Against the clear blue sky, a cloud of dust and sand could be seen as two horses galloped across the barren lands and the slopping dunes, undeterred by the hard path or the hot sun, running fast and breathing hard while each bearing two passengers.
Zarqa rode right behind Sindbad while Ali Baba was mounted on Jaber's horse. The two men were set on reaching wherever they needed to reach before it was too late for any of them to go back. A night journey through the desert on their own never was a tempting option even for the man known for his love for traveling.
Zarqa had insisted that they could head to the lost city on their own so long they knew the way, yet Sindbad wouldn't hear a word of hers. He was bound by a vow he made to himself to keep her safe and so he would see her the closest he could to the lost city of gold.
The two kids kept silent for the whole journey. Ali Baba, who kept Morjana close under his cloak, appeared to have already left their company for his mind was clearly somewhere else. Perhaps thinking of his mother and what would become of her if he were never to turn up at her door again.
Not before long, the scenery began to change. Old constructions and pillars peeked out of the dunes and ridges here and there, a sign of an old civilization that once habituated that land. Sand receded slowly, leaving the horses to run on flattened ground, which helped them pick up even more speed. The ground on both sides of them began to gradually rise the further they went… no, they were the ones descending, a telltale they were heading for a valley.
The horses halted all of a sudden, rearing on their hind legs and neighing loudly, panicking over something that they almost bucked their riders off. Sindbad and Jaber managed to calm them down, but the two mares refused to move a step further from where they stopped as if spooked by some unseen force.
Sindbad and Jaber exchanged worried looks at that before they dismounted and helped the kids down. " This is the farthest we could lead you." Jaber's tone was that of irritation and anger as he handed Ali Baba his bag.
" From here on you will have to venture on your own." Sindbad pointed towards the land slopping down steadily, like some trap waiting for them to walk into.
Ali Baba took a few steps forward and squinted his eyes against the bright light of the sun. " I don't see a thing?" He questioned, looking back with an annoyed look. " Is there really a city of gold down there?"
" Yes." Both men affirmed.
Zarqa moved ahead, taking in the sight before her, the descending valley, the clear sky, and the empty grounds.
Calm yet scary.
" Still don't get why you can't go any further?" Ali Baba asked, shooting their two guides a sharp stare.
" We do, and the city would never show itself to you," Jaber answered him with a roll of his eyes. " You could use some faith in us."
" Well, for someone who had been there, you didn't mention anything about what we ought to expect." He pointed. And before Jaber could retort, Sindbad beat him.
" We really can't, and we don't know what we were dealing with. It was by sheer luck that we got away."
" Good. Now I feel better since I know luck had never been on my side." Ali Baba's mood was growing worse.
" You don't need it. Unlike us, you have something of much help." Sindbad beckoned towards Zarqa who seemed to catch on his intentions.
" I can't control my visions." She shrugged.
" But they do warn you, don't they?" Jaber raised an eyebrow.
They do.
" So far that Zarqa is safe, you'll be safe too, boy. Just try to get that through your ears." Ali Baba huffed angrily at the way Jaber addressed him.
" You know. Now that city sounds more appealing to me than spending another minute with any of you." He was about to turn around when Sindbad held him firmly by the shoulder. " What now?"
" We can't help you much with information, but let me warn you. You should never be blinded or tempted. What you seek is neither gold nor fortune. Don't let yourself be led astray."
Ali Baba merely glared at the man before wrenching his shoulder from his grasp. " Don't you tell me what to do. You forced me into this already, isn't it enough?" Without another glance to spare, he walked past Zarqa and down the slanting path, not even waiting for the girl. Just eager to leave all of them behind him.
" Sindbad, thanks for your help this far. I'll deal with the rest somehow." She inclined her head politely to the man and stepped forward. Sindbad opened his mouth, he wanted to stop her, wanted to keep her by his side.
His hand twitched, and unconsciously made for the girl in a last attempt to prevent her from going. But he couldn't do it. He could never hold her back, not when she gave him a look full of faith and resolve. " May our paths converge again."
