The little bit of energy I had left went out in a sputter. As The Vizier finally freed his hand, I lifted my leg and brought my foot down on it as hard as I could.
He screamed in pain as I put my full weight on it.
Genie jumped up and dragged me off The Vizier’s hand. We raced down the corridor hand in hand. A flash of magic flew over our heads. I turned. The Vizier had risen up. This was it. Neither Genie or I had anything left. Genie had rallied in the last few minutes, but he was beginning to weigh me down again, and this time I could barely keep the pair of us up. I could only watch as The Vizier lifted his hand to strike.
Something flew over my head, but not from The Vizier. This came from behind and flew toward him. It landed on The Vizier’s face.
Blood spurted from his face, and what followed was a scream so terrible, I’d never heard anything like it before.
“What’s happening?” I whispered as Genie collapsed beside me. I fell to the floor with him. We both watched on in horror as The Vizier’s face was mauled.
The thing turned around and flew back to us.
“Asher?” I whispered. “Genie, it’s Asher. I thought he died!”
I could barely contain my excitement as my bird flew to me, something grotesque hanging in his beak. It was an eye.
I turned my attention to The Vizier. He was still screaming, holding his face as blood dripped to the floor.
As I watched, he disappeared, leaving only a puff of purple smoke in his wake.
“What happened?” I croaked. “Is he dead?”
“He’ll come back,” Genie whispered. I looked at him. His breathing was shallow, and his once muscular body looked emaciated. His skin was more translucent than ever. His eyes flickered and closed.
“I wish you to be free,” I whispered. “I wish you to be human again.”
A cold wind whipped around us as my wish, the only one of the three wishes I ever cared about came true.
6
13th July
His body was warm. Warmer than I’d ever known it to be. All the while we’d been together, he’d slowly been turning into a genie. The change had been so gradual that I’d barely noticed, and it was only now that he was human again that the warmth of his flesh next to mine was noticeable.
I traced a finger over his bare chest, watching the steady rise and fall as he breathed softly. We’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms, clutching onto each other for fear that one of us would somehow be taken away. It was our first time without chains lying between us. In the light of a new day, my fears hadn’t completely receded. And yet, Genie was healthy. The pallor in his skin had gone, and the tone had returned to his muscles.
I leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly, expecting him to wake, but he remained soundly asleep. Leaving him physically hurt, but the kingdom was a mess, and someone needed to sort it out.
Guilt tugged at me as I pulled on one of Genie’s shirts. After everything that had happened yesterday, the two of us had gone straight to bed. I’d tried arguing, but I had been so tired that I’d acquiesced. In the cold light of day, the thought of the dead guards still lying in the basement, made my stomach churn.
The palace was deathly silent as I padded the corridors to my own room, barefoot. The guards that normally stood sentry were no longer there. The stench of fire and of death was everywhere, adding to the guilt I already felt. In my room, Asher came to greet me.
He landed on my hand and clucked as I stroked his downy head.
“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you,” I said, giving him a quick kiss. He playfully nipped my finger, stretched his wings, and took flight out of the open window. I pulled on a pair of pants and headed back out into the corridor. I found my father sitting alone in the breakfast room.
“How are you, Gaia?” he asked as I walked in.
I nodded, unable to quell the churning in my stomach. I didn’t trust myself to speak.
“The guards helped clean up last night. The injured have been taken to hospital. The families of the dead have been informed.”
I nodded again, surprised that he’d taken so much action. My father, as he used to be, would have done that, but this wasn’t my father anymore, or at least he didn’t remember being...or did he?
“Do you know who I am?”
My father raised an eyebrow at the question. “Of course, Gaia. I greeted you when you walked in, remember?”
I sat down next to him. “I mean, do you remember me? Do you remember I’m your daughter? Do you remember living here?”
“I remember you once told me you were my daughter. I understand now that I’m not who I think I am. I remember growing up on the streets of Kisbu. I remember living in the bell tower. I don’t remember the bits between that. I’m sorry. I know that’s not what you want to hear. If it makes you feel any better, I believe you when you say you are my daughter.”
It confirmed to me what Genie had told me the night before. The Vizier wasn’t gone. Not really. He’d left the castle. Maybe he’d left Kisbu, but deep in my heart, I knew he would be back. This wasn’t over. The curse, or whatever it was, was still in effect. It would make everything so much harder. The six of us. My parents, Genie, Freya, Jamal, and I would have to pick up the pieces together, with three of the six having lost their memories.
My mother chose that moment to walk through the door. She came through the servant’s entrance, armed with a platter of food. I stood to help her put it all out on the table. There was no point asking why she was the one making breakfast. The staff were either dead or had run away.
I picked up an apple and rolled it in my hands.
“How many people died last night?” I asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
I’d put the question to my father, but it was my mother that answered.
“We had fifty-three fatalities and many more injured. They have been dealt with and the families informed.”
“Yes, Aladdin told me.”
She looked at him, and I saw something pass between them. It looked a lot like love.
