The Secret of Ka

by Christopher Pike

  "Nice beaches," the carpet said.

  "She's teasing us," I said. "Ignore her."

  I kept staring up at the moon. There was something about the moon...

  Then I had it. I knelt beside the carpet.

  "Mom, I know you think it's too dangerous for us to find you, but we're going to keep trying until we're arrested or shot out of the sky. So you may as well cooperate." The carpet did not respond. I continued. "Do you know the name of the hospital you're in?"

  "I'm in a coma. When they checked me in, no one said a word to me."

  "I know your eyes are probably shut, but is there a light on them?"

  "It is dark. It must be nighttime."

  "True. It is nighttime. But did a light begin to shine on your eyes, say, two hours ago?"

  There was a long pause. "Nope."

  "Wait a second! You're awake and sitting outside your body!"

  "You weren't supposed to remember that."

  "What are you guys talking about?" Amesh asked, confused.

  "She can see through her soul. Her soul uses the carpet to talk to us." I turned back to the carpet. "Is the moon shining through your window?"

  "It's too dangerous, Sara."

  "We're not stopping until we find you," I repeated.

  The carpet took a long time to answer. "The moon is shining through my window."

  I clapped my hands together. "We've got our second landmark! Now we only have to search one side of the building." I grabbed my binoculars and studied the skyline and then pointed. "That building is in a perfect line between the moon and the Chrysler Building."

  Amesh was impressed. "Sometimes you take my breath away."

  "Really? Well, now it's your chance to take mine away."

  "How?"

  "The Anulakai were definitely afraid of Tracy. That means she's going to be guarded. Figure out a way to get rid of them."

  Amesh nodded. "Find her room and I'll think of something."

  We flew the carpet to a spot where the moon was angled toward the Chrysler Building. From there I simply backed up. There was only one building it could be. It was sixty stories tall and it had only one floor devoted to hospital beds—the forty-second floor. That meant it wasn't an ordinary clinic, probably just a place the Anulakai stashed their victims or wounded.

  We flew alongside the building, peering in each window. We had a flashlight but tried not to use it. We didn't want to wake patients or sound any alarms. The moonlight helped and hurt us. It allowed us to peek inside and see if there was a man or woman in the bed.

  But it also made us visible. I kept glancing down, expecting a crowd to form on the sidewalk below. Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's the Carpet of Ka! I was worried a police helicopter would shine its light on us. Nothing would alert Tracy's guards quicker.

  We found her fast—I was pretty sure it was her—in a corner room. Hooked up to a breathing pump, she had a needle in her arm shunt, a plastic tube running into her belly. The moonlight shone on her face.

  A burly man sat on a chair by the door, his chin resting on his chest. He was asleep, but that gave us only a small advantage.

  "Did you figure out a way to get rid of him?" I asked Amesh.

  "There could be more than one guard. If she's that dangerous to them, they probably have another one outside her door."

  "Just tell me your plan."

  Amesh looked around. "It's pretty scary."

  "I've already died today. What could scare me?"

  "My idea." Amesh pointed to the railings that separated each floor. "Do you think you can stand on it and not fall off ?"

  The railing jutted out two feet. It appeared to be flat, a steel beam.

  "Yeah. As long as I don't look down," I said.

  "We're in an air bubble right now. Have the carpet drop it."

  "No way!" I snapped.

  "We have no choice. We have to see how strong the wind is up here. Grab the sides."

  I grabbed hold of the tassels and commanded the carpet to drop its shield. Immediately, we began to sway in the breeze. He was right. I was scared.

  "You still haven't told me your plan," I managed to shout.

  "Tell the carpet to raise its shield." It did as I ordered. Amesh went on as the carpet settled back down. "My plan's simple but dangerous. First, we pull off the screen and open the window."

  I nodded. "We're lucky this building's old. I don't think you can open the windows in most skyscrapers."

  "I'll say we're lucky if we're still alive in fifteen minutes. But let me go on with my plan. We tell the carpet to drop us on the railing around the corner from this window. There's another window over there, covered with white curtains. If they turn on the light, we should be able to see inside but they shouldn't be able to see us. Then we send the carpet into her room, with instructions."

