by B. J. Smash
“They have a race annually and we were to be the main prizes. Their fun and games ended soon enough and Sabina went to a rather kindly Fae; a Fae man with at least some pride. Harikin was his name.”
I didn’t dare tell her this Fae being was my great-great grandfather. I pursed my lips tightly together. Her next words surprised me.
“I already know,” she said. “Right now, there is nothing about you that I do not know. I hold your very heart in my hand on the other side…remember?” She gave me a half smile.
Oh boy. I was in a terrible position and if I could sweat right now – I’d be sweating bucketful’s.
She continued to float back and forth as though she were pacing. “I knew from the dark cloud that hung around the Fae that I was awarded to, that things would not end well for Sabina and myself. His name was Darvon.” She nearly spat his name.
This news stunned me and I listened carefully.
“I thought he’d wish for riches beyond measure but being Fae he can materialize just about anything he wants. No. His first wish was like none I’d ever been asked to grant before…
“He didn’t wish for love; he hadn’t ever loved anyone but himself. I could see that in his dark heart. Instead he wished that I would love him.”
My eyes bugged out of their sockets. “He did what?”
“Of course it was expected of me to grant him his wish. But he thought he was tricking me…you see…he heard or read somewhere that if a djinn loves someone, that person can receive endless wishes. Whatever they can dream; we can give them.”
“Is it true?” I asked.
“Yes and no. If we fall in love with someone using our own free will, we can grant them many things; but if we are told that we have to love someone…it never works out for them in the end.”
I remembered what Ella had said before she and Sabina left Helsberg. She had mentioned that she’d seen something in her newly acquired spells that could make a djinn grant her more wishes. I wonder if this had been what she’d seen.
Worried about Ella’s greed, I asked, “Can a djinn grant anything a person desires?”
“First of all, there aren’t many djinn’s left. We’ve gone elsewhere. But if someone is lucky enough to find a djinn, we can grant many things, but…well, there are always rules that even a djinn cannot break. We cannot grant someone supreme rule of the world. I mean…c’mon,” she snorted. “We aren’t really allowed to harm humans that much unless they threaten us. And we don’t bring people back from the dead. Get real. Who are we to get in the way of the Supreme Being? You see…we deal with simple wishes.”
“I think I see…” I said. While this was all very interesting stuff, it occurred to me that it had probably been nine minutes, and my death on the other side was about to take place. “What about me? I think…uh…I’m dying on the other side.”
“What? Oh no…no you’ll be fine. You still have plenty of time. Now, as I was saying…Darvon wished for me to love him. And so I did. But he continued to date other Fae.” She turned to me and winked, “And hell hath no fury like a djinn scorned.”
“Ut-oh,” I said. I knew where this story was headed.
“Instead of granting his every wish, I’d make them backfire. If he wanted me to stay in my bottle; I’d bring him with me. If he wanted to see another female; I’d freeze her so she couldn’t move.” Her eyebrows raised and a smug look spread out over her face. “My point is, if you wish for a djinn to love you—you better be prepared to love them back—or face the consequences. We tend to become…jealous.” She scrunched her nose up.
This whole story was crazy but I smiled. “What happened next?”
“During that time, my sister’s bottle was stolen from Harikin by a leprechaun. As the story goes, he thought the bottle was beautiful and he had to have it. Leprechauns are usually upbeat and happy little fellows. It’s only when they are caught and bothered for wishes, or people want their pots of gold that they can turn into ornery little beings. But I digress…the point is the bottle was stolen from the leprechaun by a powerful wise woman named Izadora. Her intention was to give the bottle back to her father, Harikin, but she could tell that my sister was deeply distressed.
“My sister and I could always sense when things had gone awry with one another, and she knew that something wasn’t right in my world. Anyway, she told Izadora everything she knew. There were two of us and Darvon had me.
“Izadora did her own research and came to the conclusion that we needed her help. On the suggestion of my sister, she wished for us to be together again. Bam! Our bottles were together again. But what she didn’t know is that Darvon was inside the bottle with me. I kept him close.
“Izadora was awestruck when Darvon and I exited the bottle together. Much to his discomfort, we were holding hands. He didn’t like the fact that I loved him so much but he didn’t want to waste his last wishes, telling me not to love him anymore. He had always been kind of…stupid. Anyway, here is where things get complicated…”
Things were already complicated. I was finding it hard to follow this mess and I had a few questions of my own. I opened my mouth to ask one, but was sorely interrupted as the ground trembled, and a ghastly moaning reverberated throughout the ruins.
“What was that?!” my voice quivered. “That thing from door one isn’t getting loose is he?”
“Ha! No,” she said. “Our time here is running out. This existence is about to cave in on itself.”
I nervously patted my chest and then fanned myself with my hand, “Uh…do you think we can wind this story up on the other side? Ya know…me in my body?” Silently I prayed that whatever test she was giving me that I’d somehow passed it.
“Let me sum up the story for you. Don’t worry; we have time.”
“Okay,” I said reluctantly.
