by Pat Esden
“I used to be afraid of the dark,” I’d said. “But I faced it. And now I’m not as terrified.”
“There are things darker than night, darker than the souls of wicked men or a woman of unchained passions. Believe me, for I have known them well.” She’d squeezed my hands.
“I know you have,” I’d said. “I’ve seen them too.”
At that moment, I’d meant I’d seen and battled genies, but part of me had feared there was another layer to her unsettling words. And now, with Olya’s words circling in my head, about Chase and his caring for others, I began to grasp her full meaning.
Perhaps there were things worse than genies to fear, things a lot darker and closer to home. Like anger and guilt and jealousy.
CHAPTER 17
When it comes to the supernatural, making assumptions without thorough investigation is unwise. For instance: Do you truly believe Peter Pan’s shadow belonged to him, or was it in reality a ghost or a supernatural entity that lured children from their beds?
—Persistence Freemont
Notes and Warnings: Otherworldly Encounters
After dinner, Selena and I headed to the library to hear Lotli play. Kate and Olya were already in the sitting area, lighting pillar candles and setting them on the coffee table.
Near the big desk, the Professor was situating a video camera on a tripod while Zachary supervised.
“Wait until you see the outfit we picked out for Lotli,” Selena said to Kate. “It’s really pretty. Chase said it’s perfect for the realm, too.”
Kate’s face went stark white. “You did what?”
I slunk away from Selena, backing toward where the Professor and Zachary were finishing up. Why in the world had Selena said anything about the outfits? For that matter, why was Lotli going to wear hers in front of everyone? This was supposed to be kept a secret. This wasn’t good at all.
“And where did you find this outfit?” Kate asked.
Selena flumped onto the sofa. Crossing her legs at the ankles, she lounged back. “In the attic, of course. Lotli wasn’t feeling good, so she couldn’t come with us. But we figured it was one less thing you’d need to do once Dad and everyone get back from Slovenia. Chase has picked out his clothes too.” She winked at Kate. “Where else besides the attic would we have found them?”
Color seeped back into Kate’s face. Clearly, she’d realized that the wink meant that Selena was lying to keep Lotli in the dark about the armory. “Well, maybe that wasn’t such a horrible idea,” she admitted.
I let out my breath and settled into the desk chair. Selena’s move was a stroke of genius, the perfect cover for the real reason behind our armory raid.
“I do believe we’re finally ready,” the Professor said, sweeping his sandy brown bangs out of his eyes. “Would someone be an angel and tell Lotli?”
Olya knocked on the sunroom doors. “We’re all set,” she said.
I heard the creak of the doors opening, but I couldn’t see anything from where I was sitting other than the Professor’s backside and the camera.
Selena applauded. “Gorgeous. You look even better than I imagined.”
“Absolutely splendid,” the Professor added.
I craned to one side, trying to see past the Professor, but then the back of Kate’s head blocked my view.
Zachary huffed. “I thought belly dancers were supposed to be sexy.”
“Young man,” Olya said sharply. “I don’t know who you have been talking to. Lotli is attired as a royal djinn musician. Not a harem dancer.”
I stood up. With the addition of the veils, the sheer skirt and tiny crystal-infested bra that had looked so slutty in the armory now came across as ethnic and demure. Like a shimmery cocoon, wrapping her from head to toe: flecks of gold woven into muted layers of orange, leaf-green, and soft blues—plus a few iridescent feathers dangling down, and some wide bands of gold jewelry.
“You look beautiful,” I said, feeling a skip of lightheartedness. Maybe it was too bad that Chase wasn’t here to see this.
Lotli dipped her head in a nod of thanks. Then she held her arms out, palms up, her veils spreading like an egret’s wings before she swept them inward and pulled her flute from the folds of scarves and crystals draped about her waistline.
She brought the flute to her lips. Its music was soft and breathy, growing more insistent, her body swaying, her chest rising, the expression in her dark eyes matching each tone, the blue and green yarn rocking gently, charms and feathers sweeping like wind chimes in a breeze.
Her music flowed as fluidly as a mountain stream sliding over rocks, then it tumbled into rapids as the tempo went from breathy to staccato, sharp breaks, faster, faster without a pause. She tapped her feet in time with the music, bells encircling her ankles tinkling, crystals and gold disks at her waist jangling.
