Hot City Nights (Part 1)

Chapter 1 - Hot City Nights

The warm night air, moving the curtains of the house beneath him, were comforting to Ak'ash as he sat on the rooftop, watching the last few drunks stumble back to their houses. He knew that if the winds were to have risen tonight it would have made his vigil a torturous affair. He saw the village grocer leave with one arm wrapped around Danir the spice trader, they were singing a song from their glory days as defenders of the city. The loud, emotional and off key singing thundering up to Ak'ash's hiding spot was almost enough to drown out the scuffling of sandals coming from the opposite end of the alley.
Before even seeing what had made the noise Ak'ash was on his feet, vaulting from rooftop to rooftop, and, where the gap was too long for even his powerful legs to send him across, running along the boards laid down by the owners of the houses, so they would be able to escape, should they ever earn the wrath of the sultan or his court. His eyes darted towards the alley, and, although the light from the oil lamps was waning he could make out someone slipping into the shadows. Ak'ash was not worried that his prey was out of sight, because he knew how to cross this city like few others, any difference would be eradicated soon enough.

Captain Kneering knew that if he could stay conscious for another few moments he would cross over the last of the ereclit sandhill's and be seen by the royal guards. Captain Kneering hung on to his mount and silently urged him forward, knowing that every second they were away from the city was another second that its enemies had to prepare themselves, and the weapons of annihilation they bore.
It was the scent of ... humanity, he noticed first. Although it was as too subtle for the people who lived & worked there everyday to notice Byzatir had a smell that was overpowering to one who had ridden through the desert's empty expanse for three weeks, with only the sun and his camel to keep him company.
At first Kneering thought it may have been an mirage, he had seen one earlier, and nearly fallen off his camel to get to it, but he had never heard of an mirage that existed only as a scent.
"No, this is it, this is Byzantir", Kneering said softly, for that was all he could manage, to his steed.
They passed over the last sand hill and there it stood before them. A wall stretching out for such a great distance that although it curved around the width of the city it appeared to run in both directions forever. Kneering could see the torches at the gate, and at the regular intervals along the wall. He looked further into the city, although he could make out the occasional torch the rest was lost to the night. As her citizens slept Byzantir looked just as beautiful as he remembered her, only now he saw her as a desert flower, with a mysterious, dark, gardener looming just out of sight.
"Praise be", thought Captain Kneering, "I am home".

Talia checked over her knapsack one last time. She did not know what she would need, but she knew what she could not leave behind. The gold bracelet of her mothers, the one Talia had admired as a child sat on top of her other cherised memories, and stood out, shining in the little light being let in through her window.
"That will never stay safe like that" Talia thought, and picked it up, placing it on her wrist.
She looked around her room, seeing if there was anything else she could take with her, but truthfully she knew she was already carrying as much as she could safely take with her. She lent down and picked up her bandhana, tying her hair back with it. She placed the small necklace, that her sweetheart had won for her so many years ago at the market, into the solid confines of her parchment and tied her knapsack together.
Talia tiptoed across to the window, although she knew unless she was jumping her grandmother below would never hear her, the walls were feet thick, for stability, which meant that her getaway would go unnoticed. She fastened one end of her bed linen to the window frame, and gently slid down its length. Although she had used the largest sheet in her house Talia found that she would still have a drop to the streets below. Securing her knapsack deep within her robe Talia let go of the sheet and dropped, gracefully to the sand & stones of the street.
Talia began to move from shadow to shadow, doing her best to pass undetected through the silent night. She continued on not realizing how foreign the city looked at night. As she was approaching a rather large alley, she could see it contained more than its share of light, then she heard the cry of men, men who, she was sure, would be only interested in what use they could get out of her at this hour of the night. She began to run as fast as she could, not stopping to look down the alley at the voices, which were getting closer now. She just ran, hoping that what she was running towards was as important as she had been lead to believe.

From high up in the sultans personal tower Prince Abbubwah watched all the events of the city.
"My city" he thought, "At least it will be mine soon enough".
Thanks to the powerful eye of Tiga-riath that the visier had given him the Prince could see much further and with more precision than anyone else in the kingdom,
"I can see further than you father, I can see into the future with this. I see my future, and your end".
The Prince saw the camel slowly wander over the distance and approach the city, he could not clearly make out the rider, but he was sure he knew who it was anyway.
The Prince then turned his gaze to a window, where a single figure was descending a sheet and beginning a journey into the night. He followed her for as long as he could, and as she disappeared he saw another figure following along the rooftops. Had he not known exactly where this figure would be, and where he was headed the Prince wouldn't have noticed him even with his powerful Eye, as it was the Prince lost him to the shadows several time, even though he was running across open roof tops.
"Excellent. All my agents are in place, now I merely await what is mine by right".