Zardi nodded. Despite everything that had happened, the Falcon had become a home to her and Rhidan as well.
But it was not their real home. Home was a place where Zubeyda sang while picking mint from the garden, where Nonna would offer embraces when words wouldn’t do, and where Baba would teach her and Rhidan the calligrapher’s art and the importance of a steady hand to make a smooth stroke with a reed.
She probed on. “So, you’re not a pirate for jewels and riches then?”
Musty honked with laughter. “What would I do with jewels and riches? I have no one to buy things for—”
“Enough!” snarled a voice from behind her. She whirled round. Nadeem was glaring at Rhidan.
“Fine,” Rhidan said. “There’s no need to get upset.”
“Don’t play dumb.” Nadeem’s lips were a thin line. “Why are you asking me all these questions?”
“I was just trying to make conversation. Excuse me for even bothering.”
“You’re excused,” Nadeem spat back. “Don’t do it again.”
“Shhh!” Musty stopped abruptly. “I can hear the sea. We must be close to the shore!” He ran to the crest of the hill with Zardi, Rhidan, and Nadeem right behind him. They halted as the valley dropped away into sheer cliffs that overlooked a churning violet sea. There were no soft sandy shores here. No palm trees.
“We’ve come all this way for nothing,” the shipmaster groaned. “Not a coconut to be seen.”
“Maybe Sinbad and the others will have better luck,” Zardi said hopefully.
The shipmaster rubbed at his forehead, leaving a red patch. “I hope so. We’ve got to make more rope if we are going to finish repairing the ship.”
They trudged back toward the meeting point in silence, the mood bleak. As they got closer to the lake, Zardi quickly told Rhidan Musty’s story.
“I don’t think he has the other emerald,” she finished.
“Are you sure?”
“Certain,” Zardi responded. “What about Nadeem? Why’d he get so riled up?”
“It was weird. We were getting along quite well at first. He wanted to know a bit more about my magic, why I had it, why I’d lost it. I told him that I didn’t really understand what was happening with me and that’s why I wanted to find my real parents.” Rhidan crinkled his brow. “Nadeem said he never wanted to see his family again, that if Sinbad hadn’t saved him they would have sold him to the first person who came along.”
Zardi thought of the anger that always seemed to bake beneath Nadeem’s skin. “That explains a lot,” she said.
Rhidan nodded. “Then I said how nice it must be to have a permanent home on the Falcon, especially with all the treasure he gets to see from other ships. That’s when he got all mad.”
“Do you think he has the emerald?”
“Hard to tell,” Rhidan said. “Nadeem’s always defensive.”
“Well, there are still plenty of people to ask. We need to find that emerald eye.”
They arrived back at the river just before midday and waited for Sinbad’s party to appear. Zardi was lying on the grass, gazing up at a cloud that looked a bit like a Roc, when she heard a holler of greeting. Zain was running toward them, his long braid streaming behind him, his face as red as a chili pepper.
“What’s wrong?” Nadeem asked as soon as Zain was in earshot.
Zardi jumped to her feet. “Where are the others?”
“Diamonds,” Zain managed to get out. “We found diamonds.”
Zardi, Rhidan, and Nadeem stared at Zain in amazement. Musty was the one to break the silence. “What do you mean, diamonds? Have you found any coconuts?”
Zain waved his hand dismissively. “Musty, we found a valley full of diamonds. We weren’t going to search for any silly coconuts after that.”
“You can’t be serious.” Nadeem’s voice came out as a squeak.
“Come on, I’ll show you,” Zain said. “Sinbad sent me to get you all.” He laughed maniacally. “Don’t forget your bags. Your pockets won’t be deep enough.”
He tore off, heading northwest. The others followed him. “If only Zain would move this fast when working on the Falcon,” the shipmaster muttered.
“Diamonds would make most people run,” Rhidan replied wryly.
Musty pursed his lips. “But will diamonds get us home?”
They finally reached the edge of a hill dotted with golden bell-shaped flowers that swayed gently in the light wind.
