*
When Fareed stepped into the tent nearly an hour later to wake her up, he found her clutching the Jewel in her hand, gazing in awe as she placed it on her lap.
He took a step forward, but she didn't seem to notice him. Her eyes were focused instead on the precious gem in her hand, balanced so perfectly on the tip of her hand that it didn't even move when she did.
"Noor?" he called, staring curiously at her. "It's time to leave."
"Would you care to explain to me how this ended up in my bag?" she asked.
"Actually, I would prefer not to," he said. "It's not a particularly fascinating tale."
"Try me," she said.
"Why don't we have this conversation on the road?" he asked. "Or have you forgotten about the murderous men hot on our tail?"
"You're only wasting more of our time by
