Jade: The Sands of Time

Darkness fell over the desolate Persian temple, coating its stonework halls with a deep, slumbering blue.  The battle raging in the city had moved eastward, carrying the fires of war and their brilliant glow with it.  Jade's pointed ears perked as she heard the clanging of swords in the distance; she was glad not to be there with them.  This empty palace held far greater treasures for her.
Grinning behind the elastic green mask pulled over the lower half of her face, she quietly scaled the remains of a fallen column, making her way to the upper level.  The moon above her cast a pale, white glow across the scene, illuminating her slender, silhouetted figure against the misty night sky.
Jade's hand slipped and she bit back a curse, reaching into the sheath on her right thigh and withdrawing a long, curved dagger.  Raising it sharply, she dug it into the stone and pulled herself up, resting her elbows on the top ledge.
Tilting her head forward, she stared across the empty balcony with her narrow, piercing blue eyes, then lifted herself up, perching her knees on the platform.  With a quick tug she tightened the cloth wrappings on her wrists, sliding the dagger gently into its sheath and rising to her feet.  
Hunching stealthily, Jade crept down the empty hallway and paused at an open doorway.  Pressing herself to the wall, she slowly leaned her head and peered inside.  The room beyond contained a stone fountain sitting in the midst of a small, rectangular pool, with thick, vibrant pillows covered in simple patterns strewn around the perimeter.  The chamber was devoid of human company but Jade tread carefully nonetheless, walking with light footsteps to the edge of the pool.
Kneeling down, Jade placed her hands on the pool's rim and felt the thick armor on her thighs press against her legs, refusing to bend lower.  Slipping two fingers under her elastic mask, she pulled it down to her chin and tucked her straight black hair behind her ears, then reached her hand down and scooped water into her palm, raising it carefully to her mouth.
She took a few sips and, feeling refreshed, rose to her feet and pulled her mask back up.  Twisting her shoulders, she quickly checked the kunai holstered on her upper right arm, then tapped the golden armlet wrapped around her upper left.  Grandma would kill her if she lost that… if she ever saw her again, anyway.
Jade shrugged the memory away and continued to the next door, finding a long, undecorated corridor beyond.  The tension in her muscles relaxed and she walked briskly, seeing no visible danger.  She was halfway down the hall when she heard a sharp click!, deftly dropping into a crouch as a spiked log swung down, passing narrowly over her head.
Somersaulting forward, Jade weaved back and forth as pillars riddled with spikes shot up from the floor, spinning violently and sliding along the tracks dug between the stone tiles.  The corridor ended in a sharp incline downward, stopping Jade in her tracks.  She twisted her head back and saw the pillars reverse course, coming for her again, then leapt across the gap, catching hold of a thin ledge set into the wall.
Jade groaned and tensed, gripping the ledge with her palms and elbows, then tilted her head down and looked at the floor.  The drop was a solid twenty feet; she'd be sure to break something if she let go.  She hung there for a moment, feeling her shoulders tremble with exhaustion, then glanced at the wall behind her.  One shot.
Pressing her toes against the wall, she slid her elbows from the edge and gripped it with her fingertips, then kicked back, propelling herself to the other wall.  Twisting in midair, she spun to face the wall and lifted her legs, kicking off again and falling toward the opposite wall.  Catching hold of another ledge, she held on with her elbows before slowly lowering on her fingertips, releasing to drop the few remaining feet to the floor.
Hitting the ground, she twirled on her toes and turned to face the next corridor.  It stretched out before her, glowing with a soft, iridescent blue, the sound of trickling water on the far end.  Stepping cautiously through the hall, she lifted her head and felt a cool breeze against her face, the scent of dust and ancient air wafting through her nose.
The chamber she entered was vast, its ceiling merely a crossing of stone arches that allowed the exterior moonlight in with ease.  The floor was a basin filled with water, ripples becoming gentle waves as droplets fell from the upper platforms.  Cold water washed over her wrapped feet as she walked through the pool, turning her gaze upward.  A pedestal sat one story above her, looming and taunting her with its golden light.  At its center was a small silver stand, supporting a dagger with an ornate black hilt and golden light radiating from a glass tube in its grip.
"There it is…" she whispered, plucking two kunai from her shoulder holster.  Twirling the tiny blades between her fingers, she clasped the handles and stabbed them into the stone wall.  Glancing quickly behind to make sure no guards had arrived, Jade clawed her way up the wall, digging the daggers between the crevices to gain leverage.  Pulling herself upward, she stepped lightly onto the platform and crept toward the dagger.  
Eyeing it up and down, Jade lowered her hand to her side and withdrew her own dagger.  Sliding it carefully beneath the sacred treasure, she lifted it slightly and jolted, ready for booby traps.  Nothing happened so after a minute of waiting Jade wrapped her fingers around the treasure's hilt and plucked it from its stand, sliding her dagger away into its holster.
Turning around, she held the dagger out in the moonlight and examined it.  The hilt was a glimmering black, like obsidian, reflecting the light in its curved and twisting designs.  The metal blade was fairly short, only slightly longer than the hilt, and glowed faintly blue.  Within the hilt itself was a glass tube that gave off a gold light; on closer inspection Jade discovered that it was filled with sand.  A button resided at the treasure's mass, which Jade rested her thumb on, curious if it would act as the rumors suggested.
Suddenly there was a sound of footsteps on the other side of the display case and Jade turned to see a young man, clad in a blue uniform and clutching a sword.  His shirt was torn and covered with dust; clearly he had been through a lot to make it this far.
Upon seeing Jade, he stopped and scowled.  "Wench!"  He stamped his foot.  "Impudent woman!  I have come to collect that treasure for my father!"
Jade raised an eyebrow.  "And insulting me will increase your chances of getting it?"
"Hand it over," the man demanded, holding out his free hand.
Jade smirked, cheekbones rising behind her mask.  "No thanks."
The man gripped his sword tightly, growling.  "Return the dagger to me at once, woman!  I am the Prince!"
Jade laughed, taking a step back.  "Are you for real?  I'm outta here."  Raising the dagger to her forehead, she flicked it in a salute.  "Seeya, princess."
As she leaned back to fall off the platform, the Prince rushed forward and grabbed her wrist, trying to wrest the dagger from her.  Jade clenched her teeth and tried to push him away, quickly pressing the button on the hilt.  The sand glass burned bright and Jade watched in wonder as time moved backwards around her.  The man retreated in reverse motion back the way he came and Jade stumbled forward, finding herself in the same position she had been when first taking the dagger.
"So it IS true…" she smirked, holding up the dagger and gazing into the glistening sand glass.
The footsteps came again and Jade quickly dropped over the ledge, hiding out of sight.  When the Prince arrived he found the platform empty, and the dagger gone.