by J A Armitage
If I’d hoped he was here to kiss me, to tell me he loved me and wanted me, I was sorely disappointed. He pushed me onto my bed, alright, but he sat down next to me with a respectable distance between us. I waited for him to speak.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said to me the other day,” he began, his words measured.
This didn’t look like it was about to be a declaration of love, but at least, he was acknowledging it.
“You said you wanted me in your bed...”I said my voice barely above a whisper. Genie cocked his head to one side, his eyebrows knotted in the middle.
He didn’t remember. It was plain as the nose on his face. I felt my heart pounding and a flush rise to my face.
“I’m talking about your magic, Gaia, what are you talking about?”
I swallowed back the tears that were threatening. He’d forgotten our conversation. I’d thought of barely anything other than what he’d said, but his words were now lost in the ether to him.
“My magic?” I replied with a sigh.
“I know I’ve not wanted to talk about it. I’ve made it no secret what I think of magic, but the truth is that you have it.”
“I don’t want it. This whole problem has to do with magic and seeing as I didn’t have any a couple of weeks ago, I figure it's connected somehow, I just don’t know how.”
Genie shifted on the bed, looking as uncomfortable as I felt about the situation. “Nor do I. The connection isn’t the issue. What is the issue is how you wield your magic and what you do with it.”
I snapped my fingers and lit the tips of my fingers without even thinking about it. Genie flinched as I waved the small flames in front of me.
He composed himself quickly. “You have this gift for a reason.”
I looked at him. How much did he remember? He knew who I was, and he remembered our talk when I’d cried in his arms.
“Do you know who my mother is?” I asked him, blowing the light out with a quick puff of breath. I watched his reaction. It was like he was searching his mind for something.
“The Sultana Jawahir,” he said eventually. It took too long for him to answer. Normally he could remember obscure facts about almost anything with barely a thought.
“And my father?”
“That I do not know. You know you were adopted. Your father’s name was never given.”
That had come easily to him. He didn’t even think about my father, just jumped to the conclusion that I was talking about my birth father.
“Why do you think I need to learn how to wield my magic?” I asked, changing the subject.
“Is that not obvious?” he said. It was obvious to me. The whole kingdom was going insane, but I needed to know what it meant to Genie.
“Tell me.”
“People are revolting against us,” he explained. I guess he’d either been talking to my mother and she’d forgotten, or he’d found out from some other source. “We need to be ready to fight. I remember when I was magic. I know how it feels. I can teach you.”
“Fight our own people?” I asked, fear welling up inside me. He’d never talked like this before. He never hurt anyone.
“Yes. The palace guards might not be enough.”
I closed my eyes. If I wasn’t careful, we were going to end up in a civil war. Just as I’d lost my mother, I was losing Genie. It wasn’t just their memories that were taken from them, but the very essence of who they were. I’d been so angry at the people who’d thrown stones at me, but maybe they weren’t the people they used to be either. It made my head and my heart hurt just thinking about it.
“Thank you, Genie,” I said, moving close to him. “I’ll think on what you said. We do need to be prepared.”
I moved closer still until my mouth was next to his ear. “Never forget that I love you.” I whispered it so softly, I wasn’t sure if he heard me. He stood up and left my room, leaving me more bereft than I’d felt before.
Later, I sought out Jamal. I’d left both him and Freya in a hurry when I’d marched back into the palace. I found him in the gardens, sitting on a bench deep in thought.
“Not disturbing you, am I?”
Jamal looked up and shook his head, “Not at all. I’m glad you are here. I have something to tell you. Sultana Jawahir has sought my counsel to assist her with the impending revolt just outside the city walls.”
My stomach churned, “She told me about it earlier. Do you know how bad it is?”
Jamal stood up. “It’s not good news. She’s managed to set up a meeting with them as soon as the guards can assure her safety.”
“You don’t think she’s safe?”
Jamal took my hand in his. “I don’t think any of us are safe in the palace. You saw what happened to you out in the town this morning. People are angry; they are hurt and hungry.”
“They don’t know what they are doing,” I said. “Some people remember; some don’t. Most are making up their own memories based on the last week.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Gaia. None of this makes sense, but I do know that we need to be cautious.”
“Genie told me the same thing in my room.”
Jamal suddenly looked perturbed. “Genie was in your room? Are you alright?”
My heart was shattered into millions of pieces, but I could hardly tell Jamal that.
“I’m fine. Genie would never hurt me.”
Jamal didn’t look convinced.
“He wouldn’t!” I reiterated. “He wanted me to learn to wield my magic in case we are attacked.”
Jamal sat back down beside me, a little closer than he’d been sitting before. “I think he might be right. I hate to say it, but if your magic is the only thing that can keep you safe, you should learn how to use it.”
I closed my eyes. When had life gotten so complicated? I felt Jamal take my hand again. I pulled back and stood up, opening my eyes. “You are right. I should go to him.”
Jamal suddenly seemed smaller on the bench.
“Hey, I wondered where you two were.”
I turned and smiled at Freya, grateful at her opportune timing.
