The Curse of Zohreh

by Sophie Masson

  ‘Oh,’ said Khaled again. ‘Then you – then you wanted – to – to –’

  ‘I am sorry,’ said Soheila, her voice low. ‘It was very wrong and I ask your forgiveness, Khaled.’

  ‘Oh no, there is nothing to forgive,’ said Khaled. ‘It was my family who owed a debt to yours, that should have been repaid long ago. Soheila,’ he thought, stupidly. ‘Soheila, that is her name, this girl with the huge, deep blue eyes.’

  ‘She had nothing to do with the kidnapping,’ said Husam. ‘She was just a poor soul, adrift in the world, as so many are. But she found you, as you found her.’

  ‘Yes,’ whispered Khaled, and his eyes met Soheila’s. She was the first to look away, her heart thumping with an emotion she didn’t yet recognise.

  At their feet, Gur Thalab stirred. He put a hand to his side, where the wound seemed to have stopped bleeding. His eyes flew open. Khaled said, wonderingly, ‘Oh, it is you, Prince Gur. It is you!’

  ‘You recognise me,’ whispered Gur hoarsely.

  ‘Of course I do,’ said Khaled. ‘Who could ever forget you?’

  ‘But the guise you met me in, in the Gold Market.’

  ‘Your eyes are the same, sir,’ said Khaled, ‘none could mistake them. I am sorry,’ he went on, after a short while, ‘but for a while I thought you were in league with those others –’

  Gur’s eyes flashed, then he smiled, wearily and rather sweetly. ‘I understand. Why should you not think so, when one of them was of my clan?’

  ‘Mahmoud?’ said Khaled.

  Gur Thalab nodded. ‘He is a cousin, I am afraid.’

  ‘Come on,’ said Kareen impatiently. ‘We’ve got to get that renegade cousin of yours, Gur, and get back to Jumana as soon as possible. The Prince will be anxious to question him.’

  ‘And your father is waiting anxiously for your return,’ smiled Husam as Khaled settled himself on the carpet.

  ‘As am I,’ said Khaled, his eyes on Soheila, who hardly dared look at him.

  They were back at the kidnappers’ camp in a short while. Even as they approached they could see that something dramatic had happened. Fire had engulfed the cars and the tent, which were burning fiercely. There was no sign of life at all. They circled the area, but the fire was too fierce to be approached.

  ‘He had a lighter,’ Khaled said. ‘Simple enough to open the petrol cap and set fire to it all.’

  ‘But he was trussed up,’ said Husam, staring down at the inferno below. Gur Thalab said, ‘Where did you leave him?’

  ‘In the back seat,’ said Husam, frowning.

  ‘He must have called on the change to come on him,’ said Gur Thalab. ‘That moment of change, the instant when you turn from man to wolf, gives you superhuman strength and speed. He would have used that to burst his bonds, smash the glass, get out and light the fires, in those few seconds before he became a wolf. And now he’s probably streaking away through the desert, on his way back to Mesomia. We should go after him.’

  ‘No,’ said Husam. ‘We must go back to Jumana. Khaled is exhausted, Abdullah worried sick. The Prince will be informed of all that has happened. He can send investigators out here to sift through the wreckage. Mahmoud will die in the desert, man or wolf.’

  ‘Perhaps,’ said Gur Thalab, rather faintly. ‘And perhaps he will not. Anyway, there will always be more Mahmouds, in The Vampire’s Mesomia. When I am recovered, I will go back myself, to deal with the evil at its source. I will no longer allow them to turn me into a hunted fugitive, but take on the mantle I should never have abandoned as prince of my people and defender of their freedom.’

  He looked at the others. ‘And for putting the heart back in me to do that, I have you to thank. I will never forget it.’

  Twenty-five

  On the way back to Jumana, Soheila thought of the future. She would do her utmost to see that the curse was finally lifted. She would return to Parsari, to her parents who must be sick with worry about her disappearance. She would take up her studies in music again. She would no longer brood about past injustices, but try to bring honour and respect back to the name of Melkior. And to do so, she must look forwards, and not back. Oh, not dishonour the past, for the past is where we come from and has helped to make us what we are. But she would take from the past the lessons she needed, and she would forever hold the memory of the kindness and friendship she had been shown here, in this beautiful place which she had thought was the lair of her enemies. She hoped not that her family and the al-Farouks might be true friends, for surely that was too much to ask, but that they would think of each other with respect and understanding, and without any bitterness at all. She could not ask for any more, though her heart ached at the thought of leaving Khaled. He had become important to her – someone to know better, even a true friend, such as she had never had.

