Zarqa didn't let go of the boy once as they slid along the coins and sand, as if dragged by an unseen force down a spiraling dark tunnel at a high speed. Everything was a hasty blur while their minds and bodies grappled to pick up which side was up and which was down. Their stomaches disapproved vehemently of the rough trip downward, threatening to expel the little they had managed to gobble down before embarking on their failed escape.
A tiny spec of light appeared in the darkness, growing rapidly in size. By the time they were bathed in it, they found themselves hurled from a cavity and falling freely towards the ground. The pile of gold and send that preceded them managed to break their fall, even if a little, and they escaped unscathed.
Dusting the sand that stuck on her clothes and hair, Zarqa took a look at their surroundings and her jaw fell in bemusement. The scenery stretching before her was literally, and simply, a city of gold. Period.
From the pavement on the ground to the domes of the large castle towering proudly in the middle of it all, everything she laid eyes on was made of gold. The city itself seemed to glow that, despite being underground as she presumed from the walls of rocks and boulders enclosing them, they needed no light at all. It was magnificent she had to peel her eyes away with effort.
" Ali Baba, are you seeing this…" the girl snapped out of her haze when she received no answer and looked around in search of said boy. He couldn't have been far from here, she had clung to him tightly since she saw the vision of them falling. " Ali Baba?"
" Down here…" A muffled groan came as a response and for the first time, she took notice of the softness underneath her. Ali Baba managed to push his face from the pile of coins and look back at her in annoyance. " Could you get off! I think I might be dying here!"
" Sorry!" She hastily stepped away, and Ali Baba sucked in a much-needed long breath.
As the boy sat up and took in the place they were thrown into, his eyes sparkled at the huge fortune laid before them. " How on earth…" It appeared his mind had stopped functioning as well for he spent a few good minutes with his mouth held agape.
A scream cut through the silence shrouding the place, incurring their attention. From another hole in the ceiling, a mass of sand and gold descended. And riding it were none other than the brothers and Jamal.
Ali Baba and Zarqa tensed up immediately.
The three men wasted no time at all climbing to their feet and facing off against Ali Baba and Zarqa, eyes ablaze with unspoken threats. Majid especially was growling like some offended dog, ready to unleash retribution upon the two children. Yet, they were quick to notice the sparkle and gleam of the golden city, and, much like the kids before them, they were immediately bewitched by it.
" Brother, this is…" Saïd began, almost drooling at the feast of gold.
" Certainly! This is what we journeyed for so long!" Majid was practically hopping and dancing by then, his eyes sparkling like a child who had just received candy. It didn't suit his appearance at all.
" Beau'ful…" Habib mumbled as he took in a handful of sand, only to discover it was golden dust, which earned gasps of bemusement from the other two, holding their hands at the cascading specs as if to make sure of it themselves.
Jamal was the last to climb up from his fall. Seeing the three men in a trance, he quickly ushered Zarqa and Ali Baba away. ' I'll be right with you.' He mouthed.
Taking no second delay, Ali Baba grabbed Zarqa and swiftly made their way down the pile they landed on and deep into the city.
It wasn't until they were halfway to the city's center that Ali Baba realized the lack of footsteps behind them and thus, assumed they were safe.
When they finally stopped, Zarqa fell down to her knees, panting heavily and clutching her right ankle tightly. She was sweating profusely and her face contorted in pain. " Are you alright?" Ali Baba asked in concern.
" I'm fine." She gritted her teeth as she stood back up, Morjana still cradled in one arm. The bird was still thrashing around, making a fuss over the new surroundings, Zarqa's tight grip over her, and the pain in her wing.
" Maybe you should give her here." Ali Baba retrieved the crow from her and gently, as if afraid to break her apart, set her on his shoulder. Morjana calmed down once settled and gave Ali Baba a thankful look.
After catching her breath, Zarqa wandered further into the city. " Let's move on, the further we get away from them the better."
Finding little of an argument for that option, Ali Baba followed, making sure not to disturb Morjana…
━━━━━━━༺ *** ༻━━━━━━━
Habib scooped a chunk of the pavement and bit down on it, before holding it up with his eyes sparkling in ecstasy. " Gold! It's real gold!"
" Damn it! This is too much for us to haul back to the surface!" Saïd was busy stuffing as much of the strewn treasures as he could in his arms, which was proven to be a hard feat seeing as he was never satisfied with what he got.
" Cease your hands! You damn maggots!" Majid cried out at his brothers while holding a bloodied Jamal by his hair. His brothers stopped in their tracks, never daring to disobey an order from him. " Never touch anything of my treasure without my permission! As for you…" He growled menacingly at Jamal as he tugged on the boy's hair hard, almost tearing it. " You ungrateful wrench! After everything we've done for you!"
His knuckles collided with Jamal's jaw and he dropped to the ground, spitting out blood. Majid breathed out like a wild animal chasing his prey all night before reaching for the boy's collar once more time. " Now prove yourself some worth and find the lost treasure!"
" Lost treasure?" Both Saïd and Habib questioned simultaneously, eyes glinting and somehow losing interest in the already piled gold and jewelry surrounding them.
" You forgot? The lost treasure, the one reason we came this far! A treasure said to only be found in the lost city!" Majid reminded before focusing on Jamal again, shaking him ruthlessly. " Where is it? I know your father found it, he must have told you about it!"
Jamal spat the blood that gathered in his mouth before glaring at Majid. " My father said you would never want it." A fist hit him hard on the other side of his face. Majid pulled him roughly, the collar tight around his windpipe he was about to suffocate.
" Don't play smart. Whether we want it or not is of no concern to you. Just tell us where it is. It's written in there, right? In your old man's book." He motioned towards Jamal's satchel which had fallen on the ground, its lid open and a leather-bound book peeked from it.
Jamal looked absentmindedly at the book for a second, like he was asking for help, before wiping the remains of blood off his mouth. " Yeah… I know where it is…"
Majid smiled widely all of his crooked teeth were visible by that moment. " That's more like it. Now speak." He dared not let go of his collar yet. Jamal pointed a shaky finger towards the city.
" It's further there, but I need to go there to find it, for it's surely to be well hidden." With a grumble, Majid let go of him and pulled out his sword, pointing it at the boy.
" Then make haste, before those two thieves find it before us!"
Jamal stood up and put on his satchel, all while the point of a scimitar pressed to his back, making sure he didn't do anything suspicious. " You walk before us. This is a treacherous place, if there were any traps, better you than us." Majid laughed and Jamal clutched his jaw, yet against a blade and three thugs, it was all he could do.
He was all but helpless.
Keeping his words to himself, he looked down at the large city shining brightly with no need for the sun. He grabbed the stripe of his bag tight in his hands, fearful it might be snatched away from him. ' Here I am, father. Watch over me.'
" Hurry up, boy!"
Jamal glared, but the sword pressed in between his shoulders made it all but impossible to look back, all he could do was move forward as the trio followed after him, raving about the treasure and their upcoming days of wealth. Needless to say, none of their future plans for the treasure included a slim and dirty little wrench, even if he was the one leading them to it.
It was predictable. The moment Jamal would show them to the lost treasure, his value would run out and he would be nothing but bothersome luggage. Someone who, in their eyes, shouldn't be there at all.
He chanced a look back at the three brothers, walking together, laughing together at the fortune waiting for them, but their eyes were alert, looking everywhere, not stopping to rest for a moment.
They didn't trust each other.
None of them dared to stray away, nor stopped at any of the jaw-dropping wares presented before them of the extravagantly golden-decorated mansions flanking them. They walked carefully, hands kept by their weapons and muscles tense.
Jamal smirked.
He had just found his way out.