Jin sits up in bed. “Your stomach was making noises while you slept. Are you hungry?”
How embarrassing. “Now that you mention it, I am.”
He gets up and walks over to the chair where he put his clothes. “I can ask the guards to procure some breakfast for us. What do you desire?”
“Guards?”
“Yes, Vihann sent them after you went to sleep.”
“Great. Okay I’ll eat anything as long as it's not curry.”
“As you wish, Mistress.” Jin marches over to the door and knocks four times.
A rebel guard opens the door a crack. “Mr. Sansby, is there a problem?”
“My wife is famished. Can you obtain breakfast for us? Pastries and fruit, if they can be found.”
The guard gives Jin a slight bow. “Of course, sir. I will send Sati immediately.”
Jin bounds back toward the bed and strokes my cheek. “I know how much you loathe mornings, so I booked our departure for this afternoon. However, do you not think it is time you donned your garments?’’
I dangle my leg seductively off the bed. “I can’t have breakfast in the nude?”
“I would desire nothing less.” He kisses my foot. “But I believe Sati might prefer you clothed.”
Reluctantly, I tumble of bed and dress in the clothes the rebels dropped off last night, along with our valises and the guards. Grateful that I once again have my dad’s shirt, I wish I could put it on. But Sati picked out beautiful emerald green sari with a gold embroidered edge for me. I put on the matching embroidered top first, then drape the sari around my body and toss the decorative end over my shoulder the way Nalini taught me.
The sound of applause fills the room. “Nicely done.” Jin kisses me on the hand. “You make quite the beautiful Indian lady.”
Four knocks sound at the door. “That must be breakfast. Fantastic, I’m starving.”
Jin knocks four times and the door flings open. Two huge men with black turbans race over and pin Jin to the floor. Their High Council guard uniform is impossible to mistake.
A muscular woman grabs my arms and binds my wrists as fast as a cowboy hogties a steer. “You are my charge now.”
Jin struggles against the men as they hogtie him, too. He yells out, “Who are you? What do you want?”
The hulking woman grins ear to ear. She gloats at Jin. “My name is commander Kali. Time to pay the price for going against your masters. The High Council’s elephants will trample you both to death, the way we have stomped out your little rebellion.”
Life Revisited
Esme
A black blindfold is wrapped tight around my eyes. Wheels churn under me. My mouth is dry from being gagged, but the air seems drier, too, my skin crisping in the sun. The smell of sagebrush fills my nose. We must be in an open wagon. Or at least I must be. My heart sinks from worry about Jin.
We jerk to a stop and I am yanked to the ground. I cough out a cloud of dust, as someone pulls off my blindfold and gag. “You better be careful with this one. She has precious cargo.”
I forgot they still don’t know that my pregnancy was all a ruse. “Yes, Mr. Tahan and the High Council will be mad if I lose the baby because of you.”
Kali bellows, “Mr. Tahan is dead! I am in command now.”
Jin stands a few feet away, still blindfolded and gagged with a fresh gash across his cheek. Those bastards.
“The High Council is doomed and so are you,” I say, loud enough to make sure Jin hears me and knows I’m fine and kicking.
Kali thrusts her fist toward me and then withdraws. Instead, she puts my gag back on. “You are a very foolish girl. It is not that easy to destroy the council. They have many more genies who are loyal to the cause.”
She grabs my wrists, my feet sinking into the sand, as she pulls me toward the gate of a three-story stone fortress. The sawtooth edge could eat any enemy that tried to cross. We’ve gone from lush tropical southern India to the dry north. The gag in my mouth doesn’t stop the sand from shooting up my nostrils. Jin stumbles blindly as his guards drag him through the dust.
As they lead us across the inner courtyard, a large pen with two elephants gives me goose bumps. I have to find a way to save Jin. I only have one life to lose. He has centuries.
We climb the narrow stone staircase to the top of the main tower. The commander turns a large old-fashioned key and flings open the ironclad door. “We cleaned the cell up for you. Most of the blood and bones should be gone.”
