Fire in the Heart : The Princess and the Bandit (9781629020112) (14 page)

Chills ripped through Elijah’s body as he listened to the shouting men.

Karim slowly unsheathed his sword.

“What will it be, rat thief?” demanded Karam.

“I will never join you,” shouted Elijah, hand on sword.

Karam leaned in. “Then you will die,” he said.

Elijah and Karim stood back to back, swords thrust out, as the men’s shouts grew ever closer. The clash of metal suddenly filled the cavernous space as they readied their weapons.

Karam stepped back and smiled, not taking his stare from Elijah, “Wait!” Elijah shouted.

Karam quickly lifted his hand.

Elijah’s voice filled the room. “I have a proposition.”

With eyebrows raised, Karam replied, “Oh, the rat thief has a proposition for me! I am very interested.”

Elijah drew in a deep breath and continued, “I have something that will benefit us both.”

“What is that?” asked Karam.

Elijah turned to the rebel leader. “There is a prince coming to take the princess’s hand in marriage. He is coming soon, maybe tomorrow morning. If we could ambush them, take their weapons and armor, and send them home running scared, it would be perfect!”

Karam rested his chin in his hand.

Elijah continued. “Just think, Karam. You would strike fear not only into our city, but all the nations around us! They would truly fear your name! A bandit who robbed a prince!”

Karam suddenly broke out in laughter, causing several of his men to do the same. “And let me guess. I get my glory and you get to keep the princess for yourself? Is that it?”

Elijah clenched his jaws.

“How much will you sacrifice for this woman?” asked Karam.

Elijah smacked his fist to his chest. “I would give my life for her,” he exclaimed.

Karam’s laughter again filled the room.

“Do what you want with the city. Just leave her out of this!” shouted Elijah.

After a pause, Karam nodded. “If you stay out of my way, then you can have your princess.”

They both passed a solemn nod.

“You know. You are making a deal with the devil,” Karam whispered.

Elijah scoffed. “You are not a devil, Karam. You are just a man.”

But Karam turned to go. “Let us go see this prince.”

Elijah suddenly hit his blade against a rock. “No killing, Karam.”

“Of course,” grinned Karam. “I just want my glory.”

Within minutes, Karam and his men stood ready and headed out to the mountain pass leading into the city. The morning light had just broken through the grasp of night as they positioned themselves high above the winding road.

Elijah and Karim peered over the cliff as they stood next to Karam. Elijah watched the man bark out orders and put the men where he wanted them. A darkness covered Karam’s eyes in a way that Elijah had never seen. His face now had sharp lines that only ruthless men seemed to have. He thought about how much Karam had changed from a child. He was no longer the same kid he used to play with in the streets. No more smiles, laughs, and jokes. The only thing that seemed somewhat similar was his black hair, still parted in the middle, still ruggedly long and handsome as it blew in the desert wind.

Karam walked away, leaving Elijah and Karim alone. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” whispered Karim.

Elijah turned to his friend. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Karim continued in his low voice. “You are putting too much trust in Karam. You know what he is capable of.”

Elijah immediately started thinking about Natalia. “If this protects Natalia, it’s worth it.” He felt that same fear creep in that he had felt at the secret entrance to the palace.

Karim’s eyes grew wide. “And what of everyone else? Do they not matter?” he pleaded.

Elijah shook his head. “It’s not like that.”

“Yes, it is,” replied Karim.

They were interrupted by a loud cry. “I see them!” a random bandit yelled just as a long caravan with thirty guards and a carriage emerged around a distant bend.

Elijah felt his heart skip a beat. “That must be them.”

Karam walked back up and raised his nose in the air. “I smell glory,” he shouted.

“How are we going to get past all those guards?” quizzed Elijah, but only the wind replied.

The caravan creaked across the ruts just below when Karam shouted. The drivers pulled hard on the reins. Scanning the rocky inclines, the soldiers pointed toward Karam’s fast advance. They readied their spears and swords and the few archers raised their bows.

Elijah, eyes wide, glanced at Karim. “What is he doing?”

Eyes peeled on the caravan, Karim replied, “What he does best…go crazy.”

Elijah heard the voice of a random guard as he watched Karam scale down the mountain side. “Who goes there!” the man shouted.