  Khaled, for his part, could hardly think at all. He was so aware on the way back of the presence of Soheila, and of the Talisman, that nothing else seemed quite real, and certainly not the fact that in a few hours he’d be fifteen. He tried to concentrate on what he’d say to his father when he got back, and what they could possibly do to repair the wrong that had been done to Soheila’s family. But it was hard to think straight. He was so tired. And his heart was full of confusion. He did not know if he was happy or sad or merely anxious or numb.

  When they landed at the palace Abdullah came running out to meet them. Forgetting his dignity in his joy, Khaled threw himself into his father’s arms. For a moment, father and son were speechless, hugging, kissing, weeping a little.

  Then Abdullah spoke. ‘There will of course be reparations, Soheila,’ he said, an arm around his son, holding him tight as if he would never let him go. ‘Now we know you, and we know where to find your kin. We will pay for all the goods Kassim stole, with a hundred years’ worth of interest; it should be enough to set you and your family up in great comfort for the rest of your lives. And we will make public the true story of what Kassim did, and how he besmirched your ancestor’s honour by telling lies about her.’ He paused. ‘We hope that you might find it in your heart to help us permanently efface the curse by going with my son to see the Recorder of the Emerald Mountain of Kaf.’

  Soheila had not spoken, just looked at them all with those bright blue eyes that concealed as much as they revealed.

  Khaled felt his heart constrict as he said, ‘We are in your hands, Soheila. It must be your choice. Even should you choose not to forgive us, nor go with me to the Recorder, we will do all in our power to discharge our debts, isn’t that so, Father?’

  ‘Indeed,’ said Abdullah solemnly.

  There was a silence. Everyone stared at Soheila. Finally she said, ‘I think we are wasting time standing here. It is close to midnight, and Kareen has said the flower will soon fade.’ She looked at Khaled full in the face. ‘Will you come with me to the library and stand before the mirror with me while I call the spirit of my ancestor? For it is she who must give us permission to go to the Emerald Mountain. Without her, we will never make it there.’

  ‘We will go with you,’ said Abdullah, and Husam agreed.

  Soheila shook her head. ‘No, it must be just Khaled and I,’ she said quietly, but with such determination in her voice that they knew it was pointless to argue. She looked at Khaled, and her voice was a little more uncertain then as she said, ‘Will you come with me? I – I do not think there is anything to be afraid of, for we will put our hands together, on the Talisman of the Star, and the spirit of my ancestor Melkior will stand guard over us. Zohreh is a vengeful spirit, but she also wants rest. I am sure of it. Khaled?’

  ‘Of course I’ll come,’ he said, in a choked voice. ‘I – I’m just – sorry, I cannot speak.’ He looked into Soheila’s face, and those watching saw the same smile dawn deep down in both the young people’s eyes.

  They stood together in front of the tall carved mirror in the library while behind the closed door, Abdullah and Husam and the others waited anxiously. Soheila was weari
ng Ebon Zarah’s skyflower in her hair. They held the Talisman between them, the box still closed. It was very quiet. The silver light of the moon poured in through the fretted windows, striping the floor with shadow and light. They looked at the clock on the wall. Five minutes to go; four minutes to go; three minutes to go.

  ‘How cold it is,’ thought Khaled, shivering without even knowing he was doing it. ‘How cold, except for Soheila’s fingers on mine.’ Two minutes to go; one minute to go.

  ‘How terrified I am,’ thought Soheila. ‘Utter terror fills me, much greater than I have ever known. Terror – and yet it is my revered ancestor I’m going to call, the one in whose name I have lived for so much of my life. All that keeps me steady is the touch of Khaled’s fingers on mine, as we hold the Talisman.’

  The clock began to strike twelve. At the same moment, Soheila whispered, ‘Let me speak, Khaled. Say nothing at first. We’ll open the Talisman – now!’

  The Talisman lay open between them, and a soft light seemed to gently radiate from it. Soheila looked into the mirror and said, ‘Oh Zohreh of the Melkior clan, Grandmother of Grandmothers, I beg you to answer my call. It is midnight and I wear a skyflower in my hair. It was midnight a hundred years to the day in which you departed this life. Grandmother Zohreh, answer my call!’

