Chapter II: Betrayal

          Kiya hurried back across the desert. She had to do what she was told. The whole time, she prayed to Isis that Kheti would be safe, and Salih.

          She made it into town and walked toward the palace. The barracks was in front of it. Sure, she had talked to a guard before, but that was only when she got in trouble. Getting in fights with boys and rich kids. She wouldn’t get the best welcome from a guard.

          She faced the building and knocked on the door loudly. The door didn’t open till after over a minute.

          “Can’t you see night duty is trying to sleep here?” griped a young guard with shaggy brown hair, named Raja.

          Instead of giving an insult that would probably cause him to slam the door in her face, she said, “My little brother was kidnapped by bandit. Can I hide here?”

          His expression changed to fake pity. “Okay, but stay quiet. You don’t want to wake the other guards.”

          She stepped in and sat in a corner chair. Now she just had to wait.

 

***

 

          Salih snuck into the abandoned city of Kul Elna, home of his master’s bandit clan. He had to find where Kheti was imprisoned, and rescue him without getting caught by his fellow thieves.

          There were trap doors hidden throughout the city. He chose the one closest to the dungeon, avoiding nearby campfires.

          Underground, it was lit by few torches. He walked quietly through the shadows and into the dungeon. He looked in the jail cells until he found the little boy, Kiya’s brother. He was unconscious, lying in the dirt. Not good. Salih would have to wake him.

          He grabbed the key off the wall and unlocked the cell. With one hand covering the boy’s mouth, he shook him awake. Of course, Kheti screamed but it was muffled.

          “Calm down. I’m here to save you. We have to escape back to your sister.” He took his hand away when the boy stopped.

          “What? Who are you?” he asked.

          “There’s no time to explain. You have to come with me.” He pulled Kheti up and out of the cell. Kheti was frightened and confused, but he didn’t protest and followed Salih to the trap door. They climbed the stairs and Salih lifted it open.

          Outside, night was falling, getting cold. Salih and Kheti kept low, creeping past the campfires. They were almost out of the city, when a small rock hit Kheti in the back of the head. He fell to the ground. Salih turned and saw Bakura, his master, approaching.

          “I don’t want to fight you,” said Bakura. “Return the boy.”

          “How could you do this, Bakura? Please just let us go.”

          “No. Listen to me, Salih. I saved you when you had nowhere to run. We grew up together. Now it’s time to lose that innocence and realize what we really are!”

          “Revenge has corrupted you!”

          “I do what’s best for us. Coin is lighter than treasure.”

          “It’s the cost of your actions that matters.”

          “Enough!” Bakura drew his dagger and threw it at Kheti, barely missing in his rage.

          Salih yanked Kheti up and shoved him off. “Run!” he shouted. “Bakura, this is between you and me! Leave the boy out of it!”

          He was too angry. Salih leapt for the sanded dagger, but Bakura slammed his fist into the side of his head. He took back his dagger and chased after Kheti.

          Salih clutched his head, running after Bakura.

          “Run Kheti!” he screamed.

          Desperately, he drew his bow and aimed it at Bakura’s back. The arrow let loose and pierced his right leg. Bakura stumbled and Salih caught up to him.

          After trapping Bakura beneath him, Salih took the initiative and punched his friend under the jaw. “You murdering scum!” he shouted.

          Suddenly, Bakura laughed. “I sent a group of thieves before I confronted you, to intercept the boy,” he said, spitting out blood.

          “S**t!” Salih cursed. He left Bakura and kept running after Kheti.

          “Kheti, wait!” he shouted, taking sight of the boy ahead of him. Kheti stopped and turned around.

          When Salih reached him, he could see a group of thieves blocking their way. “Stay here,” he ordered Kheti.

          Salih walked toward them, drawing a dagger in each hand.

          “Where’s Bakura?” asked the foremost, Zayn.

          “Injured in the sand!” replied Salih.

          “You should have finished him off! He’s going to kill you!”

          Salih stopped, facing them. “You know Bakura’s corrupt. How can you continue to follow him?”

          “Because just like him, we like the coin.”

          “Yeah!” the others cheered.

          “I won’t cause people to fall into poverty just so I can prosper,” Salih argued. “The lot of you is greedy.”

          They laughed at him.

          “Come with us,” said Zayn, “and we won’t have to fight.”

          “Only if you let the boy return to his family.”

          “Then it’s a fight. Capture Salih alive!”

          Salih was attacked by the group of five with their daggers and fists. Unlike them, he couldn’t show mercy. It was all moving too fast.

          In the end, Zayn was dead. Another, Ali, was bleeding out in the sand. Nasim restrained Salih, while Malik and Inarus yanked away his daggers. Malik subdued Kheti, and the thieves dragged their prisoners back to Bakura.

          The master was sitting by a campfire, surrounded by other thieves. His leg was already bandaged and he grinned eagerly at Salih.

          Salih and Kheti were brought to face him, with their hands and feet bound.

          “Good work, my friends,” said Bakura. “Now I can finish teaching Salih a lesson.”

          The thieves began to mutter amongst themselves, glancing curiously at Bakura.

          “You said revenge has corrupted me,” Bakura told Salih. “I say it is you who are corrupted. And that corruption ends here!”

          In a flash, Bakura drew his dagger and jammed it straight into Kheti’s heart. Salih’s jaw dropped.

          Seeing the boy killed, the thieves went into an uproar.

          “How could you do that!” shouted Malik. “That was a coin ticket!”

          Bakura was clobbered by angry questions, while Salih threw a fit of despair.

          “Silence!” shouted Bakura.

          Reluctantly, the thieves quieted at his command.

          “Salih tried to rescue this boy, and this is his punishment!” Bakura announced. “Much more effective than killing him. Now he’ll forever regret his betrayal.”

          The thieves began to speak in agreement.

          “He’ll think twice before crossing Bakura again,” said Nasim. “This is much better vengeance for the deaths of Zayn and Ali. Salih should be banished from our clan too!”

          “Yeah, throw the traitor into the desert to join our fallen comrades!” Malik joined in.

          “Go ahead,” said Bakura, “and throw the dead boy along with him. Remember to cut Salih’s bonds! We want him to live with his guilt forever!”

          And so Salih and Kheti were thrown into the desert. Bakura turned his back on his best friend and walked away, without a hint of hesitation.

          In pain and weakened, Salih managed to carry Kheti’s body back to Kiya’s home. Kiya awaited his return in the barracks.

Reviews

[fwvalidus]

Good chapter, I liked the action and especially enjoyed the beginning. Again though I believe it moves along too fast in areas. It would help to put additional substance b/w dialogue so that I can follow things easier without it being too choppy. I do enjoy this story and I am eager to read more when I have the time.

A few editing points too:
Picky but just an example of improving a choppy sentence:
The door didn’t open till after over a minute. --> It was more than a minute until the door opened.
“The lot of you is greedy.” --> ARE greedy.
I would suggest an edit in case there are more. Keep up the work!