No, there she was, not too far away.
Calling her name, he heard her shriek, and with his heart in his throat, watched helplessly as she was pulled up into the sky.
“Yasmin!”
Her arms and legs flailed as she, too, was batted around like a ragdoll, before being pulled higher into the sky.
Siraj tried to think her back, he tried to use his thoughts to save her, but his concentration was crushed at the sound of Yasmin crying his name in terror.
As soon as it began, the winds suddenly died, and the dark clouds broke in the sky. One last, fading shriek was the only testament to the rage of the elements as the stars winked delicately in the sky.
Yasmin was nowhere to be found.
Falling to his knees, Siraj tugged on his hair and screamed at the top of his lungs in tearful denial. His wife had been taken. And he’d been powerless to stop it.
~ * ~
Tariq sprinted across the sand until he reached Siraj, still crying out to the sky. What the Viper had witnessed chilled him to the bone. Not since the witch Mother roamed the dunes had he seen such powerful magics. They’d appeared out of a clear sky and taken the newest princess of the desert. And now, Tariq had to find a way to comfort the broken heart of the Jackal.
Falling to his knees, the Viper didn’t hesitate. He took the man he’d always thought of as a younger brother into his arms and held on tight. Siraj had been the one to help him save Sabine from the clutches of his evil father. Siraj had been the young prince brave enough to stand up to Nestor and depose him in front of three of his peers.
There was nothing Tariq wouldn’t do for this boy.
“Are you all right?” Tariq asked, pulling back and holding the Jackal at arms’ length.
“She’s gone,” Siraj exclaimed before furiously wiping his eyes. “She’s gone and the god of Jackals did nothing to save her!”
Without warning, the younger prince stood and began marching back to his caravan. Tariq stood as well and trotted after him. He stopped him with his hand on his elbow.
“What do you have a mind to do?”
“I’m going to find her, Viper,” the boy spat. “Whatever it takes. I will search every cave, every cliff, every damn rock until the whole of Jikkar is turned upside down.”
“You can do nothing now,” Tariq reasoned.
“The hell I can’t!”
“Listen to me, Siraj!” Tariq took hold of his shoulders and shook him roughly. “I know you are hurting. But your people need you. Night has fallen. We cannot hunt for Yasmin in the dark, no matter how much we may wish it. The moons will not rise until close to daybreak. There is no light to speak of.”
“I cannot do nothing.” Siraj’s rage seethed within him, Tariq saw it in his eyes. He knew that pain well. He’d been made to endure it when Siraj’s father had abducted Sabine from Tariq’s own carav.
“You will not be doing nothing.” Tariq tried hard to keep his voice calm and even. Siraj needed to see reason. He could not merely ride off into the night and hope for the best. “Some of your caravs have been destroyed. Your people are injured. They need the guidance and leadership of their prince right now.”
“She is out there, Viper,” Siraj said, growling through his tears. “She is alone and terrified and I can do nothing to protect her. I am her husband, I promised to protect her!”
Tariq nodded and squeezed Siraj’s shoulders. He had an idea. “We need help. I didn’t know what was so very obvious until after I’d married Sabine, but I am a dream walker. I can send my dreams to others.”
Siraj blinked, clearly not understanding.
“I can contact the Falcon. If I get through to him tonight, he can call the birds from his aeries to help us search the dunes for your princess.”
The Jackal’s eyes widened in shock. “Yasmin told me she can hear the Falcon’s calls!”
Tariq grinned. “Then we might find her yet.”
“But, Viper, what if…what if…the ghost…”
“Don’t even think it,” Tariq replied. “You said it yourself. Yasmin is the Jackal Princess. Your god will keep his eye on her.”
Siraj glanced up at the constellation of the Jackal in the night sky and shook his head bitterly. “That didn’t save my mother.”
Tariq watched in shock as his old friend made his way back to his ruined caravan. The unshakable faith of the Jackal Prince had been shaken to its very foundation. Tariq prayed to every god of the desert that they’d find Siraj’s princess.
