บท 48: Chance for survival
Isa sprang to his feet, put his turban on, straightened his clothes and ran out of the tent.
"Damn!" she murmured. "What a bummer! I will probably have to marry him!"
She sat down on the color poof waiting.
After some time two men and Isa came in to the tent, their faces were hidden under the cloth turbans. One of them, who were standing in front, said something in a strange language.
"My Hakim said that you should clear yourself before he touched you!" the young man translated. "Now you will go through ceremony with our shaman, and tonight you will become a woman of our lord."
Lica was looking at Isa with horror, but the young man avoided looking at her. Then Isa and Hakim came out of the tent, and a man in a bright turban started to walk around the girl muttering something. He took a bowl of water, whispered something in her, and began to slush it over Angelica. Apparently, the ceremony was over, because "shaman" left the tent. Lica was desperate and did not know what to do.
In the evening the tent curtain opened and a forty-year- old, fat and ugly man came in. A wide scar went across his face.
He smiled and went to Angelica. She decided to die hard. Angelica stepped away from the man, but he suddenly lanced, knocking over the low table on the way and breaking a bowl standing on it. Then he seized Lica with both hands and threw her onto the carpet. Angelica tried to resist, but the forces were unequal. Hakim began greedily kissing the girl. With disgust Lica started grabbing everything that came to hand, and throwing in the man's face. Suddenly her hand found the large piece of bowl in which Isa had brought her water. Angelica took the splinter and with all her might forced it into the eye of the rapist. The Hakim wheezed and fell lifeless on the carpet.
At this point Isa with a dagger in his hand burst into the tent. He rushed to his Hakim, but realized that he had been already dead.
"God, I have killed man!" Lica could only say.
She was shocked. Isa helped her up and said:
"We must escape! Now! We have no time, Angelica. If anyone finds out, they'll kill us!"
He took Lica's hand and, unseen, they slipped out of the tent. There were a dozen other tents around. A little further, around large fire, there were people in robes, loudly laughing at something. Isa took Lica some back-way and soon they disappeared behind the dunes. There a pair of horses was waiting for our heroes. The girl stared at the young man.
"I have prepared the escape," explained Isa, "but was a little late, sorry!"
Then he helped Angelica to climb into the saddle, and jumped on his horse. The riders pulled the reins and raced away from the camp of the nomads. When they were quite far away, Lica asked:
"Isa, tell me why you decided to help me?"
"I liked you," the man said truly. "Besides, you know Margo, and this woman means a lot to me!"
"How interesting!" Angelica exclaimed. "Tell me!"
"Not here and not now! Night is coming, and we cannot stay in the desert! It is dangerous!"
"Why?"
"There are many sand snakes in the desert. They discreetly hide under the sand then get to the lost traveler and swallow him."
"And what are we going to do?" asked Lica, shivering.
"There is a shelter near here. My father has built it. There we can stay for a night! And in the morning we can continue our way!"
"And what's about a chase? The Hakim's people will not find us, will they?"
"They are afraid of Sand Snakes either!" Isa smiled.
It was quite dark. Suddenly the young man exclaimed:
"Over there!"
And spurred his horse… Ten minutes later, the riders arrived at the little oasis. It was a round meadow with three palms and a closed well between them. Isa dismounted, opened the well and gave water their horses. Then he closed the well and said:
"Another fifteen minutes, and we'll be there!"
"I thought that we would stay here," sadly murmured Angelica.
"Oasis is too noticeable place to stay," said the young man. "But we will leave our horses here; otherwise they will become the prey of the Sand Snakes! We will go on foot."
Isa tied the horses to a palm tree in the center of the oasis, and our heroes were off again. The stars appeared in the sky, when, finally, the young man shouted:
"We're here!"
Lica looked around. In the light of the moon she could see only single dunes. Here and there the dry thorns and some snags poked out of the sand.
"I can see nothing!" the girl said.
The young man walked up to one of the snags and began to rake the sand around it. After some time, Angelica saw a trapdoor with the ring in the middle. The man pulled the ring and lifted the cover up.
"Come on!" he said and first went down into the trapdoor.
