The Journal of Rafiq al-Rashid
As the ship skimmed through the skies, I made myself comfortable within the masses of tarpaulin and drifted into the welcome embrace of sleep. I remember dreaming of my home, of waking to the smell of fresh coffee that Nasir would always brew before leaving for the bazaar.
He was a kind soul, whereas A’isha and I would row ‘til the early hours from which I would be frequently ejected from the household, Nasir would always be the one to usher me back.
I remember waking to the sound of distant thunder and the course chafe of the ships tarpaulin. Several of my companions stood around conversing around Xo-Tang and while I couldn’t make out words, their expressions spoke volumes. I rolled over to follow their line of sight and suddenly realised their concern; huge storm clouds began to circle the skyline as far as the eye could see.
The ship descended to a lower altitude and I began to secure myself to the ship’s railings with a line of rope when 4 thuds on the ship’s deck forced my attention. The creatures were beyond anything I have ever imagined; beetle heads and wings rested upon cat-like bodies and from the tail extended a long curled barb not unlike the desert scorpion. It took several minutes to repel the nightmarish fiends and once the last corpse fell, the winds that had buffeted the ship suddenly died down to a simple breeze.
We arrived in Darvish Kupar a few hours later as the ship glided down through the sapphire waters with ease. I gathered my belongings and bode Xo-Tang farewell. It was not our proudest moment; the trail of the lamp had gone cold, the draconic library was lost, the Dead Isle remains unsanctified and Pang was no closer to learning the identity of his aggressor.
It was Raouf who first noticed the men following us. Their efforts to conceal were clumsy, unpracticed and far too direct for this time of day meaning we were obvious targets. We made efforts to disguise our numbers as the boy darted down an alley with the aims to circle up behind them. Once we were in a clear enough area, the men were confronted and revealed that they were simple messengers, sent from the Vizier himself. They handed us a parchment scroll that bore the Vizier’s personal stamp but the message within was completely blank. Vexed, we sent the men away and retired for the evening to ponder its meaning.
He was a kind soul, whereas A’isha and I would row ‘til the early hours from which I would be frequently ejected from the household, Nasir would always be the one to usher me back.
I remember waking to the sound of distant thunder and the course chafe of the ships tarpaulin. Several of my companions stood around conversing around Xo-Tang and while I couldn’t make out words, their expressions spoke volumes. I rolled over to follow their line of sight and suddenly realised their concern; huge storm clouds began to circle the skyline as far as the eye could see.
The ship descended to a lower altitude and I began to secure myself to the ship’s railings with a line of rope when 4 thuds on the ship’s deck forced my attention. The creatures were beyond anything I have ever imagined; beetle heads and wings rested upon cat-like bodies and from the tail extended a long curled barb not unlike the desert scorpion. It took several minutes to repel the nightmarish fiends and once the last corpse fell, the winds that had buffeted the ship suddenly died down to a simple breeze.
We arrived in Darvish Kupar a few hours later as the ship glided down through the sapphire waters with ease. I gathered my belongings and bode Xo-Tang farewell. It was not our proudest moment; the trail of the lamp had gone cold, the draconic library was lost, the Dead Isle remains unsanctified and Pang was no closer to learning the identity of his aggressor.
It was Raouf who first noticed the men following us. Their efforts to conceal were clumsy, unpracticed and far too direct for this time of day meaning we were obvious targets. We made efforts to disguise our numbers as the boy darted down an alley with the aims to circle up behind them. Once we were in a clear enough area, the men were confronted and revealed that they were simple messengers, sent from the Vizier himself. They handed us a parchment scroll that bore the Vizier’s personal stamp but the message within was completely blank. Vexed, we sent the men away and retired for the evening to ponder its meaning.
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