“We were planning on visiting the families later. I was going to ask if you wanted to join us.”
“You are going...together?”
She smiled. “Yes. We stayed up half the night talking. Aladdin helped me a lot. We are going to visit the injured as well. I was going to ask Jamal and Freya if they wanted to come with us. They’ve been doing a marvelous job of helping me these past few weeks.”
“Where are they?” I asked.
“I suspect they will come down soon. They both got nasty bumps last night. They need to rest.”
“So did you come up with a plan last night? Apart from visiting people, I mean?”
“I’m not sure what we can do. We both know that things aren’t right. My memories are fleeting, and I don’t feel myself.”
“That’s the curse. I’ve been telling you for weeks.”
“I know,” she admitted. “It was only when Aladdin spoke of his own memories fading that I realized just how much was missing of my own memories. I’ll need to rely on you, Gaia, to tell me when I’m missing things.”
I wondered if my father had told her that he was the Sultan and that they’d been married for eighteen years. He might not remember it, but he remembered me telling him.
“What about the palace?” I asked.
“We did a walk through this morning before I went to the kitchen to make breakfast. It will take time to get back to how we were, but if we work together, we could clear the debris. We’ll have to get people in to rebuild and repaint. It’s mostly localized to the basement and the kitchen area, so it shouldn’t be too much work.”
“And Kisbu?”
My mother sighed. “I don’t know. I’ve been concentrating on the palace as a way to not have to think of what is happening out there. I’ve not even dared to look outside the windows.”
My father stood. “We need to round up the others and then go outside. The people out there will b
e hurting. We only know the damage that was caused in here, but I expect The Vizier created chaos out there too.”
My mother looked up at him in awe. It was at that moment that Jamal and Freya walked in. I noticed that they were holding hands.
Freya gave a little wave as she sat beside me at the table. I filled her and Jamal in as they picked at the food.
“We can’t go out as we are,” Jamal stated.
I followed his gaze around the table. My mother was dressed in a plain sundress, but my father was still wearing the same clothes he’d worn the day before. Jamal was dressed in casual clothes, but Freya had done the same as me and put on a shirt.
Not one of us had dragged a comb through our hair.
“You want us to get dressed up?” My father asked.
“Aladdin. You are the Sultan. You may not remember. The people may not remember, but they will be looking for a leader. Her Majesty the Sultana too. We need to provide someone the people can look up to. I can arrange for you to give a talk from the balcony if you like. It won’t take long to gather up the few guards we have left and get them to ring the town bells to get people to come and listen.”
My father drummed his fingers on the table. “I think you are right, but if I’m dressing up in royal attire then so should you.”
“I’m not royal, sir,” Jamal reminded him.
My father lifted his hand and clapped him on the shoulder.
“I’ve seen what you’ve done around here. I’ve heard from Jawahir how much you’ve helped. You may not be a sultan, but you’ve worked as one. The people don’t remember me, but they remember you. If I go out on that balcony, I go with you. I go with you all. We are all the sultan. If this thing ever ends and we find a way to bring our memories back, I will take my place alongside Jawahir.” He held his hand out on the table, and my mother took it, blushing as she did.
“We still have two guards on the main gate. If you don’t mind asking them to do as you said, you can meet me in my bedroom in half an hour so you can borrow one of my royal uniforms....if that’s alright with Jawahir?”
My mother blushed further. “Of course. I guess it is your room as well as mine. I shall wait and dress when you are finished.”
“So it’s settled then.” he turned to me. “Gaia. Will Genie be joining us? I hear that he is just as big a part of running this kingdom as the rest of us.”
“I’ll go and fetch him,” I said, standing up from the table. I still had the apple in my hand as I left the room.
Jamal caught up with me.
“Gaia. Are you ok? I’ve been worried about you. Freya barely slept last night. She kept asking me to come and check on you.”
“You slept with her?”
His cheeks colored bright red. It was the first time I’d ever seen him embarrassed.
“I’m sorry,” I said quickly. “It’s none of my business.”
“I love her if that’s what you are asking.”
I kissed his cheek, which made him turn red. “I’m happy for you, and I’m fine, by the way.” I turned to leave, but he stopped me.
“Actually, I was hoping you’d come with me. I didn’t want to mention it in there because your parents have been through so much, but we have a problem.”
I cocked my head. After everything that had happened, I hated to think about what Jamal considered as a problem.
“Is The Vizier back?” I asked.
“No, not that. The town folk are protesting again. I saw them outside. Hundreds of them, lining the streets. I don’t know how to handle this, Gaia. I know everyone is looking to me, but I’m not the Sultan. I’ve been helping where I can, but I’m not equipped to deal with this. Not now.”
I took his hand in mine. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?” he asked, stunned.
“We are going to do what you promised my father you were going to do. We are going to speak to the guards, and after that, we will speak to the people.”
“I’m not sure, Gaia. They have every right to be angry. We have almost no guards.”
