by Farah Zaman
“Yes, but I avoided the news. I didn’t want to hear about my own kidnapping.”
“Are you upset your stepfather lied about paying the ransom?”
“I don’t think he lied. I’m sure he paid the ransom. To himself. Using me and my mother’s money.”
“So how does that change anything?”
“The greedy snake claimed yesterday that he received another ransom demand from my kidnapper for two million dirhams.”
“The nerve.”
“Oh no, I’m glad he did that. I’ll use his fake ransom letters as my bargaining chips. I’ll demand he stop blackmailing my mom and grant her a divorce. If not, I’ll go to the police and expose him for the fraud he is.”
“But what if he decides to get rid of you before you go to the police?”
“I’ll tell him I’ve written the whole story and left it with my friends. If I disappear or die, they’ll turn it in to the police. He won’t get away with murdering me. You and the others are my friends, of course. And I have my statement already sealed in the envelope to give to you. I don’t think Uncle Nidal will dare to try anything after that.”
Adam’s face broke into a grin. “Yeah, I think you’ve got him there. When are you planning to leave?”
“In the morning. I wish I’d known of the first ransom letter. I could have used it against him instead of hiding out like a coward.”
“You’re not a coward,” Adam said staunchly. “You were scared for your life. Besides, if you had confronted him then, you wouldn’t have had your story written as a backup. It would have been easy for him to make you disappear again without worrying about the consequences.”
“You’re right. Let me get that envelope.”
Danyal returned with a plain white envelope and handed it to Adam.
“I’ll guard it with my life,” Adam said, putting it into his pocket.
“Thank you. So, how did the search in the vaults go today?”
“It was unbelievable.” Adam went on to tell Danyal what the twins had overheard, the phone conversation with Omar Alkhalaf and their findings in the vaults. “So, we’re going with Heba to the police in the morning to tell them everything.”
“That’s wonderful,” Danyal said. “Heba will finally get closure after the murderer is caught.”
“Yes, it will be a great relief for her.”
“I’m going to miss you all.” Danyal’s eyes misted over as he gave Adam a hug. “You’ve been wonderful friends. I’ll never forget all the support you gave me.”
Feeling the sting of tears in his own eyes, Adam said, “Don’t get all sappy on me now. Send word to us when you get home.”
“I will,” Danyal promised. “Let me know when the murderer is caught.”
“You bet.”
Adam left, feeling lighter of heart. As he headed down the walkway, a startled cry escaped his lips as two hulking shadows stepped out from behind the shrubs. Before he could cry out again, one of them clamped a gag over his mouth and the other tied his hands behind his back.
“We’ve got you now, Danyal,” a rough man’s voice said. “Your days of running are over.”
“The boss will be pleased,” the other man said in a gloating tone.
They sounded like the two brutes who had tried to grab Adam at the mall.
He struggled against them, grappling with the shock of being caught. He was quickly overpowered by their combined strength. They frog-marched him to a black SUV idling in the street. Shoving him flat into the back seat, they got into the front and pulled away. One of them made two phone calls. Both times, he said, “We’ve got him. We’re on the way.”
Fear and anger gnawed at Adam’s breast as the van gathered speed. Where were they taking him? How had they known Danyal was hiding at Heba’s house? Incredible as it seemed, they had mistaken Adam for Danyal once again. There was nothing stopping them from murdering Adam in error. Even if they removed the gag, he doubted they would believe his protestations that he was not Danyal. His heart sank in his chest.
Minutes later, the SUV came to a stop and the engine cut off.
Why have they stopped so soon?
The men opened the door and dragged Adam to his feet. A thick swathe of trees lay before them, the moon glowing from between the branches. Adam’s blood ran cold. Al-Bustaan Cemetery. They meant to kill him now and bury him here. He kicked and lashed out in desperation, but they quickly subdued him and towed him towards the flickering lights in the center of the cemetery. They stopped a few feet away. The source of the illumination were several tall candles forming a huge circle in a clearing among the graves.
