by August Li
Janan lowered him onto dry ground, and Isra looked around. They were on a hillock beneath a tamarisk tree next to a stone bench. Through the drooping branches, Isra could see Flicker fighting the marid, fighting hard but losing.
“Stay,” Janan said. “You’re hurt. I will fight with Flicker. This is my battle, after all.”
Isra reached for him, but his hands didn’t even have the strength to close around the cloth of Janan’s jubbah. He was going to lose Janan and Flicker both, and he couldn’t even get off the ground. He rolled to his side, pain like he’d never imagined—helpless despair—filling his guts and spilling out in a sob.
Then he saw it: a circle of blue flame on the ground, a ring about the size of a dinner plate… beneath the tamarisk tree.
“Wait!” Isra cried. With the last of his strength, he pushed up to his hands and knees and crawled the two feet to the circle. “Janan, help me! Help me, please!”
Isra clawed at the ground, ripping up a strip of sod, and Janan joined him. They dug down a foot or so before they came to a small wooden box. Inside was a simple necklace, a gold oval with small sapphires around the edge and a piece of jade in the center.
“Do you see that?” Janan asked.
Isra nodded. The necklace seemed encased in a sphere of blue flame. Some dried blood caked the chain, but Isra didn’t want to think about how it had gotten there. He pressed it into Janan’s hand. “Take this to Flicker. Hurry.”
After Janan obeyed, Isra dragged himself a little farther. He rolled onto his belly and dragged himself with his elbows. A few dozen feet away, Flicker lay unmoving. Janan just managed to intercept the marid as she aimed a glowing blue trident at the arafrit. He held the necklace up by its chain, and she faltered.
“I will do as you command,” the marid said, bowing to Janan.
Flicker managed to stand, looking a little wobbly and quite ashen, his golden glow all but extinguished. He seemed hesitant as he watched Janan consider the pendant.
After what seemed like many minutes, Janan said, “No. I’m not a man who enslaves others. I might not know much, even about myself, but I have a strong feeling fighting for freedom landed me in the mess where I am. Still, I don’t think I’m inclined to change.”
He handed the necklace to Flicker, and Flicker pressed it between his palms and chanted in that weird old language. His words drove the clouds away, and as his voice seemed to carry for miles, a shaft of sunlight broke through to shine directly on him. It reflected off his skin and jewelry until everything washed to white, the glare so strong Isra could see nothing but the arafrit’s blurred silhouette against a universe of white-hot flame.
When his vision returned, Flicker was rubbing his hands together and smiling at a woman who looked like she should be his cousin with her similar deep copper complexion and long black hair. She wore a filmy shift similar to Flicker’s loincloth, held in place by a belt made of gold, shells, starfish, and gems. Similar jewelry dripped from her ears, neck, wrists, and ankles.
She wore an elaborate tiara with a gilded turban shell at the center and beaded chains hanging from the sides, connecting beneath her chin.
As Isra got closer, he saw her eyes were very blue. Glowing.
And she was smiling.
She leaned toward Isra and kissed his forehead. He felt a rush of vigor accompanied by a sweet breath of sea air. When she pulled back, she smiled. Like Flicker, she seemed young, just into adulthood with a firm, round, unlined face. Like Flicker, she was beautiful but… unnerving. “There. That’s better, isn’t it?”
He could only nod. All his pain had dissipated, and he felt… good. Like he’d slept comfortably and woken to a spring morning. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I can do.” She turned to Janan. “It is not many men who would hold such power in their hands and choose to relinquish it.”
It surprised Isra when Janan turned to Flicker and smirked—and even more when Flicker looked slightly abashed. Isra wondered what he’d missed.
“Now,” the marid said, “I’m afraid I must have a little talk with your brother. He has much to answer for.”
“What will you do to him?” Janan asked.
She smiled coyly. “I won’t kill him. It’s tempting, but he deserves worse than that. I plan to see that he atones for what he’s done, understands how it feels to have no agency and no control over his own destiny. I hope you won’t try to stand in my way.”
Though Janan looked conflicted, his brows drawn in at the center, he said, “My brother has made his choices.”
She disappeared with a pop and a floral scent just as Sehrish and Nawra emerged from one of the house’s side doors. Not long after, the marid dragged a gagged Ma’shal across the lawn by the heavy iron manacles and collar he wore. As she passed by, she blew them a kiss, and then she faded as if she’d never been there.
“Did it work?” Sehrish asked. “Have your memories returned?”
Janan smiled, looking more powerful, confident, and desirable than Isra had ever seen him. Here was a man ready to stand at the head of an empire, a man with little to fear from the petty machinations of others. It was a glorious sight, one that stirred Isra’s blood and made him tingle from his head to the root of his body. “Oh yes. I remember the man I was, but I also remember how it felt to live on the streets of Qena, to have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. I will always recall that feeling of being invisible, of having no value to anyone. I don’t want anyone else to feel that helplessness. Sehrish… I want to address the board.”
