‘Why have they done that?’ said Max, looking unimpressed.
Anna took a deep breath. ‘It’s a bed,’ she said. ‘A bed of scorpions.’
Max blinked. His eyes widened. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Absolutely not.’
Anna turned to the vultures. ‘Could you try to shield us from the sun, please?’ she said. ‘These … friends are going to try to carry us home, but we’ll need some shade along the way.’
The largest vulture nodded its pale head. All the birds took off as one, flying up into the eye of the sun. A cool shadow passed over Anna’s face as three pairs of wings stretched out in the sky above her.
‘You should go now,’ said Caspar. ‘The journey will be long. You should not waste any more of this day.’
Because Sassan needs to be stopped as soon as possible, thought Anna. Caspar couldn’t say it, but they all knew it was the truth. Anna nodded, flashing the jann a tentative smile.
The smile was wiped from her face when she realised what she would have to do next.
‘I’m going to lie down,’ she said. ‘And you’re all going to catch me, okay?’
The scorpions chittered quietly. Anna’s skin crawled as she lowered herself onto their spidery bodies, legs shaking as she transferred her weight onto the scuttling horde. Wickedly curved stingers brushed against her bare arms. Anna held her breath, waiting for the burning pain of poison in her veins – but instead of a sting, the sky began to spin above her head. She gasped, marvelling as the black legs clicked away beneath her, carrying her around in a circle with surprising speed. The sensation was so utterly strange that it almost made her laugh. Now her skin literally was crawling.
Max groaned. ‘I thought you’d chicken out,’ he said. ‘Now I have to do it.’
Anna grinned as her brother sat down gingerly atop his own black bed. The scorpions raised their pincers to greet him, gently prodding his sunburnt skin in what must have seemed to them like a friendly caress.
The scorpions raised their pincers to greet him.
To Max, it felt like the touch of death. He yelped as the scorpions began to march across the sand, eager to show their new rider what they could do.
‘Are they deadly?’ he squealed.
‘Yes,’ said Caspar, smiling so his teeth were bared. ‘Very.’
Max whimpered. Anna tried not to look too scared. Caspar had an air of being both mischievous and wise at the same time, and was clearly very fond of a practical joke. It seemed that having a jann as a friend would be a very strange experience indeed.
‘I guess we’ll go now,’ she said, staring up at the boy’s fiery face. ‘I hope we can take care of everything before you get called back.’
Caspar nodded, his smile fading. ‘I share your hope,’ he said. ‘And I hope you remain safe.’
‘She’ll be okay,’ said Max. ‘She fought a vampire with that knife, and a troll as well. She won’t have any problem battling an old doctor.’
A nervous expression stole across Caspar’s face. His fingers twitched.
‘A doctor would be an easy foe,’ he said carefully. ‘But if your foe was not a doctor, your battle would be more difficult. It can be hard to tell which is which.’
And then he clasped a hand over his lips, his eyes wide with fear, as if he had just told them a dark and terrible secret – and yet he didn’t seem to have said anything important at all. Anna opened her mouth, confused, but Caspar swiftly shook his head. It was clear he would refuse to speak another word.
Anna sighed. There was no point in putting it off any longer. She squeezed the knife.
‘Let’s go,’ she said.
The scorpions sprang into action. Max waved goodbye as the genie boy was left behind, his shimmering skin soon vanishing against the pale sand.
11
THE LION’S DEN
A CHATTER OF CLAWS. A SWOOP OF DARK wings. Black legs clicking on every side.
‘Anna?’ moaned Max. ‘Are you there?’
Anna’s eyes were screwed shut. With all her might she tried to forget where she was; tried to forget what was crawling beneath her. Every now and then a scorpion would lose its place in the bed, crawling up over her arms or chest or face to get back in position. Anna didn’t dare open her mouth.
‘Yes,’ she muttered through pursed lips. ‘I’m here.’
Claws chattered. Wings swooped. Legs clicked.
‘What are we going to do?’ said Max. ‘How are we going to stop Sassan?’
