The Guardian's Path Part 5

Or do you sneak into the city another way? 38

"I'm desperate for a drop of water," you call. "This canteen is empty!"

"Perhaps you should have thought ahead, Princess," Dastan scolds. "Rather than using up all of the water."

"I wasn't born of this desert like you Persians," you retort. "My const.i.tution is more delicate."

"I think you mean spoiled," Dastan counters.

Okay, time to put your plan into action. You fall to the ground and wait.

"A miracle," Dastan calls over his shoulder. "I've silenced the princess."

Steady, you tell yourself. He should turn around just abouta"

"Tamina!" he cries.

He rushes to your side and kneels down beside you. He turns to get the canteen from Aksh's saddle, and as he does, you slam his head with a bone you've picked up. He stares at you a moment, then flops over. He's out cold.

You quickly pull the Dagger from his belt and mount Aksh.

"Yee-hah!" you cry as Aksh takes off at a gallop.

18.

"How do you want me to proceed?" you ask.

Nizam gives you a cool smile. "You're a smart girl. You'll think of something. You have two days. That's when the king is due to arrive."

You blink as he stands. "Two days?" you repeat. "That's not enough time!"

"Dastan has probably made his way just outside the city walls," he says, then strides away. "I suggest you start there."

You sit staring into s.p.a.ce for a moment, but fury very quickly replaces your sense of fear and helplessness. Not only are you going to get the Dagger back, you vow, but you are going to expose Nizam's treachery. You have no doubt that his plans for the Dagger don't include the rest of the royal family. In fact, you suspect it threatens them.

But how can you convey that to Prince Dastan and still manage to keep the Dagger and its secrets? What if Nizam does tell the royal family about the power of the Dagger? They'll certainly want it for themselves.

You'll worry about all that later. Now you have to find Dastana"and hope that he will help you. Together you need to come up with a plan.

101.

You gallop for what feels like forever, the moonlight showing you the way. "It's safe to stop now, Persian," Amar finally calls.

"They won't stop," Dastan replies. "They track and kill. That's what they do."

"What who do?" Amar asks. You're wondering the same thing.

Dastan stops the horse and nervously looks back the way you came. "Those vipers who attacked us in the camp were controlled. By a dark secret of the empirea"Ha.s.sansins."

You shudder. You've heard tales, but thought they were just stories told to frighten people.

"For years they were the covert killing force of Persian kings," Dastan continues. "But my father ordered them disbanded. Nizam must have secretly kept the Ha.s.sansins intact. They are no ordinary soldiers, but a cult of killers trained from childhood. They'll do Nizam's bidding without question."

You see Seso and Amar's fear as they understand fully who is following you.

"This is why we can't stop," Dastan says.

Silently, and with grim expressions, you all begin riding again. It seems you now have a much larger party accompanying you and the Dagger to the Guardian Temple.

89.

You jerk your head sharply, and your veil falls back into place.

The older man paces in front of you. "We know you secretly build weapons for enemies of Persia," he says. "Now show us where."

"We have no secret forges here, and what weapons we do have, you can easily overcome," you tell him.

"Our spies say differently, Princess," the one called Garsiv snarls. "Much pain can be spared if youa""

You cut him off. "All the pain in the world won't help you find something that doesn't exist."

Now the one who lifted your veil approaches you. "Spoken like one wise enough to consider a political solution, don't you think, Nizam?"

The older man shrugs. "Perhaps, Tus," he says.

Tus extends his hand to you. "Join hands with Persia's future king."

You sneer. This is the crown prince? "I'll die first."

You see Tus's jaw clench. "Yes," he says softly. "Yes you will."

Your heart clutches as he steps back and motions to his bodyguard, who draws his sword. The young and handsome Persian reaches for his belt. He lifts a dagger as if he intends to defend youa"against his own people! But more shockinga"

He's holding your sacred dagger! Asoka has failed.

"Wait!" you cry.

125.

"I'm sorry," you tell Kartosh. "I travel alone. Now please, get out of the way." You slip your hand into your skirt pocket, touching the Dagger. If you have to, you'll fight your way out.

"It has been nearly a thousand years since anyone opened the box," Kartosh says. The genie is expanding before your eyes. "I will not go back to a life in exile."

You pull out the Dagger, but before you can attack he lets out a deafening roar. The cave shakes and rocks and boulders begin dropping around you. Astrella lets out a terrified whinny.

