The north end of the village was plunged into utter silence. It wasn't new for the suburbs, but that night, it felt heavy. Ali Baba could never relax in such an atmosphere. He learned to be wary of silence, of the calm atmosphere, for it was so often followed by a tremendous storm. He hated how it dulled his senses, tricking him into thinking everything was peaceful.
Morjana, who was sleeping peacefully by his side, rose her head all of a sudden and stared off into nothing specific. " What's it?" Ali Baba asked, not expecting to get an answer from a crow anyway, but Morjana's instinct was sharp, and it often served as a warning.
Morjana looked around, her wings half-folded as if about to take flight any moment, her feathers shaking in anticipation. With a quick sweep, she flew to the sill of the window, poking the wooden panel with her beak and crying.
Jawaher woke up with a jolt and her eyes swept around her. Ali Baba placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down before walking up to his panicking crow.
He opened the window, the room was bathed in an orange glow and a wave of heat buffeted against his face, reddening it immediately. After a few seconds, he was able to pry his eyes open and seek the source of the sudden hot air. His mind almost stopped functioning as he glimpsed the raging fire outside, down two houses from them. There was a building movement in the streets. Everyone, men and women, children and elderly was either running away or trying to put it out with sand.
Ali Baba stood there, frozen in place as Morjana cried and flapped her wings by his side…
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It wasn't before long that the clamor was noticed and the ones gathering around the western gate turned about to the blazing orange light growing brighter at the other end. The mumbling and disorder on the walls caught both Sindbad and Najji's attention.
The bandit smirked broadly at that, earning a glare from Sindbad. They leaped away from each other, their swords at the ready. " What have you done?"
Najji's smirk persisted, twirling his sword in one hand, he circled around Sindbad. " Zarqa Al-yamama, quite a famous woman don't you think? Her repetition traveled far and wide. Everyone knows her…"
" What are you implying?"
" Even with such a great gift as hers, if it's known then it's useless!" Sindbad quickly fended against his assault, his sword shook under Najji's scimitar. " Wasn't she concerned over the moving forest? I wonder if she kept gazing at us and only us these few days?"
It finally clicked in his mind and he pushed against Najji's weight. Considering the difference in their size, it was a considerable feat. " Even if your men managed to sneak around! All of Al-yamama's gates are shut!"
" How funny!" Both of them pulled away and their glares leveled. " Those gates are made of wood, aren't they? No matter how sturdy they are, with a sprinkle of oil, and a touch of flame, it will crumble down before us!"
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There is nothing worse than a fire during the time of drought, for it spreads fast, and the means to stop it are scarce. So when the Northern gate caught fire, it wasn't before long that the breeze carried it to the nearest roofs, causing it to go wild.
The villagers left behind tried their best to control it, yet a voice cried out from above them. " Forget about the houses! Run!"
Heads rose, necks craned, and all eyes turned towards the top of the wall. Zarqa, panting and drenched with sweat, yelled at the top of her lungs. " Everyone! Leave! Before it's too late!"
The gate cracked, its panels falling off, and the faces of the bandits smirked at them from the other side of the fire.
Feeling the danger of their thirsty looks, everyone abandoned whatever they were doing and their feet pulled them toward the opposite direction from the gate.
Not far from there, Ali Baba was supporting his mother as they stepped out of their house, and both of them plunged through the clouds of smoke. The woman was too weak to walk by herself let alone run, and there was no way for them to make it through the jostling frightened people rushing past them.
" Stay here." Ali Baba settled her down on the threshold and made it around the house, covering his mouth with his white turban. Right behind the building, where he had hidden it, was a small chariot leaning against the wall, the kind that was pulled by a person.
Ali Baba pulled it in front of the house and helped his mother climb. " I'll get you to safety."
" Wait!" She coughed into her hand and looked back at him with watery eyes, speaking in a panting voice. " Aisha… I see light in her house…"
Ali Baba turned back to the house nearest them, and true for that, a square of light could be seen, a window, and shadow moving within. " Ali Baba…"
He cursed.
" Fine. You just stay still." He turned back, bouncing the few paces to her house, and rapped against the door. " Aunt Aisha! Aunt Aisha, open up!"