Zain pointed down to the valley. Thousands of diamonds, some big, some small, some sharp, some smooth, lay on the floor of the gorge, sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. Many of the jewels were shot through with pinks and yellows and poked out between their crystal-clear cousins. Zardi squinted against the light and saw that the valley slopes were pitted with holes that led to darkness. The openings in the rocky surface reminded her of the brass rider’s gaping eye sockets. She felt a chill slice through her even though the sun shone brightly above.
“They can’t be diamonds!” Rhidan exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the translucent stones rising upward.
“Trust me, young one.” Sinbad’s voice boomed from somewhere down in the valley. “I’ve seen enough diamonds in my time to know.”
Zardi peered over the edge of the crest to see Sinbad, Tariq, Mo, and Ali waving at her. They were already halfway up the valley’s slope, their backs bowed by the weight of sacks stuffed full with jewels. She couldn’t help smiling: Mo had adorned his turban with tiny diamonds.
“Welcome to our fortunes.” A grin split Sinbad’s face as he and his companions reached them on the crest and put down their heavy bags.
“Diamonds aren’t going to fix the ship,” Musty growled.
“Oh, Musty, stop being such a grump! We’ll send another excursion party to find your precious coconuts. For now, you all need to come and help us gather as many diamonds as you can carry.”
“Wait till we show the others at camp,” Mo said eagerly.
“We’ll be heroes!” Ali added.
Zain winked at Nadeem. “No need for you to be so precious about that emerald you found now, is there?” He laughed, sounding drunk on happiness. “There are plenty of jewels for us all to share.”
For a stunned moment, Zardi and Rhidan stared at Nadeem.
Great! The boy who hated them down to the very soles of his sandals held the key to the djinni’s prison!
22
Slither
Zardi looked up. The yellow ball of the sun was slowly beginning to melt into the pink of dusk. She rubbed the back of her neck. The day had almost finished and she was thoroughly fed up with harvesting diamonds. Her back ached from being stooped over for hours and her head throbbed from the dazzling light that the jewels gave off. Even more annoyingly, neither she nor Rhidan had been able to speak to Nadeem about the emerald eye as he was never far from Zain’s or Tariq’s side.
Zardi felt a nudge in her ribs and turned her head to see Rhidan holding up a diamond the size of a fist. “You know what? After you’ve seen a hundred of these things they kind of lose their appeal.”
“Well, they haven’t lost their value,” Sinbad said, coming up behind them. “Come on, one last push. The sun is going down fast.”
As Zardi bent down to scoop up yet another diamond, a strange hissing noise, like oil sizzling in a pan, filled the gorge. She stopped still. Out of the gaps that pockmarked the walls of the canyon, a dozen black and gold snakes the length and width of three men lying head to toe slithered into sight. Their jaws opened to show the ruby velvet of their mouths and the absolute white of sharp, long fangs as they glided closer to them.
Screams erupted all around Zardi. She remembered what Lina had said about the Queen of the Serpents. This had to be the queen’s army.
“Run,” Sinbad commanded. He grabbed a flat, sharp diamond from the heap in front of him. He held it out like a dagger, his eyes fierce. “No one is dying today.”
Zardi and the others formed a closed cluster in
the middle of the valley.
“We’re not leaving you, Captain,” Musty said.
Mo, Ali, and Nadeem grabbed some large diamonds and hurled them at the fast-approaching snakes, but the creatures didn’t slow down. They began to hiss again, and Zardi’s blue stone blazed against her skin as her mind tried to grasp at what the snakes were saying. But it was not words that ripened in her head, rather images—of fangs sinking into human skin, of coiled muscle crushing bone. Zardi gritted her teeth and tried to close her mind against the force of the snakes’ desire to rip them apart. A high-pitched squawk came from the sky, and Zardi understood it immediately as the words “We’ll protect you.” She looked up. A flock of Rocs filled the air. They dove into the valley, talons flashing, their beaks open in harsh cries.
