Fire in the Heart : The Princess and the Bandit (9781629020112) (16 page)

Karam’s laughter died down. “Now settle down, rat. Let’s not blow this out of proportion. You see. If you do not do what I ask, you and the princess die.” He paused as he pushed his hair back out of his eyes. “Now do you really want to risk that? And I promise, your princess will have the worst of it,” he said as his men circled the two.

Elijah shook his wobbly head. “You’re sick!”

He quickly replied as his men erupted in wild cheers. “No, I am sultan!”

Karam held his sword to Elijah’s throat. “Put that weapon down now, rat.”

Elijah paused as he glanced around. He then let his sword clatter against the roof. One bandit quickly ran over, scooped it up, and then sunk back into the crowd.

Karam shouted, “Now you and Karim will join us when we kill the prince. Do you understand?”

Elijah stood there, speechless. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. The immense feeling of solitude he had experienced the entire day suddenly engulfed him, choking him relentlessly.

“
Do…you…understand?
” screamed Karam as he lunged and began pounding Elijah’s face. Elijah fell in a heap as he raised his hands. “
Do you understand?
” screamed Karam again. The brutal attack continued as Elijah tried to lift his arms, but they couldn’t keep up with Karam’s rage. For what seemed like an eternity to Elijah, Karam continued. And then, Elijah lost track of time. When he realized that the beating had stopped, the image of Karam towering over him slowly emerged through his blood-soaked eyes. Elijah rolled over and pulled his hands around the back of his neck. With blood dripping from his clenched fists, Karam leaned down and whispered, “I will see you in two days, Elijah. Be prepared.” He laughed boldly as he turned. “Oh, and remember. If you dare double cross me, it will be the last thing you ever do.” The bandit who picked up Elijah’s sword darted over and slammed his foot into Elijah’s ribs. Elijah winced as he held his arms against his head.

Silence returned. Elijah turned toward the stars above and felt the crusty dryness of his own life as the tears started to flow. Frozen and nearly lifeless, he felt dead except for the constant throbbing in his head. He kept forgetting to breathe.

Chapter 18

E
lijah jerked when
the first rays of the sun streamed across his face. Seconds later, he couldn’t avoid the surge of anger when he relived Karam’s fists crashing down on him. He rubbed his eyes and winced as his mind continued to flood with that painful memory. He had never felt such sadness and rejection combined. He tried to remember what was supposed to happen today, but drew a blank. Then suddenly, he sat up.
Today is the day of Prince Anas’s arrival!
he thought, just as Karim walked into the room. His friend glanced down, shook his head, and continued to buckle his sword. Elijah’s thoughts ran back to the night before and how he had successfully lied to his friends about his bruises. Rasha had started to cry when he told them how he had escaped from a guard. He refused to let them know that he now was controlled by a psychopath. That thought was all it took to cause his heart to race.

Karim asked, “Are you ready?”

He stared up at him and hesitated. “As ready as I’m going to get,” he finally mumbled.

Karim’s lips were drawn tight. “Let’s do this, Elijah.”

Elijah looked through the doorway. “We can’t keep doing this forever, Karim.” He couldn’t hear any other noises in the place. He suddenly wished that he was still asleep. Then he thought,
Is anywhere safe anymore?

Karim shook his head. “Maybe you should have thought of that before you made a deal with the devil,” he said.

Elijah jumped up and finished dressing. He shot one glare at Karim and then walked outside, only to find two of Karam’s bandits on the neighboring roof. The color drained from his face.

One of the men shouted gruffly, “Come with us.” He waved and then started walking straight toward the palace domes.

Karim hesitated. “Is there a reason we are heading this way?” he asked.

“Karam will explain when we get there,” came a calloused reply.

Elijah’s chest felt like it was going to explode as they ran up to the roof where he had kissed Natalia two nights before. His face started to throb when he saw his dried blood spilled over the roof tiles. He wondered what Natalia would have done if she had witnessed his misery just as Karam and over a dozen bandits, sprawled across the roof in the early morning shade, appeared.

Karam sprung to his feet. “Ah!” he said as he extended his arms. “There is our man.”

Instantly, Elijah felt his stomach tighten. No one said a word.

