“Trust me.”
“Do you know how to operate that carpet?”
“No. But it can’t be complicated.”
She realized she had no choice. “Let’s get on with it.”
I unrolled the carpet and sat on it. “Go,” I said.
Nothing happened.
“Forward,” I added.
The carpet took off so suddenly that it dumped me in the sand on my rear. Deprived of its rider, it looped in the air and dropped to the ground.
Jewel was plainly stifling her burgeoning mirth. “Perhaps I should try it.”
“Try it,” I agreed ungraciously. I did not add the appellation “she-dog,” but let it hover there beside her unvoiced word.
She fetched the carpet, spread it flat, sat on it, and spoke almost inaudibly. The carpet lifted, then moved slowly forward, carrying her. She glanced back at me. “Nothing to it.”
It turned out that there were a number of specific commands the carpet understood, but it tended to take them literally. When I had told it to go forward, I had not cautioned it to do so slowly. We practiced, and soon got the hang of it.
“What about the horses?” Jewel asked.
“There’s a bit of grazing here. We’ll try to send someone back for them.”
We sat together on the carpet, Jewel first, I with my spread thighs close behind her, clasping her hips. By Allah, her body was winsome! But the one part of my own body that might have taken advantage of that remained fallow. It was frustrating, even though I had no intention of trying anything anyway. I wanted her to think my abstinence was manly courtesy, rather than inability.
“You’re impotent,” she said.
She must have sat like this with a man before. What could I do but admit it? “Since I lost my wife.”
“You must have loved her deeply.”
“I did. And my son.”
“I know about losing a son. Save mine, and I will see what I can do for you.”
I couldn’t think of anything smart to say, so I remained silent. If she could actually cure my incapacity, our relationship would suffer a fundamental change. She was an imperious, violent, deadly woman, but I was coming to appreciate her qualities.
She murmured to the carpet, and it lifted and moved forward, slowly accelerating. Soon we were at treetop height and moving swiftly.
I touched my ring. “Guide us,” I murmured.
“What?” Jewel asked.
“You might as well know this too,” I said with resignation. “I have a minor ifrit named Faddy bound to my ring. He will guide us to the portal.”
“You continue to be a man of surprises.”
Flying was faster than riding the horses, partly because crags and ravines did not interfere. Before long we reached the site of the portal. There was a hut right where Faddy indicated the portal was. That was surely by no coincidence.
An old robed man stood before the hut as we glided in for a landing. “You are looking for the portal,” he said, seeming unsurprised by our appearance. “I am Abu Bakr. I am here to warn you away from it.”
We got off the carpet. “I am Niddala, and this is Jewel,” I said. “We have urgent need to pass through the portal.”
Bakr contemplated me with uncannily perceptive old eyes. I knew in that moment that he recognized me as the former king. Maybe he was a historian. “In that case, there are things you need to know, Niddala.”
Good, he was honoring my privacy. “We will appreciate learning them,” I said.
“Come in to my abode.”
We followed him in. It was much better kept inside than it looked from the outside. Bakr, also, was protecting his privacy.
“We are in a hurry,” Jewel said.
“Obviously,” Bakr agreed. “But you will get nowhere unless you are sufficiently prepared. Do you know anything about Djinnland?”
“No,” I said.
“It is in certain respects the reverse of the mortal realm. We are solid, while the jinn are gaseous. They can assume solidity when they concentrate, but it is not their natural state. In their realm they seem solid, but it is deceptive. Mortals who go there look the same, but are actually enormously denser. As a result, they tend to sink into the ground until they encounter bedrock, and they can not climb trees or ascend to second stories. They can however become diffuse if they focus on that, though they will revert to solidity when they stop focusing. They don’t change visibly, but dissipate most of their mass. The opposite of what the jinn do in the mortal realm to become solid. So this has disadvantages as well as advantages.”
“Advantages?” I asked.
“In that realm, you will be virtually invulnerable to any attack or weapons they mount against you. Their spears will bounce off you harmlessly. Only when you diffuse to their lesser density will you become vulnerable. They may be lurking to pounce at that moment.”
“So we’ll stay dense,” I said.
“Even then you are not completely safe. Just as King Solomon caught and bound many jinn, a good djinn sorcerer can catch and bind mortal souls in that realm.” He glanced at Jewel. “You would be subject to the whim of the possessor of the ring you got bound to, obliged to sate his lust perpetually, unable even to voice objection. You would have to seem to want it, lest you be cruelly punished.”
“But the jinni can assume any form they want to,” Jewel protested. “Their females are always ravishingly beautiful. Why would they care about my form?”
“Not so,” Bakr said. “Their forms are ordinary, and they change them only when they focus. They use illusion to enhance themselves. But the males can see through that illusion. Illusion is like clothing; without it they are naked. But your form is natural, requiring no enhancement by illusion. You would be an invaluable possession, once bound.”
Jewel nodded, appreciating the problem. But her determination was unchanged. “We’re going in.”
“We’ll try to stay clear of their sorcerers,” I said, though I felt a chill. This would be no picnic.
