The Lamp

Chapter 3

Raguul's POV:

I don't even know why I helped him get out of the situation. He basically ran me over, plus that man was stupid enough to try and bargain with a vender. Good thing he actually had some gold on him I could pay the vender with. Of course, I didn't actually pay the merchant, but I wasn't going to return it either. If someone else's gold is in your hands, why would you give it away? It's free gold!

"Hey wait...." I heard him call. I ignored him. If the merchant found out that I didn't actually give the gold to him, we were dead meat. I pulled him through the alley for another couple blocks, slowly weaving my way towards my daytime hideout.

"Hey, come on." The man pulled on my arm causing me to halt. I flipped around to see him giving me a half worried half confused look.

"What?" He flinched at my tone before talking.

"Where are we going? I have to get that coin back," he stated abruptly. I scoffed.

"If you think you're getting that coin back you are sorely mistaken." A wave of terror flickered in his eyes. He stared, trying to process the information. However, the fear in his eyes disappeared as quickly as it came. Instead it was replaced by a gaze of pure rage.

"How could you! I don't even know your name and here you are randomly giving my things away. You have no idea how much that coin means to me," he seethed, and I grit my teeth.

"I just got you out of a life or death scenario and this is how you treat me? Are you even from around here? You look like one of us, but you act like someone from a different world." He glared at me.

"What do you even mean? People don't just go around stealing things from others or pounding their faces in." I gave him a look as his face fell. "This happens all the time, doesn't it?" I nodded hesitantly as he collapsed against the wall of the small alleyway and stared off into space. I felt a pang in my heart as it cracked a little at the way he looked. What was happening to me? Suddenly, shouts came from the direction of the merchant stalls.

"We need to go, like right now," I urged tugging on his sleeve, "Come on." No reaction. Sighing, I grasped his hand. He looked at me, but didn't say anything as I pulled him down the last block to my hideout.

--

As I sat down on the floor of the crumbling tower, the man stood there at the entrance to the room; the glowy sunlight from outside seeping through the cloth I had used as a curtain for the window.

"Come on, just sit down. I promise I don't bite," I tried to joke. He just stared at me like I grew two heads. Pouting, I got up and grabbed his hand, pulling him on the ground next to me. A feeling of frustration pulsed through my veins when he continued to ignore me. Part of me felt like he was overreacting, but the other part said that this was my fault. An undeniable voice nagged me that there was a good reason as to why he was like this. Again, the foreign aching in my heart returned as time passed on.

We sat there in silence for a bit before I couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry we started off on the wrong foot, but can I at least have your name?" His expression shifted into a thoughtful one, making my heart flutter a bit. Shut up heart, stop doing dumb things.

"Jamal. My name is Jamal," the man replied after a moment.

"Jamal huh? Well mine's Raguul, nice to meet you."

"How can I get the coin back?" I groaned.

"Why do you want it back so much anyways? You said earlier I don't know what it means, so please. Enlighten me." Another long pause passed before he started talking.

"It was my mother's last gift to me before she died." Guilt flooded over me. My mother meant more than anything in the world to me. I should know the emptiness of losing someone that important better than anyone, yet here I am, secretly holding onto something that means so much to him. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything. I simply scooted over to him and embraced him in a hug.