One Wish Away: Djinn Empire Complete Series

by Ingrid Seymour

  But the darkness moved quickly, threatening to cover his face. Desperation entered his dark gaze. My heart filled with panic for an instant. Then I realized it didn’t matter, we were together in our last moments, regardless. As the blackness continued to coalesce, the pull from the gaping hole in the ground increased. Without even feeling it, I found myself closer and closer to the gap.

  This, however, also brought me closer to Faris. The world rumbled around us. Akeelah continued to scream. Gallardo did the same. Andy, for his part, simply kept his eyes on his master, a satisfied smile on his face.

  Faris extended his free hand in my direction. I reached out too, but he was too far. I stretched, longing for his touch, for his warmth. As he reached for me, the darkness came over his forehead, almost obscuring his gaze. His mouth parted.

  He wet his lips, then said, “I never meant to break my promises. After hurting you that way, I resolved not to ever do it again and to always keep my word. I love you, Marielle. I love you.”

  At the words, my breath caught in my throat. Something inside me ignited with a fiery feeling I’d never experienced before. I had longed to hear him say this and, even if it was now, in these final moments, it flooded me with happiness, like I always knew it would.

  He smiled, a genuine, happy smile that showed me he felt the way I did. I smiled back. The moment was infinite.

  And it felt frozen in time, until Faris seemed to fall out of existence. One moment he was there caught in the darkness, the next he was gone.

  My heart stopped. I gasped, looking around, trying to find him, but everything was darkness, the world spiraling into the crack in the pavement like filthy water down the drain. Akeelah was gone. Gallardo and Andy too. The demon’s muck was all the way to my neck now, and I was next.

  Faris.

  I closed my eyes and held on to the memory of his eyes, to the feeling inside of me as he said I love you. It was all I needed to find the peace these last few moments would require.

  In the distance, I saw him waiting for me, hand outstretched, beckoning for me to join him forever. We would never be apart again. Nothing would ever come between us.

  He called my name. He sounded far, far away, and I hated the distance between us. In my mind’s eye, I walked closer. He smiled at me, embraced me and, whispering in my ear, told me he loved me. I held on to him, pressed my forehead to his chest and whispered back.

  “Marielle.”

  My eyes sprang open.

  “Marielle!”

  Shadows swam before my eyes, an alien type of darkness. As if through plugged ears, Faris’s voice pierced into my consciousness. His call didn’t have the same gentleness anymore. Instead, it was urgent, desperate, raw.

  The darkness pulled at me, stretching me into nothing, stabbing me with a million daggers. Pain rippled in endless waves as I felt myself going under. There was no light. It never existed. Now and forever I would be a part of the darkness.

  “Marielle!” a hoarse shout.

  I turned in the direction of that despairing cry. There, before me, there was a shimmer, a flicker through a small space where the pitch black was but a dim shadow. A luminous shape pierced through the fissure.

  A hand.

  “Wish it away! Wish it away!” a piercing cry of desperation.

  Wish it away.

  The words meant something, but it was hard to remember what. My mind was a haze. I was a haze, too diffused and thinned out to conjure what once had been a sound mind. It was far easier to just drift away.

  Then it came to me, in a snap, like a déjà vu that, once brought to life, can’t be forgotten but, instead, keeps playing and playing and playing.

  Wish it away.

  Once I knew what the words meant, it was impossible for the wish not to come into shape. If there had been time for thought, I would have reasoned against it, because I would have seen no point in wishing to be human again—not without Faris by my side.

  But I didn’t reason. I simply wished, then I was screaming.

  Pain pulled at me like a retreating tide. I was whole again, somehow, but it wouldn’t be for long—not the way the world seemed to hang from my feet as I fought to reemerge from its depths.

  I stared into the opening before me. It widened, spilling a blinding brightness into my gloomy space.

  And there, in the middle of all that light—

  Faris?!

