The Jewel of Zecaj | ONC 2022

11🔸Badriya

"Shahrayar's son?" The woman chuckled. "Everyone claims that these days. Few people have gazed at the man's face or even heard of his true name. I'm not one of them to know either, unfortunately."

What she said was true. The prince was said to keep to himself, and if he did go out, it would be under a disguise. But still. . . did that really mean that Ayaz was not what he said he was?

"Who are you?" Badriya asked, her eyes narrowed.

The woman smirked. "Zaynab bint Al-Mulkiyyah, grand general of the Khadysian army and a member of the caliph's renowned court. Who's asking?"

"Nobody important," Badriya muttered.

"Don't be shy, you can tell me your name," the general said, her voice strangely sincere. "No? If that's what you want. . . what brings a nobody like you here, then?"

Badriya scoffed. "You ask me that when you and your men are the ones who breached my country's border, general."

"We didn't breach any border, Zecajian, and you know that," Zaynab said, her voice clipped. "We're only here for official business."

"And that is?"

Zaynab motioned one of the guards who tied her up towards the general. The haris handed Badriya's rusted dagger before going back to his position watching Badriya.

"Do you know what this is, right?" Zaynab asked, fidgeting the knife with her slender fingers.

Badriya struggled from the ropes tying her and the guard holding her. "Give that back! It's mine!"

"No way I'll let you use this for you to escape." The general rolled her eyes. "You really don't know this, do you?"

"It's my knife," Badriya growled.

"No," Zaynab tutted. "This, habibi, is a dagger owned by a member of the Crescent Order. See this little crescent moon here?" She pointed at a spot on the knife's grip. "It's their symbol."

Badriya stared at the knife. There really was a crescent carved on its surface, but it was too small and faded for her to notice. Until now.

She exhaled. "Whatever order you're talking about, I've never heard of it."

"Indeed you haven't," Zaynab said. "They have been out of commission for more than a century, give or take. During their golden years, they were the ones responsible for safekeeping several artifacts of power, one of which is your country's so-called Jewel of Opulence."

"What?" Badriya gaped at her. "You know about the Jewel?"

"Of course I do." Zaynab slid the dagger to a slot in the belt around her waist. "The jewel's myth is quite a famous one, actually. At least among Khadys' scholars. My people have records of everything that has ever existed in Salym, including the jewel, which you'll help us get to it."

"W-what are you talking about?" Badriya said. "I-I don't know where it is hidden."

"Liar." The general pursed her lips. "You don't look like a member of the Order, but one of them could've told you about the location of the Jewel, which is this place, and for you to fetch it. Then he, or she, gave you this old dagger."

Badriya was about to deny her words, but ultimately bit her tongue. Tehzib. That cursed woman must've been a member of the Crescent Order. Mustafa too, most likely.

"I. . ." Badriya sighed. "Yes, a nomad told me about the Jewel's whereabouts, but she didn't give me the knife. A frien— someone else did. As a gift."

The general tilted her head. "That someone might be a part of the Order as well."

Badriya snorted. Rashid? As if that idiot was part of anything important.

"Well, then." Zaynab clapped her hands. "Let's make haste and find this thing. We don't have all night, do we?"

At the snap of Zaynab's fingers, most of the men standing in attention turned around and marched to whence they came from, while the rest of them remained in their places. The female general nodded at the guards hovering around Badriya before entering herself. Before Badriya could protest, the haris gripped her by her arms and forced her into the dark cavern.

wc: 1261