Two figures in hooded cloaks stepped forward, the light falling upon their faces. Adam stiffened in shock.
Ms. Mahveen and Mr. Talish.
They gave him a cursory look, avoiding eye contact. With the gag over his mouth, Adam knew they would not recognize him. Perhaps if they took a closer look, they might see that he was not Danyal. He kicked and thrashed against the men, grunting behind the gag. His ploy to get Ms. Mahveen’s and Mr. Talish’s attention did not work. They ignored him.
Ms. Mahveen pointed to a tree close to the candlelit circle and said brusquely, “Sit him there.”
“Make sure you tie his feet,” Mr. Talish said. “Wouldn’t want him escaping now, would we?”
The men hauled Adam to the tree and seated him against the trunk. They bound his feet before taking up a watchful stance next to him. He had expected that they would kill him right away, but it seemed something else was afoot. He stared around, trying to figure out what was going on.
Ms. Mahveen and Mr. Talish stood next to the circle, the light dancing over their faces. Adam glanced in the circle and his eyes widened. Inside it was a giant white cardboard canvas with hexagrams and pentagrams. His breath froze in his chest. A Solomonic Circle. They were planning to summon a jinn tonight.
An engine throbbed and headlights appeared across the graveyard. The new vehicle stopped next to the SUV the men had brought Adam in. The lights went off and the shadowy figures of three men ambled towards the circle. Two of them were strangers, carrying shovels and spades. The third one was Danyal’s stepfather. He was leading an oryx by a halter.
Mazooma.
She had a luminous white coat and a plump body, moving with grace despite her long and pointed V-shaped horns. She sniffed the air as if smelling danger. Handing her halter to one of the men, Nidal ordered, “Tie her up.”
The man led her to a nearby tree.
“Where is he?” Nidal asked the teachers.
“Right over there.” Mr. Talish pointed to Adam.
“I had almost given up hope that you’d find him,” Ms. Mahveen said.
“He couldn’t run forever.” Nidal turned a searing look in Adam’s direction.
Adam’s breathing quickened as Danyal’s stepfather strode over and looked down at him.
“You led me on quite a chase, Danyal.” Nidal’s eyes were like sharp pinpoints in the dim light. “I didn’t think you had the gumption to hide out for so long.”
He pulled out a flashlight and shined it in Adam’s face. Almost blinded, Adam’s eyes closed in reflex. Now was the moment of discovery.
But it seemed that Nidal had also been deceived by Adam’s resemblance to his stepson. Withdrawing the flashlight, he said to the teachers, “You’ve got the grimoire and I’ve brought you oryx and human sacrifice. Let’s get the show started.”
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Moonglow and Magic
Adam’s breath choked in his throat. Human sacrifice?
“We still need that last ingredient we told you about,” Mr. Talish said.
“We’ll look for it as soon as our guests show up,” Nidal said.
“Do you think it’s wise to have them come here?” Ms. Mahveen sounded agitated.
&n
bsp; “There was no other choice.”
“What if they tell someone?” Mr. Talish said.
“I told them they won’t get the reward if they do.”
“I hope that was enough to hold their tongues,” Ms. Mahveen said.
“It’s too late now to have an attack of nerves.” There was an edge to Nidal’s voice. “Let me see the book. I’ve waited long enough.”
Ms. Mahveen reached into the pocket of her cloak and pulled out a short, square volume. From where he sat, Adam could make out the shadowy picture in front and the moons and stars etched all around. His eyes widened.
The Hour of the Oryx.
Ms. Mahveen handed the book to Nidal and said, “I know you’re upset because we didn’t let you see it sooner. But we had to make sure you kept your end of the bargain. Talish paid a high price for the book.”
“Killing the teacher was stupid,” Nidal said, holding his flashlight to the book as he thumbed through the pages.
“I told you Mr. Issa’s death was an accident.” Mr. Talish’s lips were a tight line. “He grabbed me and tried to pull off my mask. I meant to cut him on the arm, but he turned, and the knife went into his chest instead.”