“What, now?”
“Now. Can you make that happen?”
“Of-of course,” she said. “By the time you’ve showered and changed, I can have them here. Along with the police and our legal team. I’ll drive into town and make someone let me use a phone. These mercenaries must be dealt with.”
“Good.” Janan—Mu’awiyah now—nodded once. “I also need to use the phone.”
“There isn’t one in the house. We’ll have to go into town as well,” Nawra said. “These next few months are going to be… interesting. And busy.”
Isra knew what that meant. He no longer had a place here. Sheikh Mu’awiyah had important work to do, lives to save, and he’d just be in the way. Besides, he’d lose his mind sitting in an office all day, and his desert waited for him right across the street….
Janan took Isra’s hand. “We’ve done it, my friend.” He shook his head. “It hardly seems real. But here we are, and the road ahead is daunting. We’ll be in the public eye for quite a while. This is going to be big news.”
“We can use that,” Nawra said. “Our marketing and PR people can use the attention to put focus not just on our businesses but on the charitable work you’re doing. I’ll set up some interviews for you. I’ll coach you, make sure you can talk about your ordeal but steer the questions back to where we want them. Sehrish and I will also need to appear, of course….”
Janan smiled. “You have always been the brains behind this company.”
She returned his warm expression, her eyes glittering with happy tears. “And you’ve been its heart, just like Mother was. Who would’ve thought Ma’shal would choose her necklace to bind that poor creature? It’s good to have you back, my brother. Now, we have work to do. I’m going to shower and put on a suit. Then I have some calls to make myself. I think a press conference is in order so we can present our side of events before any of our rivals can twist them against us. I’ll also need to see that video links are put in place for the board meeting. Many of our international partners will be delighted to have you back.”
“Are you all right, sir?” Sehrish asked, cradling her right arm. “Feeling overwhelmed?”
Janan looked up at the now bright desert sky, and the sun lit the planes of his face and gilded the waves of his hair. Isra tried to memorize the graceful stretch of his neck, the fine line of stubble on his jaw, the way he squinted against the light. It was an image he would keep close to his heart.
“After all of this, facing the board and setting things right… it doesn’t seem so impossible.” Janan turned to Isra. “Will you want to wash? Wear something of mine?”
Isra shook his head and forced a smile, feeling like everyone watched him, especially Flicker. “What do I know about video conferences and board meetings? No, I’d certainly embarrass you. I should go back to my people, check on my herds and my camels.”
“You… you’re leaving?” Janan’s victorious expression crumbled.
Isra cupped his face, Janan’s skin warm and smooth against his palm. “You have a world to save, sheikh. You’ll hardly have time to notice I’m gone.”
“You know that isn’t true. You could come with me.”
“I cannot imagine these worlds overlapping, mine and yours. I’d ask you to come with me, but I cannot be that selfish. This is something you have to do; I know that.” Isra brushed his thumb across Janan’s full bottom lip, and Janan winced as if in pain. “You have a great destiny, but should you ever want it, you always have a place with… with the tribe.”
Then, before he could change his mind, Isra turned and, with Flicker by his side, crossed the road and walked into the desert. He’d made the offer, but he didn’t expect Janan to take advantage of it. He simply wouldn’t have time with all his new responsibilities, and in time, their days… God, the nights… would likely become just a fond memory.
Janan’s world had expanded, and Isra could not keep him from it. He’d go back to his own world. It had always been enough, and it would be again.
He fought to believe that harder than he had against the marid.
Chapter Twenty
IT SURPRISED Sheikh Mu’awiyah ibn Mubarak ibn Najib al-Qahiri how easily he remembered the desert: her hidden pathways and secrets trails, her rhythms—regular as breaths—alongside her tempestuous allure. Standing on the desert with nothing but open space, freedom, in every direction was like greeting an old friend.
His life had been very different these past few weeks. Tailored suits, board meetings, consults with lawyers, perusals of sprawling architectural documents, and flights to Dubai, London, and New York City had filled his every waking moment.
But his heart was here.
More than anything, he let his heart guide him.
It led him to a familiar stand of trees on the road outside Qena just as the sun set and the first stars appeared. Against the deep cobalt of the evening sky, a campfire stood in stark contrast. Two men sat on the ground beside it, a pair of camels tethered nearby.
Janan approached, barely able to stop himself from running. Soon the scents of cooking fava beans, spices, bread baking on a hot stone, and tobacco engulfed him, and his heart soared. “Is there room for one more?”
Isra looked over, and with the firelight reflecting off his eyes, he bore an uncanny resemblance to his supernatural companion. He smiled wide. “Bedouin don’t turn away travelers in need of hospitality. Or have you forgotten the code of the desert?”
