by Cale Madison
After a day and a half’s hike, on a fateful afternoon, I found the cave. Ominous and hauntingly uninviting, it rested, opened wide for any weary travelers searching for shelter. With any circumstance, I would’ve marveled at the sight of such natural beauty but today, I was merely determined to find this fabled creature at any cost. Taryn gave me detailed instructions on the summoning ritual. I had to leave three stones from the nearest creek in a triangular formation outside of his home, sprinkle a native plant called dragon’s root in the center and recite a specific chant. Once the rocks were in place and a fire had become lit in the center, I could then proceed with the summoning. Desperation fuels a fire in a lover’s heart that could never be extinguished.
I read from the journal Taryn gave to me, “Wzywam cię, wolę mistrza, aby odsłonić.” After repeating the phrase three times, once for each of the summoning stones, I turned to the cave. I left my pack outside and, with a heavy breath, began my journey into the depths of this mysterious hole in the earth.
Stalactites hung from above and deep pits awaited below. After lighting my torch, I pressed on, inch by inch, carefully watching every step, through this endless cavern. What began as a wide chamber became tight crevices with barely any room to breathe. With my sharp panting echoing through the darkness and cold water dripping from the ceiling, I continued to press on. The sounds of bats fluttering above me occasionally pierced the deafening silence. Hairy bodies and leathery wings brushed past my face as I traversed further. When my torch light began to dim, the blackness was almost unbearable; complete, utter darkness for dozens of unforgiving miles.
It wasn’t until the narrow corridor opened into a larger one when I finally stopped to rest. At this moment, I was considering that I’d find nothing amidst this sea of blackness. I would return home empty-handed to a lonely and dying woman I had once danced and loved life with. As these thoughts began creeping their way back into my head, I heard a light voice coming from the shadows. At first, I couldn’t understand a word, but as the voice became louder, it became intelligible.
“Was it you that summoned me, traveler?” the voice asked.
I stammered in reply, “Y-Yes.”
A man stepped gracefully from the unfathomable darkness. He was fairly tall, wore a dark, clean tunic and light-brown pants tied by a white string. Small, black pouches hung from his belt and a hood covered most of his head. The only visible hair I could see on this man was a goatee with a singular stripe of silver. This had to be the creature.
“Why have you woken me?” the Djinn asked me.
As he drew near, his eyes met mine in the torch light. Pitch-black eyes without an iris. Startled, I struggled to find the proper words in response.
“My wife. She’s dying.” I said. I knew it sounded desperate but then again, so was I. After so long traveling through darkness alone, the sound of my own voice came off as quite strange.
“You should seek a doctor then.”
“We’ve tried. She’s beyond their help.” I replied, feeling the hotness in my cheeks beginning to rise. I had not journeyed this far to be played for a jest.
“So you call upon me to do what your doctors cannot?”
“I summoned you. Can you help her?” I asked him. His eyes darkened with intensity as he began to advance towards me. I noticed that this creature wore no visible scars or sign of a past life anywhere on his face or hands, as if he had never experienced any hardship in his time of living.
The Djinn began to circle me while smiling, never taking his gaze off of me. He then replied, “Well, of course. But you already knew that or you wouldn’t have come. What you might’ve not known is that I need payment for such an endeavor.”
“Can’t get something for nothing, I suppose, but we are not wealthy people.”
“No, no, no. I have little interest in your human currency. We cannot be bought, persuaded or bargained with by coin or animal pelts. I require a different form of payment.”
He then rested against the wall opposite of me and crossed his arms. He appeared to be in a place of power in this bargain and he damn-well knew it.
“What do you need?” I asked.
He paused for a brief moment, analyzing my expression, searching for signs of unreliability. I noticed this. The Djinn responded, “In return, I will require three tasks of you. Complete them successfully and your wife shall keep her health. Prosperous living, isn’t that a blessing?”
“Three tasks? Three tasks and she lives?” I asked, making sure I had heard his promise correctly.
“No, she will be back on her dancing feet as soon as you shake my hand. If you fail to complete these tasks in seven days, the contract will become void and her soul becomes mine. It’s a fine bargain, given your position, if you don’t mind me saying. But choose your next words wisely. Once you agree, there’s no going back.”
We stood there in silence for a few moments as I contemplated this transaction, weighing my options carefully. Aketa would be smiling and healthy as soon as I return? The very thought sparked life in my soul after so long of being downtrodden and desperate for a miracle, yet I knew that if I should fail, her fate would become more severe than before. There was absolutely no chance of me leaving this cave without his help.
“First, tell me what I have to do.”
The Djinn smiled, his bright, white teeth flashing in the torch light. He knew that he had just sparked my interest. With each minute passing, my swollen heart called for my wife who lay in bed, crying out for the pain to end. “How far will you go for your wife, Caine?” he asked me.
“How did-”
“How far will you go to give her a fruitful life of laughing, dancing, while you get to love her until an imminent death? How far would you go?” the Djinn asked, steadily drawing closer, “you can see her smile again. Make her laugh again.”
