The Lamp

Chapter 2

Azad's POV:

"Azad! Get back here!"

"In your dreams you stupid trainer," I muttered under my breath as I sprinted out of the courtyard.

I don't understand why dad makes me train all the time. If eighteen years of training wasn't enough for me to protect myself, I don't know what is. Ever since mom was assassinated when I was four, dad became paranoid in losing me. Apparently it was enough for him to stop all acts of mending our relationship with Boru and massacre them. Too bad that didn't stop his paranoia.

Sighing, I scaled up the west wall and flopped onto my porch. I lay there unmoving, slowly closing my eyes as the chilly morning breeze consumed me.

"Azad! Get up, it's freezing out here!" I pried my eyes open to see my best friend looking down at me.

"Jamal!" Hoping up, I embrace him in a bone crushing hug. "Did you get everything ready?" Nodding his head, Jamal whipped out a bag from behind the curtain of the balcony door.

"If you want to leave, I suggest you go now," he shrugged. Thanking him again, I grabbed the bag and slipped into the room. Not bothering to hide anything, I stripped into my underwear and tossed on the items in the bag. What? It's not like we haven't seen each other naked before considering the fact that we've been best friends since we were two. Straightening out the new outfit, I slipped on the contacts and looked back at Jamal.

"How do I look?"

"Plain, ordinary, and just like a regular citizen. Perfect, let's go."

Rushing back out to the balcony, we dropped into the gardens below before climbing up the outer walls surrounding the castle. I reached the top and lept down into the streets, Jamal following close behind.

"Come on Jamal, show me everything!" Laughing, we sprinted towards the crowds of people, finally escaping the suffocating walls of the palace.

--

Fifteen minutes later, we find ourselves crowded amongst the people in the streets, being pushed and shoved left and right.

"Is it normally this crowded?" I yell over the ruckus.

"No, it's probably just cause everyone wants to see you!" Jamal replies, then his eyes lit up. "Az! Look!" My eyes traced his finger to the direction he was pointing. Barely visible through the mass of heads, was a person, no, storyteller standing on a barrel.

"Let's go check it out."

We dodged around the people in the way to stand within hearing range of the teller. After the he finished, I must say, that was one of the most bizarre stories I've ever heard. Who said I was going hunting? Obviously, the citizens seemed to think so. Well, all but one. He was kind of small in comparison to everyone around him, and I couldn't see his face very clearly, but it was apparent that he was the one person amongst the others that thought this story was dumb as well. Either ways, the boy slipped away right as the story ended, so I wasn't really able to go talk to him. I'm going to change that.

Grabbing Jamal's arm, I dragged him along with me to follow the boy.

"What are you doing!" Jamal hissed. I ignored him and kept going. Suddenly, someone shoved past me, pushing me into a fruit merchant's stall.

"Az!" Jamal reached for me as I crashed into the stall. A few of the fruits in the baskets rolled out onto the ground, only to be stolen away by a few hungry children squeezing around the crowd. My eyes widened.

"Hey you!" I looked up. "You gonna pay for that?" Frowning at the chunky merchant, I cocked my head as Jamal shrunk a little.

"Sure, but I don't have any money on me right now. Do you mind waiting till tomorrow?" Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. The man went from annoyed to fuming red in seconds.

"Tomorrow, ya think I believe you? Pay up now or ya get it." I scoffed.

"I really don't have anything right now."

The man suddenly lunged at me, and shoved me at the nearest wall, the people in the way parting like the Red Sea. With no one to soften the blow, I tumbled right into a boy leaning against the wall.

"Hey, don't just go around attacking people!" I scowled as I picked myself up.

"No money, you take a beating, you know the rules." Rules? What rules? I was about to ask, when a new voice joined in.

"Sir, you mean this?" The boy behind me stepped around to face the merchant and held out a gold coin that looked suspiciously like the hidden one that I keep tied around my wrist.

"Hand that over if you're gonna pay for'im, boy," the man grunted. The boy smirked and tossed the coin at him.

"Hey wait..." Ignoring my call, he dragged me past Jamal and the merchant into a small alleyway.