CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN—ALI AL BASHUR

“What?” Ali asked, spreading his arms. He still held the dagger in his hand from the fight. “What is this? Is this a joke?”

Jessamine said nothing.

Shiro looked at Ali, wondering if Jessamine was telling the truth. He had only just met her moments ago and now she was accusing Ali of a plan to betray Shiro and steal the loot.

I should not take her word. And yet..

And yet Shiro believed her. Or at least, he wanted to believe her?

“I am not planning to betray you, Shiro! We are partners.”

“Is that why you left him to deal with Akarilion by himself?” Jessamine asked with a self-satisfied smirk.

Ali shoved his palm at the sky. “Did you see the size of that monster?! It was huge. There was no way we could fight it.”

She laughed. “And yet…”

“How did you do it?”

“It ate me.”

Ali’s eyes widened for a moment, then he looked Shiro up and down, at his stained clothes. Most of the blood had been washed out, but some still remained, giving his white pantaloons and jacket a pink look.

“It… ate you?”

Shiro nodded. “I was inside its throat. I cut my way out from the inside. It killed him.”

“No thanks to you, Ali al Bashur,” Jessamine said.

Ali looked at Jessamine with a frown. He was probably wondering how she knew his name when Shiro hadn’t told her.

So she can hear my thoughts.

When I want to, she conveyed.

Shiro jerked, let out a breath. He still wasn’t used to having her right there in his head—in his thoughts speaking words, as if she were there, a part of his mind. Strangely, her words inside his head sounded like her, not like Shiro’s own thoughts.

So she wasn’t…

Of course I’m not controlling your mind.

He glanced at her, Ali still going off and arguing about why he couldn’t help Shiro.

Jessamine smiled. But I can speak to you, Shiro, and you to me.

What about Ali? he thought, conveying the words to her. Can you hear his thoughts?

No. I can see images, though, concepts. Sometimes intentions. I cannot hear his exact thoughts—his words.

“…are you even listening to me?”

They looked at Ali. His face had gone red while he screamed in defense of himself. “I should just attack you now and be done with it!”

“She can hear your thoughts, Ali,” Shiro said.

Jessamine did not dispute Shiro’s lie. Of course she wouldn’t. She was on his side. But why did it really matter to her? Did she care who held her lamp?

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She still needed help.

Was it because Shiro was better for the job?

You have honor.

“It is time for us to part ways, Ali,” Shiro said. “I am sorry. You can take your share of the loot.”

“What loot?”

“The glow stones,” Shiro said. “You still have three. I have none. I lost mine inside the beast’s throat.”

“Agh!” Ali spat. “Worthless.”

“That’s not what you said when we found them. And here,” Shiro said, reaching into his bag and taking out the golden jewels the statue had been wearing when they first discovered the cracked floor inside the dungeon. “Take them.”

Ali slapped them out of his hand.

“What is this?” he asked forcefully as he gestured toward the ground. “This is not worth a hundredth of what you’re walking away with. These trinkets might as well be camel dung!”

“I killed Akarilion,” Shiro said calmly. “I lifted the lamp from the statue. She’s mine.”

“Hold on a moment,” Jessamine said.

Both men looked at her.

“I’m not ‘yours,’ Shiro. You’re still treating me like a piece of loot!”

“I am sorry. I didn’t mean—“

She swiped upward with her hand and Shiro’s feet came out from under him. He landed in the sand on his back.

“Ha!” Ali called. “Serves you right, you selfish bastard.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you!” Ali said, turning when Jessamine put her arm on his shoulder and looked down at Shiro.

So this is how it is, he thought. Now she’s on his side?

Anger and fury boiled up inside of Shiro. He rolled to his knees and got up. Pointing a finger at Ali, he said, “You are not taking the lamp.”

“Give it to me!” Ali spat, as if he was entitled to it.

“Damare!” Shiro screamed.

“And what does that even mean?” Ali yelled back as he threw up his hands into the air. “You’re always going on in that damned language of yours. Shut up and speak correctly, you no good, selfish, self-entitled whoreson!”

Shiro growled and reached for his sword. The blade hissed out of its scabbard. “Take that back. Sate! NOW!”

He looked Shiro up and down as if he were inspecting a filthy farm animal that gave off bad smells. “I will not.”

“I will cut you in two, Ali if you continue to insult my honor!”

“You honor!” Ali said sarcastically. “What about my dignity and self-respect, you arrogant swine lover!”

Shiro raised his blade, screamed and charged Ali. He swung his sword and the other man jumped over it, then elbowed him in the face, tried to stab Shiro in the chest, but he forced himself to stumble back. He caught his balance, then came at Ali again, attempting to slice his head off. The sheep lover—as Haydaru had called him—actually brought his blade back, the point angled at the ground, and blocked Shiro’s attack.

But Shiro was too quick and kicked Ali in the face.

The man grunted painfully, his hand going to his nose as he stumbled back and fell into the sand.

Breathing heavily, Shiro screamed again and raised his sword to finish Ali off when he was suddenly shunted to the side. He landed harmlessly in the sand.

“That’s enough,” Jessamine said as she walked up between them.

The glanced at Ali, then back to Shiro, the wind in the dunes exposing her nakedness. She really needed some proper clothes.

“I didn’t know you fools would try to kill each other.”

Shiro glanced toward Ali. He was still seething mad, but Ali chuckled, and Shiro couldn’t help but laugh himself at the absurdity of what was happening.

“You bastard, Shiro,” Ali said, getting up.

“And you sheep lover,” Shiro said.

They regarded each other, and Ali raised his blade, both hands up in a gesture of peace. Shiro nodded, then guided his blade back into its scabbard.

“I am not a lamp,” Jessamine said. “Neither of you can own me. I’m not some slave.”

“Gomenasai,” Shiro said with a bow.

“And I am sorry as well,” Ali said. “We did not mean to treat you like that. We are adventurers. We have an adventurer’s want of loot.”

“We are greedy.”

“I can see that,” Jessamine said.

There was a pause between the three of them. Then Jessamine regarded Ali. “I am choosing Shiro. You need to understand and respect that.”

There was hurt on Ali’s face, but he took a step back and nodded. “I will respect you.” And he looked at Shiro. “And you too, my friend.”

“Did you really plan to betray me?”

Ali made a face that indicated thought and consideration as he shrugged his shoulders from side to side. He nodded. “I thought about it for a moment. I am a greedy swashbuckler after all.”

“And what of Haydaru?” Shiro asked.

Ali shrugged. “I do not know about that. Perhaps he tracked us here. They were already on your trail, yes? It would not have been that hard, even without a map.”

Well, Jessamine conveyed, it pains me to say, but he’s not contradicting his statement inside his head…

Shiro nodded, but he was still upset. “Next time you leave me behind,” he said, “I’ll kill you.”

“All right,” Ali said with a smile. “Fair enough.”

“Ugh!” Jessamine noised. “Please, does this mean you two are still friends?”

They both looked at her.

Well of course it did.