The Genie Who Lost Her Lamp

Chapter 17: Twinkling Lights

The scorpions were fast, and they're bites hurt. Ali stabbed them, cracking the gem. Idris was doing fine as well, but a few times both of them hissed in pain as a scorpion managed to nip their arms or ankles.

Ali turned around, seeing two scrips jobs advancing towards himself. He twirled the knife in his hands, the blade becoming a shimmer of light before he stabbed the first one. The gem fell down, but Ali didn't have the time to be pleased because the other scorpion was advancing instead. "Come here, you bastard," he hissed, finishing that one too.

Ali stood up, cracking his neck, satisfied before he hears Idris yelp. He turned around, already rushing to her. "Are you alright?" He asked, watching as she killed another scorpion, her face twisted in pain.

"Yes...one of them just bit me on my neck, he managed to crawl up there," she hissed, killing one more scorpion as she talked.

"I'll check on it after we get out of here." Ali promised, whirling around and slashing two gems at the same time. He felt something thud against his back, and realized Idris' back was pressed against his. It was warm, and the man was distracted for a minute, a scorpion getting to close to his foot. Ali kicked it, watching it soar and then tumble to the ground.

The mass of scorpions slowly started to dwindle, hope fluttering through Ali's chest. He grinned as he killed one more scorpion. Idris finished off a small group of three. The two stood up straight, knives flashing in tier hands, when suddenly, all the scorpions stopped moving. Almost as if someone had called them. Slowly, they skittered away, into the darkness, their gems twinkling in night as they disappeared.

Ali started running after him, before he felt Idris grab his arm and yank him backwards. "It's useless. They're running in different directions. They're smaller and can very well hide under the sand," she said, her hand dropping from his shoulder.

He turned around, about to argue, when he saw Idris' eyes. They were glazed, and fixed on the horizon. Where the scorpions had left. His words died in his throat, sliding into oblivion. The desire to ask her who he was burned his mouth, but he ignored it, snapping his mouth shut. "Should we rest here? Or should we move on?" Ali asked, unsure of what would be safer.

Idris blinked, glancing at Ali as if she had forgotten he was there. "Oh...I...I think it's best if we move along." She said, clearing her throat. Her eyes clouded with memories.

Ali said nothing, nodding instead: he didn't trust his voice to not be a mixture of fury and pain. He grabbed his bag, slinging it across his shoulders. As he stood up, the world started to spin around him. Ali scrunched his eyes, inhaling heavily for a minutes. He opened them again; the world was now still. He rubbed his eyes, realizing he hadn't slept. He quickly shook his hand and gently slapped his own wrist. "No time to sleep," Ali said to himself, turning around to glance at Idris.

She didn't seem to have noticed his brief dizziness, already head, walking straight to their destination. Ali followed behind.

The walk was silent, not a word exchanged between the two. Ali was too tired and Idris seemed lost in the past. The moon observed them, starts twinkling around her.

Dawn slowly started to shatter the cover of the night, slashes of pink adorning the sky. Ali watched them mesmerized.

"Ali! Where here!" Idris called, her voice jumping in excitement.

"How do you know?" Ali asked, distracted, half-asleep and not looking at the ground. He soon felt Idris' warm hands on his chin. They roughly yanked it downwards, forcing him to glance right in front of him. The view became hazy before it cleared.

"Like this." She said. Ali was staring at a large villa, a few lights shimmering inside. It had high walls, and almost looked like a mini palace. The roofs were painted blue, a testament to the owner's riches. At least four buildings resided inside the walls, all at least 3 stories tall.

"Oh..." he said. "How are we going to get inside?" He asked, his brow furrowing. His words slurred together.

"I'll pretend to be his new bride." Idris said.

"Oh, alright...wait what?" Ali turned around, his sleep vanishing in an instant.

Idris didn't reply, simply staring at the twinkling lights of the villa, a small smile dancing on her lips.