Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands 1)

Ahmed beat the other eleven princes in the test of intelligence, a huge maze full of traps built in the palace grounds, and the test of wisdom, a riddle posed by the wisest of the Sultan’s advisors. When he came to the test of strength, trial by single combat, Ahmed won every fight until only he and Prince Kadir, the firstborn of the Sultan’s sons, were left standing. They fought all day, until Kadir surrendered. Instead of executing his eldest brother Ahmed spared his life. He turned his back on him to face their father, to claim the title of Sultim. Behind Ahmed’s back Kadir raised his sword in a blow that would have killed his brother. At that moment Ahmed’s sister, the Djinni’s monster daughter, stepped from the crowd, throwing away her human disguise, and used unnatural powers inherited from her father to deflect Kadir’s blade so that he missed. Furious at this intervention, the Sultan declared Kadir Sultim and ordered Ahmed’s execution. But the young prince escaped into the desert with his monster sister, to raise a rebellion for his throne. A new dawn, a new desert.

I tied the thread and sliced off the excess with the knife.

The foreigner turned around, giving me my first view of his bare chest. I suddenly felt like I needed to look anywhere but at him. Which was stupid, because this was the desert and I’d seen every man I’d ever known without a shirt. But this man I didn’t know. And usually I didn’t notice the muscles in their arms or the way their stomachs rose and fell or the tattoo of a sun over their hearts.

He was looking at me in the fast-fading sunlight. “I don’t even know your name,” he said.

“I don’t know yours.” I looked up, shoving dark hair off my face with my knuckles so I didn’t get blood all over myself. I started to rub them on one of the rags that was still soaked with alcohol.

“Jin.” He’d given me a false name last night, though he didn’t know it. I wasn’t so sure he was giving me a real name now. It didn’t sound like any I’d ever heard.

“You sure about that?” I pressed.

“About my name?” His mouth quirked up as he rolled his injured shoulder. It pulled the bare skin of his stomach so I could just see the edge of another tattoo pull up above his belt. Suddenly I wanted to know what it was. The thought made my neck feel hot. “Fairly sure.”

My eyes flicked up to his face. “Sure you’re not lying to me?”

His grin spread. “Lying’s a sin, don’t you know?”

“So I’ve heard.”

Jin’s eyes danced across my face in a way that made me restless. “You know I’d be dead without your help.”

So would I.

But I didn’t tell him that. I didn’t joke that he should call me Oman like I wanted to. Or the Blue-Eyed Bandit, or anything else I wanted to say. “It’s Amani,” I said. “My name, that is. Amani Al’Hiza.”

It was damn hard to trust a boy with a smile like that. A smile that made me want to follow him straight to the places he’d told me about and made me sure I shouldn’t at the same time.

“I can get you a clean shirt,” I managed. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes on his face when there was so much else of him on show. “If you can wait here.”

“The army will be back for me.” He scratched the back of his neck, inching the tattoo on his hip higher still. It looked like an animal I didn’t recognize. “I should probably move on.”

“I reckon you should.” I tore my eyes away. I couldn’t trust him, I reminded myself. I didn’t really know this foreign boy with a strange name. No matter that we’d saved each other’s lives. I’d known him all of two days. But hell, I still liked him twice as much as the men in this town I’d known my whole life. And my life was what was at stake here. One way or another. “And you should take me with you.”

“No.” Jin’s answer came so quick, I knew he’d been expecting me to ask, maybe even before I’d decided to. He didn’t meet my eyes as he spoke next. “You saved my life and I’m returning the favor.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that.” I tried to check the desperation in my voice. “I’m just asking you to get me out.”

His eyes were fixed on mine, trapping me there. “You don’t even know where I’m going.”

“I don’t care.” I caught myself leaning closer, too close when there was already nothing between us. “I just need help getting anywhere that’s not here. Somewhere with a train, or a decent road. Then we can call it quits and I can find my own way to Izman. There’s nothing for me here, any more than there is for you.”

“And who says there’s anything for you out there?”

The words stung. “There’s got to be more than here.” He laughed, and for that split second, I had the advantage. I took it. “Please.” I was as close to him as I could get without touching him. “Haven’t you ever wanted something so bad that it becomes more than a want? I need to get out of this town. I need it like I need to breathe.”

His breath came out in one hard exhale. I saw his resolve teetering. I didn’t dare say another word in case I pushed it the wrong way.

Then the bells started and the moment toppled. I looked round so fast, I near split my skull on the counter.

“Isn’t it a bit early for evening prayers?” Jin said what I’d been thinking.

