Part 12 (1/2)
What I said was true . I t was also very strange. But hi s whole att.i.tude had changed drastically since he had heard abou t the djinn. He was the cautious one. He had not wanted to tak e the carpet across the sea. He had been reluctant to enter th e temples .
t his was an Amesh I didn't know . E ven in the dark, I could see him stiffen, his prid e returning .
”What's wrong with that?” he asked .
”A mesh . T he carpet said the djinn are dangerous. ”
” You spoke to the carpet for a minute about them. An d you're from America . N o offense, but how many American s even know what one is? But they're a part of my culture . I know m ore about them than you. And the one thing I know for certain is a djinn has to grant the wish of the person who frees it. ”
” earlier, you said your Papi said there were no flyin g carpets. ”
”I never said that. ”
” Yes, you did. You said- ”
” Who cares!” he interrupted, excited. ”the djinn are something else! We have to try to summon one. Just one . S o we ca n make one wish . T here can't be any danger in that.”
He was being very persuasive, and I feared it was because I continued to feel guilty about having lied to him, never min d having shoved him . I had never struck a guy before .
His outburst had not erased my feelings for him . I wante d to please him. And the carpet had said I had been brought t o the island to contact the djinn . I f we were very careful . . . I pointed to the temples. ”We tried the doors . T hey're al l locked.”
He pointed to the stiff ta.s.sels. ”We didn't try goin g through the roof because we couldn't find a ley line. But you'v e found one. ”
”I t might be dangerous, taking the carpet up as high a s these roofs. ”
”M ore dangerous than flying across an ocean? I don't thin k so.” He knelt beside the carpet. ”Please, Sara ?” I gave in . I could list all the reasons why, but one stood ou t in my mind . I realized how jealous I would be if the roles wer e reversed . I f the carpet obeyed him and ignored me . I would hav e been crushed . T o not do him a favor now-when he was begging for one-just seemed cruel .
We decided to head for the triangular-shaped temple . I t was nearest . T he ley line felt powerful. We had barely sat on th e carpet, and I had only touched the ta.s.sels, when we lifted of f the ground. We rose faster than we had on the beach and I discovered I could could steer the carpet by using the side ta.s.sels . I n seconds we were floatin g above the temple . T he height made me dizzy, but at Amesh's prodding, I steered toward the three-sided chimney . I intended to land beside it, check it out from above first, but he saw no reason wh y we should stop on the roof. He wanted to fly directly into th e temple . I could hear frustration in his voice as he told me where t o go. He tried to hide it but failed. Again, he had tried the ta.s.sel s but they hadn't responded to his touch . T here was no hiding th e t ruth now-the carpet was in my control. He was just along fo r the ride . steer the carpet by using the side ta.s.sels . I n seconds we were floatin g above the temple . T he height made me dizzy, but at Amesh's prodding, I steered toward the three-sided chimney . I intended to land beside it, check it out from above first, but he saw no reason wh y we should stop on the roof. He wanted to fly directly into th e temple . I could hear frustration in his voice as he told me where t o go. He tried to hide it but failed. Again, he had tried the ta.s.sel s but they hadn't responded to his touch . T here was no hiding th e t ruth now-the carpet was in my control. He was just along fo r the ride .
As we descended through the opening in the temple ceiling, an orange glow sprang to life beneath us and scared me hal f to death. Had we tripped a sensor by entering through the roof ?
As if by magic three tall white candles-located at the thre e corners of the temple-suddenly lit . I t might have been th e extreme darkness inside the temple but they appeared to s.h.i.+n e with exceptional force .
Beside the candles there was a central altar . I t was als o shaped like a triangle. We landed near it and quickly stood . I t was made of gold and silver, although across its top was sprea d a red cloth that seemed to be made of silk . I n a way it reminde d me of the material of the carpet . I t did not look old or dusty . I ndeed, there was a feeling of timelessness inside the temple that was difficult to describe . T he place was ancient; I ha d no doubt. And it was a place that was probably best lef t undisturbed .
What looked like the handle of a sword rested in the center of the altar. Around its top curled a long green emeral d fas.h.i.+oned in the shape of a serpent . I ts mouth hung open at on e side, its sharp teeth waiting for G.o.d only knew what . I wanted nothing to do with it .
Amesh studied it without touching it. He asked an od d question .
”Do you have your PDA with you?”
”i have it in my day pack,” I said .
”Open it, turn it on . S earch for djinn artifacts. djinn artifacts. ” ”
”I t's not working. ”
” Why not? ”
”B eats me.” I pointed at the serpent. ”this isn't a lamp- t hat's plain enough. ”
” You don't know every thing about our culture. Djinn don' t have to be imprisoned inside lamps . T hey can be bound to al l kinds of objects. ”
” really? then why did you want me to look it up?” I asked .
”I was curious if there might be a reference to this object.”
He was still wary of it. Good; I wanted him to be afraid . T he last thing we needed was to unleash a djinn into our dimension. Let them remain invisible and hidden-in a realm wher e they could do us no harm .
While Amesh studied the green serpent from every angle, I took the opportunity to check out the stained gla.s.s windows . T here seemed to be numerous battle scenes . T hey reminded m e of the story that was laid out on the carpet, except these wer e much more detailed and far more b.l.o.o.d.y. But I still couldn't se e much of them in the dim light . I would have to look again during the daytime .
While prowling the temple, I discovered I could push th e door open from the inside . I propped it slightly open with som e nearby rocks .
I wondered if Amesh had heard the first two laws of th e djinn. Had I really repeated every thing aloud? What if he didn' t know the exact danger? I might have told him about them right then but he appeared to tire of the sword hilt-although he had yet to touc h it-and told me to take him to another temple . S ince we wer e still in our first ”make-up phase”-after our first fight-i di d as he asked . T he carpet lifted off effortlessly and floated out the opening in the ceiling. We flew over the length of the pond in th e direction of the square temple . I suspected if we stayed abov e the icy water and headed toward a specific temple, the carpe t would stay afloat . I t did .
We entered the square-shaped temple through the roof .
Once more, a candle in each corner sprang to life and we ha d enough light to park beside an altar that bore an uncanny resemblance to the first . E xcept this one was square, and a black bo x rested on top .
”Don't open that!” I blurted out even before we had stoo d from the carpet. Amesh jumped up and laughed at me .
”Why not?” he asked . I stood . ”I t looks like Pandora's Box.”
As if daring me to stop him, he reached over an d poked it .
”I t's not very heavy,” he said as it slid a few inches over th e altar . T he box was a foot on all sides, and yet it had a distinc t i mpression in one side-an inch shy of the top . I t looke d like a lid .
”A mesh,” I said. ” I'm not sure what you heard the carpe t tell me. But one thing it made clear-after you make two wishe s you owe the djinn. We shouldn't mess with their . . . S tuff. ”
”T hat's dumb . I t goes against all my people's stories abou t the djinn. Our tales are clear-the person who frees a djinn ha s total control over it. ”
” Has it occurred to you that your stories might have gotte n distorted over time?”
He stopped and stared at me . ”I t bothers you, doesn't it? ”
” What? ”
”T hat I have the courage to free one. ”
”I t doesn't bother me; it scares me.”
Amesh made a dismissive gesture, and as he'd done in th e other temple, he began to study the box from every angle . T hi s time I kept my eyes on him, which might have been a mistake .
He clearly wanted to show me that he wasn't afraid. He finall y picked up the black box .
”A mes.h.!.+” I cried .
”Don't be such a coward.” He slipped his nails in the indentation. He was about to pull off the lid .
”S top!” I cried .