High above them, the sun had finally begun to set. The sky had turned as orange as the desert below. By the time they reached the camp, it would almost certainly be night.
Ali and the Professor were hoping to uncover a hidden legend, but Sassan and Caspar were searching for something far more dangerous. Somewhere, lost in the desert, was a ring of power: the greatest treasure of the sorceress Zareen. If Ali and his team were to find the ring, they would discover that fairies and magic were real, putting all their lives in peril. If Caspar and Sassan found the ring, Sassan would take command of an all-powerful genie, and the whole world could come to an end.
That meant there were only two people left who could do anything about it.
‘We have to find the ring first,’ said Anna quietly. ‘Or else make sure none of the others do. If anyone but us takes control of that genie, we’re all completely doomed.’
Max didn’t reply. Anna tried to stay calm, slowly sucking a breath between her lips. How much longer would it be before they made it home? She knew the scorpions were doing their best, but still she wished they would hurry up.
‘Caspar wanted to say something when we left,’ said Max. ‘But he couldn’t. He’s keeping a secret from us.’
Anna grunted in agreement. There was clearly something Caspar had thought the children should know – something he had been forbidden to tell them. Sassan probably had all sorts of nasty surprises tucked away in his lakeside shack. Whatever the secret was, she hoped it wasn’t worse than the ghul.
‘Do you have any lollies?’ asked Max. ‘I’m hungry.’
Anna snorted. ‘No, I don’t.’
Max sighed sadly.
A gust of wind blew over Anna’s face as a vulture sailed low over the plain. A small spray of granules fell onto her lips; Anna spat, annoyed, sick and tired and completely fed up with sand.
Then her eyes shot open. Her tongue darted out, tasting the stuff that had fallen onto her mouth. Suddenly she felt elated.
‘This isn’t sand,’ she cried. ‘It’s salt! Stop, everyone, stop!’
The scorpions skittered to a standstill. Anna rolled off her chitinous bed, landing softly on the white, salty beach. Lake Jewaher rolled out beside them, placid and blue, its craggy islands silhouetted against the setting sun. In the distance Anna could see the decrepit fisherman’s shack, and beyond that, the top of the great stone tower jutting up over the horizon. Tears of relief welled in her eyes. They had made it home.
Max tumbled onto the beach, scampering away from his scorpions as fast as he could. He jumped in fright as the vultures landed beside him, hissing loudly from the backs of their throats. It was an awful sound, but Anna thought they might be congratulating each other on a job well done.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Thanks to all of you. We’ll never forget what you did for us.’
‘No, we won’t,’ said Max. ‘No matter how hard we try.’
The vultures flapped their wings. The scorpions danced around excitedly, gnashing their pincers together in delight. Anna smiled gingerly, waving the white knife dismissively at the ghastly audience. She kept waving as she and Max slowly edged away, walking backwards until they were sure none of the animals were following. As they reached the path that led to the camp, Anna finally sheathed the knife, relieved.
The shiny brass jar was still sitting in the sand, right where the children had left it. Max kicked it with all his strength, sending the jar sailing away into the evening.
‘Nice try,’ he said smugly. ‘But y
ou’ll have to do better than that to get rid of us.’
Max was so sunburnt that the skin was already peeling off his arms. Anna bent down to retrieve her forgotten beach bag, drinking deeply from her water bottle. They had been missing for many hours, but it was clear no-one had come to look for them. Max was right – they had survived the ghul’s attack – but Dr Sassan’s trick with the jar had left them burned, bruised and battered, drained of all the energy they might have used to outsmart him. Worse still, he’d tricked them easily. Anna couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid.
‘I can’t hear anyone,’ said Max. ‘They must have stopped work for the day.’
‘The Professor won’t have stopped,’ said Anna. ‘I bet he’ll keep translating those carvings all night if he’s able to. We need to find him first. If anyone can work out where the ring is, it’s him.’
Max scratched nervously at his sunburn. ‘Sassan won’t really send Caspar after Dad, will he? Isn’t he safe in the camp?’