“Then we deal with it.” I opened the front door of the palace. The scene before me took my breath away. Jamal hadn’t successfully conveyed the sheer magnitude of the problem. He’d said hundreds, but there were thousands. It looked like the whole city had come out.
I ran to the front gates, which, thankfully, were closed.
A guard on the gate nodded his head to me.
“Please can you tell everyone that we will be giving a speech in an hour from the balcony.”
He gave me a look that quite clearly stated he thought I was insane. His mouth hung open.
“I’ll head out the staff entrance and see if I can round up more guards!” I added, feeling flustered. “Just try and keep everyone under control. I know it’s a huge job. I’m sorry.”
“Your Highness. I don’t think you understand,” the guard began.
“I understand. I can see that we have a major problem. I’m trying to deal with it as best I can.”
I felt Jamal tugging on my shirtsleeve as I spoke. I ignored him, but I couldn’t ignore the people at the gate calling my name. No doubt, out for my blood for letting them down so badly.
“I think you should see this, Gaia,” Jamal said, physically spinning me around so that I was looking straight at the people.
They had smiles on their faces. The ones at the front were pushing food and money through the bars.
“What’s going on?” I whispered.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” the guard said. “The people are here to support you. They all saw what was happening in the palace last night. They saw the bodies being brought out. At first, I thought they were coming to be nosy, but then they started asking what they could do to help. They started coming last night, but they kept coming.”
A smile tugged on the corner of my lips. “They are here to help? They don’t want to riot?”
“I believe that’s the case, Your Highness.”
“Then tell them we’ll make a statement in an hour,” I repeated. I took Jamal’s hand and pulled him inside.
After a quick shower, I selected a dress that I’d worn to a state occasion the previous year. It was beautiful. Three shades of pink with gold trim. It was by far my most favorite item of clothing, but it wasn’t for me. I dressed in a green dress that I wore when we had guests and headed to Jamal’s room. I knocked and waited. When he opened the door, his face turned to one of surprise.
“Gaia?”
“This is for Freya.”
His cheeks colored again. He took the dress and thanked me before heading back inside.
Genie was up and awake when I got to his room. I threw him an apple as I entered. He strode across the room and brought me into a kiss that made my knees weak.
“I brought you an apple,” I said, referring to the fruit I’d saved from breakfast.
He was dressed only in pants. The feel of his skin against mine had me wanting to go back to bed and never leave.
I ran my hand over his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.
“You feel different,” I murmured, leaning down to kiss the skin below his collarbone. He was warm and smelled heavenly. I inhaled and took in hints of citrus and spice.
“Gaia,” he said, pulling me back up. “I’m sorry you had to waste your last wish on me.”
“I didn’t have to,” I whispered back. “I wanted to. I don’t regret it.”
“Not today, maybe.”
“Never,” I said, pulling him forward into a kiss.
His lips tasted of the apple he’d just taken a bite out of. I could have tasted him all day. “I want to get to know you,” I said. “As you are now.”
He stepped back. “I might be human, but I’m still not the man I once was. My memories are hazy.”
There was a sadness in his eyes as he spoke. “I might never be the man you want me to be.”
“You already are.”
“For
now. Akeem is still out there. This thing hasn’t ended. We might have the lamp, but he has control. He’s already shown once he can turn me into a genie. When he gets his strength back, he’ll try again. We are running out of people who will free me from slavery.”
“The lamp!” I cried out. It was still in the pantry.
“Get dressed!” I demanded. “Wear something regal. I’ll meet you on the balcony in half an hour.”
He looked at me questioningly, but I didn’t stick around to answer. Instead, I raced out of his suite and back to the scene of the fight we’d had with The Vizier last night. In daylight, it looked worse than it had. I jumped over the rubble and ran into the pantry. In the far corner sat the lamp. I picked it up and held it to my chest.
Without this, the Vizier would never be able to command Genie. He could turn him into a genie as much as he liked, but he’d never control him. He’d never be his master. I gave the lamp a rub. Nothing happened. With a smile, I headed back out into the corridor. I wouldn’t hide the lamp as my father had. I’d destroy it completely.
“What are you looking so smug about?” Freya commented as I headed up the main stairs to the balcony. She ran and caught up with me. She looked beautiful in the pink dress.
“That really suits you,” I commented.
“Thank you for letting me borrow it.”
“Borrow it? It’s yours. You’ve helped me dress for years. I think it’s about time you had something for your trouble.”
“So, what is the smile on your face about?”
I held up the lamp. “Genie is free. Even if The Vizier manages to make him a genie again, he’ll never be his master. I’m going to destroy the lamp.”
Freya was quiet for a second.
“But you didn’t have the lamp when you became his master,” she pointed out.
“No, but I was there when he became a genie again. I was the first to make a wish when that happened. I was standing right next to him.”
“So...” She sucked in a breath. “What if The Vizier captures him and turns him into a genie then? As long as he’s the first to make a wish, the genie is his until he exhausts his wishes. He wouldn’t even need the lamp.”
Gaia: Daughter of Aladdin Page 32