“I was just going to find Genie.” I turned to Jamal. “Why don’t you get Freya up to speed with what my mother intends to do, and I’ll meet you both for dinner later.”
I thought I saw Jamal’s eyes light up when I mentioned dinner, but they quickly faded again as I said goodbye and walked away.
“I want you to teach me magic,” I said, as Genie opened his door.
He nodded briefly, then took my hand. At first, I thought he was going to pull me into his room, but instead, he began a quick march down the corridor.
“Not here,” he hissed, picking up the pace. I ran alongside him, trying to keep up, aware that we were holding hands...or at least, he was holding mine. I was just along for the ride, it seemed.
We ended up in the palace cellars, not too far from where my father had slept a few nights ago.
He stopped, pulling me in front of him. In the dim light cast by the small dirty windows that never got cleaned as the maids never came down here, I wanted nothing more than to kiss him. No one knew we were down here. No one would see us. I almost leaned forward, but Genie caught my wrists.
“Show me what you can do,” he demanded.
I held my hands in front of him and set every finger alight, a dancing flame atop every one of them.
“I think there is more,” he said, letting go of my wrists.
I closed my eyes and focused on the pain of him not wanting me, or at least, forgetting he wanted me. I pulled in the pain of my mother forgetting my father, and of my father forgetting me until a ball of burning hot rage swirled in my belly. I let it go, radiating the heat outward.
White-hot flames danced in front of my eyes as my body was engulfed in fire. When it faded less than a minute later, I was exhausted. My breath came quickly as though I’d just run the entire length of the palace.
“Did that hurt you?” Genie said, ste
pping forward and taking hold of my arm. He ran his hand up it, pulling my sleeve up to examine my skin. The heat hadn’t caused me pain, but his touch did. Emotional pain that ate my very soul. I prayed he wouldn’t stop.
I shook my head slowly, desperate for his hand to continue its journey upwards. He let me go, then brought out a match.
“I wonder?”
He struck it against the box then held the small flame to my hand. I pulled my hand back sharply as the sting of the flame touched my hand.
Ow!
“I am sorry,” he said, blowing the match out and throwing it to the floor. He picked up my hand once more and kissed the area that had burned. If only he knew how much more that affected me than the match had.
“Fire hurts you, but not your own. Create a flame again.”
I held my hand out and let a small flame dance in my palm. Genie reached out to it, but before he touched it, he pulled back.
“I feel the heat from you.”
I could feel the heat too, but it had nothing to do with the flame in my hand.
My breathing came fast and hard as the flame died out.
“I’m going to attack you,” Genie said after a while. “I want you to fight back.”
My mouth fell open as I took in what he was asking me to do.
“You want us to fight? Physically fight?”
“I won’t hurt you, Gaia.”
His words were sincere. My heart pounded at them. Why couldn’t he remember wanting me as much as I wanted him?
“I have something to tell you,” he said. “Something I’ve been keeping to myself. I’ve not told a soul until now.”
“What is it?” I asked my voice barely more than a whisper.
His face contorted into something resembling pain. Whatever he was about to tell me was not something that was making him happy. “My magic has been coming back. I didn’t want it, and I didn’t ask for it, but in the past few days, I’ve noticed the sensations returning.”
“This is a good thing!” I said, suddenly feeling a lot more optimistic. “You were the most powerful being in Badalah at one point. You can use your power to stop this.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want that kind of power again. I was a slave to it, Gaia, just as you will be if people find out about your gift. And I use the term gift lightly. Don’t think that being magic makes things easier. It doesn’t. It makes everything much more difficult. Before your father saved me from the lamp, I was at the mercy of other people’s whims. I had no control over what they asked for and had to provide it for them, no matter how materialistic and shallow their requests. I do not want this, but there it is. I can fight your magic with mine. I will not do anything that will really hurt.”
It was a lot of information to get in a short period of time, but one thing did stick out to me.
He’d remembered my father.
“You remember Aladdin again!” I said.
The blank look fell over his features. “Who?”
“Never mind,” I said, feeling despondent. “Let’s get this over with. Attack me, and I’ll fight back.”
At least, I had enough misery to convert into magical energy if things got a little overheated.
Before I’d managed to ready myself, a blast of cold air struck me, sending me skidding backward with the force of it. It had come from Genie. He was fighting fire with air! Didn’t he know how dangerous that was? He left me no time to think about it because his arms were extended to attack again.
I felt my magic ignite in my core as I threw my hands in the air to respond to Genie’s attack.
A quick blast of fire spat from my palm toward the ceiling.
“Focus!” Genie hollered.
Anger rose in me. He didn’t have to yell.
Again, I shot in his direction, missing him completely. Then he shot back with a burst of air. I threw my arms up to protect myself, causing a blazing shield to manifest.
“What the?” I said, completely mesmerized by what I’d created.
“Yes!” He clamored. “That’s exactly right. Allow your instincts to take over.”
It sort of made sense. But no sooner had I allowed myself a moment of victory than he attacked me again, slamming me to the ground with a twisting wind.