Anna didn’t have an answer. Her forehead creased as she snuck through the camp, stepping over holes and discarded tools. The Professor had never really been a part of their adventures before. Now he was the key they needed to save the day.
A low murmur was coming from the dining tent on the far side of the camp; most of the archaeologists were clearly settling down for dinner. Anna and Max darted along the shallow trench where Ali had been dusting rocks, running their hands along the guide rope as the trench snaked its way through the diggings. The sun that had tormented them for so long was now sinking fast.
The trench ended at the side of the ruined tower, its walls dappled with dust and shadows. Two enormous lion statues had been uncovered beside the stony walls, their bodies lying broken on the desert floor.
Between the lions was a doorway. The children peered timidly inside. A rough-hewn staircase descended between sandstone walls, lit by a series of electric lights. The air below smelt stale.
Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Max cut in first.
‘Yeah, I know,’ he said. ‘That’s definitely where he’ll be. Let’s just get this over with.’
Anna nodded. She moved down onto the first step, ignoring the shattered scowls of the fallen lions. She wondered just how long they had been guarding the citadel. With all the trouble the silver ring had caused, Anna couldn’t help but wish they’d done a slightly better job.
The staircase ran deep. Carved symbols had been scratched on the walls from the floor all the way up to the ceiling, each one curling around like the legs of a creeping insect. The air was heavy with dust.
‘It splits,’ said Max. ‘Look.’
They had turned a corner. Two cramped stone passages led away in different directions, each one as sinister as the other. The lights flickered.
‘Professor?’ called Anna timidly. ‘Are you there?’
There was no response. Anna sighed.
The siblings went left.
‘What if the ring’s down here?’ said Max quietly. ‘This seems like the sort of place it’d be.’
They were now so deep underground that Anna was sure she could feel the weight of the desert sand pressing down on her shoulders. She tried not to think about what would happen if the tunnel behind them collapsed; tried not to wonder if the air in Zareen’s catacombs was safe to breathe. The symbols around the tunnel were starting to give her the creeps. They irritated her if she stared at them for too long, like a Magic Eye puzzle with a picture that just wouldn’t appear. She quickened her pace.
Soon they came to another corner. The lights beside them sparked and popped, blinking on and off with electric crackles. Max huddled close beside Anna, whose fingers had been inching closer and closer to the hilt of the white knife. She didn’t want to draw it – didn’t want to risk showing it to the Professor, or to anyone else who might be down here – but she longed for the feeling of strength and security it brought her. The siblings inched forward, flinching as the lights snapped off for seconds at a time, hoping that no dangers lurked in the darkness ahead.
And then a hand came down on Anna’s shoulder.
‘Anna!’ said a voice. ‘Max! Whatever are you doing down here?’
The Professor had stumbled out of the shadows behind them, his face smudged with dirt. He smiled warmly as the children collapsed against him, wincing as they squeezed him with all their might. He made a funny crinkling sound as they hugged him. Anna saw a sheaf of notes protruding from his collar, and realised that his shirt was completely stuffed with papers.
‘You really shouldn’t be anywhere near these tunnels,’ said the Professor absentmindedly. ‘It’s scientists only down here, you know.’
He didn’t seem to notice the cuts, burns and bruises on their arms and legs, but Anna hadn’t really expected him to. When the Professor had an old story to study, it was very rare for him to notice anything else.
‘We just wanted to see you,’ she said quickly, smiling as best she could. ‘How’s your work going?’
The Professor grinned. An excited look came over his face, quite unlike any expression Anna had seen him make before. His eyes sparkled.
‘It’s funny you should ask,’ he said, pulling a map from his sleeve. ‘I was explaining it all just this second. I think I’ve solved it. These tunnels don’t lead to the tomb of Zareen at all. The tomb is in the middle of the lake – on an island! Isn’t that incredible? All this time we’ve been working right beside it. We could sail out to Zareen’s tomb this very night!’
Anna’s blood felt like it was freezing in her veins.