Kali unsheathes her knife, cuts the ropes around my wrist, and pushes me inside. The guards drag Jin toward the cell across the hall. “Please, let me stay with my husband.”
Her eyes grow wide. “Why would I do such a thing?”
I put my hand on my belly. “Because I want my husband to touch the child one more time.”
“He is to die at daybreak.”
Kali’s heart is as cold as the tower walls. “All the more reason.”
She pulls off Jin’s gag and blindfold. “What say you, traitor?”
“I am no traitor.” Jin blinks a few times trying to regain his focus. “I did not incite the rebellion.”
I’m sure Jin would love to say how the High Council deserved to be overthrown for the way they treated the genies. But he says nothing in the hope that she will actually let us stay together.
Kali reaches into a leather pouch at her waist and flips a silver coin. “Let fate make the decision.”
Jin cradles me in his arms. “I cannot believe our good fortune.”
I dab at the gash on his cheek with the clean edge of my sari. “Does it hurt?”
He gives me a weak smile. “’Tis but a trifle. I feel no pain when we are together.”
Footsteps sound and the door swings open. Kali strides in with a small man wearing thick glasses.
“Dr. Lakshmi is here to examine you,” she snarls at me.
My heart races as the doctor sets his leather bag next to me. “Is that really necessary? I feel fine.”
“It is paramount that you give birth to a healthy child.”
“And you expect me to do that in a prison cell?”
“I must examine you.” The doctor yanks on my legs but I keep them clamped shut. He looks at me with fear in his eyes. “Please, cooperate.”
The commander moves next to me and unsheathes her knife. She places the tip under my chin. “Do as the doctor commands.”
Jin pushes the knife away. “Leave my wife be. Your quarrel is with me.”
“Silence, traitor, or I will throw you in another cell.”
The lie can’t go on any longer. “You don’t need your instruments.” I kick the doctor’s bag across the cell. “I’m not pregnant.”
A Cheshire Cat grin spreads across Kali’s face. “I thought so. My sister was with child, and you have none of the signs.” She sticks her nose in my face and takes a deep breath. “You smell barren.”
Pregnant women smell different?
Thrilled that he is no longer needed, the doctor gathers up his bag and races out the door. If only we could be right behind him, but the guards are standing just outside. “So you’re going to kill me, too?”
“Of course.” Kali grabs me by the hair and yanks me up. “I will relish your death more than your husband’s. I despise women like you.”
I try to wrestle out of her grasp. “The feeling is mutual.”
Kali tosses me next to Jin. “Enjoy your last hours alive. You will be the elephants’ playthings soon enough.”
Jin runs his fingers gently through my hair trying to smooth the mess the commander created. “Are you all right, dearest? Why did you tell her the truth? The doctor may have had no more understanding of human anatomy than the previous one.”
“I’m tired of pretending. Kali would have killed me sooner or later.” I take his good hand and lock my fingers with his. “I would rather die with you.”
A tear trickles down his cheek. “There may still be a way out. The rebels might have fo
llowed the carriage and are waiting beyond the fortress walls for the right moment to rescue us.”
“Always the optimist. I really love that about you.”
He gives me a weak smile. “I try.”
Then it strikes me he hasn’t said a word about Hugh or Gadhavi. “Jin, are Gadhavi and Hugh okay?”
“Yes, I am so sorry I could not inform you earlier. I did not want our enemies to know. Gadhavi got away, thankfully.”
“What about Hugh? I’ll never forgive myself if he was hurt.”
“Hugh is well. He had to preside over a case so he could not help us. Gadhavi took his place in the carriage.”
“I’m glad Gadhavi outsmarted the council. At least one of us will survive.” I sit on the cold stone floor and motion for him to join me. There’s only one thing I want to do before I die. “Jin, I need to see my father one last time.”
He doesn’t discourage me. Instead he pulls the monocle out of his pocket by the string. “I understand.”