I felt the answer surfacing from the depths of my soul, “I would do anything.”
“Then we have a deal.”
His hand reached out for mine.
“Tell me.” I demanded.
“You must answer, first. The unknowing is the greatest mystery. Will you return to your cozy little home, take up your shovel and begin digging her grave or will she be there waiting? She hasn’t much time left.”
I shook his hand, glaring into his eyes. I could feel a powerful surge of energy transferring between us as our hands gripped each other, as if magic had just been formed. My fingers burned for a few moments after their release.
“Splendid.” the Djinn clapped his hands, as if he was applauding the transaction, and returned to leaning against the wall behind him, “For your first task, you must find the wife of Bartok von Quinn. Find her...then free her.”
“His wife?” I asked. The von Quinn’s were the wealthiest of local families, living in a secluded castle overlooking our village in Mercia. Rumors spread of Bartok being an old hermit who lives with his wife in solitude. I followed with another question, asking, “What do you need from her?”
“He has neglected to settle his debt with me from many years ago.”
“You seem to be a man of many talents. Couldn’t you do this yourself?”
Apparently, this was comical to him. He laughed, replying, “I am a creature of honor, Caine. In our bargain, I agreed to not step one foot inside of his home. He hasn’t left his manor for years.”
This proved to be a very difficult task but I would find a way. I had to, for Aketa’s sake. Our voices bounced throughout the unending caverns, creating a cluster of noise that vibrated my ear-drums. Icy-cold water dripped onto my scalp from the stalactite protruding above us.
“Deal. I’ll bring you his wife.”
The Djinn nodded in response.
“What are the other two tasks?” I asked.
“Once you complete the first, I’ll tell you the next.”
“How will I find you?”
“I’ll find you.” he answered. With that final word, he vanished into the shadows. I was a
lone in the world yet again.
* * * * *
Surprisingly, the journey home was much faster than I anticipated. I kept imagining Aketa’s bright, colorful cheeks as she danced to music in the village. Vividly, I saw her body moving to the rhythms of the song and her blonde hair bouncing and swaying.
I reached the tree line before our property and then I saw her. Aketa was standing in our doorway, grinning from ear-to-ear. I had begun sprinting before I even realized what I was doing and so had she. We embraced in the center of the field; the mixed emotions of love, happiness and confusion swelled in her eyes as I kissed her. She tried to form a coherent sentence.
“I-I woke up and you were gone. This life just rushed back into me, Caine. It’s a miracle. I just-” she cut herself off and hugged me again. It had been so long since I had set eyes on the familiar blush in her cheeks, no longer cold as ice. Her hands, no longer grey and clammy. Her beautiful smile was no longer forced.
“I found someone who could help us.” I said to her.
“Who? What happened?” Aketa asked, her head pressed hard against my chest. I realized that the sooner I handled this, the better and she did not necessarily need to worry further. Her deep breaths bounded off of my body, reminding me that the life inside of her had finally returned.
I stroked the back of her head and replied, “Just someone.”
“Doesn’t matter, anyway. Miracles come in many forms. I’m so happy.” she said as she pulled me closer, almost smothering herself against my tunic.
“I almost forgot how awful you smelled.” she laughed.
“I haven’t bathed in weeks...just for this moment.”
That night, we danced in the pale of the moonlight to the mesmerizing tunes of crickets and owls in the forest. We had never felt so alive. Our bodies entwined, we moved to the graces of fate and allowed our souls to become one again. We were together at last. A part of me never wanted to leave her side again, but I also remembered my deal with the Djinn. I wasn’t certain if it were the shadows or hallucinations, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see figures moving through the woods. They were watching us from the trees and spying from the shrubbery.
“Let’s go inside.” I told her.
While returning to our home, I saw him. The Djinn was standing with his hands cupped together, a scowl cast over his face. He was precariously close to the hill’s ledge, overlooking a very long fall to the sea below; his eyes were black as the night in that moment.
“There he is again.” I said.
She looked but saw nothing, replying, “Who?”
“You don’t see the man there?” I asked her.
“There’s nobody there.”
I beckoned for her to return to our home. She walked to the house while I advanced towards the creature smiling at me, the same cold smile that I had encountered in his cave.
“What, are you going to watch over my house for me?” I asked him.
“Quite the contrary, I plan on watching over my proxy. Don’t forget that we are on a tight schedule now, Caine. Every minute is priceless now.”
“I’ll leave for Mercia in the morning.” I assured him and turned away. As I opened the door to step inside, I looked over my shoulder to see him watching me from afar.
“Why could I not see him out there? You looked to be mad, talking with yourself like that.” said Aketa, who had removed her clothes and lay sprawled, naked across our bed. I adored her physique. It appeared that she’d been returned with her perfect figure and health. She looked as if she had never fallen ill. The patches of pale grey on her skin were now rosy and pink, as I remembered.
“I’m not sure. He’s a Djinn, Aketa. A powerful creature that grants wishes in exchange for labor.” I told her.
“What kind of labor?”
“The kind you don’t want to get roped into, apparently.”
