The Genie Who Lost Her Lamp

Chapter 16: Scorpions

Ali turned around one last time, glancing at the village that started to disappear behind him. The path was covered in sand pushed by the wind. His bag felt heavy around his shoulders, and his throat was already dry. He waved goodbye to the city, watching as it shimmered away with the heat. He turned around, walking the silhouette walking ahead of him. Idris didn't stop once, her step strong and unwavering.

As Ali caught up with her, pants slipping out of his mouth, he was surprised, seeing only a few beads of sweat glittering on her forehead. Ali, instead, was drenched, his robes dark with sweat. He swallowed with difficulty. "Do...do you think I could take a sip of water?" He asked, his voice already croaking, even though they had walked for only one hour. The sun was beating over them, draining all his energies.

Idris shook her head. "We have to save it when it's absolutely necessary. The moment the sunsets, I'll let you drink the water." She said, her voice starting to crack as well.

Ali nodded, almost screaming in despair. If this was just the start of the trip, he imagined the rest would be worst than hell.

The two continued to walk, the heat suppressing their words. Soon, the sun started to dwindle behind the horizon, cold suddenly plummeting over them. Ali couldn't say he despised it, finally being able to inhale deeply without feeling his lungs setting themselves on fire.

Idris stopped as soon as she caught sight of a rock. It was large abs curved upwards, making a natural shelter. She dropped her bag underneath it, sitting down as well. Ali followed, leaning heavily against the large rock. "Water...please," he croaked, glancing at her. She nodded, starting to dig in her bag. She soon found a flask of water. It was made in leather, and held the water without making it leak. She opened it, and chugged a few sips before giving it to Ali. He couldn't help himself, and yanked away from her hand, drinking quickly. His Adam's apple trembled.

After a few seconds he placed the bottle on the ground. It was still a quarter filled with water. His lips were swollen, and rivulets of water slid down his chin. "Sorry...I was destroyed," he said, his voice starting to become fluid once more.

Idris waved her hand. "It's alright. It's the first day. We'll get used to it." She said, starting to eat a few dates. Ali took a few as well, eating them. They almost melted in his tongue.

The desert was now dark, only the pale moon shining on it. "How are we going to sleep?" Ali asked, unsure if they could both sleep at the same time. Idris looked down, glancing at him.

"I think taking turns would be the wisest. Our food can attract some animals." She said. "Go on, go to sleep." She said, ushering him on with a wave of her hand.

Ali shook his head. "No. You're going to sleep first." His voice left no space for any arguments. Idris looked down, nodding slowly before she slid down on the grass, using her bag as a pillow. Soon, she fell asleep, her face more relaxed.

Ali relaxed against the stone, grimacing at its hardness. The night continued, the clouds crawling sluggishly over the horizon. Ali felt his eyes becoming heavy, almost falling asleep. He stood up straight, slapping his cheek. "No. Don't fall asleep." He snapped to himself.

Ali looked down at the sand in between his fingers, starting to play with it. Suddenly, he saw a glimmer underneath the sand. Ali furrowed his brow, starting to dig with both hands, wondering what that sparkle was. With one more scoop of sand thrown out, a scorpion slipped out. Ali winced, pulling his hand away, afraid to get stung.

The scorpion started to walk towards Ali, who realized, it was sparkling. "What?" He whispered, leaning closer to it. It glimmered, like it had been thrown into liquid gold. His back had a blood red jewel encrusted on it. "What are you?" Ali asked, certain that scorpion wasn't normal.

Still looking at the scorpion, Ali gripped Idris' arm. She woke up with a start. "What? My turn to stay awake?" She asked, her words slurring together.

"No,no. There's...a shiny scorpion," Ali said, trying to make his voice neutral. This seemed to wake Idris. She pushed herself away from the rock, crawling closer to Ali. She almost tumbled onto the scorpion, but Ali gripped her waist before she could.

Idris thanked him with a glance before lowering her head to glance at the scorpion. Ali watched her, seeing her face change from confused to panicked. "What? What is it?" He asked, his grip around her waist tightening. He had no idea what it was, but it was clear it wasn't a good thing.

"It's an eye scorpion," Idris said, slipping a knife from her pocket. "Someone put their blood in that jewel, and cursed it to spy on us. That person is probably looking at us now," Idris said, her voice becoming cold.

Ali stood up, anger and worry clashing in his chest. "What?!" He asked, in pure disbelief.

Idris gripped the knife tighter, crouching down. With the speed of a god, she dove the knife right down and cracked the jewel. It split into two, and fell to the sound. It burnt the sand, making small glass shards. The scorpion melted.

Ali's mouth opened in shock, disgust painting his eyes. "Who...?" He stopped before he finished the sentence, his memory flashing him an image of the cloaked man. Recognition shimmered in his eyes, and his jaw set in fury.

Idris gulped, nodding. "Yes...it's that person," she sighed. Ali closed his eyes, sighing.

There was a moment of silence, before Idris' voice broke the silence. "Ali?"

"Yes?"

"We have a problem."

"Bigger than that man spying on us?" He roared, turning around to face Idris.

He paled. They were standing in front of an army of those scorpions. They were all glimmering in the moonlight, slowly starting to advance towards them.

"This night couldn't get better," he snarled, sliding his knife out from his sheath. Idris did the same, cracking her neck.

"Let's do this," she said, glancing at Ali. He nodded, starting to advance.

CREDITS TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNER OF THE PICTURE