The Genie Who Lost Her Lamp

Chapter 18: The Litter

"That...no! What?" He snapped, his words tumbling out of his mouth. "That is extremely idiotic!" Ali said.

Idris barley glanced at him, already scheming, her brain whirring. She finally managed to think of a plan, glancing in the distance. Ali turned to try and find what she was looking for as well, but couldn't see anything, except for a very far glimmer in the distance.

"What is that?" Ali asked, squinting.

"It's Ziyaad el-Kazi new bride." Idris said. "He marries one every month, on the 15th of the month to be precise." She said, her smile glinting darkly.

Ali's eyes opened wide, the knowledge sinking down to his stomach. "It's the 15th today," he said, standing up, his knees hurting from crouching. It didn't feel right, and he grimaced. "How are we going to sneak you in?" He asked, his voice a murmur.

Idris didn't notice, and patted her bag. "We'll get close. And then figure it out. We have to get there before it gets too close to the villa." Idris said, already starting to walk towards the far away litter.

"That...that doesn't seem like a good plan. At all." Ali said, stumbling behind her.

"It is." Idris said, her voice lilting. Ali said nothing, following behind her.

"Do you even have a vague idea of what you're going to do?" He snarled, getting slightly irritated. He understood that he wasn't as experienced as her, but throwing yourself blindly against something wasn't exactly a good idea.

Idris turned around. "Just. Trust. Me." She said, her voice piercing.

Ali froze, the words making him both furious and confused. He had always hated those words. It meant things were being hidden on purpose. He knew that if he opened his mouth again, he would start arguing with her. Ali clamped his mouth shut, cursing silently.

The two walked in tense silence, the litter coming closer. Soon, they could make out that there was only one guard guarding the litter. The men carrying the litter had their eyes covered with a piece of cloth.
Ali frowned, not understanding. "Why do they have those?" He asked.

Idris glanced at him. "They're not allowed to see the new bride, not even be close to her. Even if she's in the litter. Unfortunately, they need slaves to carry the litter, so their senses were dulled, to leave the bride 'the most untouched by a male presence'."She said, her tone mocking.

Ali looked closely, seeing they seemed to have pieces of cloth in their ears, and were wearing long sleeves and gloves where the litter they carried touched them. "Then what about the guard? Shouldn't he be censored as well?" He asked.

Idris shook her head. "He needs to see to guard the bride and guide the slaves. He got to the litter only after the bride climbed onto the litter, and he keeps a large distance in between himself and the litter."

"That's...ridiculous," Ali scoffed. Idris nodded. Ali paused. "Do you have a plan now?" Ali asked, his voice quiet.

"Yes."

"Can I know what it is?"

"No."

"Interesting." Ai said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"You'll just have to watch me." Idris said, before she quickly threw her bag at Ali, who caught it. She started running towards the litter, a purple vile in her hand.

"No! Idris! No!" Ali whispered loudly, throwing the bag on the sand, ready to follow her. But Idris glared at him, and Ali sat back down.

She passed behind the litter, as quiet as the night. Without an inch of hesitation, Idris darted in the large space between the guard and the litter. A knife gleamed in her hand as she pressed the blade to the guard's neck. Ali froze, ready to jump in if needed.

Idris murmured something in the guard's ear, her smile dark. If Ali couldn't hear it, neither could the half-deaf slaves. The guard gulped. "I new guard as come to take my place! You will follow his orders!" He shouted, his voice clearly aimed at the slaves.

"Yes, sir!" The slaves shouted, their voices extremely loud since they weren't able to hear themselves. Idris glanced at Ali, mouthing to him to come quickly. He nodded, grabbing their bags and rushing towards her.

As he approached, Idris grabbed the vile she was holding, and threw the liquid on the guard's face. The guard glared at Idris, before he suddenly grinned, seeming almost drunk. He then fell to the ground, snoring.

Ali reached them just as he hit the ground. "What did you do to him?" Ali asked, his voice quiet.

"Sleeping potion." Idris said, tucking the now empty vile in her pocket. "Alright, so now. You'll be the new guard, and tell them to take a short pause since the bride needs to relive herself." Idris said.

Ali nodded, taking the sleeping guard's sword. He tucked it at his side. "And what are you going to do?" He asked. "I'll force the bride to come out, and switch positions with her." Idris said. She started advancing towards the back of the litter.

The litter was beautiful, made of dark wood. Every inch of the sides were carved with designs.The roof was golden tiles painted with flowers and various plants. There was a small window, shut with a wooden panel. It had Ziyaad el-Kazi initials on it. The doors were covered in small spheres made of gold, an intricate flower served as the latch. Idris approached it, her hands on the latch. She nodded at Ali.

"I am the new guard! We will take a short pause! The bride needs to relieve herself!" He yelled, making the best impression of a commanding guard, hoping he was shouting loud enough.

"Yes, sir!" The slaves yelled.

Idris threw the door open, and Ali could hear soft squeals of surprise from the inside. Right after, Idris jumped down with a woman following her. She was covered from head to toe in a beautiful dark veil covered with golden swirls. Her eyes were rimmed with black. They seemed scared. "I'm going to be taking your place." Idris said, gripping her shoulders. "You are going to be able to run, and have a life of your own." Idris said, her voice soothing.

The woman stood still for a moment, before tears formed in her eyes. Ali didn't understand, thinking she really wanted to become his bride. But when she ripped off the veil covering her face, keeping the one on her head, she had a bright smile on her face. "Thank you...thank you!" She croaked. "I...I was a payment! I didn't want to marry him!" She said.

Idris smiled. "There's a town a few hours away if you go that way." Idris said, pointing south. "You'll be free by then." She said. The woman kept crying happy tears. "Before you go, I'll just need your clothes. You'll take mine," Idris said. The woman nodded, starting to unbutton her vest.

Ali gulped, quickly turning around. He froze since Idris was on the other side, opening her shirt. He caught sight of the beautiful skin of her collarbone before he managed to turn away. Ali stayed still, waiting for the two to be finished.

"Perfect, alright. You can turn around." Idris said. Ali did, widening his eyes. The girl was dressed in Idris' clothes. They fight her, albeit a bit too large. Her smile was wide, and her decorated veil glimmered in the moonlight. Idris wasn't recognizable. Ali did a double take, wondering how he had never seen how beautiful her eyes were. Now that they were the only thing he could see, he wanted nothing more than to keep staring at them. The clothes were a bit too tight on her, but nothing too noticeable.

Idris turned around to face the woman. She wrapped her arms around her. "Live a happy life," she said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. The woman nodded, still crying happily.

"Thank you. I owe you my life," she whispered, turning around. She started to walk towards the town Idris had pointed at, her shoulders relaxed. She spun on herself, a joyful smile gracing her lips.

Ali watched her, glad they could save her. Idris patted his shoulder before she climbed inside the litter, closing the latches behind her.

Ali walked to the head of the litter. "March!" He shouted.

The "Yes, sir!" Rang in the deadly silence, as Ali and Idris approached the glimmering villa.