Page 5

In Which As’ad Does Not Escape

“W hat’s all this?”

As’ad privately enjoyed the bewilderment on her face. It was about time the shoe was on the other foot. “Warm clothes and other necessary supplies. You won’t survive the trip home without them.”

He didn’t acknowledge her gratitude but did help her repack her bag.

“We need to find the administrative center,” he announced when they were done.

“Why?”

“Because I asked if anyone is traveling toward Nahr or beyond. The proprietor said that the Adil family is preparing to do so soon, and they have five daughters.”

Rahma set a hand on her pack in the cart. “I’m properly outfitted now. Why can’t I go with you?”

“You may not care about your reputation, but I need to guard mine.” As’ad got into position between the poles and tugged the handcart back onto the road.

“But—”

“And you can’t follow me safely. Think about the bandits. And the ghouls.”

“Ghouls only frequent cemeteries, remember?” she said with a shiver that undermined her words.

“Things outside of towns die, too, you know.”

At the administrative center, he made her write a letter to her parents. The scribes were willing to write on her behalf, but Rahma assured them that she was capable. She didn’t tell As’ad what she wrote, and he didn’t ask. After paying for its delivery, he got the address they needed to locate the Adil family.

Following the directions to a beautiful home with a proper view of the water, they met the lovely family who had five daughters, ranging in age from toddler to young adult. Yusef impressed As’ad with his calm competence, and his wife, Amna, immediately took Rahma under her wing. The pair were quite willing to believe As’ad’s story. His careful words and manner suggested they had only been in company together for a few hours at most. And since he was traveling in the opposite direction, he would be ever so grateful to know that she was in good hands.

Yusef promised to get her there safely. He and his family were heading to the coast for an extended vacation, and it was no trouble to stop in Nahr on the way. The one downside was that they weren’t planning to leave for a few more days, at least. That gave Rahma too much time, in As’ad’s mind, to seek him out and continue trailing behind. She hadn’t corrected any of the assumptions, which he appreciated, but her suspiciously submissive silence was beginning to unnerve him. He asked Yusef about the lodging options in town. The jovial man gave him directions to the nearest reputable inn. After thanking the man and his family, As’ad took his leave.

His question about inns had been a show for Rahma. He had already made inquiries during his first stop at the shop. He now knew that there were two large inns that catered to the traveling merchant crowd, and both were set close to the city gates, though on opposite ends of town. As’ad left in the direction Yusef had indicated for the closest, and ostensibly cozier, lodgings. When he was sure that Rahma couldn’t see him anymore, he deviated from that path and took a winding course toward the north end of town.

The next morning, in an abundance of caution, he left town by way of the north gate. From there, he followed the road until the oasis was out of sight, then circled back to rejoin the road heading west. Traffic, and his odd path, elongated his journey and exacerbated the growing anxiety that Rahma would somehow catch up to him.

The drifting sands in this part of the country made keeping a road clear rather difficult. Instead of paving stones or something more permanent, the road builders had chosen to erect stone markers at regular intervals. Squat and sturdy, these hip-high guides included carved symbols that corresponded with matching symbols on state-sanctioned maps. As’ad paused to check his most official map and get his bearings, then set off aiming for the next small village. His funds had depleted more rapidly than he’d planned, and he needed to pull another con. According to the map, Qarya should fit his needs.

The first day of travel was uneventful. Feeling nervous about being followed again, As’ad pushed faster than he normally would. Yesterday’s detour had added a couple of hours, and he didn’t get quite as far as he had intended. Although he looked back several times, he didn’t catch a glimpse of anyone who could be Rahma. His fellow travelers were eyed with great suspicion, and one poor lady dressed head to toe in shockingly pink robes stopped to give him a piece of her mind when he stared a little too long. Luckily, she accepted the apologies of the scruffy looking rambler, alone but for his travel-worn handcart. She had apparently decided that her attire was just too beautiful not to look at, and As’ad encouraged the notion. He was also excessively grateful that the well-muscled mountain of a man at her side was content to merely stand there menacingly.