With a hiss the snakes fell back, watching their enemies with unreadable eyes. “The Rocs have come to help us,” Zardi yelled, pointing to the birds as they landed, kicking up a flurry of diamonds. Sinbad nodded, eyes wide as he took in the sheer size of the Rocs.
Zardi had told the captain all about the Rocs and the incident with the egg, but from the looks of it, hearing about the giant birds hadn’t prepared him for actually seeing them.
“On my back,” a small, fluffy-looking Roc squawked. Zardi leaped up onto the bird’s warm body and Rhidan clambered up behind her. With a beat of his wide wings they were carried into the air, leaving the teeming snake pit far below. As they climbed higher, Zardi saw that all of the Rocs were in the air, with Sinbad and the rest of his men in their clutches. “Thank you,” Zardi called out. “You saved us.”
The bird turned his head, his indigo beak catching slivers of light from the last rays of the setting sun. “You saved me once,” the bird warbled. “Now we’re even.”
“I saved you?” she asked, mystified.
“I was an egg at the time, so you probably won’t recognize me, but my mother told me of you. I’m Roco, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you, Roco.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Roco chirruped as they swooped through the darkening sky.
Rhidan nudged her shoulder. “Not everyone understands bird, Zardi, what did he say?”
She quickly told him who Roco was.
Her friend gave a low whistle. “Everything is so big on this island. Those snakes were enormous, and Roco was just an egg a couple of weeks ago.” He looked out at the fleet of Rocs with their grateful, yet still dangling, passengers. “Ask him something for me, will you? How did the Rocs know we were in trouble?”
Zardi asked, and found that her blue stone was warm but did not burn as it had when she’d first been trying to understand the snakes.
“I was out flying with my cousins when I saw the snakes attack.” The young Roc made a fierce cawing sound in his throat. “They kill anything that moves. I wasn’t going to let them kill you as well.”
“Tell him thank you,” Rhidan said, once Zardi had translated.
“You must stay away from that valley and the whole west side of the island,” the young Roc warned, his squawk echoing in the darkening sky. “Especially at night. It’s the home of the serpents and their queen. Everything that lies under the island earth is her domain as well.”
“Who is she?” Zardi asked.
“We don’t know where she came from,” Roco replied. “But she sends her snakes to kill us and strip us of our feathers. She’s not interested in peace, only destruction.”
The baby bird gave a little sneeze, and Zardi realized that Roco didn’t have proper feathers like the older Rocs, just downy fluff. He must be getting cold, now that the sun had dipped out of sight.
“Roco, we’re in your debt,” Zardi whispered as they wheeled through the sky.
“There’s no debt. You saved my life and now I’ve saved yours,” Roco cooed.
Below Zardi could see a cluster of enormous trees. She thought for a moment that they were completely bare, but as she got closer she saw that the branches sprouted leaves that looked like giant spiderwebs. They writhed in the wind like ghosts. She leaned forward and asked Roco about the white billowing canopies.
“Those trees are where we make our home,” Roco replied. “We bind our nests with those silken leaves. They are lovely and sticky.”
Too soon their flight came to an end, and the Rocs lowered Zardi and the other sailors onto the sandy shore of their camp next to the roaring fire. The other members of the crew ran up to them, surprise and fear shading their faces. They couldn’t help but gawp at the Rocs with fascination. Roco loved the attention, walking back and forth, preening and ruffling his feathers. He would have stayed on the beach all night if his cousins had let him. Instead, he was urged upward.
“Till next time,” he warbled.
“Until next time,” Zardi repeated, waving up at him until he was out of sight. Her fingers went to her tunic’s pocket, tracing the softness of the feather that Roco’s mother had given her on their first meeting. The Rocs were such incredible creatures, brave and clever, and thanks to Sula’s stone she could understand them.
Ouch! She drew her hand from her pocket swiftly. The sharp end of the feather had pricked her finger. Zardi sucked at the wound and laughed to herself. All right, the Roc may be my allies but they are still dangerous.