  "What kind of instructions?" I asked.

  Amesh told me. His plan was clever. I thought it might work if we didn't lose our nerve—or fall. That was the biggest flaw in his plan.

  "Let's do it," I said.

  "You don't want to think about it?"

  "If I think about it, I'll chicken out."

  To open my mother's window, we had to drop the carpet's shield again. That was bad enough. Fortunately, Amesh had a Swiss Army pocketknife. He popped the screen off and opened the window without making too much noise. The sleeping guard didn'tst ir.

  Next the carpet took us around the corner from the open window so we could remain out of view while it carried out Amesh's final instructions. Now came the hard part. We had to step off the carpet and onto the railing. The carpet helped by lining us up perfectly with the railing. But the wind—God, if only it had been a calm night. If we lost our balance for an instant, it would be over.

  Amesh went first, brave boy. He stepped on the railing and immediately flattened his back against my mother's side window. He stood with his arms pressed against the building.

  "How does it feel?" I asked.

  He was already shivering. "There's plenty of room to stand. It's just the wind, and being up so high." He swallowed thickly. "Sara?"

  "What?"

  "You don't have to do this. You can wait down below. The carpet can always pick you up when it comes back."

  "Why don't we both wait down below until the carpet returns?"

  "We can't move your mom without healing her. We have to be done before the carpet gets back."

  "That's why I'm staying with you," I said. "I'm doing the healing."

  Amesh did not respond.

  How did I get off the carpet? I was too much of a coward to stand and step off like Amesh had. Instead, I turned my back to the building and wiggled my butt until I was sitting on the railing. Then I held onto the carpet while I slowly climbed to my feet. But the instant I let go of the carpet ... well, let's just say it was every bit as scary as facing down bloodthirsty djinn and evil Anulakai.

  Closing my eyes, I pressed my back against the glass.

  "I hate this plan," I said.

  "I wish I had come up with a better one," Amesh agreed.

  The wind tugged at my hair, my legs, my pants, my coat. It seemed to make the whole building sway, although that might have been an illusion. It would have helped if I could have kept my eyes shut, but one of us, at least, had to know if the guards were falling for our scheme.

  I opened my eyes and peered through the curtains that were supposed to be hiding us. I was pleased to see the light was on in my mother's room. The first guard was awake; good. The carpet had done what we had told it to do. Nudge the guy and then lie down on the floor and play dead.

  The door to my mother's room opened. Another guard entered. Along with his partner, he stood and studied the carpet. No one seemed to care about the open window. Certainly, no one looked in our direction, toward the closed window.

  "What makes you think they'll step on it?" I asked Amesh through a shaking jaw.

  "It's human nature to want to touch a
carpet that beautiful."

  "When we found it, I felt the opposite. I didn't want to step on it because I didn't want to get it dirty."

  "You're a nice girl. These are tough guys. They're guards, they carry guns. They won't care if they get it dirty. They'll step on it. Remember, the carpet just needs them next to it to raise its shield. Then it's got them."

  "I wish they'd hurry up."

  A guard went to the open window and peered out. But he didn't close it. Perhaps he was happy for the fresh air. I doubted the staff ever opened the windows. The room was probably stale.

  His partner called to him. Then one of the men did the strangest thing. In the dark, I saw Amesh give me a knowing smile. The guy was taking off his shoes.

  "It attracts him," Amesh said. "He wants to feel it under his feet."

  "Did you feel that way when you saw it, tough guy?"

  "Sure. Oh, look, the other guy is kneeling beside it. He's feeling it with his hands."

  One got on it, rubbed it with his bare feet, then got off. Another got on it, on his knees. It was like they were doing a video workout. I wanted to scream for the two of them to get on the blasted thing at the same time...

  Then it happened. The carpet raised its shield just as the men stepped on the carpet together. They were trapped inside an invisible bubble. Before they could cry for help, the carpet raced out the window.

