Of Magic and Sand

Chapter 6

She watched it as it flopped around on the ground, much like a fish out of water, and then curled itself up into a tight roll. Ziana took a step closer and it twitched away from her.

"It's just a...a....flying carpet" Ziana knelt down to examine it.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked it, feeling a little silly for talking to a carpet, but then it responded by bending it's top half down like it was nodding.

"I bet you have been here for a long time with no one to play with?" She asked

The carpet shook back and forth.

"Do you know your way around here?" The carpet nodded, suddenly seeming more animated than before.

"Great! Do you know where to find this lamp then?"

The carpet nodded again and suddenly swooped up in excitement. It flew around in circles a couple of times before going down a pathway that curved off to the left. It made a forward motion with its long golden tassels.

"The lamp is this way?" Ziana confirmed, the carpet twirled around again in response.

"I guess that is a yes," Before the two knew it, the carpet had slid underneath their feet, before soaring up and flying the whole length of the room.

Ziana and Oki continued to follow the carpet out the doorway into a large, water-filled cavern. In the middle of the huge lake, there was an earthen pillar holding up a golden lamp. T

"So, that's it?" Ziana asked, pointing up to the huge rocky pillar. The carpet nodded, pointing one tassel in the same direction.

"You two stay here then. I'll be right back.!"

"This is....seriously it?" Ziana said to herself, reaching the top of the pillar.

"This is what we came here for? A tiny, unimportant--"

INFIDELS! YOU HAVE TOUCHED THE FORBIDDEN TREASURE! NOW, YOU SHALL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY, EVER AGAIN!

"Oki!" Ziana hissed, her little furry friend could never keep her sticky paws off of anything! She should have been watching her!

The carpet swopped up, and Ziana could see that Oki was already riding on it. They then flew as fast as the carpet could take them to the cave entrance as the entire cave melted into lava. As they approached the entrance though, a large boulder knocked Ziana off of the carpet and she flew into the stairs. She heard Oki meowing from somewhere down before and scrambled to get her earrings right as the entire cave crumbled.

The old woman held a hand out. Ziana tried to reach a hand to grab it but then the woman puller her hand back.

"First give me the lamp, and then I will pull you up! Give me the lamp first!!" The woman yelled. Ziana handed it up to her as she clung for dear life on the crumbling stairs.

The woman grabbed it, cackling as she held it up. "Finally.....FINALLY! It's mine, all mine!"

"Hey! That's so great you have your lamp but could you please help me?"

The old woman just grinned widely, grabbing her wrist roughly and pulling her up.

"What the-- What are you doing?!"

"Why, I'm giving you your reward, my dear!" The old woman yelled, pulling a long, glittering dagger from underneath her rags.

"Your....eternal reward!" Ziana looked away, preparing for the sting of the dagger. But it never came.

Oki had recovered from her tumble back up. And, upon seeing her friend in danger, had crawled onto the old woman and bit the arm holding Ziana's wrist down hard. The woman let out a yell, dropping the young woman and her dagger. Hissing at Oki, she threw the cat back down into the cave. Ziana had one last glimpse at the sky before she plummeted down into darkness. She hit a rock hard and winced as she felt her ribs crack, and then she hit something surprisingly soft. The carpet had caught her and was lowering her slowly to the ground. The cave was dark and incredibly cold for a cave that had just spewed lava everywhere. Ziana shivered and pulled her thin dress up over her knees.