by Allan Joyal
“Someone must pay for my imprisonment!” the djin roared.
I sighed and tried to think quickly. “If you are so determined to kill us all, at least you should tell us your name.”
“You want my name! You pitiful wretches. I’ll have you know that I am Samud-ud-Djin,” the Djin roared out triumphantly.
I bowed to the being. “Samud, I’d offer you a meal, but I’m afraid we have been unable to cook anything for the last day. However, I must ask, you say you are bound here forever. For what purpose were you bound?”
“You have no reason to ask that question!” Samud-ud-Djin challenged me. A gust of air threatened to blow me into the hallway, but I leaned into it and pressed my feet into the floor.
“I want to understand,” I replied calmly as the wind whipped my words away. “There must be some reason the empire wanted a great and powerful being such as you bound to this room.”
“There I know you are ignorant,” Samud bellowed. “The empire wanted my powers tied to this place. They understand what my kind can do.”
I bowed. “Great Samud, can you tell me more about what you can do?”
“Why do you ask? If this is merely a way to delay your death, I will make you watch as I kill the women and children first,” Samud-ud-Djin said. His voice had an oily quality to it, and I shivered.
“Samud, any spell binding you here must have had some terms for freeing you. I’m trying to figure out what those terms might be,” I said.
The Djin laughed. “Is that all? No man will ever be able to supply what I need to escape.”
“So there is something that would break the bindings? It is possible for the spell holding you here to dispelled? Would it not be just for you to tell me what the terms are?”
Shaylin was pulling frantically on my arm. “Ron,” she hissed. “I’ve heard a bit about this kind of binding. The wizards at the Academy used one once. The terms have never been met and they are positive they never will be.”
“Are they asking for someone to hold up a deck of cards where the seal has never been broken and to get the seven of spades to jump out and spray cider in someone’s ear?” I asked. “I would think that the very laws of magic would require that any such binding be breakable.”
The djin looked at me. “That is true; to cast the binding they have to set terms that are prophesied. Sometime in the future, the terms shall be met, or at least there is a moment they could happen.”
I turned to look at the djin. “And if you kill anyone who enters, could that ruin your chances of becoming free?”
The djin was looking right at me. He said nothing, but just blinked. “No man can set me free,” he said.
“No man! So a woman could,” I replied firmly.
“A woman?” Samud screamed out. “How? The terms for me are impossible. The one who will free me was not born on Jord. They came to this land soiled, but have found a pure love from an impossible source. Childless with their love but with a promise of children born through love in the future. Scarred by claw, yet hale and bold.”
I paused and looked at the djin. “Is that all?” I asked.
“It is more than enough. And I shall smite you for your impudence,” Samud said. I could see a small whirlwind start to form around his raised right hand.
I held up my own right hand. “Would you like the spell broken with a kiss? Or is a touch on your hand enough?”
Samud stared at me again, the whirlwind around his hand dissipating as quick as it had formed. “Explain your words!” he demanded.
I glanced over my shoulder. “Natalie, would you be so kind as to approach. You can bring Esme if you’d like.”
“Who are you calling for?” Samud-ud-DJin asked.
“If I’m correct, she’ll be able to free you,” I replied.
“How?” Samud bellowed. “I told you that the first requirement be that the one who frees me could not be born on Jord.”
“I was born in the Medical City Dallas Hospital on Earth,” Natalie said as she walked up. “I believe that counts for not being born on Jord.”
“What? Explain that statement,” Samud said. He flew down and leaned forward so that his nose was nearly touching mine.
“Several of us here were brought to Jord when a wizard’s spell went awry,” I replied calmly looking the Djin in the eye. “That’s actually part of why we ended up in this place. We found the cities to be unwelcoming. Our hope was to find a new home far enough away to be safe from the wars that men fight.”
“Just being born in another world is not enough,” Samud said evilly. “I told you the rest of the requirements.”
“I couldn’t hear them,” Natalie replied. “What were they?”
Samud glared at her. “The last was that the one to free me be scarred by claw. You have no scars.”
Natalie just shook her head. “Did it say they had to be visible when I was wearing clothing?”
“You have no scars,” Samud said. “You walked up here without pain.”
Natalie sighed. “Really, you claim I have no scars because I’m not wincing in pain constantly. My wife, Esme, made sure that I healed as much as possible. As for scars.” Natalie reached for her waist and in one swift motion pushed her skirt to the floor. The bottom of her blouse slipped down to offer her some modesty, but the djin merely stared at Natalie’s right leg.
“You’re alive after suffering that wound?” Samud gasped out.
“Like I said, I have a wife who means the world to me. She saved my life after this happened, and we fell in love.”
Samud drifted away from us. “Impossible,” he muttered. “A woman. All this time I was waiting for a woman who loves another woman.”
The djin flew forward to start another staring contest with me. “And now you’ll have demands as part of freeing me.”
“No,” I replied. “We would like to be able to exit this place. I heard there is an exit to Prevolt Canyon. That should get us closer to where we’d like to go.”
“Where is that?” the djin asked. “Prevolt would put you on the edge of the Lapniluchan Mountains. The empire had some mines in the area, but that was about it.”