“You can’t hold Mr. Issa’s death against Talish,” Ms. Mahveen said. “Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control. I had the same problem once.”
“Oh yes?” Nidal lifted his head from the book. “Do tell me that story. It must be very interesting.” There was a hint of mockery in his voice.
Seeming oblivious to it, Ms. Mahveen launched into her tale. “My grandmother used to light candles and chant incantations before she died. She told me she wanted to bind a jinn to help us. I hated everyone when I came to the orphanage and wanted to be free of them. I decided to try some of her incantations so I could get a jinn to help me escape. I was in the vaults one night when I saw a light coming towards me.”
“Your very first jinn?” Nidal asked, his head buried in the book.
“La, it was that nosy sneak, Raha.” Ms. Mahveen’s voice was bitter. “She was giddy with joy at catching me there. She danced around my candles, saying I was a wicked witch and she would tell everyone I had been casting spells. I got angry and picked up a candle to hit her. She tried to run away but slipped and fell on top of the other candles. The wax spilled over her, setting her ablaze. She burned to death.”
“How convenient for you.” Nidal looked up from his perusal. “I’m impressed you’ve memorized all the incantations in the book. Especially you, Mahveen, since you don’t speak Persian.”
“She was a fast learner,” Mr. Talish said. “But that was the least of our worries,” he added in a petulant tone. “The hardest part was finding a place to practice them. We started using the vaults, but the mute boy and his monkey were always wandering around at night. That’s why we came to the graveyard. Even here wasn’t safe. I had to chase away an intruder the other night while Mahveen was practicing.”
“And that wasn’t the end of it,” Ms. Mahveen said. “We returned to the orphanage through the back door and the monkey came running after us. The mute boy and another boy came chasing after him, so we had to hide in the vaults. Talish finally scared them away with the recording but unfortunately, they saw the circle we had drawn. We had to erase it.”
“Your difficulties will be over tonight,” Nidal said. “All your hard work will finally pay off.”
“Na’am, the thought of that is what kept us going,” Ms. Mahveen said.
Feet tramped towards them.
“Ah, that must be our guests at last,” Nidal said.
A voice called out, “Mr. Nidal, are you there?”
“Yes, come and join us.”
Adam’s eyes almost fell out of his head when the moonlight revealed three familiar figures.
The Troublesome Trio. What are they doing here?
The bullies approached the circle of candles but stopped short at the sight of Ms. Mahveen and Mr. Talish.
“Hello, boys.” Ms. Mahveen gave them a thin smile.
“Ms. Mahveen, I didn’t know you and Mr. Talish would be here,” Haysam said, an uneasy look on his face. “You’re not here to take us back, are you?”
“Oh, no,” Mr. Talish said. “We heard you helped Mr. Nidal to find his stepson. I couldn’t believe it when he called and told me. That was very smart of you.”
Fadi preened. “It was all because of me. I was in the clinic when I heard the doctor’s son say they were going to the cemetery. He and his friend were mean to us, so we decided to come hide in the trees and scare them.”
No wonder I felt eyes watching us.
Luay said, “When they came here, we heard them talking about Danyal being at Heba’s house. We knew it must be Danyal Hazni, the kidnapped boy. We decided to get the reward by telling where Danyal was. When we got back to the orphanage, we looked up Mr. Nidal’s number and called him from the kitchen. He told us not to tell anyone and to come to the cemetery tonight to get our reward.”
“Did you find Danyal?” Fadi asked.
“Yes, that’s him under the tree.” Nidal pointed.
The three boys stared at Adam’s silhouette.
“Why is he tied up?” Haysam asked.
“He was giving us some trouble,” Nidal answered smoothly.
“Hey, isn’t that an oryx?” Luay gawked at Mazooma.
“Yeah, it is,” Fadi said.
The Troublesome Trio went quiet as they stared at the strange scene around them. Their eyes went first to the circle of candles. Then they looked at Adam trussed up under the tree. He could almost see the wheels turning in their heads as they came to the conclusion that something was not right.