  He had a hold of my hand and was pulling, dragging me up, away from the darkness, from oblivion. My fingers reflexively closed around his. They were black, obsidian, like Akeelah’s. The earth rumbled like an angry animal, closing itself beneath me, around me. I fought, searched for my other hand as if it weren’t part of me and, when I found it, reached toward Faris. He took hold of it and pulled harder. I tried to help, tried to push up with my legs, but it was like trying to find a foothold inside a whirlpool.

  I stared at our joined hands, focused on them and the hope they offered. Suddenly, my fingertips were white, flesh poking through fingerless, black gloves. Faris noticed. He pulled harder, his grip fierce and painful. The darkness slipped down to my wrists, my elbows, my shoulders.

  I came out gasping for air, fighting the choking pressure around my throat.

  Faris braced his feet against the edge of the cracked asphalt and pulled with all his might. The pressure descended from my throat to my chest. I dug my elbows into the earth and heaved.

  I looked down at myself. The blackness had dropped to my waist.

  Just a little more. Just a little more.

  We pulled together with everything we had, but the gap was closing fast and half my body was still under the surface. My eyes found Faris’s. I’d been willing to die before, but this would be too cruel. I wished for more time, just a few more seconds. But my magic was gone, and so was Faris’s. He’d told me he loved me, and that had made him human again, had released him from the demon who had no interest in physical shapes or essences of untainted humans.

  The hole closed around me, a giant’s hand squeezing me like an overripe piece of fruit. I cried out in agonizing pain, feeling my insides liquefy, my bones crush like matchsticks.

  “Nooo!” Faris cried out in a growl, still hopelessly tugging at my hands.

  Then I felt nothing. Nothing at all.

  57

  Faris

  Marielle’s cries of pain pierced my soul. The demon’s grip on her was loosening, but the crack in the ground was closing fast and half her body was still inside the hole. I kept wishing and wishing and wishing for the ground to stay open for only a few more seconds, but I was human now.

  A worthless, helpless human.

  I can’t lose her! I can’t lose her!

  I pulled with all my strength which felt like nothing at all.

  She let out a cry of pain as the earth around her closed in. Her face disfigured, mouth open, eyes wide and filled with horror.

  “Nooo!”

  Her hands went limp in mine. Her head slumped forward.

  “No no no. Marielle Marielle Marielle.”

  I took her hands and pressed them to my face. Tears slid onto her fingertips. I kissed them. They tasted salty and were still warm.

  “Forgive me. Please, forgive me. I never meant to leave you. I just wanted to keep my promise. I didn’t think this would happen. It shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t.”

  My chest seized. The pain from within was like a crippling blow. I begged for it to kill me, to strike me dead right here, right now, next to my beloved Marielle.

  I turned away, screaming at the heavens. A darkness more terrible than the demon descended over me. I could not live this way. I would not live this way.

  It had been unfair to ask Marielle to do what I would not.

  My hands tore at my hair as I thought of a way to end my wretched existence. I should never have been born. All I’d known was pain, century upon century of it. But this? This was the vilest agony that had ever been thrust upon me.

  “What j
ust. . . ?”

  My heart skipped a beat. I turned on my heels, the sound of her voice, electrifying me out of my stupor.

  Marielle was standing a few feet away from me, holding her hands in front of her body, examining them as if she were a brand new child and had just discovered them. Her gaze traveled from her torso down to her feet. She looked as confused and bewildered as I felt.

  For a moment, I thought she might be a cruel mirage, a trick of my sorrow-stricken mind. But the lost expression in her eyes convinced me otherwise.

  Chest at the brink of exploding from a wild mixture of emotions, I took two firm strides forward, seized her in my arms and crushed her to my chest.

  She was real, strong and fragile at the same time. Relief, remnants of fear and horror, joy and I don’t know what else washed over me. We trembled in each other’s arms and cried on each other’s shoulders. My name came to her lips as many times as hers came to mine.