His second day saw less people and began to look more like his usual travels. Now that he was heading toward a small farm village that didn’t happen to be between two important places, it was just him and the rats as far as the eye could see. As’ad was loath to admit it even to himself, but as the journey stretched on, he found himself missing Rahma’s chatter. When she wasn’t asking invasive questions, she was quite pleasant to be around. And more than slightly pleasant to look at.

On several occasions, he had to remind himself that this was the life he had chosen for himself. No one else could dictate where he needed to go, or what he needed to do. As they did from time to time, his thoughts wandered back to the life he had escaped. For a brief period, As’ad had kept himself fed by playing the pipes on street corners in Mafur. His instruments were often fashioned by his own hand and nothing to write home about. Thanks to a kind soul who frequented the orphanage, he had learned the basics of playing before he left. The rest he learned through experimentation.

But the paltry coins earned from busking on corners in the less reputable areas of town weren’t enough to fill a growing boy’s nutritional needs. When Aladdin and his crew invited him to join their gang, it sounded like an answer to prayer. If so, Fortuna hated him.

Life with Aladdin hadn’t been too bad, at first. The instant camaraderie soothed As’ad’s soul. He had a place to belong. The crew had set him up in their headquarters in the basement of an abandoned building and asked him to guard their food stash in exchange for steady meals and a safe place to sleep. They also enjoyed the nightly music he offered. Little by little, they taught him the skills he would need to participate in their group as a full member.

As’ad had always been slender, and as a child, he was barely more than a slip of a thing. This natural advantage made moving through crowds like a wraith simple. His fingers, nimble from playing the pipes, swiftly learned to dip in and out of pockets to retrieve items without alerting their owners. Relieving rich persons of tiny portions of their wealth didn’t bother him at all. He figured they could afford it, and he would put it to better use than they would.

The crew also taught him how to use his expressive brown eyes to their best advantage. Many a well-meaning, generous soul donated to his various causes by falling for his false sincerity. His earnest face brought in more funds than several of the others combined. Until puberty, that is. For a few short but uncomfortable years, his gangly limbs and unpredictable voice, which could crack at any moment and swooped between high and sweet and discordantly low, made working those cons difficult. Aladdin pulled him off the front lines and had him working with the research team.

Quite a few years older than the rest of them, Aladdin was the mastermind behind the gang. He always had a hundred plans up his sleeves. And he was ambitious. Somewhere or other, he had gained knowledge that solidified his belief in the cave filled by the Forty Thieves. His source, which he refused to share with anyone, affirmed that Ali Baba had left most of the treasure intact. Aladdin was determined to collect the riches and magical artifacts for himself. To that end, he constantly had at least one or two gang members searching for references to the cave.

Qadir, a member of the crew who had been with Aladdin almost since the beginning but had broken his leg in a manner that didn’t heal correctly, was tasked with teaching As’ad and the others how to read. Less personally invested than Aladdin, As’ad still found the historic texts fascinating. Reading opened up a new world for him, and he sometimes snuck into the city library to peruse different topics.

Around the time As’ad was twenty or so, Qadir had a breakthrough. The most trusted members of the gang left the city to seek out the cave. As’ad fell into that category and experienced his first taste of country living. The journey took several weeks, and he found himself the preferred playmate for Aladdin’s younger sister most of the time. As’ad had not been entrusted with the story of Aladdin’s family, but there could be no doubt that he and Shula were related despite the fifteen or so years between them. Her exotic green eyes aside, just slap a long, curly wig on Aladdin and he would be an adult version of Shula. The leader of their gang often used his more delicate features to his advantage.

Still a child, Shula never questioned Aladdin’s directives. She willingly played the part of a sick youngling or whatever they needed. Outside of the city, she embraced the freedom of the open desert and ran the rest of them ragged until Aladdin asked As’ad to entertain her. Unsurprisingly, he was soon wrapped around her little finger and accepted whatever role she assigned him in her games of make-believe.