  Amesh and I heard their howls as they faded in the distance. They probably assumed they were doomed. They would have been if the carpet had followed Amesh's instructions and dumped them in the sea. But I had told it to take them to New Jersey and drop them off in the middle of nowhere.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  MOVING AT A SNAIL'S PACE, Amesh and I crept around the corner and climbed in the open window. We shut and locked the door and turned out the light. It felt good to be inside, standing on solid ground. But that joy didn't approach the happiness I felt at seeing my mother again.

  She lay on her back with so many needles and tubes in her. Amesh was right; we could not move her without returning her soul to her body. Not unless we were willing to cart a ton of life-support equipment with us. What magic we were going to do, we would have to do it now.

  Undoing my pack, I went to take out Trakur's artifact.

  But I couldn't find it.

  "Looking for something?" Amesh asked, holding up the artifact. "Were you planning on using this to save your mother?"

  I was angry. "Why did you take it from me?"

  "Because it's not your turn."

  "What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with you. This is between my mother and me."

  "I could say my Papi and Mira had nothing to do with you. But when you were in Istanbul, you did everything you could to calm them down." He paused. "Now I have to return the favor."

  He began to slip his right hand, his new hand, into the artifact.

  "Wait! Amesh, you don't understand. This djinn's the most powerful one on the island. I've seen it with my own eyes. It doesn't even speak to you without taking some of your blood."

  "Did you already ask this djinn for a wish?"

  He had me cornered. "Yes," I admitted.

  "One's not so bad. We both know that. But two is. You can't owe it anything. It would probably demand the carpet in payment. But if I make the wish, it can't ask for anything in return." Amesh paused. "You know what I'm saying is true."

  I nodded. "Ordinarily I wouldn't argue with you. But this djinn is crafty, Amesh. I didn't plan on asking any wish from it. But it tricked me. First it got a taste of my blood, then it wanted more. When I wasn't looking, it let loose its hidden blade, which pops out from there." I pointed to the hilt. "It pierced my side and I had to make a wish just to stay alive. It'll probably try to do the same to you, or worse."

  "You think you're smarter than me?"

  I hesitated. "Yes."

  Amesh shrugged. "I'm not insulted. You are smarter. But what matters is how many wishes you've made. And you've already made one. The next one should be mine."

  "Not true. This burden's mine alone. She's my mother."

  "Sara, since we met, you've made the right decisions and I've made the wrong ones. Forget about owing the djinn—I owe you." He paused and stared down at my mother. "Give me the name of the djinn."

  "Is that why you came with me, to do this?"

  "Yes."

  "His name is Trakur Analova Ta. Can you remember that?"

  Amesh nodded. "How do you want me to word the wish?"

  "Wish that Tracy's health is restored so that her body is in perfect condition. So her soul can reenter her body and she can ... live happily ever after." I stopped, frustrated. "That's not going to work. It sounds like two wishes."

  "It is two wishes," Amesh said.

  "How about this? 'I wish for Tracy's health—her physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health—to be restored to how it was before she entered this coma.'"

  Amesh nodded. "That's close. But you're not sure that she was healthy just before she went into the coma. We'd better back up the health date. But not too far. The djinn could turn her into a five-year-old."

  "Okay, I've got it! Say, 'I want you, Trakur Analova Ta, to restore Tracy's health—her physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health—to the level it was at on her thirty-fifth birthday.' Repeat his name and the wish at least twice."

  "Are you sure she was healthy at thirty-five?" Amesh asked.

  "We had a birthday party for her. She was in great shape."

  "How old is your mom now?"

  "She's ... I'm not sure. Forty. Another thing, keep that hilt pointed away from you. The djinn may move about the room to get you to twist it so it points toward your guts. Don't fall for that trap. That's how I got poked." I glanced out the window. "The carpet will be back soon. Are you ready?"

  "Ready as I'll ever be."

  "Trakur Analova Ta is ugly but he's charming. He's hypnotic—the less you talk to him the better. Invoke him with his name. When he arrives, expect the snake to bite your fingers and drink your blood. The worse thing you can do is try to shake it off. You'll end up tearing your fingers to pieces."

  Amesh smiled. "I can handle him. Relax, Sara."