The hand that was meant to hold her waved shakily as Zarqa followed after Ali Baba, and they were soon out of the two men's sight.
" Are you sure that was the right choice?"
Sindbad looked down at his hand, maybe hoping it would give an answer instead of him. " Probably." Pondering whether he should have grabbed her back then, and maybe regretting letting her go, Sindbad clenched his fist.
" Will they be okay?"
" Zarqa is never one to be lured by money and the like."
Jaber gave his friend a pointed look, one that was meant to remind him that he could never lie to his face. " And Ali Baba? Seriously Sindbad, the boy was found stealing from us. I doubt he would make it back."
Sindbad's golden eyes looked upon Jaber with such intense the man almost recoiled. " He will."...
━━━━━━━༺ *** ༻━━━━━━━
Ali Baba didn't speak to her once throughout their walk, he was busy mumbling under his breath and kicking whatever had the misfortune of lying within his reach. Having a black crow flying above his head and crying out at the unfamiliar place made it all the more difficult to try and call out to him. If someone else saw him in that state, he might have mistaken him for one of those rumored jinns and sorcerers roaming the desert.
After a series of grumbling, mumbling, and kicking sand everywhere, Zarqa found an opening to speak. " If you're that upset, you should have said no."
The flurry of flying sand halted and silence settled for a good few seconds before Ali Baba rounded back, wearing a deep frown. " As if I had any choice in the matter!"
" You had." The girl insisted as she walked past him. Ali Baba continued to glare at her before walking after her.
" How was I supposed to refuse? Sindbad had his sword to my throat and you went on blabbering about the future and whatnot!"
" Had Sindbad beat you to come? He didn't, which means you had been left as much freedom in your choice as I did." Her voice was composed and calm it got on his nerves. " If you so badly desired, you could have escaped in the middle of the night. After all, Sindbad didn't tie you up. As for me, I only relayed what I've seen. I admit I got a tad overexcited, yet were you to refuse I would have simply looked for another way."
" Great! Now you're telling me this!"
" For your information," Zarqa snapped back her head, her eyes flashing warningly at him. " I do know that you don't intend to see this whole journey to its end." Ali Baba's jaw clutched at her claims, yet did not deny them.
" The future is still changing. I don't know what you're up to, but if you truly think yourself incapable of seeing it through, it's not too late to turn back." Leaving those words to hang in the air for a moment, Zarqa proceeded down the path she had chosen. Ali Baba continued to glare at her back before cursing his own fate and kicking the closest pile of sand.
Something flew off from it.
Zarqa stopped when she heard the clatter as whatever Ali Baba hit landed on rocky ground. Both of them looked at the object a few yards away from them, gleaming brightly under the sunrays. Ali Baba made the first move and picked it up, his eyes wide with surprise and awe all the same. It was a challis, one made of gold and decorated with rubies. One only the kings and sultans could dream of owning.
Ali Baba's lips pulled into a smile of delight as he showed it to Zarqa. The girl, in contrast to him, seemed rather skeptical of the reason why such a fancy cup was thrown in the sand and not in some rich man's cupboard.
A caw prompted them to look further down the path to find Morjana picking and tugging at something, trying to pull it from under the sand. Ali Baba hurried to her to discover a large necklace. " This is a fortune! Look! With this, we could be set for the rest of our lives!"
As he was happily examining the wares, Zarqa walked up to him, jaw slightly dropped. It took a few seconds for him to notice her stiffness. " What's wrong with you?" She didn't answer, only staring forward. As he followed her gaze, his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets and he wondered whether his lower jaw was still connected or had already fallen.
Before them, within the valley extending as far as the eye sees, the twinkling and gleaming of gold were everywhere, beneath the sand, between the rocks, and within the crevices. Wherever they looked, they were granted to land eyes on something befitting the royals.
In his frantic surge of happiness, Ali Baba hastily stowed the cup and necklace in his bag before running ahead, captured by the gold and ignoring Zarqa's calls for him to wait…