Karam came closer, “Welcome to the greatest day of your miserable life!” he chided.

Elijah watched the man approach. Within arm’s length, Karam suddenly threw a punch toward Elijah’s face. Elijah flinched as he clenched his fists and ducked, only to be met with Karam’s intense laughter.

Elijah felt a series of rapid thuds inside his chest as his breathing increased. “What is the plan, Karam? Why are we not out in the mountains waiting for them?” he asked.

Karam leaned into his face. “Because we are going to kill him here, in front of the palace, where everyone can see! We shall give them a taste of the destruction that is about to come!” he boasted.

“What?” exclaimed Elijah.

Elijah felt his knees tremble as Karim spoke, “You’re in over your head, Karam!” Then Karim glanced around.

“Am I?” blurted out Karam in laughter. “I think not! When this prince comes, the entire city will feel the wrath of Karam!” He stopped suddenly and stared down at his feet.

The roof shuddered, at first, slowly, then again and again.

Elijah lifted his head to low and steady tremors coming up through his feet and legs and into his ears. He stared at Karim, hoping for an answer, for he could see the look on his face too. They were both feeling and hearing something they had never before experienced.
What is this sensation?
he thought, when suddenly, one of Karam’s twelve screamed out, “Earthquake!”

But Karim’s distant stare forced him to yield a different judgment. Elijah followed his raised arm. “No!” They both fixed their eyes past the city walls. “It’s an army!” shouted Karim.

Elijah was dumbfounded as a small grin appeared. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes, but the image didn’t go away. Off in the distance was a massive army, a tan, red, and black mass, moving, swaying, pressing forward, directly toward the city. He tried to count, but realized that the number must be in the hundreds of thousands of both men and animals. They crossed the early morning sands, still cool from the sun’s reprieve. Hundreds of enormous elephants, loaded with boxes, bundles, and sled-pulling harnesses dotted the front line. They trampled across the wide horizon as far as eye could see. Whether on horseback or foot, the men formed even lines, all around them, side to side and front to back. He couldn’t see the end as they kept piling over the most distant dunes like ants searching for food. He glanced back at the closest elephants and realized that many of the sleds they were pulling had small buildings on them. They looked like small houses. It was like a dream, but when Karim hit his arm, glancing at the same spectacle, he knew what he was seeing was real. They both stared at a veritable moving city. Now, he knew what had caused the constant rumbling. Natalia’s words rang back in his mind. “He has the largest army the world has ever seen.” He had no idea that this was what she was talking about. “Who would?” he reasoned. He could now see containers on some of the sleds, huge clay jugs and crates, teeming with plants and other food items. An entire herd of goats plodded along, behind about twenty elephants, and he could now hear their ever-so-faint bleating.

The bandits hadn’t said anything as the roof tiles shimmied underfoot. Karam stood, staring, speechless as well, until he turned to Elijah. “Failed to mention something?” he asked.

Elijah pulled his eyes away from the excitement for a second. “I…I didn’t know,” he muttered and then caught sight of three huge chariots. They were covered in red and black tapestries as they made their way before three massive elephants pulling a single crate, wider than all three combined.

Karam, with jaws clenched, stared back out at the sea of movement destined right toward the palace. “What is this?” he shouted. Down below, hundreds of guards marched out of the palace and throngs of people spilled into the streets. Some remained inside and leaned out of their windows. Wave after wave of vibrations flooded every city surface and showed no signs of abating.

Elijah now grinned from ear to ear, again remembering Natalia’s words. “So this is the God-King’s army?” he remarked.

Karam nodded. “Incredible,” he mumbled as he glanced around at his men.

Karim was speechless while he fixated on the unfolding drama.

Elijah turned toward Karam and noticed that some of the color had drained out of his face. “So what is the plan now, Karam?” he asked.

Elijah wondered if Karam had heard him as the approaching hoard grew louder and louder. Karam just stared into the distance. The army continued to advance and finally stopped just before the city walls, a hundred trumpets blasting their ear-piercing announcement. Immediately, an entourage made its way through the city gates and down the palace way. A thousand horsemen closely followed three chariots and three elephants.