After a few minutes Lica saw the fire at the bottom and boldly followed her companion. When she went down the wooden stairs, she saw quite spacious room there. All its walls, floor and even the ceiling were covered with wooden planks. In the middle of the room there was a small table with the small burning lamp on it and two tiny chairs. The bag of biscuits and a large bottle of water were in the corner of the room. A thick layer of dry grass was banked near the wall.
"Please, sit down!" Isa smiled. "Not Sultan's chambers, but it is better than spending the night under the open sky."
He climbed the wooden stairs and closed the trapdoor.
"Won't we stifle?" Angelica worried.
"Do not worry, I have some vents here," the young man said, pointing to a long dry hollow snag, going outside.
"And what about snakes, won't they go through it?" asked the girl again.
"Sand Snakes? No! They are too big. And little ones don't worry me; my dagger is always with me!" Isa laughed.
He took off his vest, turban and stayed in a shirt and baggy pants. Only now did Angelica notice that not the young man was good-looking, but also well built. She sat down on the straw.
"What a nice room, Isa!" she smiled.
"My father has built it," said the young man. "And not did it save his life but now it came in handy to me. Angelica, do you want to eat? The water here is always fresh; I change it myself and the biscuits are nice too."
"Okay, I'll try your biscuits!" Lica laughed.
Isa pulled two bowls behind the bottle and poured some water. Then he took out some biscuits and put them on the table.
"Help yourself!" said the young man.
"Frankly saying, after all what has happened today, I feel terrible," she shivered. "And it would be nice to have some food now!"
She took a couple of dry biscuits, soaked them in the water and started to eat. The young man was watching her with a smile.
"Isa," Angelica turned to him, "tell me about yourself. How do you know Margo? And why did you save me?"
The young man thought a little then said:
"I was born in the family of a rich merchant. My parents loved each other and me too. But one day a grief came to our family. My mother was very ill. We invited many doctors, but she was getting worse and worse. Father left his business because he had to stay close to my mother. We had sold all goods and didn't have any money. Doctors stopped coming to my mother. And then someone told me that over the mountains in the Kingdom of Night, a great sorceress Margo lived, and that she could heal my mother. Without saying anything to my father, I set off a dangerous journey. I walked many days and nights until I reached the cave of the sorceress. But I could not tell her why I came because I did not know the language. Margo, using magic, taught me the language in just a few days. And I was able to explain the reason for my coming. The witch immediately made a healing potion and sent me home. I was as quick as I could and finally reached my home. My Mom was dying. But I gave her a potion, that Margo made, and she was getting better soon. Less than in six months my mother was healed."
"Where are your parents now?"
"When I was sixteen years old, my father gave me to serve our Hakim. I had to leave my family for a long time. For several years I lived in the palace and they didn't allow me to leave. But finally I was given a homing device. When I came back home I did not recognize it! All what I saw was only ruins. The neighbors told me that one night robbers attacked my parents and killed them. Nobody could tell me about it because I was very far away. That's how I lost my family."
"It's a pity," Angelica muttered. "Why did you save me? Having done that, you put in jeopardy your career and life as well!"
"I have never met such a beautiful and open girl before," said Isa. "And after your kiss I ever lost my head."
He sat down on the straw, and said quietly:
"Angelica, can I ask you a question? Your companion – someone who you were in the desert with – is he your husband or fiancé?"
"Neither one nor the other!" honestly said the girl. "And now you tell me, please! Did the Hakim's people catch my companion in the desert?"
"No," Isa shook his head. "But there is another danger. He may die if he is attacked by Sand Snakes."
"Snakes, snakes... Well, if you are so afraid of them, tell me what they look like?"
"They are horrible creatures! They move under the sand and although they are several meters long, it is very difficult to see them among the dunes. Sand Snakes are nocturnal animals, so at the day time it is safe in the desert. But to stay there for a night, I would not recommend to anyone."
"Are you saying that snakes can eat Edward?" exclaimed Lica.
Isa nodded.
"So, what's to be done?" the girl said nervously.
"Nothing. At night we never find your friend, and can become the pray of the snakes ourselves. Therefore, we have to wait until morning."
Angelica nodded.
"Isa, I'm awfully tired! Can I get some sleep?"
"Of course."
The guy got out of straw and sat down on a low chair.
"No, that's not the way it works!" Lica noticed. "I will sleep, and you won't! Lie down next to me. But I should warn you – I feel cranky and bad today, so if you are going to accost me, I'll kill you."