“Those aren’t prayer bells.” My heart felt like it might’ve stopped, but I was still breathing. Listening long enough to be sure. beat the other eleven princes in the test of intelligence, a huge maze full of traps built in the palace grounds, and the test of wisdom, a riddle posed by the wisest of the Sultan’s advisors. When he came to the test of strength, trial by single combat, Ahmed won every fight until only he and Prince Kadir, the firstborn of the Sultan’s sons, were left standing. They fought all day, until Kadir surrendered. Instead of executing his eldest brother Ahmed spared his life. He turned his back on him to face their father, to claim the title of Sultim. Behind Ahmed’s back Kadir raised his sword in a blow that would have killed his brother. At that moment Ahmed’s sister, the Djinni’s monster daughter, stepped from the crowd, throwing away her human disguise, and used unnatural powers inherited from her father to deflect Kadir’s blade so that he missed. Furious at this intervention, the Sultan declared Kadir Sultim and ordered Ahmed’s execution. But the young prince escaped into the desert with his monster sister, to raise a rebellion for his throne. A new dawn, a new desert.

I tied the thread and sliced off the excess with the knife.

The foreigner turned around, giving me my first view of his bare chest. I suddenly felt like I needed to look anywhere but at him. Which was stupid, because this was the desert and I’d seen every man I’d ever known without a shirt. But this man I didn’t know. And usually I didn’t notice the muscles in their arms or the way their stomachs rose and fell or the tattoo of a sun over their hearts.

He was looking at me in the fast-fading sunlight. “I don’t even know your name,” he said.

“I don’t know yours.” I looked up, shoving dark hair off my face with my knuckles so I didn’t get blood all over myself. I started to rub them on one of the rags that was still soaked with alcohol.

“Jin.” He’d given me a false name last night, though he didn’t know it. I wasn’t so sure he was giving me a real name now. It didn’t sound like any I’d ever heard.

“You sure about that?” I pressed.

“About my name?” His mouth quirked up as he rolled his injured shoulder. It pulled the bare skin of his stomach so I could just see the edge of another tattoo pull up above his belt. Suddenly I wanted to know what it was. The thought made my neck feel hot. “Fairly sure.”

My eyes flicked up to his face. “Sure you’re not lying to me?”

His grin spread. “Lying’s a sin, don’t you know?”

“So I’ve heard.”

Jin’s eyes danced across my face in a way that made me restless. “You know I’d be dead without your help.”

So would I.

But I didn’t tell him that. I didn’t joke that he should call me Oman like I wanted to. Or the Blue-Eyed Bandit, or anything else I wanted to say. “It’s Amani,” I said. “My name, that is. Amani Al’Hiza.”

It was damn hard to trust a boy with a smile like that. A smile that made me want to follow him straight to the places he’d told me about and made me sure I shouldn’t at the same time.

“I can get you a clean shirt,” I managed. I was having a hard time keeping my eyes on his face when there was so much else of him on show. “If you can wait here.”

“The army will be back for me.” He scratched the back of his neck, inching the tattoo on his hip higher still. It looked like an animal I didn’t recognize. “I should probably move on.”

“I reckon you should.” I tore my eyes away. I couldn’t trust him, I reminded myself. I didn’t really know this foreign boy with a strange name. No matter that we’d saved each other’s lives. I’d known him all of two days. But hell, I still liked him twice as much as the men in this town I’d known my whole life. And my life was what was at stake here. One way or another. “And you should take me with you.”

“No.” Jin’s answer came so quick, I knew he’d been expecting me to ask, maybe even before I’d decided to. He didn’t meet my eyes as he spoke next. “You saved my life and I’m returning the favor.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that.” I tried to check the desperation in my voice. “I’m just asking you to get me out.”

His eyes were fixed on mine, trapping me there. “You don’t even know where I’m going.”

“I don’t care.” I caught myself leaning closer, too close when there was already nothing between us. “I just need help getting anywhere that’s not here. Somewhere with a train, or a decent road. Then we can call it quits and I can find my own way to Izman. There’s nothing for me here, any more than there is for you.”

“And who says there’s anything for you out there?”

The words stung. “There’s got to be more than here.” He laughed, and for that split second, I had the advantage. I took it. “Please.” I was as close to him as I could get without touching him. “Haven’t you ever wanted something so bad that it becomes more than a want? I need to get out of this town. I need it like I need to breathe.”

His breath came out in one hard exhale. I saw his resolve teetering. I didn’t dare say another word in case I pushed it the wrong way.

Then the bells started and the moment toppled. I looked round so fast, I near split my skull on the counter.

“Isn’t it a bit early for evening prayers?” Jin said what I’d been thinking.

“Those aren’t prayer bells.” My heart felt like it might’ve stopped, but I was still breathing. Listening long enough to be sure.