" No, it came round back," Zarqa warned, her face growing paler.
" What!" Jamal held the candle up as if hoping it would illuminate the monster waiting for them, yet there was no way they could see as far as Zarqa.
" Is it heading here?" Ali Baba's immediate reaction was to reach for the hilt of his dagger despite knowing it would do nothing against that exoskeleton of the monster.
" No, but it's looking this way…" Zarqa took a step back, and all three of them huddled together. " You two have no gold on you, right?"
Ali Baba snapped when two pairs of eyes flung his way. " What! Don't look at me like that! What do you take me for?! A suicidal maniac!"
" You certainly said it won't hurt to have some," Jamal pointed.
" I most certainly do want to live too!" Ali Baba retorted.
" You still didn't answer! Both of you!" Zarqa reminded, not taking her eyes off the scorpion or blinking out of fear of missing it make the first move.
As they argued, the lump in Ali Baba's bag wobbled before Morjana climbed up, her beak clamped on the brim of Jamal's satchel, and plummeted down with her wings flattering lopsidedly. The bag tipped to the side and golden coins, bracelets, and necklaces came cascading.
Jamal, flustered and panicking, cursed at the cawing bird and dropped down, gathering his spilled treasure under the shocked looks of Zarqa and Ali Baba, their jaws dropping in disbelief at the sheer amount of it.
" Jamal you…"
" Are you crazy!" Ali Baba tugged at his collar, almost strangling him. " You want all of us to die down here!"
" Shut up!" Jamal managed to push the other boy away before holding a blade up at him. It was then Ali Baba noticed he had swept his dagger from him. " You don't know what it's like, being under those idiots' mercy, fearing for my own life day and night, getting beaten up every day for the smallest mistake." His blade danced from Ali Baba to Zarqa as he stepped forward. The two kids backed from him.
" Jamal, calm down…" Zarqa's words however fell on deaf ears as Jamal tugged at his own hair, almost ripping it off.
" I've been bearing all of it for years, just to be able to find the one thing father worked so hard for, even died for. It's my right to take some of its treasure. Come on, the city above is teaming with gold. No one would mind such a trivial amount."
" You understand that the monster does indeed mind! It won't let us through so far as we have gold on us!" Ali Baba reasoned.
Jamal seemed to concede the point and, running a hand over his face, began pacing back and forth in front of the two of them, dagger still held up in case any of them tried anything funny.
Ali Baba slowly and quietly dropped down to retrieve Morjana, trying not to provoke Jamal. It was then that the blade was thrust closer to them. " Hold!"
But Jamal was smirking broadly, and neither of them liked the implication of that. " I've got an idea." With a swift move, he threw a bracelet at Zarqa and a locket at Ali Baba. " Put these on and move ahead."
" Huh!" They exclaimed in unison.
" You said you've seen a light right." Jamal knelt down, one hand grappling to return what had fallen to his bag while the other shakingly held the blade at the two of them. " So the exit shouldn't be far."
Zarqa was about to open her mouth when Ali Baba jabbed her with his elbow.
" While the scorpions are busy with you, I will use the chance to slip away and make a dash for it."
" You want us to be the bait!" Ali Baba grumbled, not that he could do anything at all while his own dagger was pointed at him.
" No harsh feeling there but between you and the treasure, you surely know which one I would benefit from the most." Ali Baba hated that, to a certain degree, he could agree. If it was any other setting, he couldn't see himself throwing all of that away either. " Now put them on, quick!"
The boy urged, blade shaking in his hand. That prompted them to obey, not wanting to be stabbed by mistake. " You did something similar with Majid and the others I presume," Ali Baba mumbled.
" Shut up! That's none of your business!"
" But it's true. You were much relaxed for someone expecting them to break out of the treasury." Ali Baba tilted his head as if inspecting him. " Say, what have you done to them really? Stabbed them and locked them somewhere?"
" As if I could! I'm not stupid to take on those three on my own!" Jamal's eyes flashed dangerously. " I tricked them into believing the scorpion pit is where the treasure is, and once they raced down it, each wanting to reach there before his other two brothers, I sealed it, leaving them as dinner for the scorpions dwelling there."
" The scorpion pit?" Zarqa shivered at that name.
" King Jamshid was said to punish those accused of stealing from him by throwing them in a pit full of scorpions. Quite the befitting end for those three don't you agree?" He wore a wide satisfied smile as he imagined the treasure hunters' end.
" Quite the lunatic you're I see." Ali Baba scoffed.
" Enough of it!" Jamal said crossly, dagger grasped tightly in hand. " On you go! Cross the canal!" He said taking a few steps back, clearly not wanting to be too close to those soon to be devoured by the large scorpion.
" No light?" Ali Baba questioned as they were left out of the candle's light circle.
" Sorry, but I require it."
Ali Baba and Zarqa looked at each other worriedly and then back at the depth of the dark path, where they knew the monster was waiting for them to make a move.
" Can you trust me?" Ali Baba whispered. Zarqa swallowed and nodded her head. " Good, then do what I say."
" Enough chatting! You will have all eternity to talk once you're dead! I need to get out of here!"
Ali Baba glared back at him before they stepped into the water, and immediately, Zarqa pulled back her foot, screaming out and dropping to the ground, clutching at her ankle. Ali Baba quickly knelt by her side.
" What! What happened? What are you two playing at?" Jamal brandished the blade around, still hugging his bag tightly.
" She was cut, you moron! Something is down there in the water!" Ali Baba cried.
Jamal hesitantly walked over to them, and under the light of the candle, he saw the shining red liquid trickling down the girl's ankle.
Worriedly, he walked to the edge of the canal and haunched over, wanting to inspect what had cut her. Squinting his eyes, he bent down to see what lay underneath the sheet of running water, only for his feet to be swept from underneath him. He toppled forward, falling face down into the water and the candle fell off. The fire was extinguished, leaving the place in utter darkness.
Jamal raised his head out, yet a weight pushed him back underneath. His arms flung, the blade danced dangerously and aimlessly as he struggled for air, and it caught on something.
Ali Baba winced as the dagger cut through his upper right arm, but he finally managed to wrestle it off Jamal's hand. " Now!"
Zarqa hurriedly crossed the canal to the other side while Ali Baba was keeping the other boy down. When he made sure of her safety, he unbuckled Jamal's bag, letting all of the loot spill into the water before standing and catching up with her.
" Ali Baba!" She was waiting for him. Her hand found his and she pulled him forward, leading him into that dark passage where only her eyes could see.
Jamal, as he stood up, took notice of the light bag. " No! No! My treasure!" The boy embarked on gathering the wares before they drifted with the water.
Zarqa and Ali Baba hurriedly snatched away the bracelet and necklace, throwing them back behind them just as they heard the scurrying of the spindle-like feet. The great pile of gold and jewels was rushing their way, and there was a moment of doubt. Would their plan work? Would they be safe without any gold on them? Or would they be dissected and swallowed nonetheless?
The girl closed her eyes, praying for any sign, for a clue to what awaited them. Yet none come. And the large monster loomed over them, every crack and fold of its body made of gold visible to them.
" Just! Keep running!" As Zarqa's feet slowed down, Ali Baba took over, running past her and dragging her along, making sure she didn't dawdle behind him.
They held their breath as they ran right underneath the monster while it sped in the other direction, a swarm of smaller scorpions following it, yet they ran past Ali Baba and Zarqa as if they didn't see them...