‘But Professor,’ she said. ‘Who were you just explaining this to?’
A shadow fell across the passage. The Professor turned, still smiling, beckoning someone forward.
Anna tried not to scream as Dr Sassan stepped into the light.
12
ARABIAN NIGHT
SASSAN’S EYES BURNED WITH COLD CONTEMPT as he sneered down at the children, his long black robes trailing behind him. His wild beard cast strange shadows across his face.
‘Sassan has been very helpful,’ said the Professor happily. ‘I think he knows more about this language here than he’s been letting on. There were just a few symbols we needed to work on together, to really pinpoint the tomb’s location. And he’s been able to find us a boat as well! We were thinking of setting off just this minute.’
‘No!’ cried Anna.
‘You can’t!’ spluttered Max.
The Professor looked at them, confused. Sassan’s eyes narrowed.
‘What I meant was, you shouldn’t go right now,’ said Anna. ‘The sun’s gone down. You should wait until morning, when it’s light.’
‘The fisherman will need his boat in the morning,’ said Sassan. ‘This is the only time to go.’
‘But – but what about Ali?’ said Anna desperately. ‘Shouldn’t you go and find him? He should be there when you open the tomb.’
Sassan’s lip curled.
‘Ali has been called away to another site,’ he said. ‘We will go to the island and confirm our translation is correct, and if we are right, he will join us.’
‘Well,’ said Max, his voice quivering. ‘Well, I haven’t had any dinner yet. Do you think we could all go up to the food tent before we leave?’
‘I’m sure we can find you something to eat on the way,’ said the Professor. ‘Would the two of you like to come along? The boat ride might be rather fun.’
Sassan’s eyes flashed.
‘These children are badly sunburnt,’ he said. ‘They look tired. They should rest.’
‘No, we’d love to come,’ said Anna quickly. ‘Good idea, Professor.’
Sassan scowled darkly. The Professor beamed. Max wilted.
‘Very well,’ said Sassan. ‘We will go together, if you insist. Come, now. The boat is waiting.’
He held out an arm, allowing the Professor to lead the way back along the tunnel. The children followed, terrified at the thought of being left alone w
ith the doctor. Anna tried to plot a way to pull the Professor aside – tell him what was going on – but whenever she dared to look behind her, Sassan was right there, his great beard bristling so close that it was almost touching her shoulder. In the half-light of the passage, he looked like a beard with eyes.
‘Tell me,’ he whispered suddenly, his voice sending shivers through Anna’s veins. ‘Tell me – how is it that you and your brother came to be so burnt?’
Anna quickly covered her arms. She realised that Sassan didn’t know who had fallen for his trap; didn’t know who had (or hadn’t) fallen victim to the ghul. She cringed as her fingers touched the pockmarks left by the spraying black blood. Had Sassan already seen the scars?
‘We just spent too long in the sun, I guess,’ she said, trying to keep her voice calm. ‘We had a lot of fun down by the lake.’
It was only as the words left her mouth that she realised she shouldn’t have mentioned the lake at all. She tried to reassure herself that the white knife was close at hand – but if Sassan struck now, while her back was turned, what could she possibly do? Every nerve in her body was screaming out, telling her to turn and fight, begging her to confront the enemy breathing down her neck, but Anna soldiered on, keeping her breathing steady, keeping her pace unremarkable. She was only a child. Sassan should have no reason to suspect her.
‘My word,’ said the Professor. ‘Look at that sky!’
They had arrived back at the surface. The desert sky was replete with stars: one sun replaced with millions.
‘The fisherman’s son has been waiting for us at the camp,’ said Sassan to the Professor. ‘I will tell him to run ahead and ready the boat.’
As he spoke, he rubbed his hands together. A tiny glimmer of silver flashed between his fingers.
‘Caspar!’ he yelled suddenly. ‘Come here at once. I command it!’
Anna and Max watched in horror as a sudden gust of wind blew in from the desert. They tried not to react as Caspar the jann stepped out from behind the broken stone lion, his head bowed low.
The Genie Rings Page 7