Alive.
Fourteen
The Jackal’s heart burned. His eyes swelled with tears but he refused to shed them. Every step he took brought him closer to his caravan and the wails and shouts of his people. Their cries ripped through him, some for their broken caravs, others for their injuries.
Some cried for their abducted princess.
Yasmin hadn’t ridden his caravan long, but Siraj had known his people would accept her. It had been no secret she was the woman he’d been searching for all these long years—the woman with the lavender eyes.
The Viper wasn’t too far behind him, and thankfully he ordered his men to help Siraj’s men clean up the wreckage. Tariq must have known Siraj didn’t have the capability to deal with this tragedy—therefore he’d taken it upon himself to bark orders left and right. For that, Siraj would be forever grateful.
He did, however, tell his physician to heal anyone who needed it. Thankfully most of the people had been away from the caravs attending the Jackal’s wedding, and there were few injuries to be had.
The Sentinels, the hairy, magical beasts that pulled the caravs through the dunes, were unharmed, as Siraj knew they would be. In all his years, he’d only seen dead Sentinels once, and that was when the god of Cobras had taken out his wrath upon Jaden Rahasha for his sins against the desert princes. The house of the Cobra Prince was now nothing more than a mere memory.
Amidst the chaos, a certain order was restored, and soon, everyone worked together to gather the debris strewn across the sand. The caravs that had been tossed into the sky could not be saved. There was nothing more to be done other than stack the unmarred wooden slats on top of the other carriages and lash them down. They did the same with the metal runners that guided the caravs through the sand, in the hopes they could make new caravs in Suridesh.
What couldn’t be saved was burned.
While the flames licked the night sky, Siraj went in search of Yasir. It was easy enough to find him, he was busy picking through the ruined caravs, choosing what wood to keep and what wood to dispose of. Despite the cool evening, Yasir had peeled his robe off his arms and tied it around his waist.
“Yasir!”
Siraj’s brother glanced up at the sound of his voice and made his way over to him, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Yes, Jackal?”
“Your wife, I assume she is safe?”
Yasir nodded. “She is with the Viper Princess in her caravan.”
Siraj breathed a quick sigh of relief, thankful nothing had happened to any of his surviving family. “I must ask something of you.”
“Anything,” Yasir said with a slight bow.
“I am leaving in the morning, the moment the sun rises. I must find my princess.”
“Of course.”
“I do not know how long I will be gone. I am leaving my caravan in your capable hands.”
Yasir gazed at him, seemingly speechless.
“You are to take the people to my oasis, fill my water caravs and travel on to Suridesh, is that understood?”
Yasir’s mouth worked up and down but no sound escaped him. Siraj knew his brother had been blindsided by his request. He was the son of Siraj’s father, but being illegitimate, Yasir had no claim to the throne. What Siraj was asking him to do was to take on the mantle of the Jackal Prince when he had no right—a request that was unheard of in the desert.
“Is that understood, Yasir?” Siraj’s patience was wearing thin. Sunrise couldn’t come soon enough.
“I…I…” His brother nodded.
“Good. Wait for me in Suridesh. Do you know the way?”
Again, Yasir nodded. He’d ridden with the caravan drivers when he was a child—he probably knew his way around Jikkar as easily as Siraj did. “See to it this wood can be remade into new caravs. Those who have lost their homes are to be made comfortable with others until their homes can be replaced.”
“It will be as you say.”
Siraj took a deep breath and glanced at the sky. Right now, they should be feasting. Right now, he should be holding Yasmin in his arms and celebrating their good fortune. Gods above. Something had taken her. Something with such raw power, it had flung her into the sky before disappearing before his very eyes.
Yasir placed his hand on Siraj’s shoulder. “Find your princess, Siraj. We will be fine.”