She looked me over for an instant, realized she wouldn’t get any more information out of me and accepted defeat. I loved the curves of her body. Her eyes could pierce your soul when enflamed in anger and then revive your spirits if filled with cheer. Such a beautiful creation. I was the happiest man alive once again.
“Just promise you’ll be careful.” she demanded.
“Always.”
I held her close to my body as we slept through the night, running my fingers through her thick, golden hair. Neither of us slept, only lay awake, thinking for hours on end. We couldn’t summon the proper words to say in the moment.
“There were times when I felt ready.” she whispered.
“Ready?”
“Ready to die.”
I hated to hear the words but I more than understood. She had become bedridden for so long, her wonderful hair began to fall out and her skin became pale as the winter’s snow. Aketa became the woman she never wanted to be.
“To watch yourself waste away is a nightmare, Caine,” she said to me, “memories become everything that gives you strength.”
“I prayed with you every night - not sure if you were pretending to sleep or actually just exhausted from the lack of it. Couldn’t tell towards the end.”
“I remember,” Aketa said, “you have such a big heart. Not many husbands would do something like that for their old, miserable hags of a wife. All I do is complain.”
I laughed, heartily, “Only makes me appreciate the rare silence.”
She hit me, playfully.
“Even on my first day back alive, you’re still an ass.”
* * * * * *
We bathed together in the early dawn of that following morning. The last of the steaming hot water rushed over my tired muscles fantastically before my wife joined me. She slid down into the hot water and exhaled slowly as she experienced a similar feeling of euphoria.
“It’s been so long,” Aketa whispered, “I stopped taking hot baths. I couldn’t feel the warmth on my skin. Only made me more cold.” I smiled, reliving the horrid memories of a sad, ill woman resting uncomfortably naked in our bath tub. That woman seemed almost unrecognizable now.
“Caine,” she said to me, “are you sure about this?”
“What other choice do I have?”
“You know me.” she replied, looking down into the still water.
“Always thinking too much.” I said.
Silence rested between us.
“I will be home again in a matter of days. It won’t take longer than that.” I tried to reassure her, sensing her paranoia beginning to seep its way into her brain. She always seemed to think logically until it involved someone she cared about.
“How do you know that?” she asked, sharply.
“I don’t.”
“Then how could you say it? I don’t wish for my health to become a burden on your shoulders, Caine. If it’s my time, who are we to question that?” Aketa replied, “I love you for doing this but I never wanted you in harm’s way.”
I thought for a few seconds, deciding the right words to say before I depart. I left her to rummage through our bedchamber dresser, packing my bags with supplies needed for the long journey ahead. Aketa stood in the doorway, looking perplexed with the idea that she would lose more time with me.
“What if you return and I’m sick again?”
“Then we know the steps to bring you back,” I said, jokingly, “remember when the storm hit a few years ago? The roof caved in and we slept by the front door - the driest place in the house. You trusted me to make things right, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I fixed it, didn’t I?”
“Caine, you had to go get Taryn to help us. You fell through the roof, remember?” she argued.
“Trust that, in my heart, I always try my hardest.”
“I know you do. Promise you’ll come back to me.”
“I promise.”
I extended my hand to give her the other half of her heart necklace but she refused it, waving it away. She whispered, “I told you before, it’s yours. Keep it close.”
CHAPTER TWO
THE RICH AND THE RESOLUTE
The sun swept through the valley. It awoke the dwelling creatures, the stagnate plants and the whispering trees of the forest. Warm rays of sunlight melted away the blistering cold of nightfall, pushing nature’s inhabitants out of their burrows and into their daily routines. My bag was arranged quite tightly but my plan, unfortunately, was far from.
Kidnapping was never one of my strong traits; I had not won over my wife in that fashion. Still, I knew my mission and my current plan was to make it to Mercia, our village on the harbor. It was a day’s ride on horseback from our home. The only forest too dense for traveling by mount was behind us; the road north, towards Mercia, was filled with farms and vacant roads. Aketa embraced me before I left, reminding me to be careful, as she always had.
After planting a gentle kiss on her forehead, I closed the door and found my way to our stables. Our only horse was my great treasure, second only to Aketa, of course. Nadia, or Nadi as I call her, was standing, excitedly stamping the ground, leg muscles rippling, ready to begin our long journey. Her ebony mane tumbled freely over her powerful shoulders; I loved this mare more than most would think possible.
“Old bag of bones...know you missed this,” I whispered to her, brushing her mane with my left hand and comforting her nose with my right, “ride with the wind, Nadi. She’s counting on us.”
We rode for the remainder of the day, stopping only to eat and drink. I was on borrowed time from the moment I shook the Djinn’s hand in that cave, this I understood above all else. As I traveled through the desolate country, I marveled in wonder at the captivating sights all around me. Farmland stretched for miles, each with multiple farmhands working them and their masters watching over or joining in for the harvest. They greeted me with smiles and waving, a custom of etiquette in these lands, all working to provide a simple life for themselves; carrying large bales of wheat and hay on their strong backs and shoulders.