Karam continued his solo advance with arms extended upward and eyes sparkling from the first rays of the sun. “I am death in the flesh!” he shouted.

The guard shouted to an archer. “Get rid of him.”

He fired, but not fast enough. Karam ducked behind a huge rock and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Attack!”

Karam’s men streamed out like rats running from a rising flood, unleashing their arrows in rapid succession. The caravan was covered, almost instantly, as its guards started dropping to the ground. Five to ten arrows impacted some before they stopped their deadly screams. The unprepared guards ran for cover, mostly under the caravan, but that didn’t stop the slaughter. Karam charged into the chaos and slashed relentlessly. Elijah watched as he thrust his sword through one soldier’s midsection, dropping him instantly. He was shocked as he wondered what he had gotten himself into. All he wanted to do was protect Natalia, and there wasn’t supposed to be any killing. Suddenly, Elijah screamed, “What is he doing?! He’ll kill them all!” He felt his mind go black for a second until the screams from below brought him back. His stomach heaved violently.

All of the bandits came out finally, landed at the bottom and began jumping on the soldiers, hacking and slamming their blades on anything that moved. In minutes, only Karam’s men stood tall. The few guards who survived the initial onslaught felt their life slip away at the hands of the merciless bandits. The carriage stood alone, unprotected when Karam opened the small wooden door and pulled out a silk-covered man. Karam slammed him into the ground.

Elijah instantly took off, running down the treacherous slope. He reached the tall, skinny man just as Karam yelled, “Get up!”

Elijah shouted, “Please stop! Why are you doing this?” His heart raced in his throat as he sucked in breath after breath.

Karam screamed again, “Get up!”

The white-faced man pushed himself up and Karam slammed his fist into his head, knocking him right back down.

Karam and his men’s laughter ricocheted off the surrounding rock walls.

The bleeding man shouted, “You won’t get away with this! The sultan will hear of your treachery!” His voice quivered as it trailed off.

Karam paused, grinning at the ground. “I am the sultan,” he shouted as he lifted his head toward the sun.

The quivering voice spoke again. “You…you are…Please let me go! Please let me go! I will cause you no harm!”

Elijah screamed above the men’s laughter. “Karam! Stop this!”

Karam slowly turned toward Elijah.

“What are you doing?! Don’t kill him! Don’t…” shouted Elijah.

In a long and drawn-out voice, Karam shouted, “Are you trying to break our deal, Elijah? I thought you said you would not get in my way.” Elijah glanced around at the advancing bandits. “Are you breaking that deal?”

“No!” Elijah screamed.

Karam sneered, “I didn’t think so.” Then he turned to the man on the ground. “I will hang your head on our city gates. I will hang your arms and legs at all corners of the city. And I will send the rest of you to the sultan himself.”

Elijah shuddered as he stared down at the ground. He squinted and wiped his stinging eyes. The
thud, thud, thud
in his chest returned with a vengeance.

As Karam advanced, the prince’s hallow voice cried out, “No! No! Please! No! Don’t hurt me! I…”

Elijah didn’t expect was he saw next. Karam quickly slid his sword into the prince’s chest and watched his blood ooze out onto the gravel.

Elijah squeezed his eyes shut. Once again, he started to black out. He turned to his friend, up high on the mountainside, but seeing him didn’t remove the anguish now building in his soul. It only intensified when he looked back to the black-haired man standing over the dead prince.

Suddenly, Karam shouted, “Take the caravan to the base! Leave the bodies! Except for the prince.” He slowly grinned. “We have work to do on him.” Then he turned. Before he walked away, he caught Elijah’s eyes and smiled, his white teeth bared.

That’s all it took for Elijah to start heaving onto the broken rocks before him.

Chapter 16

T
he crawl back
to Karam’s base was nothing but torment for Elijah. He kept thinking how the princess was suffering at the hands of her father, that Isabelle and Nizar probably stole his silver and emerald, and how he helped a mad man kill a prince. Inside, he cried that the prince’s death was his fault. Several times along the way, he stopped breathing and stumbled forward. Had it not been for Karim, he would have hit the ground, but his faithful and wise friend held onto his arm and wouldn’t let him go. No thought was good enough to revive him now. Even fleeting ones of the princess weren’t enough to capture his imagination. Every time he saw Karam’s back, he winced harder and longer. He couldn’t quit asking himself,
What will my friends think? Will I even have any friends?
Then he remembered what Karam was going to do with the man’s hands and he became overwhelmed. “Why me?” he cried. “Why me?

