knew perfectly well his friend was nowhere in Silk City.
Jamil was several hundred leagues away from here, which was how Kalim liked it.
He still didn't know how to break it to him that he was Gryffin.
When Kalim returned to the palace, his father was not happy with him...especially when he saw how calmly Kalim walked around with one of the more vicious and deadly vipers from the Al Asim's...special...room around his neck.
"What were you thinking, going into that room?" his father hissed. How did Kalim even find it?
"They said I couldn't leave without proper protection," said Kalim. "What better protection than one of the vipers? They were bored in there anyway."
"You understood them?" said his father.
"I have really good grades in animal linguistics. Professor Trein said I have a knack for it!" said Kalim cheerfully... which was true.
The viper slithered up Kalim's right arm, across his shoulders and down his left. Kalim easily accommodated the rather large serpent without a second thought.
His father was furious, as the vipers were not to leave the room without his permission.
The next day, the guards did not challenge his attempt to leave. The snake was still clearly visible, as his father had 'permitted' him to be escorted by the serpent.
When he returned, he went up to his father looking rather annoyed with him.
"I heard from someone who just came into the city that Jamil isn't even here," said Kalim.
"He's not?" said his father mock concerned. "Who saw him and where?"
"It was a mercenary...I didn't think to get his name. But he said he saw Jamil near one of the coastal cities two days ago," lied Kalim.
Which was nonsense. Oasis wasn't anywhere near the coast, which was why the drought hurt them so bad. They were close enough to the safe trade routes to be important, but not close to any major water sources.
Armed with the knowledge of Jamil's possible whereabouts, Kalim acted as though he was being discreet about following the 'lead' to find his best friend.
Everyone knew the story of the ancient princess who had fallen for a common street rat. How she had met him in the marketplace after attempting to run away, only to have to reveal herself to protect the thief.
Kalim knew they would attempt to use him to track Jamil down. And that they would pretend not to notice him 'escaping' while doing so.
Unknown to his parents and the guards, Kalim packed anything of real sentimental value to him and dropped it in a special room to be checked over for spells. It took him an hour, but he managed to get all the important things.
He took one last long look at his room...before sneaking out of the palace. He knew he was being watched, and that his father likely knew of his plans.
Rather than try to charter a way to the area Jamil was last seen, Kalim went and bought a broom from one of the stalls. It wasn't exactly in the best of conditions, but it was sturdy and the charms were solid.
Brooms were much harder to track than a car (he didn't have a license anyway, nor did he know how to drive) and less messy than a camel.
He went a little bit away from the city before he kicked off with the broom and started flying.
It took him an hour to notice people were following him at a distance. Honestly, he didn't even need his gryffin eyes to see the car following him just far back enough that someone was unlikely to notice at all.
Kalim decided he'd play a merry game of 'follow the leader' with the fools tracking him. This was going to be fun.