“Oh, we expect to have another forty days of walking once we leave this place,” I said. “We are looking for a sheltered valley with steep walls.”
The djin looked surprised. “There are none on this side of the mountains, but there might be some on the other side. You’d have to travel to the north or south of the canyon to find a pass.”
“We are prepared to do more traveling. We’ve been marching for nearly thirty days already,” Natalie said acidly. “Ron here didn’t want us to wait for spring to begin.”
“Not a bad thing,” Samud-ud-Djin replied. “Some nobles would definitely have been interested in taking what you have. Humans have done that since the beginning.”
“What will I have to do to free you?” Natalie asked.
“You’ll do it?” Samud asked hopefully moving to look her in the eye.
“We need to be able to leave,” Natalie said. “I wouldn’t want to free you only to see the ceiling here fall.”
The Djin snorted and then looked at the ceiling. “Nothing could bring the ceiling here down.”
“If you have been keeping the air pressure in here up, it just might,” I said. “When you leave, the air pressure in here would drop, and I expect that the stone of the dome here is crumbling. Two thousand years of neglect tends to leave buildings crumbled ruins. We were surprised the ones here were in such good shape.”
“I may despise the wizards of the empire, but there were members who knew how to build a solid building,” Samud replied. “However, you said you wanted to go to Prevolt Canyon. That passage I can open now.”
There was a rumbling sound from one of the passages. The mules leading the first cart bobbed their heads, but Amalya grabbed their harness and held them until it quieted.
I pointed towards the passage the rumble had come from. “Lead the carts that
direction. Krys, Hencktor take the lead. Natalie and I will remain to set Samud free.”
“Ron,” Natalie said worriedly. “I don’t know how to do that. I’m no wizard.”
I glanced at the Djin. “Hopefully he’ll tell us how to do it.”
“I’m not interested in kissing him,” Natalie complained. “How would I ever explain it to Esme?”
“It’s not like we weren’t expecting to find a man,” Esme said. “We do want children in the future.”
Samud’s jaw dropped. “Is that what it meant?” he howled. “That’s all that was required?”
We had moved deeper into the room to allow the carts to enter and then turn towards the passage leading to Prevolt Canyon. I noticed that Natalie and Shaylin had joined me near Samud as the others began moving through the chamber. Samud glared at the teenage girl.
“Why did you stay?” he asked.
“I’m learning to be a wizard,” Shaylin said. “But I don’t want to be one like what you describe bound you to remain. I want to be able to use magic without forcing spirits to serve me.”
“You’ll never be as powerful as you could be,” Samud said scornfully.
“But I’ll have the respect of the others around me,” Shaylin said. “I’ve watched Ron and his friends. They believe that all people should be free to pursue their own version of happiness. And I watched them refuse to define a dark elf as anything other than a person.”
“So they declared a dark elf as an enemy,” Samud said disdainfully. “That only shows that they understand that creatures that refuse to dwell on the surface are not to be trusted.”
“But they do trust me,” Cimbra said as she walked up. “From the day they rescued me without even knowing who I was, they have offered me their trust and respect. They welcomed me and have been my friends.”
Samud looked at Natalie and me. “Why?” he asked.
“There is no reason not to,” I said. “Cimbra has shown us that she has hopes and fears just like we do. She helps us herd our animals. Her knowledge of magic is enough that she’s been able to assist Shaylin and to even instruct her some. She deserves the respect we give her.”
“Not to mention the love,” Natalie said. “She has been a sister to all of us ladies.”
Samud just looked at us with an unblinking stare. He was motionless for several minutes and then looked at Shaylin.
“There is not much I can teach you,” he admitted. “There are spells that draw from the natural magical fields of the world. A wizard can do much with that power if they are patient. However, that is not a magic I use. I am a being of magic and the elements.”
“So I can’t learn?” Shaylin said sadly.
Samud smiled. It was a toothy smile that made the Djin appear villainous. “That I did not say. There were some wizards of the empire that thought as you do. When I was bound to serve here only two stood to argue that what the council was doing was unjust. They wrote books on magic and kept other grimoires.”
“But that does me no good,” Shaylin said. “Those books must have been lost ages ago.”
Samud laughed loudly. “Your leader is more insightful than you realize.” The djin waved his hand. Sections of the wall faded away revealing shelves of books. “This is the library for the great school. The works are here.”
Shaylin and Natalie both stepped forward eagerly, but I reached out and grabbed them by the shoulder. “Wait! I know you are looking at those books and thinking there is a great treasure here, but we should not be greedy. Shaylin, find no more than three books and make sure they are about using the natural magic fields. Natalie, I know you want some more books of alchemy, but only take one or two. Look for ones that are about natural ingredients. Finding a recipe for a potion that requires the tears of a phoenix would be interesting, but useless.”
Natalie looked at me and then giggled. “You’re right. I’ll see if I can find anything.”
Samud floated over to me as the two women rushed over to examine the shelves. “You are going to fail,” he told me sadly.
“We’ll find that valley yet,” I said firmly.
“Not there,” he said. “Your wizards will learn to desire power. They’ll start binding spirits in their pursuit of power.”