Chapter Seven
Before we departed, Bakr fed us a simple stew in his simple abode. His was a solitary life, and one I would not want. True, living at the portal probably offered some adventure; after all, who knew what ilk poured in and out of this magical land? Perhaps pour is too strong of a word. I suspected that travelers were rare to the portal. Bakr had seemed truly surprised to see us, and after listening to his alarming warning, I could see why. Human mortals, it seemed, did not fare well in Djinnland.
As Jewel sopped up the rest of her meal hungrily, wiping her bowl clean with a stale piece of bread, I found myself wondering why I was risking life and limb to help a woman I barely knew? True, her gold would come in handy, but hers was certainly not the only paying job. Her beauty was undeniable, but little good that did me. Her beauty, if anything, amplified my shortcomings.
Her son was missing, and that hit home with me. Worse, someone the son had trusted—his very father—was the source of his threat. A father, it seemed, who was not against using the darkest magic to wrest the very kingdom I had once ruled.
Perhaps it was time for me to come out of my self exile? Perhaps it was time for me to move on?
Perhaps.
When we were finished, Bakr provided us with some provisions, reiterated some of his most dire warnings, and pointed us to the portal, which, as it turned out, was a rock bridge that spanned a wide chasm. The bridge disappeared into roiling mist, and what awaited us beyond, I could only guess.
I thought we needed to travel light, so I left my incidental belongings, including the little chest, with Bakr. That chest contained the Lamp, which I felt would be useless in Djinnland. I had to trust the sage not to molest my things. If by some mischance I did not return, then maybe he would be a deserving inheritor of the Lamp.
“No, take it with you,” Jewel murmured.
She had caught on? She was almost too smart. I opened the chest, removed the lamp, fitted it in a pocket, and closed the chest again.
B
akr assured me that he would fetch our mounts and take care of them, as he could always use them to barter with future travelers. And with the sun high above and our bellies full, Jewel and I set out along a narrow rock path which led from his hut. I carried over my shoulder a satchel full of provisions, rolled up the magic carpet, and strapped it down to our bag. A thrill of excitement coursed through me. Perhaps I should have been wary. Perhaps I should have been overly cautious. But I was never one to run from danger, and I was never one to leave a woman without hope. Especially a beautiful woman who was already stirring curious emotions inside me. Emotions that I had thought were long dead.
Jewel and I soon crossed a wide section of desert, following a curiously raised rock trail that led directly to the arching bridge. At the foot bridge, I was suddenly a mixture of apprehension and excitement. A hot wind swept up from the chasm, thundering over us, hot enough to seemingly sear my eyebrows.
Next to me, Jewel peered over the edge of the cliff. Her hair whipped about her face crazily, and if she was afraid, she didn’t show it. I joined her at the edge and looked as well. More mist, roiling and churning far below. It would be a long, long drop. To where, I had no clue. Perhaps the djinn underworld, if there was such a place.
The world is full of magic, if one chooses to look. In my case, magic always seemed to find me.
I stepped back, suddenly dizzy. I rubbed my ring. “Will you guide us, Faddy, once we are in Djinnland?”
His voice came to me instantly, although it was nearly drowned out by the hot wind roaring up from below. “I should warn you, master, that I am not bound to you in this magical land.”
“Why is that?”
“This is my natural home, master. The magic is reversed.”
“So we could be bound to a powerful sorcerer, then.”
“Yes, Bakr spoke the truth.”
“Could we be bound to you?”
“I am not a powerful enough sorcerer, master.”
“Will you help us once we are there?”
“Will you someday free me?”
“I have always planned to someday free you.”
“Then I will see what I can do for you, master.”
“And, for the love of Allah, please stop calling me master.”
“In Djinnland, you will not be my master, master.”
I groaned.
“Are you speaking to your ifrit?” asked Jewel, joining me a few feet from the cliff’s edge. Her long, black hair had been blown in every which way. She looked as if she had spent a wild night making love. A pleasant if not disheartening thought. After all, it could never be me making love.
“Yes,” I said to her. “I’m seeking some last-minute guidance.” To Faddy, I asked, “How do we make ourselves ‘less dense’?”
“It is a state of mind, master. It is a matter of will power. Hold tight to an image of yourself floating, even if you find yourself sinking. Hold fast and do not let it go.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
“Unless you are distracted.”
“Then let’s pray for minor distractions.”
I relayed this information to Jewel and she merely nodded, as if this was something she already suspected she must do in Djinnland. To Faddy, I probed further, “How big is this land?”
“Massive. I have never seen the end of it.”
“And how do we find our trapped djinn?”
“Of this, I do not know. But perhaps I know someone who could help. An elder djinn.”
“Will you lead us to him?”
There was a slight pause. “Yes, master.”
“Thank you, Faddy. Be gone.”
“Are we ready?” asked Jewel.
“I think so.”
We stepped up onto the stone bridge, and almost immediately I knew something was different. The magical connection with Faddy was broken.
“El Fadl?” I called, but there was no response. My ifrit, for now, was free.
“He is gone?” asked Jewel, her sharp mind grasping the situation immediately.
I nodded, feeling oddly alone and vulnerable. I had forgotten just how much I had come to rely on my simple ifrit.
