As night fell, we headed back out to the desert on the magic carpet. Although I could hardly complain – I had missed flying with him -, the endless sands looked all the same to me.

"How are we going to find it?" I asked. The spot marked on the map had been so vague that it would have taken a diviner to pinpoint the exact location.

Sinbad grinned. "Don't you remember the story? It will find anyone seeking it."

"Hmph. It's just a story. It's not like-" I forgot what I was going to say as the sand far below us started to shimmer like countless diamonds. It was...beautiful. And the shape the shine formed was clearly a doorway. "By all the gods..."

"Told you so. There's magic everywhere in the world. All you need to do is believe." Sinbad wrapped one arm around my waist. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I found myself grinning like a maniac. Sargon would never believe this when I told him. "Just try to talk me out of it!"

The carpet flew lower, straight into that inviting radiance. And for a moment I felt like I was floating in a sea of stars.

~*~*~

I fell straight to my knees – and almost to my face – on rough stone floor. My palms and kneecaps protested to the impact. Determined not to give up this easily, I got back to my feet.

"Sinbad?" I asked. I was alone. High stone walls surrounded me on three sides, with only one passageway leading away from my landing spot. Above me was a blue sky, as strange as that was. "Sinbad! Where are you?!"

No answer. Quickly I ran to the only direction I could and soon came upon a crossroads. The paths snaked to all four directions, all surrounded by similar walls. Twisting and turning and splitting up into new paths.

A labyrinth. This place was a labyrinth. No wonder that nobody had returned. "SINBAD!!! Answer me!"

I was scared. I didn't want to be, but I was. Then I heard an answering voice. Faint, but definitely there. It was calling my name.

"Sinbad!" I called out again and started running to where I thought the voice was coming from. Again there was an answer, and my heart rate sped up in hope. Even when I encountered dead ends and had to choose another route, I kept running.

His voice was so close. I didn't need to yell anymore. Yet I was again surrounded by walls on all sides except the one I had come from. I pressed both my hands flat against the one in front of me. This was not fair.

"Arash? Are you there?" he asked. He had to be right on the other side.

I slid down to my knees. "I am...But there's nowhere to go."

Something soft and small bounced on my head and dropped to the ground. I looked at it. A peach.

"It's alright," Sinbad assured me from the other side of the wall. "I'll think of something. Eat and save your strength."

I picked the fruit up and took a greedy bite, thinking. There was no ceiling. So I could in theory climb up the wall, but it was too smooth. There were no handholds at all.

Then I looked at my own waist. The decorative belt tying my long coat closed was wrapped around me several times. It would not be long enough alone, but maybe... "Sinbad, can you take off your belt and toss it to this side?"

Sinbad laughed. "That's a really strange request. Do you want to get into my pants that much?"

"Don't be an idiot!" I shouted back. Then I smiled. "I'm certainly not against it, but right now I'm thinking of a way to climb over this wall."

There was a brief silence. "Alright, I'll admit I am an idiot. Why didn't I think of that? Step back a little bit."

I did, and a moment later a small rock with the end of a rope tied around it was thrown to my side. I quickly grabbed it. Of course Sinbad would have all kinds of adventurer...things with him.

"You're more athletic than I thought," Sinbad told me teasingly as I had scaled the wall and dropped down to his waiting arms.

I snorted. He should have known, considering how many times he had run his hands all over my body. "Father would never have just let me lie around and grow fat."

He smiled. "I'm glad he didn't."

"Do you have anything in that bag of yours for getting out of labyrinths?" I changed the subject, gesturing towards the cloth sack he carried with a strap over one shoulder.

"Something much simpler." He placed one hand on the wall next to my head. "The trick is to always follow one wall like this. You'll come to the exit sooner or later."

I swallowed. Not fair to lean so close. I could feel his breath hitting my face, and it made my heart beat faster.

I grabbed his cape where it was tied closed below his throat and pulled him into a deep kiss. He reacted by pushing me against the wall, his body entirely covering mine.

Then all of a sudden he pulled away. To say that I was disappointed would have been a huge understatement.

"Dangerous dungeon, remember?" he said, his breathing as shallow as mine. "Probably not the best place."

I frowned, angry. Or just too horny. I wasn't sure. "There is –nothing- here."

The ground under our feet shook. Almost like it had responded to my words.

Sinbad instantly pulled me closer as the part of the floor where we were standing literally rose to the air. Far above the labyrinth, all the way to the dome-like ceiling high above. There it stopped next to a round platform just...floating there.