  Soheila and Khaled were reflected in the mirror, but Soheila’s reflection was, it seemed, subtly changing. Her face was sharpening, hardening. Her eyes were just as burningly blue, but had an older expression in them. Khaled could hardly form the thought that was agitating within him: Zohreh’s face was superimposing itself on Soheila’s reflection somehow. Gripped by terror, he cast a quick look sideways at the girl. She hadn’t changed. It was only the image in the mirror.

  ‘Grandmother of Grandmothers,’ said Soheila softly, ‘please hear me. We must end the curse forever, oh my beloved ancestor, for the descendants of the man who did you much wrong are nothing like him. They will pay full compensation to the Melkior clan and ensure that your memory is restored to honour here as in your own land.’

  Then Soheila fell silent. Khaled turned to look at her and could see tears starting at the corners of her eyes. He turned back to the mirror. He could see the reflection more clearly by the second: Soheila’s real form now a shadow behind that of the old woman’s. The old woman had unblinkingly fierce, determined eyes. Her thin lips were moving but he could not hear what she was saying. She was not looking at him, but straight at Soheila.

  The girl was cold all over with the onslaught of the old woman’s disappointed fury. She was accusing Soheila of treachery, of forgetting her, of being a coward. Soheila stayed quiet, though each barb stung her deeply. Soheila reminded herself that Zohreh could not act against the good power of the Talisman and the protection of the skyflower. She could feel the pressure of Khaled’s fingers still on hers, and it gave her courage to withstand Zohreh’s rage.

  Suddenly she gasped, and so did Khaled, for the mirror glass seemed to thicken, to mist over; and then as the mist slowly cleared, they both saw, reflected in the mirror, that last terrible scene of Zohreh’s life. They saw Kassim and Zohreh arguing. The nobleman threw the old woman to the ground and told her he was going to destroy her and all her family. His cruel hawk face twisted with demonic fury as Zohreh cursed him, then he whirled on the defenceless old woman and brought his sword down with appalling force. Blood instantly spurted from Zohreh’s neck as it was sliced right through, and her head flew off. Khaled and Soheila were both sobbing by this time, gripping each other tightly. The Talisman had fallen to the floor between them. But they could not look away as Kassim calmly wiped the blood off his sword and kicked the old woman’s body as if she were a dog. They saw the self-satisfied smile on his face. Khaled groaned. This evil man was his ancestor: his blood ran in Khaled’s veins, as Zohreh’s ran in Soheila’s. He could feel nothing but despair and horror, could think nothing but that maybe he did deserve to be punished, just for being born …

  But then Soheila spoke. She had picked up the Talisman and was holding it again. There were tears running down her face but her voice was steady as she said, ‘Grandmother of Grandmothers, you have been avenged. The evil man died in torment and his spirit is now in Jehannem, where he will be for all eternity. His memory is reviled in his family; not even his grave is safe from dishonour. Only ghouls and wild dogs haunt it now.’

  The scene in the mirror disappeared and was replaced by their reflections. Soheila’s face and form were still shadowy, the ghostly features of her ancestor constantly shading into the girl’s own reflection. He saw the ghost’s thin lips move, but still couldn’t hear what she said.

  ‘I saw it,’ answered Soheila, and then she took Khaled’s hand. ‘So did Khaled. The evil man has been punished long since, Grandmother of Grandmothers. Innocent blood has flowed since then, and it was not that of our family. It is enough, oh Zohreh of the Melkior clan. It is enough. It must end.’

  There was silence, then Soheila repeated, ‘It must end, oh Zohreh of the Melkior clan, revered ancestor. Will you give Khaled and I your blessing to go to the Emerald Mountain of Kaf to ask the Recorder to efface the curse? Will you remember the way of the Truthteller, who bids us to forgive our enemies if justice has been done? Oh, Zohreh of the Melkior clan, the way of our ancestors was tempered with mercy as well as wrath. You see that we have found our family’s dearest treasure, and that its light falls on Khaled as well as on me. Let that be your guide, sweet Grandmother of Grandmothers. Let your spirit be at rest. Let it go quietly into the peace of Akamenia, now you know the evil man has been punished, for all time.’ Her voice became more urgent. ‘Will you give us your blessing? Will you tell us the way to the Emerald Mountain?’

