Venturing Through the Maze of Gold

Zarqa sat down and held her leg out, allowing Ali Baba to press the wet cloth to her ankle, to which she grimaced as the cold moisture tickled her reddened wound. " You should have said something about it from the start," the boy grumbled.

" It's nothing big at all, you're over-exaggerating," Zarqa spoke in a monotone voice despite her flinching whenever Ali Baba dabbed at her ankle.

" You don't know how nasty things can get if those wounds are ignored," as he said that, Zarqa glimpsed a sad look in his eyes. It was for the briefest of moments, but his genuine concern was justified when that sadness shone through.

He had seen it firsthand.

The wound itself wasn't a big problem. It was just a scratch, probably caused by Majid's sword as he snatched her anklet away. However, with the amount of sand it got exposed to during their fall and having a tight golden chain swaying up and down over it as they ran served to irritate and chip at the small injury, making it all but painful to walk.

Zarqa had done a good job bearing it though. It wasn't until Ali Baba spotted blood smeared against the rim of her green dress when she bent to drink that he took notice of it. " Better keep this away for now. It will make walking even more of a hassle if you keep wearing it." Ali Baba took off the anklet and gave it back to the girl who nodded her head in response.

" Either way, I'm surprised…" She looked back at the small wall-mounted fountain she was sitting at. It was meanly a small arch built into a wall, with a semi-circular basin and a lion's head carved onto the inner wall with its mouth open, water spilling profusely out of it. " Didn't think water would be running down here."

" Who cares, so long as we got to drink." Ali Baba scooped a handful and drank it all before going for more. Morjana as well filled her beak with water and gulped it down happily.

Now thoroughly refreshed, Ali Baba sat down by the fountain and looked up. The city was a piece of art, with all of its masonry arches and splendid architecture, it was without any doubt, the most beautiful city anyone could have led an eye on. That alone without mentioning the fact that everything in it was made of genuine gold. Yet, all of that beauty and majesty was kept underground, hidden, unknown, and unheard of.

" This place is something else…" Ali Baba mumbled as he led his head on the rim of the basin, taking in the scenery.

Zarqa kept quiet as her eyes traced the further building towering over them. It seemed as if the further it went, the huger it grew. " The lost city of gold, huh… quite the befitting name for such place… It's like a hidden gem..."

" We should probably find a way out of here…" Ali Baba mused.

Zarqa hummed in thought as she racked her brain, trying to put pieces and bits together. " Probably…"

Ali Baba's shoulders tensed and his hand rested on his dagger all of a sudden, alerting both Morjana and Zarqa. His eyes sharply darted to a nearby alley and they could see a figure making its way towards them, lean and tall.

" Wait, it's me!" The figure raised his hands up to show that he meant them no harm and stepped out of the shadow. It was Jamal, with his face swelling and covered in blood.

" Jamal!" Zarqa cried in horror at his state.

" What happened to you?" Ali Baba asked him as he sheathed his dagger.

" Got a rough beating but managed to escape in the end." The older boy made an attempt at a smile but it was proven both difficult and painful for his face was too swollen.

" Come here, a bit of water is bound to make it feel better." Zarqa motioned as she stepped off the edge of the fountain and went to check on his injuries. " How horrible."

Ali Baba considered him for a moment before asking. " How did you get away from them?"

" Led them to a treasury and locked them there." He pulled away as Zarqa touched his forehead with a wet cloth to wipe away the blood. " Cold!"

" A treasury?" Ali Baba raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

" I doubt they would be trapped there for long. They were preoccupied with the gold and fighting each other they didn't notice me slip away and close the door. But they're bound to do so eventually. Habib and Saïd are more than capable of finding a way out in the end though."

" Which means we have to hurry and find the gate before they do," said Zarqa in a calm voice. It took a few seconds for the response to come.

" What gate?" Both boys inquired in confusion.

" The gate of the setting sun. I was told to find it." That didn't make much sense to any of them.

" 'Of the setting sun'… maybe it has something to do with West," Jamal suggested, pointing his hand past Ali Baba whose brow furrowed at that.

" I've been thinking the same as well…" Zarqa admitted, dipping the cloth again in the water and cleaning at Jamal's scathes. " But still… I don't think it would be that easy of a hint."

" True…" All three of them looked down as they pondered over the situation.

" First thing first, let us work with what we have." Ali Baba suggested as he placed his crow on his shoulder again and faced his two companions. " We head West and see what we can do from there. What says you?"

" Sounds fine with me." Jamal agreed. Zarqa merely nodded her head in approval.

" Yes, then let's get a move on. Before those guys find their way out of the treasury, or worse, find their way to us, " he said giving Jamal a side glance to which he agreed.

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Seeing as there was no way of telling time underground, they didn't know for how long they had been walking and wandering around the city.

Despite their destination being West, it appeared to be hard to reach, for the whole of the golden city was more or less like a maze made to befuddle them. Jamal pointed out that it might be to keep those with the intention of stealing at bay, yet Ali Baba was more than happy to disagree seeing how there was no need to venture that far to gather a decent haul of gold.

" If Morjana wasn't injured, we would have found the way by now," Ali Baba stated, gently stroking the bird's head and Morjana gave in to the touch, cawing softly.

" Maybe you could use your skills at climbing," Zarqa suggested and Ali Baba pouted.

" I would if I could but look!" He patted the wall by his side. " It's finely polished there is no way I could climb it. And there is no low roof in sight which I can use." He too seemed frustrated to be bound to the ground no less than his crow who was more than happy to agree with a loud indignant caw.

" Have patience," Jamal told him as he inspected their surroundings, trying to decide which way to take. " We have all the time in our hands to figure this little maze out."

Ali Baba opened his mouth to speak but decided against it, instead, he left Jamal to lead them through backside alleys, large open buildings, and wide streets large enough to accommodate a sultan's procession. 

" Where are we trying to go eventually?" He finally asked, prompting them to give him a location or a hint.

" West." Was all that Zarqa and Jamal answered much to his chagrin.

The longer they walked, the fancier the sight became, as if each and every structure was trying to dwarf and belittle the other. Also, the piles of silver, gold, and jewels grew larger and brighter they were hard to ignore. More than once, Ali Baba swallowed as he stared at them or got his hand smitten by Zarqa for trying to take from them. " Don't forget what happened in the valley." She would remind him.

" It won't hurt to take one or two, just as insurance for when we leave." He would argue back but to no avail.

At long last, the maze seemed to end as they came around a corner, and a great arch was standing before them, large and gleaming in gold with blue Sapphire encrusted into it. Zarqa craned her head to look at the drawings and words craved on it, an ancient version of their language, one that was lacking in details, all but unfathomable for them. Ali Baba on the other hand watered at the mouth just imagining the amount of gold it took for that arch to be erected.

Jamal was restless as if he was promised a party on the other end of it. " What are you two waiting for, come in." And he crossed under the arch...