The cave they eventually uncovered in the mountains that separated Sharamil from Fanostrin held enough relics to make the trip a worthwhile endeavor. As’ad got the impression that Aladdin didn’t find what he was seeking, though. The crumbling texts were examined, then carefully packed for the return trip when it became evident that they couldn’t be deciphered at a glance. Something must have given Aladdin hope that he would find the real cave soon, though. He seemed almost cheerful on the way home—an unusual state that As’ad found perturbing.

One of the artifacts uncovered by the group was an amulet that could curse people with illness. Unlike most of the other items, this one had come with instructions. They learned how to reverse the sickness, as well. Aladdin quickly worked out a scam to inflict people with the unheard-of disease, then provide the sufferers with a miracle cure that solved it. Naturally, the miracle was exorbitantly expensive. As’ad hadn’t been fond of the scam in the first place. He became exceedingly uncomfortable when some of the more stubborn victims died before paying for the cure.

The amulet fizzled out after a month or so of abuse. But it was the catalyst that opened As’ad’s eyes to the real effect Aladdin’s schemes had on his targets. As’ad had already refrained from any cons that involved violence; he couldn’t stomach it. The others razzed him but left him alone because he brought in plenty with his gentle methods. Being alert to the less obvious harm, As’ad became aware that many of the tricks and scams were perpetrated against the desperate and not just the wealthy, like he had previously believed.

It didn’t take long for him to decide that he wanted out. He plotted everything down to the last detail. A year before he thought he could make a clean break, he began reminiscing about the trip to the countryside. He kept his comments wistful at first; then, when the crew got used to his sighs, he ramped it up. The remarks became a little more concrete or asked questions, like, “Wouldn’t it be nice to live in the open air with elbow room?” Everyone grew accustomed to his “someday” plans, and a few started to offer suggestions on how he could make that happen.

His chance came a full four months before he thought he would be able to leave. Aladdin and Qadir had translated enough of the ancient writings found in the first cave to point them in the likely direction of the ultimate treasure cave. As’ad knew he couldn’t risk possessing that knowledge. Aladdin might be fine with one of his crew members leaving to wander about the desert. But he wouldn’t countenance such a person who knew the exact location of a cave filled with wonders.

He offered to keep an eye on Shula at their base. Aladdin trusted him with the task, and As’ad hoped it would work out in his favor. When the men returned, flush with victory, Aladdin readily granted As’ad’s request to branch out on his own. He even gifted the young man with a pipe they had found. No one else could play, and they hadn’t figured out if it served any magical purpose or not. As’ad recognized that it cost Aladdin very little while still making him appear generous, so he thanked the man and made his escape.

Twice that evening, while As’ad was playing with the rats and getting ready for bed, he felt the itchy sensation of being watched. His rats gave no sign of scenting a predator, and he couldn’t see anything past his fire. He even slunk away from the harsh light for a time to scan the darkness but couldn’t find anything definite. He slept uneasily that night, forgoing the tent in case he needed to react quickly.

Only partially surprised to wake up intact the next morning, As’ad took his time gathering his things and caring for his long-tailed companions. The feeling of being observed surreptitiously had dissipated sometime in the night. He remained vigilant, though, as he hiked along the rocky path. The loose shale interfered with the cart’s wheels and slowed his progress considerably.

Sometime after the noon hour, familiar shrieks grabbed his attention. A put-upon sigh poured from his lips even as his heart gave a glad leap. He rushed to grab his pipe, then left the hardcart where it was and ran toward the commotion.

As he approached a breach in the landscape that indicated a small ravine, he heard Rahma scolding something. Whatever, or whomever, it was didn’t verbally respond to her dire warnings to leave before getting hurt, so As’ad was expecting to find her cornered by an animal of some sort.

He was not expecting her to be trapped by a large, bright-yellow, one-horned carnivorous rabbit.