Part One ~ By Crystal

The night had fallen since two hours on Basra, but the market place was still full of people, walking around and searching for something to buy or just to take some fresh air before going to sleep. The minority who got to home to sleep couldn't because of all the noises. People were laughing, singing, talking loudly and running around, screaming of joy. It happened every month, and almost everyone waited for that day with impatience.

A man, in the shadows, observed around him, to see if they would be there, among that crowd. They had to, he saw them in the tavern, hearing they would take a walk around the market place. He just needed to wait for them to come, and then...He smiled and pictured in his mind the situation. Him, winning against the legendary sailor and playing with him and his dear crew. After, he'll get his revenge. A sweet and painful revenge. The smile on his face disappeared when he saw them, coming his way. All was perfect. His eyes became dark. He would get his revenge. And soon. After all those years of wait, the time had finally come.

He got out of the shadow and walked slowly to them, a nice faked smile on his face. He had to concentrate hard. He could not make any mistakes. He had to succeed. He will success. He was now ready more than ever to execute the first part of his plan.

<><><>

Part Two ~ By Myst

"Doubar, I can't believe you ate that! I knew you could eat anything when you're hungry, but..." Sinbad began, but he couldn't finish his sentence. They just got out of a restaurant who offered for the occasion free sample and Doubar had decided to...He swallowed, trying to get out of his mind the picture of his brother putting in his mouth...that thing.

"Neither I. Eating an alive little brown spider is...disgusting!" Bryn exclaimed, shuddered.

Doubar shrugged. "I was hungry and, it's not so bad." He smiled. "Oh, come on...it was just a little spider. Don't look at me that way!"

Sinbad looked behind is shoulder. "I'm not sure if I want to talk to you again after what you did!" he joked. He turned around, saw a man walking directly in front of him, but wasn't faster, so he walked straight into the man, who fell on the ground. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Sinbad asked, kneeled near the man.

The man smiled to him. "Yeah, I'm fine. It is me who should be sorry. If I looked where I was going..." he began. He accepted the hand that Sinbad offered him to help him getting up. "Thank you." He touched his head with his hand. "I fell hard, but by chance, I have an hard head!"

"Would you like to join us for a drink?" Sinbad offered. He accepted and they walked to the nearest tavern, and sat at a table, in the shadow. "So, do you live in this town?" Sinbad asked to the man.

"Umm..No. I'm visiting someone, but he wasn't here. So I must find a way back because the ship who brought me here is gone now," the man said, despair in his voice.

"Oh, we have a ship," Firouz told him. "Where are you going?"

"To...Baghdad. Is it in your way?" The man asked. He crossed his finger under the table. If it wasn't, he could say goodbye to his plan.

"Yes it is. That's where we are going, so it will be our pleasure to have you on board," Sinbad said. The man thanked him and left the table, saying he had some stuff to do. Doubar decided to go with him. Rongar and Firouz returned to the market place, to do some shopping, so Bryn and Sinbad stayed alone in the tavern.

Bryn looked up to him in his blue eyes and felt her heart beat faster, as always when she looked at him. She felt so safe when he was around, so good inside. She could get lost when she looked in his wonderful blue eyes and forget all that's bothering her. She shook her head and returned to the reality. "I don't like that man. There's something in his eyes..." Bryn told him. She had a strange feeling when she first saw him, that she saw him before, but she just can't remember where exactly.

Sinbad put a comforting hand on hers. "He is maybe a little bit weird, but I don't think we have to worry about him. Doubar is with him. Nothing can happen!" Sinbad said, trying to convince her, but she didn't believe him. Sinbad noticed she really feared that man, and he decided to ask more questions to the man once he returned, to find out why Bryn feared him so much and to make sure he wouldn't hurt anyone on his ship.

<><><>

Part Three ~ By Joanna

'Nothing can happen, he says'...Bryn thinks to herself 'Famous last words'. She exhales slowly, finding Sinbad's hand on hers. She looks down to their hands, then back up to his eyes.

"Bryn, we've been through too much for me to ignore your hunches. Is there anything you can read off of him?" His sea blue eyes delved into hers. Softly smiling, trying to get her to talk, and soothe her fears, and perhaps his as well.