  Khaled cast a quick glance at the clock. It was almost fifteen minutes past the hour. He looked at the skyflower. Its petals were drooping. Kareen had warned them it might be dangerous once the flower faded – that even the good power of the Talisman might not protect Khaled if the old woman’s spirit stayed vengeful. Fear rose up inside him but he quickly pushed it back. He musn’t be afraid. He must trust Soheila, and he must hold fast to her.

  The girl’s face was bathed in sweat. Her eyes were staring, her voice low and desperate. Khaled knew she was at the end of her tether, and still the ghost had not answered her plea. Khaled knew then that he must act. His hand lightly on the Talisman, he spoke for the first time.

  ‘Only guilty blood pays for the shedding of innocent blood,’ he said clearly. ‘Zohreh of the Melkior clan, I, Khaled bin Abdullah al-Farouk, descendant of the wicked Kassim, do pledge this to you and to your descendants: that we will pay in full all we owe, and will do everything in our power to restore the honour and memory of your family, and yourself. The truth shall be told, in every corner of this land, and Parsari, and Kassim’s wicked lies shall be exposed. This I promise, with all my heart and my soul.’

  Soheila looked at him, her face filled with light. ‘Khaled and I stand together, today and forever,’ she said firmly, as the quarter-hour began to strike. ‘Whatever happens, Zohreh of the Melkior clan, we will live henceforth as if the curse had no power.’ And she held Khaled’s hand, over the Talisman.

  It was then that she heard, in her mind, the ghost’s last words. ‘The Emerald Mountain is not hard to find: it is in your heart, my child. The curse is ended this night. Pray for me, Soheila of the Melkior clan; pray for me that my spirit be at rest and find peace in the bosom of Akamenia. Bless you, my child, for your courage and your strength, for doing what had to be done.’ Faintly then, the ghost whispered, ‘And peace be upon the house of Khaled al-Farouk, whose heart is great and whose courage matches your own. Peace be upon you both, my children, for the curse of Zohreh is at an end.’

  Soheila looked at Khaled. The same glowing expression was on his face. She knew that somehow he had heard and understood the last words of her ancestor, Zohreh, whose spirit would no longer haunt this place.

  The face in the mirror was now Soheila’s o
wn. Suddenly, a lump came into her throat. Zohreh had gone – gone beyond the ken of mortals, gone into the mysterious realms beyond time. She hoped that Akamenia would indeed receive her into the peace of his being.

  ‘Soheila,’ whispered Khaled, his eyes on her face, ‘Soheila, did you mean what you said, about us standing together, now and forever?’

  A flush mounted up her neck, but she nodded. His smile told her how he felt.

  Soheila said hurriedly, ‘We must still reach the Emerald Mountain, Khaled, now Zohreh has given us her blessing to do so.’

  ‘Yes, we must,’ he said. ‘How do we get there?’

  ‘I think we must call in the others, Khaled. Will you fetch them?’

  He nodded. They squeezed each others’ hands, then Khaled was gone, running to get his father and the others. They rushed in, talking in relief, their faces slowly uncreasing from the worry. Soheila stood there, her gaze still on the mirror. She could not yet think clearly about what she had felt and experienced this night, but she knew that she was utterly changed. Now there was hope where there had been despair, and sweet delight where once there had been endless night. Her tears for Zohreh’s cruel fate would not end, but they would not be tears of bitterness any more. The future would not forget the past, but the future would not be held hostage to the past, or nothing could ever change.

  They stood together in the library, all of them.

  Soheila spoke solemnly. ‘Place your hand on the Talisman of the Star, Khaled. Now, together, we will call on the Recorder of the Emerald Mountain. We will travel there in our hearts, and we will ask her to end the curse, as my ancestor Zohreh wants. Never again, my dearest friend, will there be bitterness and sorrow between your family and mine.’

  And as the others watched in delight and awe, Khaled placed his hand on the box and Soheila put hers on top of his. Each felt the jolt of contact, the warmth that instantly flowed, the piercing joy that rushed into both of them. It seemed that in the place where their fingers met on the Talisman a vision grew: a vision of a beautiful green mountain wreathed in mist. They looked at each other, saw the same vision reflected in each other’s eyes, and smiled. They knew at that moment that there would be respect and honour between their families – and much more. There would be true friendship of the heart, a love as deep as it was sweet. And one day, the families would be joined, through them.