“Darvon has always been afraid of Izadora. Most Fae are. He explained what happened and how I loved him so much that I was smothering him. He agreed wholeheartedly that Izadora should wish us away. She thought we needed a break but he just wanted us out of the way, and he was evil about it. They quarreled some and fought about us. They both had two wishes remaining and one would make a wish, and the other would retaliate. The whole scene went something like this…
“Darvon made one of his last two wishes. He wished that I couldn’t get back into my bottle. A cruel wish for any djinn to have to endure. Death and decay follow such a wish. If a djinn can’t be in their bottle, the area surrounding them becomes haunted with grief, torment and suffering.”
“That would explain the Death by Depression forest…and the werewolves,” I mumbled.
“Exactly. And that is why my sister couldn’t be around me any longer. She would die if she remained close by. So, Izadora’s wish was that she would be far enough away to not feel the effects of my depression.”
“I see. But why couldn’t she just wish that you could get back into your bottle? You know…override Darvon’s wish.”
“She could have but I suppose he’d just wish that I’d be separated from the bottle again. I think at the time, it made more sense to save my sister.” She tilted her head to the side and continued to float back and forth.
“And then Darvon used his last wish. Something that would seal our fate. He wished that Izadora would never be able to speak of the second djinn. Not to anyone. Only she and Darvon were to know about the two bottles.
“Well, Izadora was clever. She couldn’t counter this spell because she couldn’t speak of the second djinn again…me. But she thought of a loophole. If the town appeared every seven years; there was a chance that we’d be rescued one day. And that my dear…was her final wish.
“And it just so happened that they were in Helsberg when Izadora made her final wish. Darvon’s sister just happened to be “queen” of this town, and she was sucked in right along with my sister and I.”
Things started to make sense, but I had to clarify something. “What about those skeleton’s in the cavern? They
found you.”
“Over the years, a few people have figured out there was a second djinn, but none of them had a pure enough heart to rescue me. A pure heart that could break the curse and lead the djinn back to her bottle.”
She stopped abruptly in front of me and lifted her hand. Her bracelets clanked and jingled as she awkwardly reached out and tweaked my nose. “Until you showed up.”
“Huh?”
“No one has ever been worthy enough to come in here and save me. Their hearts have been burdened with self-righteousness and greed. A narcissistic quality that their needs must always come first. You…you are different. You place others before yourself. And Even though someone has claimed my sister’s bottle, I would have remained here forever if you hadn’t come along to save me. You should be honored that Izadora chose you to come in. She knew you’d figure it out and succeed.”
I was about to ask how she knew about Izadora sending me in, but I remembered that she still had my heart in her hand. She knew the whole story.
It took a minute for everything to sink in and when it did, I realized that this whole time – Izadora hadn’t been keeping things from me. Not on purpose. She wasn’t holding back information in order to protect me. She just couldn’t tell me! She couldn’t speak because of the wish Darvon made. What a web those two had woven. I was still having a hard time understanding it all.
Tears welled up in my eyes. I don’t know why I couldn’t breathe but it was possible to become wimpy and cry.
As if she heard my thoughts, she said, “Tears of joy or sadness are an emotion. They are allowed here. Breathing isn’t an emotion.”
The ground trembled and shook violently. A narrow crack formed in the earth and I leapt out of the way as it crept up the base of the tree, causing the trunk to crack. Stones tumbled from the decrepit old walls.
The djinn gave me an impish grin and began to drift toward her bottle. Things continued to crumble and fall as I watched her float closer and closer.
“Can we leave?” I asked, nearly begging. I thought I had passed her test. What was happening?
She didn’t answer but a joyous smile spread across her face as her smoky bottom half floated into the top of the bottle. “I can’t believe I can finally return to my home.”
“Don’t leave me here! Please! Tell me. Did I pass?” I yelled.
“From the moment you were able to touch the bottle…you passed,” she said. Her voice echoed as she was sucked into the bottle.
I stood there, awestruck, as the remaining walls crumbled to bits and pieces. For a moment I thought she’d abandoned me, but then everything faded out to blinding white light.
Once again, we were in the cave. My heart felt like it was on fire. She slowly pulled her hand out of my chest and I could see her fingers of light form back into flesh and blood. The pain left and in its place a feeling of warmth and love filled my heart. I sucked in deep breaths of air into my underused lungs and it felt amazing.
She floated before me as Ameena the djinn. “You may now have your three wishes.” She nodded her head at the bottle that I held tightly in my hands. The bottle was now warm; Ameena had made it her home once again.
My lips quivered, as I lowered my head. Finally, it was over and I would be able to help those that were dearest to my heart.
Chapter Twenty Four
My first wish flew off my tongue. “I wish all of my friends in Helsberg, back to Merribay.” I knew that Drumm would give me heck later for staying behind without him, but I had to get them out of here. I thought of Tom and William, and of Ish. I thought of Izadora, Lucian and Solstice, and of course Drumm.
She blinked and her eyes turned gold, and briefly shone like the sun. I held my hand up to shield my face. This lady packed some power.
“It is done. They are safe and sound in Merribay.”
I sighed an over exaggerated sigh and rubbed my eyes with my palms. “Finally.”
