" If you don't want to tell me what you're after then it's fine. But we need to get out of here." Jamal's voice was serious, and although Ali Baba couldn't see it, so was his bearing.
Ali Baba and Zarqa gave him quizzical looks, expecting him to explain further. Jamal knitted his fingers together as he leaned back on the wall, eyes fixed on the flickering candle. " It's been two weeks since we came to this valley."
" Two weeks?!" Both exclaimed in bewilderment and Jamal nodded his head weakly.
" We've run out of food and water, yet none of them want to leave this place, they don't want to leave anything of the treasure behind, each claiming that he doesn't trust the other two." Ali Baba narrowed his eyes as he continued to stroke the bird sleeping on his lap while Zarqa listened attentively to what Jamal had to say, a sullen expression on her face.
" It truly seems like a trap that ensnares their minds and hearts," she pointed out loud.
" The terrifying thing is, as I wandered the valley for the whole time, it seemed as if the whole treasure was growing more and more with each passing day," Jamal added as he probed around his mind for more details to share with them. " I don't know what's happening in here but, I don't want to stay until I regret it. Nor do I wish for you two to be dragged down along with them. So let's escape."
" Easy said than done." Ali Baba jabbed his thumb towards the entrance. " That big bald is keeping a tight watch on us. And the other one seems to be quite good with knives since he managed to hit Morjana. No one ever felled Morjana of the sky. If we try to escape, we're done for."
" Don't you worry, didn't I tell you…" Jamal's smile broadened, almost mischievous. A moment of silence went by as they waited for him to continue on but he didn't, as if he wanted them to read his face for the rest. As Ali Baba was about to grumble about him stopping mid-sentence, but it downed on him.
Silence. Utter silence.
He even could hear the crickets chirping outside. Slowly so as not to disturb Morjana, Ali Baba stood up and walked over to the entrance, ears strained, yet he couldn't pick so much of a whisper. It was calm.
Peeking outside, he saw the three brothers lumped together by the fire, faces red, and sleeping, not the slightest care in the world around them.
" I had kept some wine for a time like this. With how much I served them, they ought to be knocked out and snoring by now. We could use the chance to slip away unnoticed." His eagerness to be done with the trio was shown all over his face.
Ali Baba looked at him shortly before turning to Zarqa who stood up to join him, now holding onto Morjana. Zarqa immediately caught on to the question he couldn't voice aloud and shook her head. She had no knowledge of what would come next. The future was all but unknown for all of them.
The boy looked over at Jamal, smart of a plan he might have had, and despite providing them with an escape route, he couldn't shake the uneasiness he felt about the older boy.
Ali Baba breathed deeply as his mind swayed back and forth, pondering on what actions to take. Something about the whole thing seemed too convenient, yet at the same time, he wasn't going to sit still in that small hole till the effect of the wine wore off. He couldn't miss the chance at freedom.
" Let's go then, while we still have the chance." The three of them climbed out of the burrow as quietly as they could. They turned away from the brothers quick and quiet on their feet, walking with extreme care so as not to cause the slightest disturbance.
On their way, they made a point of staying clear off the piles of golden and silver objects, fearing they would tumble down with just a breath and arouse the sleeping three.
Ali Baba, being the nimble and well-raised thief of the suburbs, easily managed to slip unnoticed to where the three brothers kept his bag and retrieved it with ease before catching up with the other two.
Zarqa felt her heart beating hard against her chest it threatened to jump out any moment. A cold shiver ran down her spine and she continuously looked over her shoulder, making sure no one of the treasure hunters was standing right behind her. She was so worried she didn't realize she was hugging Morjana too tightly to her chest she almost suffocated her. The bird thrashed helplessly in her arms.
" I would appreciate it if you don't kill my partner." Ali Baba hissed from behind her as he caught up and Zarqa whispered an apology as she loosened her grasp.
The further they went, the safer they felt. There was no chance of them waking Majid and the others from there.
They were wrong.
It wasn't something they had done, it wasn't even something they could have prevented. It was out of their control.
It was fate.
By the time they dared to breathe out, a log within the fire cracked, the small spark it caused ended up resting on Majid's shaggy beard as he was the closest to it, and a second later, the man jolted awake hitting at his fuming mane of hair and cursing aloud, his words slurred together into an incoherent mess. It was then that their eyes met.
Majid stood there, mind still clouded by his drink before he sobered up due to the shock and lingering stinging, his small eyes becoming double their usual size. Jamal didn't wait to see his next reaction, he bolted down in between the dunes of coins, Zarqa and Ali Baba flowing closely after him.
" They're escaping! You damn fools! Wake up! What do you think you're doing!" He kicked both his siblings awake.
As the kids ran for their lives, the men cried their threats and swears from behind them. The way was twisted and zigzagged, almost hard to navigate through. The mountains of unparalleled fortune were proven to be a hindrance as more than once they were obliged to run around them or climb over them. Either way, it slowed them down, and their pursuers were relentless.
Habib and Saïd managed to cut their paths a couple of times, prompting them to switch tracks. Not knowing if they were heading away from the valley or deeper into it, they all pulled their legs forward and just ran.
Shortly after they had to make another turn when Saïd blocked their way, brandishing his knife at them, the path began to grow steeper, as if it was heading up. That was a good sign, it meant they were probably heading in the right direction and would be able to exit the valley. The piles of gold and wares growing smaller however meant they were easily spotted by their three chasers.
" Round on them! Don't let them escape!" Majid's voice thundered behind them, prompting them to pick up pace.
Further, faster, forward… they pressed on.
The exit was right there before them, yet it suddenly disappeared as a large pile of treasures came cascading down, making them halt before they could be crushed under its weight.
" Quick! Let's-" However, as Jamal spun around, he was met with the sinister smirk of Majid pointing his sword at them.
Ali Baba bit his lip as Saïd appeared to their right, juggling his dagger and licking at his lips.
Habib was on their left, blocking any hope of escape, his figure towering over them as he spread both arms, ready to catch them if they made any move.
The three kids were pressed back to back against each other, looking from one man to the other frantically.
Majid tutted as he stepped forward, and Jamal's resolve seemed to break at that one move. " I thought you would be smarter than your father. Trying to escape are we now? Maybe so you could come back with help and take over this valley. Not happening. I would rather have you dead."
Jamal shook as the men closed in. Zarqa hugged Morjana closer. Ali Baba reached for his dagger with a shaking hand. There was no way they could escape them. It was going so well. Why was everything working against them?
It was then that he noticed Zarqa's shaking stop. He looked over at her to see her eyes focused not on any of them. As if glowing in the darkness of the night, her blue eyes peeked further than any of them could ever see, a truth unravelled for her and only her.
The girl rounded on Ali Baba, grabbing his arm tightly, which took him by surprise. Her abrupt move made the three men dash forward, yet something unexpected occurred.
The whole valley shook, and the piles of valuables came tumbling down at a high speed, swallowed by the sand. The ground underneath them sagged, dragging them down like quicksand. Zarqa was sure she had glimpsed something moving underneath it, a giant form. Her whole body trembled in recognition of the danger close by. Two large pincers protruded momentarily from the sea of sand, as if to block any attempt of escaping the unescapable trap.
Something was beneath them. Something that wanted them dead.
What was once a flat valley, became a cascading fall of sand and gold. It was too fast for any of them to fight against, and before they knew it, they were dragged to the center and swallowed as well...