“We’re…we’re leaving now.” Haysam edged away, Luay and Fadi on his heels. “We’ll get the reward another time.”
Nidal snapped a finger. The next moment, the Troublesome Trio were yelling and struggling as the four men restrained them. Bound and gagged, they were dumped on the ground next to Adam. He glared at them. The three knuckleheads have ruined everything.
“You can start setting up the altar,” Nidal said to Ms. Mahveen and Mr. Talish. “I’ll go with the men to get you the bones of the dead.”
The bones of the dead? They’re going to dig up a corpse?
“Make sure you get them from an old grave,” Ms. Mahveen said. “It’s what the book says.”
“We will,” Nidal said. “Alright men, grab your tools and let’s go.”
The men gathered up their shovels and spades and Nidal led them away, his flashlight bouncing off the grave markers. Panic pressed down on Adam as the teachers set up a collapsible white table as their altar. On it, they placed some of the items he had seen in the secret hutch. Adam shuddered at the sight of the two double-edged knives.
The thuds of shovels filled the air. The men had found their old bones. Despair seized Adam. Even if his captors discovered he was not Danyal, he was under no illusion they would let him go. They were setting the stage for a human sacrifice and he would do just as well as Danyal.
Ms. Mahveen and Mr. Talish continued their gruesome preparations as the sound of digging vibrated around the graveyard. They lit a camp stove and placed a black cauldron over it. They added numerous items to it until the concoction simmered.
After everything had been laid out on the altar, Ms. Mahveen held up a clear bag that bulged with small metallic objects. “Mehrshad is going to love this gift. A hundred keys in exchange for one.”
“The key to the cave of treasures,” Mr. Talish said, a joyous cadence in his voice.
So that’s what all those keys were for. So much for Mr. Talish being a skeptic.
The shovels ceased their grim ditty. Adam’s body tightened in dread, every one of his nerve endings standing on edge. Was this the last time he would gaze up at the glowing moon and the star-spangl
ed sky? The last time he would stare at the trees and smell their fresh scent? Would he never see his family again? Tears blurred his vision as he prayed to be saved from a diabolical death. He blinked them away as the men returned, carrying a discolored white shroud. They placed it with delicate care upon the altar.
“You’re all set now,” Nidal said to the cloaked duo. “You can begin.”
“I’ll go over the sequence of events so everyone knows what they have to do.” Ms. Mahveen’s voice was a bit unsteady. “Talish and I will go into the circle and recite the first set of incantations. Your men will then place the bones of the dead into the cauldron. We’ll recite the second set of incantations and they must then sacrifice the oryx and add her blood to the cauldron. After we recite the third set of incantations, they must sacrifice the boy and pour his blood into the cauldron. Everyone must then come into the protective circle, including the prisoners. When we complete the last set of incantations, Mehrshad should appear before us.”
“That’s clear enough,” Nidal said. “We’re ready.”
As the couple were about to step into the circle, they started as a high-pitched sound echoed around them.
“What was that?” Ms. Mahveen’s head swiveled around.
“It’s just an animal,” Nidal said impatiently. “Begin the ritual.”
Entering the circle, the couple faced each other and held out both arms. Ms. Mahveen placed her palms over her husband’s and they chanted in an unfamiliar tongue. Adam knew it had to be Persian. The whole scene was like a creepy dream. The cauldron bubbled and hissed as if a hundred snakes wriggled within. Green smoke spiraled upwards, filling the air with a cloying sweetness. The oryx lowed and pawed the ground above the ebb and flow of the chanting.
The dream-like state was suddenly shattered. Nidal pulled out a gun and fired with rapid succession at the couple in the circle. The teachers fell heavily across the canvas, their bodies twitching in the last throes of death before becoming motionless. Adam’s stomach heaved, threatening to force out the chicken stew he had eaten for dinner. He averted his eyes from the red stains spreading across the white canvas like some grotesque sketch. Next to him, the Troublesome Trio whimpered, their eyes terrified.