The Jewel of Zecaj | ONC 2022

14🔸Ayaz

Idris and the crew had already been long gone after he told them everything, and yet, Ayaz was restless beyond measure.

Ayaz didn't doubt his friends' fighting capabilities—he was confident they could overthrow an army of a thousand men—but he wasn't so sure if they could handle Badriya or even find the Jewel of Opulence by themselves.

Ayaz groaned, pushing himself from the carpet laid for him to rest on. Now sitting, he saw Saleh and Hamad hunched over by a campfire, their quiet chatter filling the cool air.

Who was he fooling? Idris and the others would do both and get out of the cave unscathed. Well, at least most of them.

But his promise. . .

"This is useless," Ayaz grumbled.

Ayaz willed his body to stand up, his jaw clenching as a sharp pain flared from his chest. He didn't get far when the two neophytes rose from their seats.

"Where do you think you're going?" Saleh asked.

"I'm going to the cave," Ayaz said. "They need me."

"But, za'eem, Idris said you can't—"

Ayaz cut Hamad off with a hand. "Who outranks Idris, then?"

Hamad shut his mouth, recoiling.

"I thought so," Ayaz said, but he couldn't help but feeling sorry for brushing the young man off.

Ayaz walked towards the horses feeding nearby, his gait stiff while his eyes were set on Layl. He was about to take another step when Saleh rushed to his front and blocked the way, aiming an arrow at him.

"You're not going anywhere," Saleh said.

Behind them, Hamad gasped, and Ayaz instinctively searched for his weapon. He spotted it, but among his other things, it was resting on Layl's saddle. Ayaz cursed mentally.

Ayaz narrowed his gaze. "If I did, would you shoot me down?"

"Just enough to make you pass out," Saleh said with a shrug.

Hamad shuffled in between them. "Don't do it!"

"I'm not going to kill him." Saleh rolled his eyes. "An arrow to the leg would be enough to make him sit still."

Ayaz's brows furrowed at his way of thinking. He had not been very close to some members of his crew, including Saleh and Hamad, but it felt like the former had a grudge that Ayaz wasn't aware of.

"I don't want to cause any trouble," Ayaz said slowly, his arms raised in surrender. "I just need to help Idris and the others."

"If you think you can help them with your condition, then you're a fool. You're just going to slow them down." Saleh gestured at Ayaz's bedroll with his arrow. "Go back around and rest. I'm serious."

"They will be outnumbered," Ayaz reasoned. "I-I have to be there. It doesn't matter if I'm injured."

Saleh frowned. "I'm beginning to feel even more disappointed in you, Prince. You wish to risk your life for a job that can be simply done by your inferiors? What kind of prince are you really?"

"A prince who doesn't leave a fight unfinished," Ayaz retorted. "Someone is counting on me to go back there and help them."

"No," Saleh said. "You're going back to bed."

Ayaz inhaled deeply, trying to calm his jittery nerves. He was injured, and he was going to be injured further if he made the wrong move for an arrow to strike him, which would definitely not help him at all. He had to find a compromise.