“I am asking too much of you.” When his eyes met his brother’s, they stung with moisture. “I cannot expect you to traverse the dunes with an entire caravan to care for. You have a wife of your own, responsibilities—”
“You are my prince and you are my brother,” Yasir replied. “That makes Yasmin both my princess and my sister. I will do whatever I can to preserve our people while you look for your wife. Bring her home to us.”
Without another word, Siraj grabbed Yasir into a tight hug. “Pray for Yasmin,” he whispered. “Gods, I am terrified!”
“I am praying already, brother. For you as well.”
Siraj pulled back and managed a watery grin. “Thank you. For everything. I will not forget this.”
“Just find our princess, Jackal.”
Siraj steeled his features and gave his brother one single nod.
Fifteen
There he was.
Finally.
It had taken Tariq a few tries to locate Khalil in the dream world. Perhaps the Falcon hadn’t gone to sleep until late in the evening. But Tariq had managed to find him, dreaming of driving his caravan across the dunes.
It hadn’t surprised Tariq, finding out he’d been a dream walker after marrying Sabine. He’d once thought her Viper armband held the power of their shared dreams. His mother had enchanted it to find the one woman he could love, after all. But the armband hadn’t been responsible for their dreams—it had merely helped him focus his own power.
For years, the Viper had believed he didn’t have any ability other than the common magics, lighting lamps and cleansing his body. But after he’d had a son with Sabine, Hassan began talking about what he had dreamed—the very same images Tariq had dreamed.
Trying many times, every one of his attempts had been successful in reaching the dreams of others. He had found his ability.
Tariq’s favorite part was the fact he could do anything in the dream world. Instead of calling to Khalil from the sand, he appeared to the Falcon on the driver’s seat of the lead carav.
“Hello, Tariq!” Khalil said jovially. “Care to drive my caravan for a spell? I’m going to hop down and make flatbread with the servants. It’s Amani’s birthday, you know. She would like some flatbread.”
“Falcon,” Tariq replied. “You are dreaming. And I am not a figment of your dream. I’ve come to talk to you about something important.”
“Yes, the Spider Princess’s birthday, let’s go make gifts!”
“Khalil!” This was the part Tariq hated, having to convince the person that what you said was true and not a dream. “It is not Amani’s birthday. You are dreaming.”
“I am…dreaming?”
Tariq nodded. “Have you ever made flatbread in your life?”
“No.”
“Then why would you start now?”
Khalil gazed at him with a blank expression. “I…I don’t know.”
“Listen to me. I am a dream walker. I’m contacting you through my magic.” When the Falcon didn’t respond, Tariq continued. “Siraj needs your help. He’s married Yasmin, the young woman who healed him in the desert ten years ago. She is his princess now. But she has been taken from him by a…a whirlwind.”
Khalil arched a brow. “You are sure this is not still a part of my dream?”
“I know it sounds odd, but it is the truth. We need your magic to call your falcons. We need to find Yasmin. The Jackal and I believe she was abducted by a ghost—a very powerful one at that. It’s been stalking her. Waiting until the time was right. Siraj thought his god would protect her, but she was taken right after their wedding ceremony.”
“Siraj is married? Young Siraj?”
“He’s not young any longer, Falcon. He has seen twenty-seven cycles.”
“That is still young.” Khalil smiled. “The Jackal has himself a princess.”
Tariq nodded. “Yes.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t be too shocked he married the one girl he’s never been able to forget.”
“And now she has been taken from him. His heart is broken, Khalil. We must help him.”
“Yes, we should. I will call my falcons at first light. They will be able to cover more ground than Siraj or his men.”
“Thank you, Khalil,” Tariq said, slapping his old friend on the shoulder. “I will contact you again tomorrow evening, to see if you’ve found her.”
“No need,” Khalil replied, holding up his hand. “If I find her, I will send a falcon to you.”
“How will it know where to find me?”
“You question my magic?” Khalil sounded affronted, but Tariq knew he was not. Tariq gave him a grin.
“Not at all, Falcon. It shall be as you say.”
