Chapter 10We ran from the mountain, promising Heshen we’d soon return. As if we had a choice now.
We had little time. If our crime was discovered, all hope was lost. The sun had already begun its inevitable descent, but it was still hot as an oven in the desert as we ran across the burning sand, heading for the camels in the not too distant distance. It was a dry heat, but that didn’t stop the sweat from stinging my eyes.
The three of us, now out of breath, made it to my backpack soon enough. “Genie,” I said as I crouched down, reached inside, touched the bottle. “Hurry. We need you.”
My backpack shook. Or maybe it was the desert itself. Or maybe my legs were finally giving way. I was exhausted. I was scared. I missed Genie. Thankfully, not for too much longer. The cloud appeared, a swi