"I do not doubt!" Isa laughed.
Lica lay down on the straw. The young man blew out the little lamp and lay down next to her. Soon there was quite colder in the room. The girl did not notice that she huddled up to the man and fell asleep in his arms.
Angelica suddenly woke up at night. She heard a weird sound behind a wooden wall... as if someone huge crawled past touching the wooden walls.
"The Snakes!" guessed Lica and moved even closer to the young man.
Isa enjoyed his balmy sleep, and she could feel his breath in her hair. Soon the sound was off.
A little later, through the invisible gap in the trapdoor a beam of sun light fell to the floor. Isa woke up. He buried his nose into Angelica's long hair and kissed her neck. She turned and hugged him. The young man looked at her with his black almond-shaped eyes and began kissing her neck. Lica suddenly came to her senses.
"Isa! Stop, Isa!" she tried to stop him.
But he seemed not to hear it. His lips were going down - to the girl's breast. And then they heard a strange sound again.
"Isa!" Angelica whispered. "There is someone behind the wall!"
The guy listened and said quietly:
"Snakes!"
"But it's morning!" Lica murmured.
"They have smelled us and don't leave. We need to go out of here - to the sun!"
Before he could say these words, something huge hit the wall. Breaking the boards on the wall a huge snake's head appeared in front of our heroes. The girl screamed. Isa grabbed his knife from the table and curved sword and slashed the snake. She hissed and arched into a bow, ready to attack.
"Angelica, run!" shouted the man. "Go upstairs!"
Lica rushed to the stairs and climbed out very quickly. The snake lunged, but the young man jumped aside and cut her head. The animal began to fight in agony, crushing everything in the room. Isa, even having no time to take his things, ran to the stairs and climbed out. At this point, the shelter collapsed and buried the monster.
"Isa!" she cried and ran to the young man. "I thought you had died!"
"I am all right," said Isa, kissing Angelica. "But now it's time to get out of here. Snakes never attack alone!"
He took her arm and they quickly ran towards the oasis. Fortunately, no one was following them. Soon Lica saw their horses.
"Hooray! They are all right! Our horses are safe!" she exclaimed.
Five minutes later, our heroes climbed into the saddle and raced away from the oasis.
"Isa, I have to find my companion - Prince Edward!" Angelica said.
The young man nodded. Having overcome several dunes, Isa said:
"Here you and Prince were yesterday."
The girl looked around, but couldn't recognize this place.
"How do you know?" she asked. "Sand doesn't retain traces!"
"I grew up in the desert," the young man grinned. "We must go to the east now."
And he turned towards the rising sun. A few hours, our heroes were riding through the desert. Suddenly Isa stopped and pointed ahead:
"Look!" he turned to Angelica. "I can see something there!"
Lica looked narrowly ahead and did see something powdery with sand. She immediately spurred her horse and rode to the strange object. When she came closer, she saw that it was partially eaten body of Prince Edward's horse.
"Oh, God!" cried the girl. "It was Prince's horse!"
The young man dismounted and examined the dead animal.
"Look!" he pointed to the bites on horse's skin. "It looks like snake's teeth marks! I told you."
"Have Edward died?"
"I do not know. If he met the snakes, then may be! They can swallow a man in one piece, so it is likely that we never find his body."
"No!" the girl burst into tears. "Isa, dear, we must look for him! The Prince may have escaped!"
The young man mounted his horse, and our heroes continued their way.
After another couple of hours Angelica saw something that plunged her into shock. Between two high dunes she saw chipped pieces of two huge snakes' bodies. The head of each monster was almost the girl's size. The sand was red with blood.
"Your friend knows how many beans make five!" Isa noticed. "It's a rare thing when someone can win the battle with two Sand Snakes!"
The ray of hope that Prince was still alive settled in Lica's heart. Riders went on. But suddenly, behind the next dune, Angelica saw the Prince Night's sword.
"Isa," she cried. "This is Edward's sword! Something happened to him! He would have never left his sword!"
The girl jumped from her horse, ran to the sword and raised it. It was covered with blood.
"No!" Lica cried again.
She sat down on the sand covering face with her hands.
Isa dismounted, came to the girl and sat next to her.
"Don't cry!" he said. "Your companion was a brave warrior!"
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IRin
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