My back crashed hard, taking most of the impact, while I fought to keep my head from smashing against the stone.
The wind was knocked out of me, but Genie did not rescind. He prepared for another attack. However, this time I was ready, quickly rolling over until I was out of his path. I jumped to my feet, recognizing my robe was going to be an issue. Still, I needed to not look for excuses.
Without a second thought, I shot back, both palms facing him. A strong stream of fire erupted from me and shot him directly in the chest. For a moment, I panicked, unable to see anything but a huge ball of combustion until I heard his gravelly laughter.
“Very good, Gaia.” The fire whirled around him in a tornado effect then petered out. “That is exactly what is needed. Now that you’ve learned just how powerful your magic can be, you must learn to focus it and wield it in different manners,” he said, dusting off his sleeves. “Fire magic is one of the finest weapons.”
I calmed my breathing, not having realized just how much energy calling upon my magic had taken. Looking up, I caught a smirk on Genie’s face. My lips twitched at the edges, and I found myself laughing.
“Your Highness, that was impressive.” a voice said.
I stopped laughing and turned to the stairs to find both Freya and Jamal watching. How long had they been there?
Where Freya’s eyes were wide with wonder, by contrast, Jamal looked irked by the whole thing.
“Your eyes…” she stuttered, “They are… golden.” Freya’s words were barely a whisper.
“What do you mean?”
Jamal moved in closer, taking my hands in his. “The ring of your eyes is shining brightly,” he said, a smile slowly forming on his lips. “I believe that is your magic.”
Genie interrupted. “Yes. It would seem so.”
Jamal shot him a look, then turned back to me. “I was hoping you’d come for a walk on the terrace with me this evening after dinner.”
I was about to say that I was having too much fun with Genie when Genie spoke for me.
“I think that’s a marvelous idea,” he said. “We have finished here anyway.”
“But we’ve only started!” I protested.
“I’ll find you early tomorrow morning so we may do more training. I’ll fetch you before the sun rises. Be ready.”
He didn’t give me an opportunity to respond as he walked past us and headed upstairs.
My excitement waned. I wanted him so badly that I’d made the last half hour into something it was not.
I wanted to run after him, to ask him to continue practicing with me, but Jamal still had hold of my hands.
“You were magnificent,” he said, his eyes shining. I’d never felt less so.
“Are you ok, Gaia?” Jamal asked during dinner. “You’ve hardly said a word all evening.”
“Lost in thought,” I replied, picking at my food.
“Freya was just telling us that her grandparents used to teach magic here in Kisbu. Isn’t that fascinating?”
I looked up to see a gleam in Freya’s eyes and a grin on her face.
She’d followed me around, almost like a subservient puppy for days, and I’d barely spoken to her.
“Tell me about them,” I said, smiling back at her.
“Before The Vizier came to work at the palace, magic was abundant in Badalah. My mother told me that the markets used to sell all kinds of things for potions before they became spice markets. Badalah was once almost as magic as Enchantia.”
“It seems so strange. No one here is magic anymore.”
“You are,” Jamal pointed out. He raised his eyebrows and gave me a grin as he speared asparagus onto his fork.
“Isn’t it awful, though?” Freya continued,
her black hair bobbing around her ears. I’d never seen her wear it down before. She was usually dressed in uniform, but tonight she’d worn a pretty dress. She was even wearing makeup. “I hate that magic has become a dirty word around here. There must be others in Kisbu who are magic. I know I’ve felt magical vibrations before when I’ve walked through the streets. Not as much as this,” she gestured around her. “But I know there is magic out there.”
“Did you know I was magic before...?”
“Before you went up in flames in your closet? No. I was shocked, to be honest. People are either magic or not. I’ve never known someone to spontaneously become magic.”
I returned her grin. “Or spontaneously combust, either?”
“Enough talk. Have you finished, Gaia?”
He looked down at my plate, where I’d picked at my food, barely touching it.
“I think so.”
He stood and held his hand out to me. “Come, let’s take that walk on the terrace.”
“Please excuse us, Freya,” I said, taking Jamal’s hand. She gave me a quick nod and then turned back to her food.
The terrace had always been a romantic spot. It was no surprise that my parents danced there every night...or used to. Torches lit the pathways, and the sound of crickets filled the warm air. Fireflies danced around us and somewhere music played.
“Is that a violin?” I asked, looking out over the city. The terrace was raised, and so at parts of it, such as this one afforded an amazing view.
“I hope so. I asked one of the court musicians to play for us.”
I gripped the balustrade and inhaled the jasmine.
“Are you alright, Gaia?” Jamal asked. “You’ve been so distant lately. I wonder if you want me here at all.”
I turned to face him. He was so beautiful in the evening light.
“Of course, I want you here.”
His face brightened, and his eyes crinkled at the edges as he smiled. “I hoped you’d say that. I like you, Gaia. I like you a lot.”
He took my hand and gazed into my eyes, then leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the lips. I didn’t move, unsure of what to do. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen, but when he leaned in again to kiss me a second time, I pulled back.