Zardi suddenly heard a roaring sound behind her and whirled round, ready to fight again. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her. Sinbad and the twins had emptied their diamonds onto the ground and the crew of the Falcon crowded around the heap. The roar had been their collective cry of approval and amazement.
Rhidan met her gaze and held up his own sack, emptying his jewels onto the rapidly growing mound. He was followed by Nadeem, Musty, Tariq, and Zain. The crew was wild with excitement now, picking up diamonds and passing them round eagerly. Sinbad had to shout himself hoarse to get their attention.
Once he did, he told his men about the Valley of Diamonds and the snakes that they found there. “The snakes were bigger than you could ever imagine, but we faced them bravely, weapons in hand.” The captain placed his hands on his hips. “There was no way they were going to stop us from getting our diamonds!” The crew whooped with approval.
Sinbad picked up a jewel that was as big as a fist and thrust it up into the air. “Men, our fortunes have been made!”
The crew began swinging each other in wide circles, their shadows jerky and long in the light of the fire that they danced around. Some of the men hugged, and others wept.
The captain held up his hands and continued with his speech. “Riches are important,” he said softly, “but they aren’t as precious as life.” He looked at his crew sternly. “I forbid you, any of you, to go back to that valley. Death waits there. It was only thanks to the Rocs and their friendship with Zee that we’re even standing here before you. She saved our lives.”
Zardi ducked her head in embarrassment as the crew began chanting her name. She looked up and saw Rhidan grinning at her proudly. She was about to smile back but stopped when she spotted Nadeem looking at her with eyes as flat and dead as those of the snakes in the valley.
She sighed softly. Nadeem had the emerald key that would release the djinni that could take them to the Windrose guardian, but as sure as the sun would rise the next day, she knew getting it from him would not be an easy or pleasant task.
23
What Lies Beneath
“Come on,” Rhidan whispered. “We’ve got to follow him.”
Zardi’s gaze trailed Nadeem as he stalked away from the fire where the rest of the crew sat talking. As Syed began to brag about what he would buy with his share of the diamond haul once they got back to Arribitha, she and Rhidan slipped away.
The moon was full, a huge white disc in the sky. Its rays touched on Nadeem as he walked toward the bone-white pyramid that split the beach in two.
“Nadeem,” Zardi called. The boy’s shoulders stiffened for a moment before he swiftly scrambled up and over the rocks.
Zardi and
Rhidan pursued him, but instead of climbing over the outcrop they splashed through the water lapping the shore. They met Nadeem on the other side, blocking his way down the deserted beach.
“What do you want?” Nadeem’s face was half in shadow.
Zardi hesitated. “We need to borrow your emerald.”
Nadeem laughed. “I don’t think so. Why do you need it anyway? You’ve got diamonds now.”
“Do you remember what I told you this morning? That I’m looking for my parents,” Rhidan said softly. “Well, that’s just part of the story.” He quickly told Nadeem about their quest to find the Windrose and its guardian before explaining that the emerald was the key to the djinni’s prison.
“This djinni could get us to the Windrose,” Zardi finished. A thought suddenly occurred to her. “And if we release her she might even send the Falcon home.”
Rhidan looked at Nadeem hopefully. “So will you lend it to us?”
“No.” The boy’s voice dripped with a selfish joy. “I don’t think I will.”
“You’ll get it back,” Rhidan insisted. “I promise.”
Nadeem shrugged. “I don’t care about getting it back, I just don’t want to give it to you.”
“Why?” Zardi burst out. “This djinni could help us, all of us!”
“And you two get to be the heroes again?” The words exploded from Nadeem’s mouth. “No way. It’s like everyone has forgotten that it’s your fault we’re here in the first place. It’s always how great Zardi is. Did you see what Rhidan did to that brass giant? Oh, and can you believe she talks to giant birds? Now you’ve saved us from those snakes.” He shook his head bitterly. “Why should you be so special?” The words spewed out of him in a tarry mass.
The Book of Wonders Page 14