“What will your next wish be? Do you also wish to return to Merribay?”
“No. I’ll find my own way. The veil will be thin soon enough and I can exit to Hunter’s Hollow. Whether I find my way out of Hunter’s Hollow is left to be determined,” I said, knowing that that place was a crazy maze.
She appeared doubtful for a moment. “You need to use your next two wishes wisely.”
“I know.” I nodded my head. “I already know what they are.” My good old friend Lucian needed this wish more than anybody.
“I wish for my friend Lucian to be healed. He was bitten by a demon dog and he suffers greatly. His wounds won’t heal and poison flows through his veins,” I said.
Her eyes drifted to above my shoulder where she stared vacantly at the cave wall. “I see him. I will do what is best for him at this time.” She tossed her hand in the air and a swift breeze whooshed out of her palm and through the cave wall. The wall rippled like currents in the ocean and then it became firm again. I guess she had just sent the cure through this reality and into the one of Merribay.
“Wait a minute. What do you mean ‘do what is best for him at this time?’ That doesn’t sound right.”
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine,” she said.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “I sure hope so.” I knew all mystical beings had tricks up their sleeves when they wanted to, but I couldn’t see this djinn wishing any harm to anyone. She seemed genuinely nice. On the other hand, my sister always did say that I was naive.
It thundered so loudly that the ground shook. Pebbles fell from the ceiling and dirt filled the cave.
“What’s that?” I asked, dumfounded.
She answered the obvious, “Thunder.”
“But why did the ground shake?”
“This existence is almost finished,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“The veil lifts soon. If you wish to return to Merribay using the veil…you must do so soon.”
I knew what had to be done and right away. Things in Merribay might be in great turmoil thanks to my cousin, Ella.
“I wish for this bottle to be in Izadora’s hands.” And this concluded my wishes.
She blinked and her eyes were now violet. She placed her hands together in prayer form and lifted them up to her chin. “As you wish.” She nodded once and the smoky bottom half of her body began to shimmer in different colors. It shifted and slowly drifted toward the bottle, and the bottle floated up from my hands to greet her.
“I wish I could offer you more wishes; but it is not in my power to do so. However, this is my gift to you.” She used her long gold nails to pry a gem out of one of her bracelets. “Hurry! Hold your arm out.” Her lower half had already disappeared into the bottle and it made a constant hissing noise as it accepted her inside.
I quickly lifted my arm up to her and she grabbed it. She turned it over and laid a blue sapphire on my wrist and slapped it hard.
“Ouch!” I said. It stung but only for a moment.
As her upper half slowly drifted into the bottle, she said, “This will only enhance that elven stone that you wear around your neck.” And then she disappeared inside the bottle.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
The bottle floated before me and then flew full force toward the cave wall. I thought for sure it would bust into a million pieces, but the wall seemed to turn to liquid again and the bottle went right through it with a loud sucking noise. I walked over to touch the wall but then thought better of it. As soon as it formed into rock again, my hand would be stuck. Sure enough, seconds later it was solid rock.
I shook my head at the mysteries of magical beings. Just a year and a half ago, I would have thought none of this to be possible. But every single day I lived a magical life. It was becoming more real to me than the nose on my face.
As I stepped through the doorway, I turned to look one last time at the cave that had imprisoned the djinn for ninety-eight years. I imagined how lonely she must have been and how much she must have longed to be back inside her bot
tle. I suppose it would be like taking someone’s home away and saying, ‘You have to live in this hole in the ground alone—forever!”
I shook my head one last time and exited the cave. Ladriant leaned on the rock wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “That didn’t take long. Did you find the bottle?”
“What do you mean? I was gone for like twenty minutes. I’ve already made my three wishes,” I said.
“You were only gone for two minutes. You went in, I saw a bright flash and now you’re back.”
I snorted. I didn’t doubt him at all. “Time is a funny thing when you’re in a different reality…or dead.”
“Dead?” he winced.
“That’s what I said. Anyway, we better get back to Helsberg.” I walked ahead of him and he followed me out of the tunnel and into the light. As soon as we stepped out, I noticed the red flower at the entrance, but now I knew where the flower came from. It was one of the flowers that I’d seen in the ruins or rather the “fantasy land” that the djinn had conjured up. The red flower tipped over like a bell and on a hunch I bent down and peered in. In the center of the flower hung an elongated seed the color of an orange.
I reached up and picked the seed. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was the chimera bean that Izaill had requested. If I had only listened to the old man, I could have saved a lot of time and trouble. I would have come here looking for the seed and found the djinn. Then again, maybe things had to play out in a certain way. That’s what Izadora is always telling me.
Ladriant didn’t even bother to ask. He was too busy admiring the forest. “I see you accomplished something by going into the cave.”
I stood and peered around his big frame. “Oh wow!”
The whole forest had changed from its death black, to bright vivid greens. No more death and decay. New plants grew in its place. Fresh moss clung to the trees and rocks, and it was such a bright green that it was nearly lime-colored. Precious new sprouts of green leaves and ferns filled the area. The tranquil sounds of a brook babbled close by and the sweet tunes of little birds filled the air.