by Zohar Neiger
“I wonder if that works for Jinn, too," she murmured.
“I’m certain it does."
Alioth was rubbing her right ring finger.
I gazed at her intently. The faint moonlight bounced off her skin, causing it to hold a lighter tone. Her eyes were so dark, perhaps the darkest I’ve ever seen.
“Okay, time to start the Jinn test.”
I shoved my hand into my satchel, taking out the moonstone I was given by Diana.
“Have you read the Quran, Alioth?”
She nodded, a twinkle in her eye.
“I spent today researching the abilities of Jinn mentioned in the Quran. Are you familiar with the one mentioned in Surah Saud 37 and Surah Al-Anbiya 82?” I asked.
Judging by Alioth’s silence, she must have needed a refresher. Who am I to judge?
Smiling softly, I turned to the lake. I gripped Diana’s gem loosely at the tip of my fingers, swiftly flinging it forward, the movement of my shoulder returning some pain. The gem flew in an arch before plonk-ing into the water. I waited for a few moments before twisting my neck and turning my profile to her.
“King Solomon himself hired them to be his divers. In other words, he used them to retrieve treasures from the depths for him.”
The expected facial expression came with these words. Her eyes widened, lips a straight line.
“So that’s why… the swimsuit,” she whispered.
“Good luck.”
I watched her as she stoically shuffled up to the water. It lapped up to her sandals, and she sucked air through her teeth. “It’s cold, Shaman Fang,” she said.
“Don’t think you can do it?” I asked.
She blinked, and like a projector flicking to reveal a different picture, her eyes were newly glazed over with worry. “But, that crystal... you must want it back,” she said shakily.
“You can’t imagine.” I exaggerated, of course, Diana would surely give me another if I so requested. After all, it was a charm for us to meet again.
She sniffled, and a moment of silence swept by.
“You hesitate,” I said, “why?”
She shook her head, almost glaring at the water.
“Remember Alioth, I am here to make a true evaluation of your abilities. Either way you turn out has its downsides for you; you said so yourself back in the house, or did you think I didn’t listen?”
Her head now moved to the sky. The slow rustle of the water was joined by the sound of my feet closing the gap between us, and I stood shouldering her.
“So, whatever happens, will be what should, right? It's reality. It is an entity, equal to us, just as all entities are equal. You believe that, too, don't you?
Once you start believing that, you believe that you are not powerless against it. It simply exists, we simply are. Whatever it gives us, we must take, and whatever we give it, it must take. Show me who you are in reality, human or demon, okay? And, I’ll show you what to give back.”
Her forehead creased deeply and valleys gathered on her skin. “I was told that God has a plan, and whatever He pleases shall be.”
I thought for a moment how to respond.
“God having a plan for you doesn’t mean you don’t have choice and are trapped to be who you were born as. Luckily, too. God only set the baseline for who you are. You can be anything you want with hard work, and as I said: if there’s something you’re doing that shouldn’t happen, it won’t.”
If god helps her think that way, so be it.
“You’re very wise,” she muttered.
I hummed my thanks.
“Will you guide me, Shaman Fang?”
Her question struck me out of the blue, so I chuckled.
“Well, if no one else will.”
Something similar to a smile tugged at her lip. She took a deep breath, and started lowering herself into the water. Her clothing formed a halo around her, and she descended to her hips. Then, her chest raised to its fullest capacity, her eyes closed and her cheeks inflated. She dived.
I allowed myself to sit while I wait. I stared again at the star Alioth, glittering softly above. I saw a bird fluttering around, its dark silhouette masking a handful of the stars at a time.
This girl is the heir of Lan'er, a woman whose prowess became a thing of legend. She has the blood of a warrior, one which despite her extraordinary ability, got married and her descendant a member of a forgotten Bedouin tribe.
Minutes ticked by and just as I grew worried, she returned, soaked head to toe, taking a huge gulp of air. For a moment, until she rose completely, I couldn’t see whether her hands were full.
In the darkness I could see it: her fingertips were curled into fists.
“I needed air,” she gasped, “give me time.”
After a little while she dived again.
I glimpsed at my watch. I have no idea how efficiently Jinn would retrieve murex, but I assume it would at least be done with ease.
This place is timeless, minutes could go by in seconds. Maybe you can tell when a few seconds pass, but eventually you lose track.
I glanced to the other side of the lake where Janet the camel still stood. They were gazing into the water. In the dimness, the surface of water was opaque. Are they seeing anything?
