They talked for a while after Sinbad’s chirp, the tension easing bit by bit.
Rafiq was surprisingly chatty for someone who’d just been used as a chew toy by a giant bird.
He kept his back leaning against a rock, wincing as he continuously adjusted the bandages on his chest.
“It ain’t my first rodeo in this section. More dangerous, yeah, but nothing beats the kind of loot you can find down here.”
“Y-You dive often?”
Rafiq nodded.
“Been doing this for years now. Not exactly by choice, but hey, you take what life throws at you, right?”
Sinbad leaned in, wide-eyed and starved for entertainment.
“You’ve been in places worse than this before? What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen?”
Rafiq chuckled, a low, dry sound.
“Craziest? Oh, there’s a lot to choose from. Let’s see… there was this one time I stumbled into a nest of fire-breathing salamanders. Got singed pretty bad, but I managed to swipe one of their eggs. Sold it for a fortune. Then there was the time I had to outrun a sandworm the size of a house—lost two good boots and a pack of supplies, but I made it out alive.”
Sinbad’s jaw dropped.
“A sandworm? Like, they’re down here too? How’d you even escape?”
“Luck…”
Rafiq admitted with a shrug.
“…And a lot of running. Let me tell you kid, you never really know how fast you can move until something’s trying to eat you.”
Sinbad laughed, clearly enthralled.
“What about here? What’s the scariest thing you’ve seen?”
Rafiq’s expression darkened slightly, his gaze shifting to the sky as if expecting something to swoop down at any moment.
“The Rocs. Those things are no joke. They hunt alone, and they don’t stop once they’ve locked onto you. That chick that tore through me? Probably just playing. The adults are worse—way worse.”
Malik, who had been silently observing, narrowed his eyes.
“So why’re you here if you know it’s this bad?”
Rafiq shrugged, a faint smirk on his lips.
“Because it’s worth it. The deeper you go, the better the relics. And I’ve got debts to pay.”
“Debts?”
Sinbad asked, and Rafiq waved him off:
“Long story. Let’s just say there are people up top who don’t let you forget what you owe them.”
Sinbad nodded, but Malik stayed quiet, his suspicion growing.
People who owed debts usually weren’t above doing shady things to get ahead.
“So, what’s the coolest relic you’ve ever found?”
Rafiq’s smirk widened.
“That’d be the Compass of Najd. Beautiful piece—gold-plated, multidimensional, covered in ancient runes. It could point to Al-Fawra from wherever the user is on the planet, likely even outside. Sold it to some bigwig for more gold coins than I’ve ever seen in my life. Of course, that money didn’t last long…”
Sinbad lightly gasped.
“Why didn’t you just run away with the money? It’s more than enough to live for a few lifetimes on the Outskirts.”
“Live away from Al-Fawra? Never. Besides, I like breathing… Trust me, don’t take on any debts with them Zawaya dogs; they’d follow you to the end of the world.”
Malik didn’t miss the edge in Rafiq’s voice.
He filed the information away, still unsure whether this guy was someone they could ‘live’ with.
Sinbad, meanwhile, asked endless questions about Holy Relics, monsters, and how to survive in places like this.
Rafiq answered most of them, throwing in the occasional joke or dramatic pause to keep the kid entertained.
Malik never interrupted, staying on high alert.
He listened, yes, but he also kept an eye on Rafiq’s hands, his body language, the way his eyes occasionally darted behind them.
And when the topic turned towards the two, Rafiq stretched his arms a little, trying to appear relaxed.
“So what about you guys? How long’ve you been down here?”
Sinbad hesitated, glancing at Malik.
“Not long.”
Malik answered quickly, cutting off whatever truth Sinbad might’ve spilled.
“Still figuring things out.”
Rafiq nodded, seemingly satisfied with the vague answer.
“Well, here’s hoping you don’t figure it out the hard way.”
The conversation tapered off as night began to fall, and Rafiq finally asked:
“Mind if I crash with you guys tonight? Safety in numbers and all that.”
Malik’s eyes narrowed slightly, his gut screaming no.
He gave Rafiq the look—the kind of look that said, “fuck off,” a thousand times.
“Sorry. Can’t do that. Nothing personal, just don’t trust you enough yet.”
Rafiq nodded slowly, unbothered by the tension.
“Fair enough. Can’t say I blame you. Stay safe, yeah?”
“You too.”
Malik watched Rafiq walk off until he was just a speck in the distance, then finally turned back toward the cave.
Sinbad followed quietly, but when they were about halfway back, the boy couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“H-He looked like a good guy. Why didn’t you ask him to help us get out of here?”
“…”
No response.
But Sinbad wasn’t giving up.
“Even if you didn’t want him to know who we really are, he could’ve—”
“Drop it.”
Malik cut him off, having had enough.
“But—”
“I said drop it.”
Sinbad clammed up, clearly frustrated but smart enough to let it go.
***
{Outside The Projection}
“The Sultan’s insane, man. Twelve years old and already that sharp.”
“Yeah, guess all that begging and… whatever else he went through really toughened him up.”
“Quit hyping up a tyrant, you bastards.”
“Shut it. We’re just saying what everyone’s thinking. Even you can’t deny it, dumbass.”
And like that, they kept bickering while the memories rolled on.
***
{Inside The Projection}
When they got back to the cave, it was business as usual: take Huda outside, wait for the monsters to clear out, and then huddle together for warmth like a pack of freezing chicks back inside.
Malik passed out the second his head hit the ground.
One moment, he was staring blankly at the cave ceiling—half wondering if it’d collapse on them for fun—and the next? Out like a light.
Time zipped by in a blink, and suddenly, he jolted awake.
“Ugh…”
He shook his head, gently rolling Huda off his chest—careful not to wake the little furnace—then stretched.
His back let out a chorus of pop-pop-pops like fireworks on a festival night.
Rubbing his face, Malik wandered to the cave’s entrance and dropped onto his usual rock perch.
He then stared out at the endless, boring mess outside.
Sinbad—trying, and failing, to be sneaky—shuffled up behind him and flopped down on Malik’s left, acting like he hadn’t made a single noise.
Malik didn’t even look at him.
“So what are we doing today?”
Sinbad asked, sounding way too peppy for someone stuck in a cave.
“Hm…”
Malik frowned, pondering as he scratched his chin.
“…Was gonna grab some wood for tools yesterday, but y’know… Wasted the whole damn day with that Seeker.”
Sinbad blinked, tilting his head like a confused puppy.
“Uhm… What Seeker?”