"Stop it!" you scream at Kartosh. But he keeps up his howl. With horror, you realize the entrance to the cave has filled up with fallen rocks.

"No!" you cry. "All right, you can come with me!"

"Too late," the genie says. "The way is blocked. Oh, and that magical knife you think you've hidden so well from me? It doesn't work on my kind. And now, I suggest you get comfortable. We have a lifetime to get to know each other."

THE END.

Hours later, you and Dastan are walking to give Aksh a rest. The heat is blistering. You trail behind the prince, trying to come up with a way to get the Dagger back before you wind up in the Valley of the Slaves.

You watch, amused, as Dastan scoops up a handful of sand and refills the handle of the Dagger. "Without the right sand, it's just another knife," you point out. "Not even very sharp."

Dastan presses the jewels. Nothing happens.

"This sand," he says, "you have more of it?"

"Of course not," you tell him.

"How can I get some?"

"Try standing on your head and holding your breath."

You can't help it. You're enjoying his frustration.

"Keep walking," he snaps.

"I'm thirsty," you complain.

Dastan tosses you a canteen. You take a sip. "So if you can't show your uncle how the Dagger works, why in the world would he believe you?" you ask.

"That's not your problem, Princess," Dastan says.

You walk in uncomfortable silence for some time.

47.

You have vowed to keep this secret, and you can't break it now. But you still aren't sure you can trust Dastana"especially with something this huge, this important.

"Tell me, Princess!" he demands again.

"I . . . well . . . let's see . . . where should I begin . . ." you stammer, stalling, trying to come up with another story to give him. A lie.

Unfortunately, you wait too long. Within moments the raging sandstorm sweeps over you both. Burying youa"and your secretsa"forever.

THE END.

Dastan is so startled he drops the Dagger. It skitters across the floor, and you lunge for it. Before you can reach it, he knocks you to the ground and pins you.

"What is going on here?" You turn your head to see the doorway filled with guardsa"and Prince Dastan's brother, Tus. He is glaring at you both.

"Thank goodness you stopped him!" you cry. Dastan quickly gets up, and you curl into a little ball to look helpless.

"She attacked me!" Dastan protests. "For this dagger." He picks it up, and you resist grabbing it again.

Instead, you push yourself up into a kneeling position and make yourself seem as pathetic as possible. "This man stole that dagger from one of my maidservants. He made her believe he loved hera"just to steal this family heirloom. I was pleading with him to give it back. I must have said something wrong, for he suddenly attacked me!"

"She's lying," Dastan scoffs. "You don't believe her, do you?"

Tus's eyes are narrow as he studies Dastan. "First you disobey a direct order and launch a sneak attack without my knowledge or consent. Then I find you brawling with my bride-to-be. I believe her over you."

Dastan gapes at Tus. "Ask Nizam! She purposely sought me out."

"To beg for the Dagger for my maidservant," you explain, your voice quavering as you fake tears. "Her family has disowned her because of this incident."

"Give the knife to the girl," Tus orders. "Now."

116.

A short while later you are wis.h.i.+ng you had taken Dastan's horse along with the Dagger. You stand and gaze at the desert in front of you. This is going to take forever! And you have no supplies. Perhaps you should have thought this through a little more.

No matter. You have a responsibility, a promise that you must keep. That's all that counts. Not your thirst, your fear, your exhaustion. Just the safety of the Dagger.

You twist up your long hair to get it off your neck and wipe away the sweat before it drips into your eyes.

You notice a Bedouin caravan cresting a nearby dune. Perhaps you should join them. They could provide you with protection, supplies, and even transport.

But you're not sure if you can really trust other people at this point. Not after everything you've been through.

If you want to join the Bedouins, 77

If you want to continue on your own, 36

You suffer the indignity of being hauled off to a tented area for servants. A smelly, filthy woman hands you a flimsy piece of fabric, which is supposed to be some kind of garment. "In there," she orders gruffly, pointing to a curtained corner in the tent. "Change, and be quick about it."

You shudder as you pull on the dress. What are they going to have you do? You step back out, and the woman looks at you disapprovingly. "Too soft," she says. "You'll never last."

That's what you're worried about. "Ia"I've heard that these are very dangerous men," you say. "That they . . . that the skeletons . . ." You're not sure how to phrase this. After all, this woman could be one of the rebellious slaves who slaughtered their masters!

The woman bursts out laughing, showing several missing teeth.