“Perhaps he’s choosing to hide there because all those things will make it all the trickier for us to find him.”
“Well, that does make sense.” He nodded. “I have one map that might be able to help you. It’s still a work in progress, as I’m making it myself.” He removed a key from his drawer, walked over to a tall bookshelf, and unlocked a cabinet. Pulling out a scroll, he spread it across the table.
“This one shows the broad strokes of the undeveloped region of Ababwa. I began labeling the cliffs and valleys, just as a little fun hobby for myself. It’s not an official map per se, and it’s been ages since I looked at the thing.”
Jasmine pressed her hands against the map and traced the edge of the land that jutted above the shore. “Ababwa is much larger than I realized,” she said slowly. She gestured toward the miles and miles of sandy cliffs and shorelines.
“There are so many hideaway spots.” Ali shook his head. “Look at all these caves and coves. He could be anywhere.”
“And the land is treacherous,” Ahmed warned. “Been there myself a few times to map it all out and more often than not walked away with scratches and bruises. Unless you know where on the map he actually went, it will be like trying to find one particular pearl in a great wide ocean.”
“I know where he went!” a small voice shouted.
“Where did that sound come from?” Jasmine said with a startle.
“Up here. You’re right under my nose.”
Looking up, Jasmine saw him. Jamaal, the boy from the marketplace. He was perched on the old wooden rafters of the store, watching them with wide-eyed wonder. A glass lantern swayed on a nearby rafter, showing the path he’d taken.
“How on earth did you get up there?” Jasmine asked.
“The bookshelf,” both Jamaal and Ali said at once.
“Every day that boy winds up somewhere that makes no sense.” Ahmed shook his head. “Will you get down from there before you break your neck and my rafters?”
“Sorry.” The boy grinned sheepishly before shimmying from the rafters to a wall and climbing down an oak bookshelf filled with books of maps.
“Better landing this time,” Ahmed said pointedly to the boy.
“You know where he went?” Jasmine asked the boy.
“Yes.” Jamaal nodded. “I mean, I think so. I was sitting on the apothecary store’s rooftop and saw a man in a tattered outfit hurrying away from town. I didn’t think much of it, but after hearing what everyone around town was talking about and the descriptions of the man, I think it’s got to be him. It was too dark to make out if he was holding anything, but he was heading over to the craggy cliffs past the docks and pier—to the left. The spot where all those caves crowd together. It must be him.”
“Makes sense,” Ahmed said. “He must be heading to the ‘Phoenix Trio.’ I named it that because the three boulders that lean into a cradle of sorts look like feathers from afar. It’s the rockiest part of the land—the waves crash louder there, and there are many caves one can hide in.” He pointed to a detailed spot on the map. “Even though it’s the closest spot to Ababwa proper, it’s the trickiest to navigate because of all those caves. I suppose that’s why he went there.”
“Have you ever been out there?” Ali asked Jamaal.
“No.” The boy shook his head. “I got close once, but it’s a little scary.”
“How far away is it?” Jasmine asked.
“It’s probably no more than eight minutes flat if I run really fast.” Jamaal hurried toward the door. “Just follow me. I can take you there.”
“No!” Jasmine and Ali said at the same time. Just like that, the boy’s eager expression faded.
“I can do it, though,” he said quietly. “I know this town like the back of my hand.”
“Oh, no, it’s not that. I’m sure you could lead us straight to him,” Jasmine reassured him. “But the thing is, whoever he is, he’s dangerous. You’re young, and as you said yourself, it’s a tricky place.”
“But I owe you both. For forgiving me. For sparing my life. I want to help.”
“You telling us where he might be is help enough,” Ali said. “We’d have spent hours looking around fruitlessly if you hadn’t.”
“May we borrow this map?” Jasmine asked the shop owner.
“Of course.” He nodded. “And when I see them, I’ll let the guards know where you both have headed.”
They thanked him and stepped outside the shop. Ali glanced at the road toward the pier and the boats swaying gently with the breeze. He hesitated for a moment before turning toward Jasmine.
“How about I just check out what the situation is?” he asked. “Maybe you could stay back here in Ababwa proper and see if you can help Ahmed summon the guards?”
Jasmine stared at him. “You’re not serious, are you?”
“You heard Ahmed. It’s dangerous out there with the slippery landscape and the caves. And this man may mean us harm. I don’t want Jamaal to get himself injured, but I don’t want you to get hurt either.”
“If you’re going, I’m going, and that’s that.”
“Jasmine, what if you—”
“I’m the one who is good with maps.” She gestured to the scroll in her hands. “We won’t find this place without it.”
“Looks like there is no changing your mind,” he said.
“We’re in this together,” she answered firmly.
The port that had looked inviting and regal in the daylight now looked ominous. With each step, they left the town square of Ababwa behind them.
“This is it.” Jasmine squinted at the map. “The path.”