"If we didn't need the gold so badly that we would get for his passage, I'd tell him to find another ship, Bryn..." his voice dropped off, talking to his ale. He took his last sip, draining the mug.

Bryn interlaced her fingers in with his, and she gently shook her head. "It's like nothing I can explain. I just know. He's not right." She leans over a bit and rests her head on his shoulder. "Sinbad, we should all be cautious around him. I know we need the gold, the Nomad is in need of the refurbishing when we get to Baghdad. But, we should be very cautious until we part company with him." She shuddered in the cool night air that was coming in through the open windows of the tavern.

Sinbad's reply to her was to place his arm around her shoulders and to hold her tight. Just having her near was enough for him to feel content, but the rare quiet times like this, when it was just them, were what he looked forward to the most.

He leans over and kisses the top of her head. "We should get some rest. The others will be back soon, and we leave at morning's tide." He flashes her one of his dimpled grins.

Tossing some coins to the barkeep, they head out into the night, and to the waiting Nomad.

<><><>

Part Four~ By Steph

Night had fallen on the crew of the Nomad. Kareem was watching the tiller, while the rest of the crew slept. All were sleeping soundly, except for one-Bryn. She was tossing and turning in her bunk having nightmares.

It wasn't the same nightmare over and over again, each time it was different, but the girl in it was the same. This time the girl was running through a burning village, crying out for someone.

"Father!" She called, running down the streets, searching for him in the smoke.

"Father!" The young girl finally found her father on the ground near a burning building. She knelt down next to him, to shake him awake. A few moments later he awoke, to see his daughter before him, crying. The man quickly noticed the burning building, he got up and was about to grab his daughter's hand, when a solider came by and snatched her up.

"Kayla!" He called to the retreating form of his daughter. But it was too late, she was gone.

Bryn sat bolt upright in her bunk crying. Even though she wasn't there, she could feel the pain of the man. Bryn climbed out of bed and quietly went up on deck for some air.

She smiled at Kareem, as she walked to the front of the Nomad. Bryn looked up at the stars and took a deep breath. Why all of a sudden was she having these nightmares? She didn't know the girl or the man in them?

What were they trying to tell her?

<><><>

Part Five ~ By Crystal

The sun filled in Bryn's cabin when she woke up. She yawned and jumped off her bed. She got herself dressed when the memories of her nightmare came back to her, but they vanished before she could think of something. She sighed and went on deck, to find Sinbad at the tiller, in conversation with their guest. She shivered when she felt his eyes on her. 'Does he knows me?' was the question in her mind. She suddenly wanted to run away.

At the tiller, Sinbad and Keidro, their guest, were just talking ships when they saw Bryn. Sinbad waved a hand to her, inviting her to join them. He watched her, as she walked to them. He noticed her scared look, and gave a quick look to Keidro, who didn't seem to notice.

Keidro hid a smile and kept a relaxed expression on his face. Everything was perfect. Sinbad and his crew trusted him, they agreed to let him travel with them to Baghdad and the girl feared him, he could see it in her eyes, 'You're right to fear me, honey,' he though silently. The game just began.

<><><>

Part Six ~ Ruby

Sinbad observed Bryn, who seemed uncomfortable at the table. She didn't touch her food, nor participate in the conversation. He also noticed she avoided looking at the stranger. He wouldn't hesitate to throw the man overboard, just to see her peaceful smile again and make that fear leave her brown eyes. But he couldn't. He promised to himself to watch carefully the man. If Bryn didn't trust him, he didn't either.

When he felt her eyes on him, he gave her an encouraging smile. His eyes then stopped on their guest. He was in deep conversation with Firouz about his newest invention. He noticed that the man glanced at Bryn from times to times. Sinbad didn't like that. "Excuse me," he mumbled as he went at the tiller, where Doubar was.

"What's up, little brother?"

"What do you think about our guest?"

Doubar shrugged. "Dunno. Why?"

"Bryn has a bad feeling about her. And I don't like the way he's looking at her…"

Doubar started to laugh. "Jealous, little brother?"

"This isn't about jealousy," Sinbad answered quickly. He watched Bryn a moment before answering. "I just don't want to see anything happen to her and I'm not sure we can trust the guy. He's up to something. I can feel it now."

TBC...