“We have a saying that power corrupts,” I said with a nod. “But I think we can keep our wizards from desiring power for the sake of power. Besides, we still have many days of travel to go and then a village to build. Shaylin won’t have time to even try.”
“One of your other wizards will already know,” Samud said.
“What other wizards? Shaylin is our only wizard. Cimbra knows some magic, but from what she’s said its abilities every dark elf can call on. Natalie has no ability to cast magic, but she was studying botany. That requires some knowledge of chemistry, and she’s using that to work out how to brew potions.”
Natalie turned to look at me. “How did you know?” she asked me.
“You told us you were a sophomore working on a botany degree when we first met. I remember my time in college well enough to remember that all science majors ended up in freshman chemistry if they were really pushing to finish their degree,” I replied.
Natalie shrugged. “True.” She turned back to the shelves. She would pull a book out, quickly scan the cover, and usually put it back.
Shaylin appeared to have found one shelf with books she found interesting; she had already picked two large books and was examining the cover of a third.
“Natalie,” Shaylin called out. “I found the alchemy section. I see two good books.”
“What are they ?” Natalie asked.
“Nectars, Saps, and Elixirs: Basic Philtres and Potions is the first. The second is Basic Farm Potions,” Shaylin said.
“Those do sound good,” Natalie said absently. “Ron, what is this ornate box?”
I glanced at Samud, but his face was expressionless. “I’d leave it,” I called back.
“Why?” Natalie asked.
I pointed towards our exit. The last few animals from our herd were entering, with Haydee and Corwar carefully making sure they did not turn back. “Because everyone else has already left. I think it’s time we freed Samud and then headed out.”
“Will the magic of the exit vanish when he leaves?” Natalie asked worriedly.
Samud bowed to Natalie. “It would not be honorable to leave you trapped here after you freed me. I will watch until you are through the portal before I depart for my home.”
“May you find happiness,” I said as Natalie walked over to Samud.
“What do I do?” she asked.
Samud floated down so that his head was chest level on Natalie. “Just place a hand on my forehead and say that I’m free.”
Natalie smiled. “I can do that.” The young woman reached out and put a hand on Samud’s forehead. “Samud-ud-Djin, your time here is complete. You are free to leave and find happiness.”
The whole room seemed to ring like a bell. I looked over at Shaylin, and she was shaking. “Ron, that unbound a whole bunch of spells all at once,” she said worriedly.
“Natalie, time to go!” I shouted.
Samud reached out and grabbed Natalie. She screamed as he flew forward to sweep up Shaylin as well. “I won’t let you die!” he swore.
I turned and ran for the passage. Stones from the ceiling began to rain down as Samud passed me and sailed down the passage. The room darkened behind me as I entered the passage.
The crash of falling stone followed me down the passage. I felt like I was in some bad cartoon where a character had to run just ahead of a collapsing bridge. Fragments from stones falling just behind me peppered my heels as I continued forward. I could see a light ahead.
I put on one last burst of speed and dove through the light. The crash behind me lasted only a moment and then fell silent.
“Ron!” I heard Natalie scream.
“You and Shaylin safe?” I asked.
Samud dropped us here and then f
lew off into the sky,” Shaylin said. “Are you hurt?”
“Just tired,” I said as I lay on the turf. “Anything around us?”
“We’re at the entrance to a canyon. It looks like the canyon was home to a village,” Lydia said. “The herd found a small field to graze while we decide what to do next.”
“Good,” I said. “I think I’ll lay here for a while. I closed my eyes and allowed my fatigue to send me to sleep
Chapter 29: To Rest or to Travel
A hand on my shoulder woke me from my nap. I rolled over and looked up to see Oleiana looking down on me. She had a mischievous smile on her face.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
Oleiana shook her head. Her smile actually grew larger for a moment. She held out a stick to me. I could see several small pieces of charred meat were skewered by the stick.
“Are you hungry?” I asked.
Oleiana shook her head again. She reached out and carefully removed one of the pieces of meat and held it to my lips.
“Ah, you think I’m hungry,” I said. I took a bite from the meat. It was tough and had a slightly harsh flavor, but as soon as I began chewing, my stomach let me know that I was very hungry. I concentrated on finishing the first piece and then sitting up.
“Olieana!” I heard Victoria shout. “You were supposed to allow Ron to rest!”
Victoria ran up. She was holding her own meat skewer. I waved to her and put a hand on Olieana’s head. “She did the right thing,” I said. “I was hungry.”
Victoria sat down on the ground next to me. “We did a little scouting while you were out.”
“You let me lay here while things needed to be done?” I asked. To my surprise Oleiana put a hand over my mouth and then kissed me on the cheek.
Victoria giggled. “You needed the rest, and all we did was look around. We still need to decide what to do next.”
“I see someone went hunting,” I said.
“We found wild goats in the canyon,” Victoria said. “They weren’t worth trying to bring into our herds, but Krysbain killed one so we cooked it for dinner.”
Oleiana noticed that I had finished the first piece and offered me another piece of meat. I took it while looking at her. “I hope you ate first,” I said.
