Sinbad and Hasina Ch. 6 - Shere Raja Showdown
After their first act of true love, Sinbad must face his former gang to save the one he loves.
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Later that same night, Hasina awakened, feeling thirsty. Her head rose, looking down at her new mate with a new tenderness in her eyes. She leaned down to lick him once on the cheek, then left the tent to get a drink of water from the pool. Upon drinking her fill, she sat near the bank, sighing and taking in the calmness of the desert night, the stars and moon casting a beautiful light on the normally harsh landscape. That sereness was disrupted when she felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck. She grasped at it, pulling out a small dart. It was then that her body suddenly felt very strange: Her vision blurred, her legs shook as if they were made of jelly, and she couldn't even raise her voice to call for Sinbad's aid. She felt an unseen figure grab her head and neck, forcing something over her head and into her mouth. And then all was blank.
Sinbad woke early the following morning, just as he always did.
“Morning, Hasina," he said groggily, his eyes still closed as he reached to caress her. But he felt nothing. “Hasina?" he asked, opening his eyes to find she wasn't there. Frantically, he got up and ran outside, his heart pounding in his chest with worry. Running over to his cart, he saw a note held on the side by a dagger. It read: “Come to Shere Raja. We have her. Unless you want her dead, I suggest you come quickly." Under the passage was a stylized cobra's head in red ink. Sinbad tore the note into pieces in a fit of rage, grabbing his armor and putting it on as quick as he could. He packed up camp and drove the cart east at full gallop, his heart and mind burning with a rage so intense it rivaled the desert sun.
About an hour and a half later, he stepped down from the cart at the gates to an ancient ruin. The titanic temple once belonged to an ancient civilization, now long dead, the remains of it's fortune having since been taken by grave robbers and archeologists. Gigantic statues of anthro tigers stood on either side, their stone bodies withered by the constant beating of desert sand that had flooded the place. Drawing his khopesh, Sinbad strode into the ruins of Shere Raja. Walking determinedly past pillar after pillar, he was aware of the danger he faced. But he was willing to risk it all to save the one he had in turn saved, cared for, and grown to love.
At last, he came to a central hub, an altar where sacrifices would be made atop a large podium. Sitting upon that altar was Sahira, her mouth in a wicked grin.
“Where is she?" asked Sinbad, pointing his sword at the anthro cobra as the rest of her gang surrounded him with weapons drawn.
“How sweet," said Sahira smugly. “You want your companion back? Fine. Though you will find I've made her a great deal more… compliant." Sahira pounded the bottom of her staff on the stone floor of the podium with a wicked grin. An equally wicked screech, like that of a vulture's, echoed throughout Shere Raja as Sahira's minions backed off. Sinbad looked around cautiously, eventually seeing a familiar winged form silhouetted against the sun, flying toward him.
“Hasina?" he asked aloud in confusion, blocking the sun's rays with a hand. The figure bowled him over, sending him sprawling on the ground. Talons pinned his hands to the ground as he finally saw who it was.
It was indeed Hasina, but on her head was a bridle, it's surface shimmering and shifting with gold light and a bit held in her mouth. Her eyes were not the stunning blue he knew. Instead, they were replaced by rippling golden spirals, like waves in a pool of molten gold. Her normally peaceful demeanor was now one of animalistic rage.
“I take it you've never heard of a Golden Bridle," said Sahira cruelly. “Powerful magic objects, they are. They have the unfortunate side effect of making the wearer's mind completely under the control of whoever puts it on them."
“Hasina," shouted Sinbad. “It's me! Sinbad! Snap out of it!"
“Don't bother, old friend," said Sahira. “She only obeys me. Here's a demonstration: Hasina, kill him!"
The hypnotized gryphoness let out a screech as she raised a set of talons to slash at her former lover. While obeying orders was now her strong suit, logical thinking was not, as the forepaw she raised was the one keeping Sinbad's sword hand in place. Sinbad raised his khopesh and blocked her talons, deflecting them and knocking Hasina on the head with the pommel of his sword, apologizing as he did so. Hasina reeled, allowing Sinbad to get to his feet and into a defensive position. Hasina pounced at him, but the human dodged and jumped onto her back, grappling onto her neck as she bucked furiously like a wild horse. Hasina thrust her head back, scoring a successful backwards headbutt on Sinbad, but the human pushed through the pain and raised his blade, bringing it down and cutting through the Bridle.