The lead chariot carried two people, a man, waving at the throngs lining the streets, and a woman. She leaned out and greeted those close to her. She was one of the most beautiful woman Elijah had ever seen, and he quickly wondered if all princesses were so beautiful. He was stunned by her minimum apparel. She wore arm guards of metal and a low-cut top, partially concealing her full bosom and upper rib cage. He was instantly enticed by her body and shocked at the size of her sword. Strapped on her back was a weapon two-thirds her height, and she looked every bit capable of using it too, he thought. A smaller, equally deadly blade was strapped to her lone belt as it hung by her side. The man wore a leather and metal uniform unlike anything he had seen. His torso was wrapped in black leather with breast and back plates of metal ribs, and his shoulders and thighs were covered in the same. The armor covering his arms appeared much like the woman’s, albeit, sturdier, but equally protective in design. His full black hair reminded him of Karam, but his face seemed kinder. He wore two belts, one around his midsection, and one around his waist, each secured by a large round silver medallion.
This must be the prince
, thought Elijah.

The second chariot carried an ominous sight, a robed man with a mask. The heavy material was embroidered with black woven edging, drawing attention to the purple and blacks of the material itself. Black lines swirled neatly against the purple background. Elijah stared at the design and was immediately captured by its intensity. He noticed the man’s body armor and shuddered as his eyes met the enormous man’s stare. The man’s skin was almost pure white, death-like. Elijah swallowed hard.
He might be a warrior
, Elijah thought.
But why the large scepter and why the barbed mask covering his nose and mouth?
Elijah shuddered again, almost violently, and finally glanced away.

Standing beside him was a giant of a man, covered in white, a warrior. He wielded a sword as long as the full length of his body, gripped firmly by spear-shaped, metal gloves. His head was white, pure muscle, as it bound itself to his torso, and his eyes sent fear into Elijah’s soul. Elijah’s heart sank.
What kind of man is this?
he thought. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest. As he examined the man’s breastplate, he realized that he could fit two of him in it and still have room to spare. The rest of his jagged metal casing seemed perfectly suited to fend off even the most aggressive of attackers. Elijah thought how he would never want to be one of those.

The third chariot finally came into view and nearly overwhelmed Elijah. He felt his mind dance around from his own pain to the mighty display of power unfolding on the once peaceful city streets below. In it stood another warrior, just as intimidating as the others. A brilliant red plume of feathers hung down from his ornate head gear, attracting attention from the smallest of observers. Four curved blades, two on either side of his mouth, jutted forward just above a neck covering of silver mail. The brass etching in his shoulder gear matched his helmet design and flowed into his breastplate. Sharp edges abounded, screaming power and danger to anyone who dared approach. Elijah tried to take it all in, but kept focusing on the sharp, black lines above the man’s eyes.
What kind of warrior is this?
he wondered. He knew that the sultan had no match in his army or in his land.

Karam danced around between his men and back to Elijah. “This cannot be!” Karam said. No sooner had he said that, then did the sultan and the princess exit the palace.

Elijah felt his heart skip a beat as he caught sight of the fashionably attired princess. Her flowing brown and purple silk dress rippled in the early morning breeze, held perfectly in place by a full frontal necklace of gold. Completing the glittering collection was a belt made of gold ringlets attached to the front of the long jewelry.

Karam clenched his fists and broke Natalia’s spell on Elijah. “They are all here! They are all here! Give me a bow and arrow!” he shouted.

Elijah turned to the shuffle of feet and watched as a bandit ran up to him. “What are you doing?” he cried.

Karam lifted the bow and drew back the string.

Elijah shouted, “You can’t! Are you crazy? There is an entire army down there! You won’t get away!”

Karam grinned. “Watch and learn,” he whispered. Just then, a large roar erupted. Karam slowly looked at his bow and then lowered it, glancing toward the enormous crate. Several screamed. The man in the lead chariot quickly lifted his hands as he and the woman stepped onto the street. The other two chariots abruptly stopped and the man with the scepter and the white warrior joined them. In another minute, they were joined by the man and his red plume. The multitude of horsemen suddenly advanced and surrounded the regal entourage. Again, the man out front lifted his hands. The screams stopped. He then turned to the sultan and the princess.