We continued onto the arching bridge, which angled up high and was far narrower than I had hoped. A hand rail would have been nice, too, but we had no such luck. I didn’t have a fear of heights, but walking over something like this wasn’t easy. And the bedeviled wind, which thundered over us like banshees escaping from the netherworld below, didn’t make things any easier.
But we plowed along, with myself in the lead. Despite her apparent fearlessness, Jewel reached forward and took my hand. I gave it to her willingly, pleased to be wanted in such an intimate way, and led the way up the curving strip of bridge. When we reached the apex of the stone structure, something strange began to happen.
Strange, but not unexpected, since we had been warned.
Each step grew more and more difficult. Our bodies were growing denser and it was a strange feeling, indeed. Jewel gripped my hand even tighter, and I saw her struggling as well. I reassured her as best as I could, but, for the most part, I shared her unease.
As we continued down the bridge, we came to a stretch that was riddled with holes wide enough for a man to fall through. The bridge, apparently, was falling apart. I halted and tested the surrounding stones. They seemed to hold, and just as I was about to navigate around the holes, Jewel yanked hard on my hand.
“We are growing heavier and heavier, as Bakr warned. Perhaps other adventurers did not receive such a warning.”
I looked again at the gaping voids in the bridge. “Or perhaps they didn’t heed his warnings.” I nearly attempted to summon Faddy but stopped myself. “I think, perhaps, we better think lighter thoughts.”
“But how? I do not feel so light now.”
I knew what she meant. With my legs trembling from the weight of my upper body, thinking light thoughts seemed a near impossibility. As I thought about how to approach the problem, I found myself gazing ahead at the swirling mist that awaited us in Djinnland. The wispy mist. Roiling. Churning. So light.
“Something’s happening,” said Jewel behind me.
I turned and found her staring at me open-mouthed. “What?”
She pointed. “You’re doing it, but how?”
“Doing what?”
“I can see through you, Niddala. But how? I feel as heavy as a birthing elephant.”
I held up my arms in wonder, staring at them. Indeed, I could see through them. Also, the sense of heaviness had abated, but now it was returning, and I soon felt the crushing weight.
The mist! I quickly told her about it, instructing her to hold the swirling fog front and center in her thoughts. She did so, as did I, and soon we could both see through the other. I found myself wishing I could see through her clothing, as well, but no such luck.
Holding her hand, I led the way safely down over the bridge, bypassing the gaping holes, and to the waiting mist below.
Djinnland.
Chapter Eight
Ahead of us the raised rock trail continued, curving into the mist. Where did it lead?
I rubbed my ring, but there was no response. That made me uncomfortable, though I knew Faddy did not have to respond, because he had said he would guide us. Was he reneging? I did not think so. Then why was he not here?
Jewel tested the path with her foot. “Seems solid,” she said. “But does it go where we need to go?”
“I don’t trust it,” I said. “It must go where the jinn want it to. That could be a trap for unwary visitors.”
“They can’t get many visitors. More likely they use it themselves. Ask your ifrit; he surely knows.”
“He’s not responding.”
“Then how do we know where we need to be?”
“It’s a problem,” I agreed.
“I have an ugly thought.”
“Faddy wouldn’t betray us. I’ve known him for years and he’s a good person, for an ifrit.”
&n
bsp; “Not about Fatty.” She paused, but I did not correct her, knowing she was teasing me. “About whoever has captured your other ifrit.”
“I call him Lamprey. That’s not his name, but it serves.”
“Lamprey,” she agreed. “Whoever has him may actually be after you. This is his way of making you come to him.”
I whistled. “Could be! Bait for the trap. But why would a powerful jinn want me?”
“I don’t know, but he must have a reason.”
“None that I can fathom. It seems like way more effort than it’s worth.”
“Think of my ex husband.”
I did, getting her point. Jewel might be nothing in herself, but she had motive to rescue their son, and that made her a threat to the man’s demonic designs. So he watched her, and acted the moment she did. After the boy had been sacrificed Jewel could probably be ignored, but right now he was not stinting in his effort to keep her away.
Similarly, I might be a threat to the djinn leader, so he was acting to take me out. There would be no evidence if it happened in Djinnland. What threat was I to him? Well, I had been king, and might one day be again. Kings had power, as I well knew, and I did know how to use it, and would if I had reason. Maybe he needed to be certain I never recovered that power.
“Then I think we had better stay out of sight,” I said. “We may be up against things we have no inkling of.”
“Exactly.”
“It occurs to me that this could be why Faddy is not answering. He knows they are watching him, and want him to lead them to us. So he is staying away, lest he betray me simply by responding.”
“Couldn’t they find us as simply by watching the bridge?”
“You’d think so. Maybe there’s magic on it that conceals who crosses.”
“That mist.”
“That mist,” I agreed. “But we’ll be clear enough the moment we leave it.”
“So what do we do?”
I pondered and came up with a devious plan. “Time is static here. That is, no matter how long our mission takes, no time will pass for us in the mortal realm. So we don’t have to hurry. We can take a year if we need to.”