My hand shakes as I take the monocle. Wanting to be alone, I walk over to the corner of the cell and jam the monocle under my brow. The string tickles my nose as I concentrate on my father’s face. At first nothing appears in the monocle. Then a vaguely familiar object comes into view—the shabby chic kitchen table at Ms. Crandy’s house. I blurt out, “Oh no! Dad’s moved in with Crandy!”
Jin races to my side. “Dearest, are you certain you want to continue viewing? It may not be what you hoped for.”
He’s right. Part of me actually did think Dad would wise up and dump Crandy. I tried to tell him how wrong she was for him, to highlight how she treated me so unfairly compared to her daughter.
I should have known when I heard him call her Kitten that she’d won his heart.
I squeeze Jin’s hand. “It’s okay. I’m older and wiser now. I can handle seeing the truth.”
Jin hugs me tight. “You have become a brave woman.”
“Let’s see how brave I am.”
I suck in a breath and concentrate on my father again. He’s aged a lot in a little over a year. A map of wrinkles covers his face. His hair is no longer salt and pepper, but mostly gray. Living with the Crandys, I’m not surprised.
Dad sits drinking some kind of healthy looking green concoction while Courtney chatters on. “But I have my heart set on UCLA. Derrick is going to be the starting quarterback for the Bruins. I know I can score the head cheerleader gig.”
Wow. I’m surprised they are still together.
Ms. Crandy strokes my dad’s hand. “Honey, can’t you pull some strings so she gets into UCLA?”
Guess Courtney never managed to get her GPA up. I’m not surprised. She loved to party far more than studying. A tiny pang of jealousy hits me. I should be on the way to college too. My hard-won GPA could have snagged me a spot just about anywhere—even Harvard.
Dad pushes his glass aside. “Courtney, I’m just a principal at a high school in New York. I have some connections at Cornell, but honestly I don’t think you have the grades to get in.”
Courtney’s chair screeches as she pushes it back from the table. “Well, what good are you then?” She throws her blond locks over her shoulder and storms off. Classic Courtney. What a B word!
Dad gets up from the table. “We’d better head off to school soon.”
Crandy makes a pouty face. “I wish you had suspended summer school this year. Then we could go have a proper honeymoon in Tahiti.”
“I thought you enjoyed our long weekend at The Point? I distinctly remember you saying the lake view was beautiful and the canopy bed was to die for.”
She gives my dad a peck on the cheek. “Just something to keep in mind for our first anniversary.”
I hate how Ms. Crandy belittles my dad. The poor guy feels he needs to defend himself. I want to jump through the monocle and punch her out. As if things can’t get worse, Courtney comes bounding back into the kitchen wearing a hot pink string bikini. “Guess I’ll have to get a tan in Southampton. Looks like I won’t be getting one in Malibu any time soon.”
Ms. Crandy watches her daughter as she prances out of the kitchen. “John, you really should try harder to please Courtney.” She puts her glass in the sink and immediately washes it. “Isn’t there someone you know in California that can help?”
Talk about putting the screws on.
Dad lets out a sigh. “I could call my college friend whose brother went to UCLA.”
Ms. Crandy kisses Dad on the cheek. “Oh, that would be wonderful.”
Courtney suddenly races back into the kitchen and gives him a hug. “Daddy, if you do this for me, I’ll love you forever.”
OMG! How can she call him Daddy? I want to throw up. Talk about being manipulated. I can barely watch as my dad stands trapped in a Crandy sandwich. My heart aches for him. I hand the monocle back to Jin. “I’ve seen enough.
He hangs his head. “Dearest, I have failed you in every conceivable way.”
I’m not really listening to him. The image of Courtney bossing my dad around is like a fresh wound bleeding into my mind. Looking at the expression on Jin’s face, I can tell his spirit is beginning to break. It’s my time to be strong. “I’m not going to accept this fate for us or my father.”
“What options do we have at our disposal? I no longer have my powers and you are out of wishes.”
“I don’t care. I’m not letting elephants trample us to death. And I’m sure not going to let Ms. Crandy and Courtney destroy my father.” I get up and pace the cell. “There has to be a way of getting out of here. A way to get back to Long Island.”