  With tears and hysterical laughter, she ran her fingers over my face. For my part, I used my lips, kissing her forehead, eyelids, cheekbones, mouth. I ached with relief and the intensity of our touch. My skin, as real as hers, felt afire. The memory of being truly alive was nothing compared to the reality of it. I’d thought I remembered what being human felt like, but this depth of feeling, this wealth of sensation was far beyond my half-remembered dreams. I was born again, the world the marvel I had craved for so long.

  I was whole again.

  Complete.

  But only because she was with me.

  “Zet,” she said softly in my ear.

  I pulled away. She was looking over my shoulder. I turned and followed her gaze. My brother was standing on the sidewalk, hands in his pockets, watching us with a crooked smile. He looked pleased, smug even, but there was sincere happiness in his eyes.

  He had saved Marielle.

  When he saw the realization in my features, he put a finger to his forehead, as if tipping a hat, and inclined his head.

  For centuries, he’d blamed me for causing his beloved’s death, and today he had given me back my Marielle. How could I thank him? How could I find the words, let alone my voice? My throat ached as emotions crowded there.

  Could a man die from so much feeling?

  Zet vanished then, his eyes telling me he understood. He needed no thank yous. He’d simply done what any brother would.

  All was well between us.

  58

  Marielle

  The aftermath of Akeelah’s attempt to create a Djinn Empire was one of hard work, heartache, and eventually, hope.

  My own life was a small representation of what went on all over the world. For me, the healing journey began with going to Dad.

  As soon as I got over the shock of being pulled from death’s claws one more time, my brain began to try to set everything right.

  “Faris, my dad!” I exclaimed, pulling away from his embrace. “Where is he? I wished him to safety. I don’t know where.”

  “You didn’t think of a place?”

  I shook my head. “I only wished for him not to be able to come back.”

  Faris frowned, then his eyes lit up. “I think I know where he is.”

  For an instant, I expected him to transport me to Dad’s side, until I remembered he was now human. And it wasn’t only me, because he shook himself after a moment, as if he’d made a wish and was surprised it hadn’t come true.

  “Is he okay?” I asked, sure I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I’d hurt my father.

  “Yes . . . yes, he should be. He has to be.” He looked around, a puzzled expression on his face. “Zet!” he exclaimed.

  Without warning, Faris ran toward the bar. I hurried behind him, wondering if Zet was still here. To my relief, we found him inside, enjoying a glass of wine with Ma’ Gee.

  “You lovebirds done?” he asked tipping his glass in our direction. He seemed so cool and collected—not like someone who’d just faced a demon, an evil Djinn, and the possible end of all mankind. He reminded me of the way Faris had been when I first met him. I suspected Zet hid many things behind that smooth facade, the same way his brother had before I got to know him better.

  “Zet, we need to go back to the warehouse to look for Robert, Marielle’s dad,” Faris said.

  Zet finished his wine, encouraged Ma’ Gee to do the same. “Right.” He set the glass down and wasted no time in taking us there.

  All four of us appeared on the spot where Akeelah’s jeweled throne had been. The space was barren—no more throne, Persian rugs, or Damask cushions.

  Wide-eyed, I took in the scene before me. About thirty men and women sat on the floor, backs slumped against wooden crates, bewildered expressions on their faces, and as many glass bottles strewn around them. Then my eyes locked with Dad’s, and finally, the pressure I’d felt in my chest since he’d gone missing pulled its claws out of me.

  “Dad!” I ran to him.

  He staggered to his feet—blinking, shaking his head—and cradled me in his arm. “Baby, baby, my sweet baby girl. You’re alive. You’re alive.”

  Dad pressed his tear streaked face to my forehead and squeezed me so hard I had trouble breathing. But I didn’t care because I was squeezing him just as hard.

  “I thought . . . oh, God . . . I thought I’d never see you again.” He kissed the top of my head several more times.

  A couple of the men behind Dad snapped out of their shocked stupor. “What happened?” one of them asked.

  “One minute, I was stuck inside that infernal bottle and the next . . .” the second man looked at his hands in wonder.

  Faris moved closer. “Akeelah is gone. Destroyed,” he said.

