Arabian Thief

CHAPTER TWO

                                                                 

Nylah bumped into a middle aged woman who was carrying a basket of potatoes. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me." She begged profusely as she helped picked the potatoes that had fallen on the dirt.

"Watch where your going snake eyes." the woman growled before she left into the growing market crowd.
Meanwhile, Nylah dug her free hand in the woman's dress  pockets during their short conversation.
To her dismay, she was only able to retrieve some few coins.

That wouldn't help her in any bit, but Nylah shrugged and Proceeded towards the exist of the market.

She had always been insecure about her eyes; an uncertain colour of grey that was a huge imperfection on her face and imperfection that made her an outcast to society.

She suddenly paused when she saw two white men. She wondered why those two where not accompanied by a guide.

Then it clicked. If the foreigners where alone in the markets they could be carrying some money.
Nylah covered her mouth and nose with her headscarf, she brushed passed the crowds, until she had a good look at the two men. Her breath hitched when she saw the leather book she stole the map from about three weeks ago.

A feeling of dread washed over Nylah. Three weeks ago, when she arrived home, she realised she hadn't properly torn the paper and that was the probably the reason Fatima the henna artist was hesitant in drawing the tattoo.

She quickly decided to turn away before she was caught in a net of trouble. That was in thought until a rough masculine hand grabbed her forearm.
Fear washed down her body as she began to contemplate what was about to happen next.

When she spun around the man was looking at her tattoo when Nylah realised that, she quickly removed her hand from his grip.

"Where did you get this?" The man question, not bothering to find out if she spoke English.

Nervously she adjusted her scarf up her nose. The Man's stare was acute making her squirm a little.
"I don't know what you talk about." Nylah shot her head up high in defiance.

"Great, she speaks English." The man said, he was about to grab her hand again but she withdrew away from him, "go away."

The other man, who looked much older than the man before spoke, "we just want to know if you're familiar with this." the old man brought out a half torn paper.

Nylah eyes widened in recognition, the other half of the map.
But she quickly shoot her head and lied, "no."

The younger man left out a humourless chuckle, "I know a lie when I hear one."

"I don't know!" Nylah yelled enough to let them know she was angry, "I swear to Allah, I do not know."
She was good at lying, something she was prone to.

"Listen," The younger man held up her forearm displaying the tattoo but she shoved him away, which didn't do much to him. "Your tattoo looks like our other map," The younger man rose his now empty palm to reveal the paper, but it was gone.

Before he realised what had happened, Nylah dashed through the crowd of people. Dodging the people passing by. She stole the map while she shoved the young man. It took a lot of skill but Nylah was attained at stealing; something she wasn't proud of but a necessity in survival.

When she felt she had lost them, she stopped and rested by a wooden cart in an empty street.
She stared at the other paper and brought her forearm closer to it. A perfect piece.

"Hey!" A deep voice yelled in English. It was the white man and his old companion. "Hand me the map, and I wouldn't hurt you,"

Nylah scoffed, the chances of this man hurting her was very slim, she brought out her dagger, "no. Go away and I will not hurt you."

The man muttered under his breath, "of course she has a knife." He sighed in exasperation, "look, I need that map, I came here to meet a guy called Abud? Adu? Ali?"

"Abdul." His old companion corrected.

So this was Abdul's customer's nephew. Nylah wasn't planning on giving him the paper, so he could try all he could to take it but he should know better not to steal from a thief. "I am not him."

The young man was going to respond but the old man stopped him, "miss..." The old man trailed off for her to mention her name but Nylah frowned in confusion.

The people who knew Nylah thought she could speak the English fluently, but she only picked up the basics although she tried to find someone to teach her the language, no one was ready to help her.
But she was used to it.

"Your name." The young man prompted in annoyance seemingly eager to take the map from her hands.

She flushed in embarrassment, "Nylah."

The old man gave a warm smile, a smile she was so foreign to. "Nylah, may I ask why you need the map?"

Nylah paused. She knew of a missing book about the lost staff of Ra. She heard the locals talk about it and it's power or whatnot, but she didn't believe that old stick had power.
She was going to find it and sell it to a rich trader and get her share of wealth.

When she heard Abdul bought the book she was the happiest person in the world, and stealing from him wasn't hard since she has been doing it ever since she came to him for a job.

She felt a little bit guilty for stealing from a man who helped her in a little way, but her salary couldn't take care of her mother and sister.

"I—I need it." She said.

The old man asked, "do you know anything about the book?"

Nylah felt the urge to lie but looking at the old man's face he seemed to genuinely interested in the truth and lying to his face would be like drowning a rabbit on purpose. "Yes."

The young man and his companion exchanged glances, but to Nylah's dismay the young man said. "where is the other map?"

"I tore it."

Nylah had never been scared of person before, but the look the young man gave almost made her experience what it was like to be scared. "You what?" His voice was low and menacing. "Why would you do that?"

"If people know about the map, it will not be safe." She said.
Stupid foreigner. She thought in her mother tongue.

"Look, we will be willing to pay you to cut off your arm if you allow us," The young man suggested.

Nylah's eyes widened. He wouldn't.

But the old man quickly objected, he shot him a glare.
"We will definitely not do that."

"Why not?" He demanded, "don't they do that here when a person steals?"

The old man ignored the man, "we are offering you a deal."

"What deal?"