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Sand trickled through my sandals, scraping my feet. Wind tore at my shawl, and wisps of dark hair flicked in my eyes. I rubbed my arms to chase away the chill carried on the desert air. Or was it my nerves stirring the goose bumps on myflesh?
Thank the gods, I had chosen a relatively still night to visit the sultan’s cave. The desert of Utaara could be a cruel place during asandstorm.
Fires blazing in the darkness signaled the Bedouin camps. Best to keep a great distance from them. I kept one hand on my dagger sheath in case ofdanger.
Among the sand dunes, Karim exploded with chatter on my shoulder after keeping silent for so long.I smiled. His noise was a welcome distraction from the worried thoughts swarming in mymind.
My stomach knotted at the task ahead of me. Stealing a few jewels from the cave officially topped my list of most-difficult heists. Luckily, I never went into a mission without a plan. Two nights spent scoping out the cavern had revealed ten palace guards posted outside the entrance each night. Instead of patrolling the place like the Sultan paid them to do, they drank wine and played card games, gambling away their wages. Typical. Though I guessed they had to entertain themselves somehow in such a boringjob.
If I succeeded in stealing some treasure, Ali would be safe, and we would be set for life. If I failed, I’d secure the standard thief's punishment—severed hands—possibly served up with a gang rape from the guards. Sure. A morbid thought. But when I thought about it, what more could I expect…a young girl, alone in the middle of the desert, with no one to hear me scream. I shook my head. The knot in my stomach tightened at the risk I took for thisheist.
Up ahead, the rocky caves rose out of the sandylandscape.
I rubbed my hands even though nerves spiked in my blood. The sultan’s treasures and my future awaited. We approached the cave from the west to avoid being seen by the guards. With each step a deep dread settled in my stomach, but I pressedon.
Karim gave me a soft chirp, as if reminding me not to worry because of all the times he’d save my butt before. Smart-ass.
In moments, we’d reached our destination—a hole in the roof of the cave, small enough for me to fit through. From what I could tell, the treasure was stored in an adjoining cavern. This section of the chamber wasn’t lit, and I’d be able to sneak in the backway.
By now, my gut ached withworry.
I secured my rope to a largerock.
“Go on, Karim,” Iwhispered.
He climbed down into thedarkness.
Just like I’d taught him, he yanked at the rope to tell me he’d reached thebottom.
Time to get a move on. I wound the rope around my thighs to act as a harness. While I lowered myself into the cave, the cord dug into my legs, cutting off my circulation. I bit back the pain. It was a small price to pay for a lifetime’s worth of treasure. The instant my feet struck the sandy floor, I unhinged the rope from around me and left it dangling through the hole in the ceiling. Hopefully I’d be able to find it again on my way out thanks to the moonlight trickling through thehole.
Centuries worth of dust filled my nose and made me want to sneeze. But for the sake of my mission, I held it in, even though it scratched and tickled likemad.
Ready for a new future, I whispered to Karim. “Showtime.”
But as I took a step, my foot got caught in a crevice, and I tripped, twisting my ankle. Staggering pain shot up my leg. Panic pressed to the back of my throat, threatening to escape along with the scream I clamped downon.
Oh, crap!This was the last thing Ineeded.