“When my falcons find the Jackal Princess, I will make sure she is safe and send word. If I can, I will bring her back to my oasis. My caravan is resting there as we speak.”
“Excellent. I will look forward to seeing your birds in the sky. And so, too, will the Jackal.”
“He’ll owe me one.”
“At this point, I think that boy is willing to do just about anything to get his wife back.”
The dream broke and Tariq opened his eyes. The twilight of dawn peeked over the horizon, lighting his carav. Sabine cuddled next to him under the blanket and he squeezed her closer, kissing her forehead with a sigh.
If he knew Siraj at all, that boy probably hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. Even now, Tariq was willing to bet the young prince was assembling his men in the search for Yasmin. Tariq didn’t blame him. He himself had been crazy with urgency when Siraj’s father had taken Sabine from him.
The only saving grace they had now was the power of the Falcon Prince, who was no doubt awake himself after their shared dream broke.
“Please help Siraj,” Tariq whispered to any god who was listening.
~ * ~
Siraj cinched the girth strap on his horse’s saddle and checked his supplies. A few of his camels had been loaded with water and food for his men, who were also checking their horses. He didn’t have many men to spare, only ten would accompany him to find Yasmin. Most of his men needed to stay with the caravan, to help with the water delivery to Suridesh, and help rebuild the four caravs that had been destroyed.
The Jackal had already wound his dunla on his head and squinted at the sun. It was an hour past dawn and the desert was heating up.
This was not going to be a pleasant trip.
“Did you sleep?” Tariq’s voice startled him, but he didn’t turn around.
“No.”
“You must rest, Siraj. You’re no use to Yasmin if you’re exhausted.”
“I will rest when I find her.”
Despite the Viper’s words, Siraj wasn’t tired in the least. He had a suspicion whatever magic Yasmin had given him long ago was sustaining him now.
Siraj turned to face his friend. The Viper was dressed in his traveling robes with his own red dunla on his head. Behind him were thirty of his finest men, dressed the same, ready to light out across the dunes. Siraj gasped at the sight.
“Then let’s find your princess.” Tariq smiled.
“But…” Si
raj was at a loss for words. “You have your own people to worry about. You need to go to Suridesh!”
The Viper nodded. “Sabine is more than capable of driving my caravan into the tent city. But my place is with you.”
Siraj swallowed hard while his eyes burned. He struggled for every breath, determined not to lose control.
“You once helped me save Sabine,” Tariq said. “I will not let you find Yasmin alone.”
Siraj embraced his old friend. Tariq gave him a squeeze, then released him. “I was able to contact Khalil last night. He will lend us his falcons in the search.”
For the first time in what seemed an eternity, Siraj smiled, and relief swept through him like a desert wind. “Thank you, Viper,” he whispered.
“We are all family,” Tariq told him. “We take care of our own.”
“I…I don’t know exactly where Yasmin is, but I can feel her toward the west.” Siraj turned his gaze to the far dunes. Her magic tugged him toward her. It was how he knew she’d been hiding in the weaving carav after Tariq’s arrival yesterday.
“Then that is where we shall go. Let’s mount up. We have a woman to find.”
Without any further encouragement, Siraj mounted his horse and ordered his men to do the same. With one last glance at his caravan, he spied his brother Yasir next to the lead carav.
Siraj raised his hand and Yasir did the same. With a sharp whistle, Siraj kicked his horse, riding side by side with the Viper Prince. The thunder of their horses’ hooves echoed across the sand.
Sixteen
A loud, piercing cry woke Yasmin, making her realize she was face-down on a large dune. Something was pulling on her soul, beckoning her to the north. She’d felt that pull before, yet she couldn’t place it. But just as swiftly as it had begun, it was gone, leaving Yasmin disoriented and confused.
Sand filled her mouth. The sun beat down upon her back like a ray of fire. Lifting her head, it was all Yasmin could do to open her eyes. She coughed, and sand flew away from her face. But inhaling only served to make her cough more.
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