In his stupor, Karam walked up. “Well done, Elijah. I am impressed. You have helped me a great deal today.” His boldness was coupled with laughter. “Who would have ever thought that the rat thief would be
so
much help?”

Elijah’s face didn’t even twitch.

“Well, now, you work for me,” exclaimed Karam.

Elijah muttered. “What?” He didn’t raise his head.

Karam continued. “Yes. I am sorry, Elijah. This is how it must be.”

Elijah felt like a squirming worm. “That wasn’t part of the deal!” he shouted.

“It is now,” shouted Karam in return.

Karim stepped in between the two. “How dare you!”

“Quiet, fool!” shouted Karam as he glared into Karim’s eyes.

Desperately, Elijah pleaded, “I filled my part of the bargain!”

Karam laughed. “And now, you will do more. All you have to do is get information from the princess. That is all. Tell me when the next prince is coming, tell me what the sultan is doing. Do this for me, and you and your precious little princess will be safe. If you do not do this, I will personally deliver that pretty little head to you.”

Elijah turned red. “You! If you dare touch her!” He stood only inches away.

Karam grinned, “Then do as I say and she will keep her head.”

Elijah clenched his fists.

Karam’s eyes narrowed. “We will be watching you, Elijah. One wrong move and…” he stopped and ran his hand across his own throat.

They were silent.

Then Karam turned to go. “Report to me every time you meet with her. And trust me…I will know when you are with her,” he commanded and walked away.

Elijah couldn’t move. He was transfixed as nearly 200 men passed him by. Karim stared off into the distance. Elijah’s voice broke. “What have I done?” he winced.

Karim shook his head and joined the others.

Alone, Elijah fell to his knees. “What have I done?” he said, but no one heard.

Elijah tried to locate a familiar landmark, but everything now seemed the same, the low roofs, the busy streets, the onion domes. Nothing aided him in finding his way home. He couldn’t collect one clear thought. He felt as if his chest was going to burst wide open with the pressure and pain of the morning’s events. It was as if everyone and everything rejected him. He felt hopeless.

Karim and he did not say a word until they arrived at the front of the building. Desperate for some form of consolation, he secretly hoped Karim would say something, anything to allay the tremendous pain within.

Karim finally broke the silence. “What are you going to tell them?” he asked.

“I…” Elijah could only stammer.

Elijah glanced up at the sky for a moment and tried again. “I won’t tell them anything.”

Slowly, Karim responded, “Is that what you think is best, Elijah?”

Then the words flooded out of Elijah’s mouth. “What am I supposed to tell them? That I failed them? That I assisted in the murder of thirty men? What do I tell them, Karim?”

Karim shook his head. “Hide it as long as you want, but you did make a deal with a demon, and you will suffer the consequences for it.”

Elijah strained his voice. “I thought it was for the best!”

“And you were wrong. Your passion for this woman has blinded you of what is right and wrong.”

Elijah’s eyes glazed over. “That’s not true!” he cried.

“You will see it, Elijah. I pray that it is not too late when you do.”

Elijah’s legs nearly gave way as he stepped over the last low wall. He thought of his pillow and bedroll and didn’t want to talk to anyone. Karim led the way into the main room, smiling as he entered.

Nizar was the first to greet them as he sat beside Isabelle. “Well, well, what have we here?”

Elijah slowly lifted his head. “Good morning, everyone,” he said as he tried to smile.

Isabelle stared at him silently.

But Firas was his usual self. “Hey, Elijah! Hey, Karim!” He and Bayan were busy eating from a platter of red, green, and yellow fruits.

Bayan had just stuffed an entire banana into his mouth and, grinning, waved.

Rasha quickly bounded up and wrapped her arms around Elijah.

Nizar started to laugh. “So, Karim. Are you sleeping with the princess too?” The room became strangely quiet.

Karim walked over to the side table and put his sword down. Without looking back, he disappeared through the doorway.