I squinted at the soft rows of water folding over the surface of the lake. I admit, I was starting to get paranoid. From the top of my vision I could see Janet raise her head to look at me. I went to look back. Though I would usually find the facial expressions of camels restricted to range from hilariously smug to pouty and that’s it, I detected worry radiating from them.
I looked down. I was wearing my brown fur coat and the buttoned shirt I was given. It would be rude to ask for another, surely? Her family did seem pleasant, but I’d rather not explain what happened to it, if it got damaged.
The silver lining is pitch black.
My fingers slipped to the edges of the shirt, folding it at the stomach and pulling it up, clumsily throwing it off of my shoulders, the coat dropping with it. I tested the water, and it was truly freezing. I braced myself, shook my head, rubbed my forehead and took a deep breath.
Down.
Everything was completely dim, and my eyes slightly open, I felt the water contact my eyes, causing them to scrunch in itchiness. Everything else grew numb at the stiff cold.
If I spot a pearly glowing object, I’ll know where to go. This should be the area where I threw it.
I looked around left right and center, and it was all still dark. Is she around here somewhere? Maybe if I feel a movement in the water...
Idiot me, I’m completely numb.
I saw nothing and felt nothing, soon the oxygen in my damaged lungs started draining. I felt like a mute, deaf and blind man, panicking now, struggling like in a tied-up sack.
Swimming one way, I could vaguely feel where my eyes were exposed to more pressure and used that as my guide to which way was up. Flapping hopelessly, my head grew light. Just as the surface of the water became visible to me, a hand clasped mine and dragged me above it.
Part II
I took in as much air as I could, my stomach convulsing and hurting. “Shaman Fang, you tried to look for me!” Alioth’s voice brought me back. My nose was sore and I emptied it of water.
“Emphasis— on tried,” I smiled in shame.
“That’s noble of you, sir. I came up and saw you were gone.”
I tried to shrug off the feeling of freezing water running down my back. I tried to pretend it didn't activate my panicking nerves.
“Did you— get the—“ I wheezed, crawling back to the land and feeling the sand cling.
“Yeah, I got it.”
She made a switch of something behind her back and handed me the moonstone. I sat cross legged and took it. The warmth was just now reviving my senses, and I breathed in relief. “What— else have you got?” I asked.
“Hm?” she hummed, but her face gave her away as a bad liar.
“You have something
behind your back.”
"It’s nothing—!” She jumped, eyes widening and arms further stashed behind her back.
“I nearly drowned just now, Alioth, does it look like I have patience for this?”
I sounded angrier than I wanted to.
She furrowed her eyebrows, seeming to find something of interest on my person.
My heart gave. I was still without my shirt.
I took advantage of my boost of energy that allowed me to run and get my shirt to also reach out a hand and request what Alioth had.
“You don’t want to hold it, Shaman Feng, it’s just algae,” she mumbled.
I popped my shirt back on, making me feel almost better, and coughed a little, giving her a funny look. “Algae?”
“It got caught up on my swimsuit when I went down, so I just—“
I jumped to the other side of her, and in turn she turned. I couldn’t see anything. “If it was just ‘caught up’, you wouldn’t need to hide it from me.”
Just now, I realized Janet was making their way to us.
Alioth’s irises darted to Janet and back, features clenching.
Janet lowered their head to Alioth’s hands and started munching on something, cooing in delight, and raising their neck again so I could see something green between their teeth.
I blinked.
“Janet sure likes that algae,” I smiled at Alioth.
She looked beside herself. “I can explain! It’s their favorite snack—“
She stopped herself then. What is so dramatic here that I’m missing?
Being mostly dry now allowed me to think clearly.
Let’s see...
Janet’s favorite snack is these algae that are found here in the lake, supposedly. It took Alioth two tries to get the gem, and on the second try she wasn’t anywhere around where I dropped it, otherwise she would have found me before.
This just means that she went out of her way to get her friend their favorite snack on her second way down. Why did she hide it from me, then?
The image of Janet looking in anticipation into the lake came into my head. Of course.
“This isn’t your first time doing this, you're an incredible diver,” I said.
Alioth bowed her head. Her black eyes stirred.
“These algae are in the deepest part of the lake,” she mumbled hoarse-voiced.
I nodded.
“Don’t hide. You wanted me to guide you.” I put my hand on her shoulder. She laughed without a smile and shrugged my hand off gently.
I made a mental note that Alioth has the diving ability of a jinn. Although, in a way, I could also say that her diving abilities come from her doing it so frequently that she gets practice. I can always manipulate the results.