  An excited murmur began among the ex-djinn. They shook their heads in disbelief, their jaws hanging open, their eyes full of an odd mixture of relief and something like guilt, which made me wonder what they’d done in Akeelah’s name.

  “Is that true?” Dad asked me.

  I nodded.

  “Oh, thank God.” He let out a huge exhale, lifting his face to the heavens.

  After we explained what had happened, Zet helped the men and women find their way home. He came and went several times, taking a few of them at a time, then coming back for more.

  When we were the only ones left in the warehouse, we stood in silence for a moment, our regretful gazes dancing over the many wooden crates.

  A small skittering sound drew my attention down. “Ugh, a rat,” I said.

  Dad looked down at the rodent in surprise. The animal stood on its hind legs and looked up at him, reaching with its front paws.

  “Friend of yours?” I asked.

  “Nah,” Dad said. “Just some of the local vermin. Let’s get outta here.”

  We couldn’t leave that forsaken place fast enough. Zet transported us directly to Live Oak where everyone was waiting for us on pins and needles.

  Abby clutched me in her arms. “You’re back. You’re back. I thought you had died for real this time. God, I’m so glad you didn’t.” She was so relieved she went around and hugged everyone—even Zet—before she thought to ask what had happened.

  Maven, Helen, Samuel, Javier, Anita, and Benito, all received us with open arms and huge, relieved glances. They were all like Abby, too glad to see us to even bother asking how our plans had gone. But I guess they could see it on our faces. One look and they were able to tell. The dread was gone—which could only mean one thing.

  In the days to come, like us, families and friends everywhere found their way to each other and embraced in relief, grateful for the sudden disappearance of the evil Djinn, her slaves, and her disciples. Of course, rumors about an angel of redemption ran amok. No one believed those accounts, though, especially when most people compared the redeemer to the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legolas.

  But, in the end, all they cared about was the fact that the world hadn’t ended, and that there had been no rapture, although some crazy sects surfaced—as would be expected—and insisted it was
only the beginning.

  As weird as it sounds, the world seemed to turn into a better place. People were nicer to each other, grateful and more generous. Nothing like a good scare to make one appreciate life.

  After just a few days of rest, we were all ready to go out into the world to try to put our lives back together. Maven, Samuel and their mom went back home and were happy to find it untouched. Javier, Anita and Benito did the same. So did Ma’ Gee. Zet went with her and rebuilt her torn down wall. Oddly enough, he developed a close friendship with Ma’ Gee, who half the time scolded him like a mother while Zet acted as mischievous as a teen.

  Faris figured it was because she’d been the one to turn Zet back into Djinn, a fact that was the only source of disappointment for Faris. He felt his brother should go back to being human. There was no reason for him to be a Djinn anymore, but Zet refused to turn back, even though it was entirely up to him, just the way it had been for me. He said he loved being a Djinn and had no intention of ever changing.

  Faris had several conversations with him. He didn’t think Zet could ever be happy and fulfilled—not without the love of a woman and the possibility of children. And what about when we were all gone? Fifty or sixty years from now? Would he not be miserable and lonely?

  Zet’s response was that he would be happy with his nephews and nieces and, after that, with their children and the children of their children. How could he ever be miserable and lonely, if he had them? Besides, he truly believed he was meant to be a Djinn. He had been born to wield magic and that was that.

  As part of getting everything as normal as possible, we went to the nursery and got it back into shape. Zet wanted to wave his wand and make everything right in one fell swoop, but we kindly declined.

  All the plants had died from lack of water and proper care. Since everyone was trying to get back on their feet like we were, it made sense to do everything “the hard way,” as Zet put it. Ordering from the suppliers was the best way to get the whole process rolling the way it used to. Many of them had lost a lot, too, so we did send Zet their way. There were several miracles which helped solidify the angel of redemption rumors that flew across New Orleans. This was the city where it had all started, after all. At least the rumors helped jumpstart tourism, as many began visiting the city in a sort of pilgrimage.