The middle was covered by a huge round mattress with some pillows thrown around. Around it were countless tables filled with food and drink.

Shaking off Sinbad's hold on me, I jumped the narrow chasm between that platform and ours.

"Be careful," he warned. "It could be a trap."

I devoured a very tasty meat bun in two bites. Then I poured myself a glass of wine and took a sip. Neither tasted in any way suspicious. The bed looked very inviting too. "I think it's more like a reward. And it's not like we can get anywhere else right now."

Sinbad chuckled. "You're right on that, I suppose." Then he joined me near the tables and kissed me again. The platform we had arrived on disappeared to thin air.

I had a distinct feeling someone was watching. But frankly, I did not care.

~*~*~

That was the last respite we got in this place. When I woke, everything was different. We were in a ruined room and – after hastily getting dressed again – stepped outside into a larger room that looked like an old temple to me.

I froze. Everything was enveloped in flames. Amidst the crimson radiance walked shadowy figures like straight out of nightmares, ignorant of the heat around them. Their eyes glowed red as they all turned to look at us.

Sinbad unsheathed his sword and nodded towards the other door in the room. "Run. I'll cover you."

At first, I obeyed and moved to the direction of the door slowly. Out of habit, I suppose. That was how I had been taught to withdraw from dangerous situations and let guards protect me. But if Sinbad hadn't followed me closely, keeping himself between me and those...creatures, I would have very quickly stopped. Fortunately he did.

The shadows only watched us for a while. Then the flames went out and they all disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Sinbad parried the strike of a fiery sword right before it surely would have sliced my head off. I wouldn't have even seen it in time. Then the fires illuminating the room came back to life, and I could see all the shadow creatures closing in on us. Sinbad instantly cut one of them in half – it disappeared like it had never been there – and roughly shoved me to the direction of the door we had been trying to reach.

To make matters worse, the ground shook before we even got halfway there. And it wouldn't stop! First stone dust and then small rocks started raining over us.

I almost fell to my face on the uneven footing when Sinbad pushed me aside again, to fight another of the monsters, I assumed. But when I turned around, I saw a mountain of debris fall to where I had just been standing. Had the entire roof collapsed?

"Sinbad?" I asked, my heart fluttering in my throat. He was lying on the floor, half-buried under the debris.

"I'm...fine," he grunted, the muscles on his arms and back straining as he fought to crawl out. "Must have been Medela's magic. But looks like I'm stuck."

"Hold on! I'll help-" I froze as I felt a sinister presence surround us. The shadow creatures were closing in again.

There was a sword made of fire lying on the floor, probably dropped by one of those slain earlier. I was by no means a master swordsman, but I only needed to hold them off long enough for Sinbad to free himself. Without hesitation, I grabbed the weapon.

A burning feeling rushed through my entire body. Somehow it both hurt and felt exhilarating. It was the kind of power I had never touched before, and some part of me was terrified of it. Another wanted more.

I didn't even need to think. I only needed to swing the blade and the shadow creatures disappeared in flames.

Someone grabbed my wrist. "Arash! Arash, stop!"

The red haze in my mind cleared instantly at the familiar voice.

Sinbad looked really worried. "Let go of that sword."

I looked at my hand that clutched the hilt like never to let go. Flames danced around my fingers, but they didn't burn. And they spoke to me. You can protect him. You won't have to be afraid of losing him again.

"Arash," Sinbad repeated slowly. "Let go. Trust me."

"I..." I didn't know! I trusted him, I really did. But if this was only the beginning of what we'd face in this labyrinth...how could I risk him getting hurt or killed to protect me, when I could so easily protect him?

Sinbad laid his other hand, the one with the magical ring, on top of mine. The ring was glowing with gentle blue light. "Please."

The fiery sword fell to the floor and disappeared like a candle flame going out.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You really saved us there."

"Yeah, I'm fine..." I trailed off. I felt hollow with the rush of all that power gone. Weak. Useless. "Besides, you saved me first."

Sinbad laughed and wrapped one arm around my shoulders. "Who's counting? Look, they're all gone."

We continued to the door and through the ruins outside. It was really strange. I was certain we were still in the same labyrinth, but the scenery changed so fast. There were shadow monsters here too, in many different shapes, but with more room to maneuver, Sinbad mostly led us around them. Towards the tower in the distance that somehow felt like it beckoned us.

I held tightly to his hand. It was warm, like the only source of life in the desolate landscape. The only beacon that could keep me from losing hope entirely.