He heard footsteps from the other side and the door swung inside. Aisha's face peeked from behind it, pale and weak. " Aunt Aisha come on! We need to go! Where is Salma!"
" Salma… Salma is sleeping…"
" Get her and let's go then!"
" No, no… don't want to disturb her… you go ahead with your mother. I will… I will gather what we have here and follow immediately when she's up…"
" When she's up!? We have no time for that!" And he raced past her, ignoring her yelling after him. He slammed open the door of the bedroom." Wake up, Salma! We need to leave!"
There, sleeping peacefully on her mattress, was a girl no older than six, with ashen hair tied in neat braids, and a petit frame diminished by hunger and sickness. Her skin was radiant white, her lips bluish, and her eyes sagging. She didn't stir the least, she was neither aroused by the fuss outside nor by Ali Baba's loud voice.
She slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of anything.
Ali Baba took a moment to comprehend what he was met with. This was Salma, a girl he had considered a sister, so sweet and innocent she was like a shining ray of happiness. Yet the one before him was…
" When…"
" She is only asleep," Aisha said with a shaky smile. " Well, she pretends to be asleep when I'm with her. But when I go to the kitchen or leave the room, I can hear her laughing and running around. What a naughty girl, had been trying to talk her out of it for a few days but she didn't listen. She seems to like this game."
" Aunt Aisha…" Ali Baba didn't know what to say. Was there even anything to say? Salma was dead for quite a while. Even he could tell that much.
" Come on sweety, open your eyes up." Not far from them, a house could be heard collapsing as the fire ate away at its foundation. " Ali Baba is here, didn't you say you wanted to play with him." Ali Baba's fist clenched tightly, his nails digging deeply into his flesh. " Open them up."
When he felt the heat of the fire scorching his scruff, Ali Baba couldn't afford to dawdle any further. With sturdy arms, he pulled away at Aisha, dragging her away from the body of her young girl. " Ali Baba! What are you doing? Let go of me! Salma… Salma is there… I need to be with her."
The flames swept over the roof, burning everything within reach. " Salma!" Struggling against Ali Baba as he pulled them toward the street, Aisha reached out for her daughter still asleep on her mattress. The walls cracked, the rafters creaked, and the roof sagged before tipping down, sending a flood of sparks and smoke.
Aisha cried out Salma's name while Ali Baba pulled her away, away from her burned house, away from her lost daughter, away from anything she once had and now didn't.
He helped her to settle on the chariot, and whispered a few words to his mother before pulling the chariot with all his might, getting them as far away from the raging fire as possible.
With wet eyes, Aisha raised her hands up in the air, as though trying to seize something untouchable. " Salma my good daughter… where is she…. Where did she go? Where's Salma…"
Jawaher calmly reached for the younger woman and pulled her closer. " It's fine… Salma is here… she is always here with you…"...
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At the other end of the village, the people grew restless as they saw the fire swelling and spreading. One by one, as though slowly peeling away, they rushed in that direction, each thinking about nothing but the family, and in some cases possessions, they left behind.
That was a grave mistake, for the moment they turned their back on the gate, it rose.
Sindbad looked back in horror as most of the outlaws rushed past him and Najji, crying out in sheer content as they invaded the town, only a handful of them stayed back, circling the two dueling like a ring.
Najji looked as if he was expecting that turn of events. " Your mistake for not expecting to have enemies among yourselves. So much could be done when eyes focused away."
Sindbad was growing wary of the man before him, for he was a shrewd thief able of coming up with such a large-scale plan.
Najji kept up with his relentless attack, allowing Sindbad no time at all to catch his breath.
The men over the wall were overwhelmed with the wave of spears, swords, and daggers pointed at the villagers who turned to defend themselves against the ambush. Not far from the gate's lever, a few men stood with their faces covered with scarves and veils, weapons held in hand before joining the fray. Some wanted to get down and help, others didn't want to leave Sindbad's back while he was still surrounded by enemies.
It was utter chaos, no one knew what they ought to do or where they should be. Their disorientation was what the outlaws needed to get further into the village, flipping it upside down and wreaking havoc wherever they went, burning houses, destroying properties, and harming people.
There was nowhere to run…