“No!" shouted Sahira as Hasina returned to her senses.
Her eyes returned to their normal blue color and she shook her head to clear her mind of the magic that had been set upon it. She looked around in a dazed manner.
“Where am I?" she asked before Sinbad embraced her in a hug around her neck after dismounting.
“You're back!" he exclaimed as he did so.
“Where was I?" asked Hasina.
“I'll explain later." said Sinbad.
“If we're done with all this lovey-dovey bullshit," hissed Sahira. “I've got a meddlesome pair of traitors to deal with." Sahira raised her staff, the orb within crackling with crimson energy.
“Her staff!" shouted Sinbad before the cobra blasted red lightning at them. Hasina took off and flew at her as Sinbad charged as well. Sinbad swung at Sahira, who blocked his blade with her staff. Seeing an opportunity, Hasina snatched the staff from her hands, flying into the air as Sinbad put his sword against Sahira's neck.
“You've lost." said Sinbad as Sahira's staff fell from the sky, shattering on the edge of the podium. Hasina landed beside him. Sahira then began to chuckle in a sinister manner.
“You're coming with me." she said in a furious whisper, revealing a red gemstone in her hand, then crushing it.
“Go!" shouted Sinbad as he mounted Hasina's back, the two of them flying out of the temple as a red electrical storm enveloped their surroundings.
The two barely outran the growing storm, wind roaring in their ears, red lightning striking where they were just seconds before. Pillars fell as the ground beneath rumbled, great rifts opening in the earth. Sinbad and Hasina dodged and weaved to avoid falling and rising threats, until a shockwave blasted them out of the storm's reach, which had come to encompass the entirety of Shere Raja. The two looked on as the storm collapsed in on itself, leaving no trace of the temple that once stood there.
“Well that was cutting it a bit close." said Sinbad brushing the sand out of his hair and off his armor.
“You think?" responded Hasina with a light chuckle.
Not soon after, they resumed their travels, on their way to Marsana to trade in the dates they had gathered at the oasis.
“So I was hypnotized by Sahira with a Golden Bridle and forced to try and kill you, is that right?" asked Hasina, in her usual spot in the bed of the cart.
“Pretty much," said Sinbad. “She's always liked her magic and enchanted objects." They both were silent for a while after that until Hasina spoke up.
“So," she said. “About last night…"
“Yeah?"
“I just wanted to thank you for being the first one to lay with me. And because of it, my heat's pretty much gone for now. But besides that, I want to let you know something."
“Go on." said Sinbad.
“Well, I'd never felt that way towards someone before, and I'm sure you're the same towards me. It was truly amazing. And if it's not too much trouble… I think I'd like to make this relationship permanent."
'What do you mean?" asked Sinbad, turning to face Hasina.
“Well, it's a gryphon custom to… well, marry the one you give your innocence to." said Hasina, her face turning red. Sinbad looked rather shocked to say the least.
“Are you… proposing to me?" he asked incredulously. Hasina turned even redder.
“I suppose I am." she said.
“Well… what if I said yes?" said Sinbad with a smile as Hasina's ears perked up.
“Really?! Oh, thank you, Sinbad!" she cried as she jumped up to the front and nuzzled Sinbad, nearly pushing him out of the cart with how forceful she was. Eventually, Sinbad managed to calm her and ease her off of him.
“Well," he said. “I don't think we're getting married right now, but you know, when the time is right."
“Sure," said Hasina. “But nonetheless, thank you for everything you've done for me. For changing my life for the better."
“And I for you." said Sinbad, kissing Hasina on the tip of her beak, earning a cute churr from her.
“I love you, Sinbad." she said sweetly.
“I love you, too, Hasina." responded Sinbad in just the same manner.
And so it was that the vagabond and the gryphoness, two lost souls of the desert, found companionship, friendship, and eventually love in one another.
The End