The Bloodstone Prophecy - Book 2 (complete)

Chapter 27 - Another Attempt

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They stopped about a quarter mile from the Shadow Queen's cave around midday. The sun beat down mercilessly. As Kami exited the SUV, she found it difficult to breathe.

A group of them volunteered to scout out their surroundings. Kami and several others trudged through the sand until they were within a couple hundred feet of the cave. They hid behind a rocky outcropping.

Kami's heart sank as she took in the scene. Not a prisoner was in sight. She had been hoping the prisoners would be out digging holes. If so, the plan was to quickly attack the guards and escape before the prisoners could be returned to their cells, and before the queen noticed and unleashed her creatures.

Instead, at least twenty shadow creatures of all different shapes and sizes and a few men in uniform guarded the cave entrance.

"So many creatures," Samuel murmured. "Something must have spooked the Shadow Queen."

Kami nodded.

"It looks like plan B then," she said, swallowing hard. She had known there was a possibility they would have to do this, but she had hoped it wouldn't come to it. "Ready Haji?"

Haji gave a curt nod and stalked back to the vehicles. Kami and the others followed closely behind. After a brief explanation of what they had seen, Haji opened the vehicle door and pulled out a wad of black fabric from off the floor of the SUV.

"It looks like I will have to wear it after all," Haji grimaced. He tucked the garment under his arm and left the others. Curious to know where he was going, Kami followed him and watched as he put on the black clothing, then pulled out his blade and turned it over and over in his hands. He knelt on one knee and balanced it on the other. Placing both hands over the blade, he closed his eyes and whispered something.

Realizing he was praying, Kami suddenly felt awkward. She was intruding on what should be a private moment. She turned to leave as quietly as she could.

"He wore a uniform like this," Haji said, his eyes still closed. "The man who betrayed my best friend Ranaan. A man pledged to enforce the law."

Kami stood quietly, not daring to say anything that might cause Haji to retreat again.

"His name was Dabir. Both he and Ranaan were in love with the same girl. Her name was Sabah. Sabah loved my friend and agreed to marry him. Dabur could not let it go. He had to have her for himself. So he convinced a few other police officers to help him. Ranaan worked at the Dukkah as a waiter, the Dukkah is a what do you say, restaurant. One evening Dabir and his friends stormed into the restaurant, threw my friend on the ground and searched his pockets. They found hashish in them.

"Kami, I swear. I have known Ranaan since we were four years old. I know him better than anyone beyond myself. He has never taken drugs. He never would. Somehow they put the drugs in his pockets so they could arrest him."

Haji drove his blade into the sand.

"What happened to your friend?" Kami asked.

"Why would anyone believe him? The evidence was on him. The drugs were discovered in front of a restaurant full of people. They took him to jail and he is awaiting trial for a crime he did not commit."

"That's horrible," Kami said. "What happened with Sabah?"

"She believes in his innocence, but it does not matter. Her parents are convinced he is guilty and have forbidden her to have anything to do with him."