The Jinn

Chapter II

Much time had passed since the three had encountered the erect, rotting corpse. They'd long since found the dried river and began following it eastward. In the midst of it all, the night sky gradually shifted from black to dark blue, with many stars retreating back into invisibility.

Salman eyed the horizon, the glimmer of light reaching on from behind the silver dunes staring him back in the face. "We'd best set up camp. We won't be making much progress once the sun is up."

Akilah groaned. "Another day's sleep in the scorching heat. Are you sure we can't go for a little while longer?"

"Only if you're okay with pitching tent under the sun," Salman replied. "Asif, help me with the tent. And you," he pointed to Akilah, "start digging for water."

"Right," Asif said, dismounting his calicomel.

Akilah, meanwhile sighed, murmuring something to herself as she made her way over to the riverbed.

"Think she'll find anything?" Asif asked.

"We can only hope," Salman replied, unloading the tent from his calicomel. "Just focus on getting those stakes in tight."

Before to long, the two of them had planted the stakes in the, rather soft, ground, and the tent was up. Leaving their camels tied to another post they'd brought, the two of them entered their shelter just as the morning sun rose in the east. Not long after, Akilah followed suit, covered in sand with bits of mud on her fingertips, holding in her hand a satchel that looked to be about a quarter full.

"That's all?" Salman asked.

"I'm sure a good third of it is sand," Akilah replied, stretching her tired arms over her head, nearly poking the roof of the tent. "I must have dug a good two feet before I got even a drop."

Asif grabbed the satchel, feeling how light it was.

Salman sighed. "It can't be helped. Get some rest while you can. We leave at moon rise."

Asif wiped several beads of sweat from his brow before leaning back on an ornate cushion. "I certainly won't miss this when we get home to TK."

Akilah took a large gulp of water from her wineskin. "Maybe you wish to return to that hell hole, but the first thing I do when I get my hands on that treasure is buying a house in the capital. One with a great view of the ocean."

"So close to the war grounds," Asif replied. "I'd be more concerned about the Augustan hordes if I were you."

"Well, you're not me," Akilah sighed, resting her head on her cushion and staring up at the glowing roof of their tent which just barely blocked out the sun. "August hasn't breached the defenses in the Ridge in decades before you or I were even born."

"Biding their time," Asif said. "You never know what they have planned."

"I imagine they'd say the same about us," Salman said, having long since closed his eyes. "For all our sakes, I hope we are. The last thing we need is another war that reaches the mainland."

"Mithra has kept us safe for this long," Akilah said. "No reason to lose faith now."

"Last I heard," Asif said, "Mithra has worshipers in August as well. Who's to say he's not listening to them?"

"I guess I'll just have to pray harder," Akilah said.

"If this journey pays off," Salman said, "we won't have much to worry about. Even if August were to reach the mainland, it's rare for rich, private citizens to get caught up in the crossfire. They want to conquer land, not destroy it."

Asif chuckled. "That's one way to stay on the bright side of things."

Akilah groaned, resting her cheek on her cushion. "Well, I'd rather stay on the dark side because this heat is killing me. Anyways, how about you, Asif? What are you planning on doing with your share?"