The fact that I have a choice still frustrated me.
Suddenly, I felt Janet’s fur brush against me. I looked up, and they were rubbing on me, drying me up.
Great gesture, but now I’ll smell like camel.
“I’m sorry, Shaman Fang. I’m doing all of this for nothing,” Alioth said.
"Race you to the other side of the palm tree line?" I smiled.
"Wait, what?"
"You're wasting your running time," I said, "three, two, one, go!"
My legs were smacked by all sides from wind as I sprinted toward the end of the tree line. I shot a look to my right, where I saw her struggling to keep up.
I felt my lungs give out, and I nearly missed a figure zooming past me like a gazelle being chased.
I stopped, grabbing my knees.
I saw her stop at the edge of the line of palm trees, turning around with a shocked look on her face. She swallowed, bowing her head.
I approached her.
"I didn't know I could… do that," she said.
I panted, trying to remind myself of the list of tests I prepared in the days leading up to tonight.
After a few more small tests, like climbing a tree, trying to turn invisible, and aura detecting, it was time for the finale. I took out the moonstone once more.
“Alioth, do you know who this moonstone belongs to?” I asked.
She glanced at it, then at me. “Yours?”
“Well, now it is,” I chuckled, “who gave it to me?”
A cool breeze swept by. I approached her a tad, just so the gem will be closer to her nose.
She nervously shifted her gaze to me. "Someone I know?"
"Even if not, will you be able to follow the smell in the air?"
She frowned. "I feel stupid."
"Try. I'm not judging."
"You are, that's the problem," she sighed, inching nearer and vaguely sniffing the gem.
"It smells kind of familiar…" she thought out loud, "I think I recognize it from my house."
She put her hand on it, pushing my arm away as she closed her eyes and smelled the air, taking a small step forward. "We need to return to the city," she said. "I'll see you later, Janet!"
I followed behind her like a car in a traffic jam as she carefully took steps forward, each time sharply inhaling the air. Sometimes she asked me to give her the moonstone again.
"Oh, ugh, it's very strong here." She exhaled violently. We were standing outside the city after traversing through it again. I tried to memorize the path we took.
I looked around, hoping to see the reason I made her do this.
Yes. Northwest of the city. The sand dune on top of which Shaman Diana lives.
There was a comfy little home on top of a pile of sand, paved with stairs all the way to its door. A pagoda roof majestically lined its top, and little potted plants lined the sides of the path.
My jaw threatened to drop. "You did it," I gaped at the house. "You really found her."
Alioth looked at the house, continuing to sniff the air. "Does this mean I'm a jinni?"
I had to make my choice. Now.
And to me, looking at her and my heart feeling full, the answer seemed clear. There's only one way I can guide her.
"You have shown me a lot of Jinn characteristics," I answered.
I saw her muscles twitch. Her eyes vibrated ever so slightly. "Okay." She breathed. "…Right."
Then she started sprinting to the city. "Alioth, wait! Hey!" I yelled to no avail. She took magnificent speed, making it impossible for me to catch up to her.
I looked at where she disappeared to with the eyes of a baby watching a spinning mobile. The moonstone seemed to lose its glow.
22
A Familiar Face
The water of last night's oasis hissed and fell over itself like snow fluttering down a steep step. I plopped down on the cool sand and drew out some pen and paper, leaning the page on my knees and attempting to make my handwriting at least a little readable, for my own sake.
"Examination Summary".
I know what I'm doing, but whether it'll work is up to fate. I only hope Alioth takes the bait. I want to take her away from this life, just like Huapaya wanted a life with me so sent away the monks.
Diving, smell, agility, corporeality, and communication with the other world, were all things I summarized. I made her seem as supernatural as possible, and I think it would have helped even more if I could have mentioned that she was burned by the touch of an angel – but I couldn't, of course. I also couldn't mention the hypothermia.
I wondered about her blood. I saw it was red when treating her, yet there was no way for me to know if it was ichor or humane. Either way, if she was a jinni, I doubt she would have had blood. Jinn are made from smokeless fire.
Now that the sun was brighter, and the sky was clear, I wondered how come I was in shadow.
Then I spotted them: a set of footprints sunken in the sand, like little valleys between tiny dunes. They seemed to tread all the way into the sun in the horizon.
"Who's here?" I shouted, my voice resounding off the leaves of the palm trees. "Um, I didn't see you." – to soften the harsh tone that came out.
I attempted to follow the footsteps with my
eyes but every time they curved, my head got confused and they twisted in a million different directions. The sun was blazing on my head again.