  We moved so we were on opposite sides of the bed. Amesh began his invocation. He was fifteen seconds into it when the snake closed its fangs over his index finger and middle finger. To Amesh's credit, he didn't waver. He kept going and then, like a hurricane, Trakur Analova Ta made his entrance.

  I could see him clearly, perhaps because I had made contact with him before. He was in a bad mood. His anger was focused on me, not Amesh.

  "Sara!" his voice boomed inside my mind. "I have heard in detail the charade you played with my mate. Do not fool yourself into thinking you will play me the same way."

  I felt weak addressing him without the artifact in my hand or the carpet beneath my feet. Plus, Lova had told him my first name, which gave him an even greater edge on me. Yet, I knew it was important that I not show any fear.

  "Trakur Analova Ta," I said. "It's not I who has called upon you, but this man. He has a wish to make that only the great Trakur Analova Ta can fulfill."

  Trakur Analova Ta bore down on me. "I'm not through with you, Sara. Take the sword from your friend, and let me drink of your blood, then perhaps we can see if your wish can be fulfilled."

  "It's not my wish but his." I spoke to Amesh. "Time to take charge."

  "Trakur Analova Ta, it is I who has summoned you," Amesh said in a strong voice. "Ignore her and listen to me. It is my blood you're drinking."

  Trakur Analova Ta whirled on him. "Your blood is common and weak. It does not belong to a Kala. Why should I waste time on you?"

  Amesh was thinking and I hoped he'd come up with something good.

  "Your time with me is not wasted, oh great Trakur Analova Ta," he said. "Soon I'll mate with Sara, and when we're married, I, too, shall share in her power as a Kala. Drink deeply of my blood while you can. At th
e same time, listen to my wish."

  Amesh's response was inspired! Never mind that he was talking about us getting married. As long as the djinn believed him, I didn't care.

  I could see why the djinn would believe him. There was mountains of romantic tension between us. Well, at least I was tense—I was not sure how Amesh felt. He had said I was hot, but of course, that had been when I was about to die. People said all kinds of nice things to you when you were about to croak.

  Trakur Analova Ta suddenly acted interested in Amesh, but he did not turn his back on me. He stood between us, so he could keep an eye on us both. Yet he kept moving and I noticed Amesh was having to turn to follow him.

  "What's your name?" Trakur Analova Ta asked him.

  Amesh did not answer. Good, I thought, keep silent.

  "Your full name. You know mine. It's only proper I know yours."

  Amesh went to speak. He had been staring at Trakur Analova Ta too long without a break. I knew he must be hypnotized. Yet I was afraid to interrupt at such a crucial moment. I had warned him...

  "Amesh..." he began.

  "Amesh is his name!" I snapped. I was giving nothing away. Surely Lova had already told her mate about Amesh, as well.

  "Silence!" Trakur Analova Ta screamed at me. "You insist I speak to your potential mate, and now that we're talking you interrupt. Do not do that again. You have been warned. Once my blade has tasted your blood, it can always find a way to taste it again."

  I decided it best to keep silent.

  Trakur Analova Ta smiled and repeated my fiancé's name to himself. "Amesh ... Amesh ... Amesh ... Tell me, is it your desire to be with Sara?"

  "Yes," he said.

  I bowed my head and remained silent. Amesh had already made a mistake. If he made another, we were doomed. I could only hope my interruption had broken the djinn's hypnotic spell. It was a pity the creature had Amesh's first name to play with. Each time he said it, Amesh twitched.

  "Amesh," Trakur Analova Ta said. "Tell me more of your desire for Sara. I assume that's why you've summoned me. You wish to be mated to her for life?"

  I held my breath for what felt like an hour before Amesh answered.

  He smiled! "I do not need your help in that area, oh great Trakur Analova Ta. She desires me as much as I desire her. No, I have another task in mind. Listen. I, Amesh, wish for you, Trakur Analova Ta, to restore the health of the woman you see lying here. Her name's Tracy, and I wish for you to restore her physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health to the level it was at on her thirty-fifth birthday. That is my wish, Trakur Analova Ta. Please carry..."