Jin wraps his arms around me trying to ease my pain. He looks wishfully out the window. “If only we could turn back time.”
“We did, and look where that got us.”
Jin notices something and lets me go. He’s drawn to the bared window like a magnet. “No, it cannot be.”
“What is it Jin? Do you see a signal from the rebels?”
“No, something far better—Polaris.”
Do or Die
Jin
The light of Polaris, the North Star, radiates through the window. Esme stands next to me in disbelief. “Do you think we can harness its power again?”
I kiss her cheek illuminated by the glow of the star. “I do believe we might.” I cannot believe our good fortune. Moving to northern India made all the difference. I had given up hope the powers of the star would be within our reach.
“But the last time we had the strength of a wish to help boost its power.”
“Tis true.” I hold the monocle up to the light and a tiny spark bounces off the surface. “Behold. We are much closer to the star this time—in a completely different hemisphere.”
A weak smile spreads across her face. “If only it could save our lives as it did my father’s.”
Her eyelids flutter as she fights to stay awake. “Dearest, please lie down and rest. It will be another hour before the star is aligned correctly.”
“Are you sure?”
I take her hand and lead her to the section of the stone floor illuminated by the light of Polaris. Using my sandal I kick away a few small pebbles. I take off my tunic and lay it down on the floor. “Your luxurious bed awaits.”
She lies down and curls into a ball—one of her favorite sleeping positions. Closing her eyes, she says, “Wake me as soon as you are ready.”
“Of that you can be certain.” Smoothing her pants down so they cover her legs completely, I give her a goodnight kiss.
She falls into a deep slumber and I long to lie next to her and watch her chest rise and fall. But I move away, trying to muster hope—and a way out.
Polaris tracks to the west, toward its ideal alignment. The star glows bright enough to illuminate the entire chamber, sparking the memory of a spell I learned at the Genie Academy. The incantation is decades older than the one I used to save Esme’s father and far more unreliable.
I take the monocle out of my pants pocket and turn it ove
r in my hand. Something compels me to go back to the lesson so long ago. Placing the monocle under my brow, I think back to the time when I was just learning the ways of the genie world. Back to when Mr. Tahan was not an enemy, but my Headmaster. I focus in on the lesson where we learned about the Ancient Arts. In particular, the vast powers of the great star Polaris.
A thin lavender haze covers the monocle as my mind travels back to the eighteen-nineties of my youth.
My senses are overwhelmed with the overpowering fragrance of sandalwood and jasmine. I fight back the urge to sneeze. Good thing, as when I open my eyes, I am staring at four white bearded men hovering like clouds over a gold gilded dais. They have an angelic appearance wearing turbans and matching white tunics and pants. Sitting cross-legged, they listen to the Headmaster as he whispers to them. More than likely filling them in on his students’ achievements—or lack thereof.
Although the High Council levitating above their dais is mesmerizing, I tear my gaze away to take in the grand palace that is their home. Two story high gold columns hold up scalloped arches trimmed in green, winging out on either side of the dais. Multi-tiered crystal chandeliers hang from the ceilings like diamond crowns.
The sun streams through the multi-paned windows, haloing the Headmaster. He stands on the dais platform, cloaked in the same bright turquoise as the tiles in the rest of the hall. “Today we are going to learn about Polaris, which plays a key role in the ancient magical arts of our founders.”
The Headmaster flicks his wrist and a large astronomical map of the sky descends from the ceiling. The stars glimmer and glow with the same intensity as their real counterparts in space. He points at the blue booklets we are still clutching. “This manual contains the incantations we are going to learn today. Although the High Council prefers that you only use the most up-to-date magic with your Masters, there may come a day when modern magic is not enough to help your charge. In this case, and only when all modern methods have been exhausted, are you allowed to practice the Ancient Arts.” He glares at us. “Students, is that understood?”
Jin In Time Boxed Set 1-3: A Young Adult Time Travel Romance (The Time is Forever Series) Page 30