Janan sat down, and after a second of hesitation, he could hold back no longer. He leaned in to kiss Isra, wrapping his hand around the back of Isra’s neck to pull him closer. Isra came willingly and kissed back with enthusiasm. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered against Janan’s lips.
“I’ve missed you too,” Janan said. “Through all the meetings and ridiculously expensive dinners, you’ve been all I could think about. Well, you and this place, this desert. Its beauty, the peace and freedom it offers.”
“It figures I wouldn’t fit in there anywhere,” Flicker teased. But they both ignored him, too immersed in each other.
With the back of his hand, Isra stroked Janan’s cheek, his whiskers. “These places, the wadi and the hillsides, the ibex trails through the mountains, the ruins… they’ve missed your presence. You are part of their story, and without you, the story is incomplete. But how can you stay?”
Janan shook his head. “I can’t, not all the time. So many people need help, and after what I went through, I understand that in ways I never could have before. I also appreciate how blessed I’ve been, and I know God would have me use those gifts. Yet… I found much here: time to look inside my own heart, the courage to do it… a man who saw good in me, who wanted me when I was nothing. I can’t give that up. I’ll have to go back to the city from time to time, but Nawra is more than capable of running the company, and let me tell you, she’s in her element. My sister and Sehrish have become… quite close. They’re a formidable team.”
Isra laughed. “That’s an understatement. Are you trying to tell me you can stay? At least for a time?”
Janan couldn’t help his wide smile or the tears that prickled his eyes. “I can stay for a while. And when I go back to Cairo, perhaps I can persuade you to brave the noise and chaos and crowds to come with me. For a time.”
Isra kissed him again, nibbling at his lower lip. “There might be something you can do to convince me.”
Need bloomed in Janan’s belly and spread through his limbs, his body and soul reacting to the presence of this man. “I’d love to try.”
Flicker cleared his throat theatrically, and the two of them moved apart. When he had their attention, he said, “I have an announcement of my own, then. I think I’ll be moving on.”
“What are you talking about?” Isra sounded a little shaken.
Flicker shrugged, his jewels and chains jingling. “I promised your mother I’d see you found happiness. I think I’ve fulfilled my bargain. There’s a lot of world out there, and I sense destiny is now pulling me in a different direction. I sense there’s someone out there I need to find.”
“It’s hard to imagine us being apart,” Isra said. “I’ll miss you.”
With a serious expression, Flicker came to stand in front of them. He bent down and kissed Isra’s forehead, his lips lingering there. “You’ve been my friend, and so I want to leave you with one last bit of wisdom. Mortals have changed very little over the millennia. There’s only one way for them to move forward, one thing that lets them rise above the throng and transcend the ordinary and expected. It’s love. Hold on to it. And… try to stay out of trouble.”
“Same to you.” Isra grasped Flicker’s forearm and held tight for a moment. “I love you, my friend.”
“Farewell, Flicker. I owe you a great deal,” Janan said.
The arafrit winked and grinned. “Don’t forget it.” Then, with a dramatic bow, he spun on the ball of his foot, and in a cyclone of flame, he was gone. A few wisps of smoke hung in the night air until a light breeze dispersed them.
“Are you all right?” Janan asked.
Isra pecked his lips and smiled. “I am. He knew I would be. We would be.”
“We will be, won’t we?” Janan knew it was true. “He was right about something else. I do love you.”
“And I love you. It’s not anything I ever expected to feel, let alone say. It’s hard to believe I once considered it something I didn’t need. All of this… it’s like a beautiful dream.”
“What we’ve found here, I imagine others can only dream of having it for themselves.” Janan took Isra’s hand, pulled him to his feet, and then he tilted his head toward the crescent of trees. “Can we go to bed?”
Isra smiled wide. “I was hoping you’d ask.”
Before they slipped behind the curtain of trees, Janan stopped and looked out over the Eastern Desert, his hand resting on Isra’s back. It was early spring, and the air carried a faint hint of flowers blooming. A rose-colored moon, almost full, looked close enough to touch, and its light lent the landscape a soft glow.
“Is everything all right?” Isra asked.
Janan pulled him close, wrapped his arm around Isra’s waist, and rested his head on his shoulder. “Now it is. I was just thinking how beautiful the night is and how happy I am to be here with you. Where I belong. Thinking how in order for us to meet and be together, I had to lose my memory to a spell and fight a creature out of legends.”
&nb
sp; “Quite a story,” Isra agreed. “But the ending is happy.”
“Ending?” Janan spun them so he faced Isra and looked into his sparkling dark eyes. “That’s a long way off, hopefully seventy or eighty years. This—” He kissed Isra, nibbled along his lip. “—this is the beginning. We’re just starting out.”
“Then let’s start as we intend to go on.”
As they found their way to their bedrolls, a fennec vixen cried out somewhere nearby. Her mate answered a few seconds later, a joyous sound that echoed across the desert.
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