Moving her shoulders in slow circles she approached the pillar candles, dancing and slithering toward them, hips, arms, and flute moving in a coaxing rhythm, her veils billowing and swirling around in time with her arms, rising and falling. Another sound ghosted in behind her other notes, a whistle, like a voice echoing in a cave, almost like words, like distant whistles of Sylbo, shepherds calling from the hillsides. Except I was certain it wasn’t Sylbo. It was her magic language, sending spells, whispering through the air.
The tune stopped. Then it transformed into playful, teasing notes, with a hint of rhythm that could be mistaken for Native American. The candle flames dipped and flickered, and bent toward the sound. Lotli moved her flute and they moved with it. She raised the pitch and the flames leapt. They shrunk and rose and swayed with each note, and as her playing picked up speed, the flames flattened out, circling and turning into tiny blue whirlwinds.
Memories bolted into my mind: the shadow-genie in the gallery and the one I’d seen Grandfather shoot in the treasury, both of them spinning wildly like the flames were doing now, terrifying dark cyclones.
I glanced away from Lotli, checking to see everyone else’s reactions. Kate was still as she’d been, her legs properly crossed, her face as calm as if the show wasn’t fazing her—at least that much. Zach stared openmouthed. The Professor hunched behind his camera, nodding with the music. Selena caught my eye and gave me an excited grin. I matched her smile and went back to watching.
The flames were normal now, yellow and orange, licking upward. Lotli pivoted so her back was to them and us. She gave one sharp note. The flames flickered. The flute trilled like a morning birdsong, then lifted into one final crescendo and silenced.
The flames instantly died. And Lotli bowed her head, bringing the show to a close.
Everyone applauded. I did too. It was amazing.
Kate’s lips twitched into an approving smile. “Very impressive. A truly amazing gift.”
Tucking her flute back into her waistline, Lotli came over and sat cross-legged on the floor facing us. “Have any of you ever glimpsed the other side of life?” she asked.
The Professor raised his hand. “Once, when I was very young.”
“It was beautiful, yes?”
“Very much, ever so peaceful and bright. It’s truly unfortunate I don’t recall much.”
She rested her hands on the floor behind her and leaned back. “It is beautiful to watch a soul leave this realm and move into the light. But sometimes people are taken by surprise when the darker place opens. We can sense ahead of time when this will happen. Is it wrong not to warn people?”
Selena shuddered. “I wouldn’t want to know.”
“We are not going to say the idea of crossing into an unknown isn’t terrifying to us,” Lotli said. “But it is also fascinating.” She looked at Kate. “We understand you have been to the realm of the djinn. Until the other day in the gallery, we had never glimpsed it.”
“You’re wise to be nervous.” Kate picked a book of matches up from the coffee table and began relighting the candles. “Fortunately—unlike the people you shepherd into death—you will be returning from the
djinn realm.”
I hugged myself as I listened, a surreal feeling closing in around me. But then, as fast as Lotli’s music had switched from one pitch to another, everything felt horrifyingly real. Tomorrow evening, I was going to not only see beyond the veil of this world, I was going to step into a realm where—according to mythology—even the Devil feared to go. Was I freaking nuts?
I clutched myself even harder, my hands shoved under my arms to hide their shaking. There was still time to back out. That would be the smartest move. It would make Chase happy.
I clamped my eyes shut, squeezing them tight to block that train of thought. But worse darkness waited behind my closed eyelids. Against that barren background a shuddering movie played: the memory of the last time I’d seen my mother, wrapped in Malphic’s arms, the terror in her eyes, fear that we’d never see each other again.
In that moment, I’d seen something else as well. I’d glimpsed the other side.
I unfolded my arms and lifted my chin. Not going would be a million times smarter.
However, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t do everything I could to help my mother. Going was the right decision, crazy or not.
CHAPTER 18
Two white candles. Chamomile. Rose petals. Caraway. Willow Bark.
—Sticky note on Selena’s bathroom mirror
By ten o’clock I was in my candlelit bathroom, soaking in an extra-deep bubble bath. If there ever was a night when I needed to relax and snag some serious sleep, this was it. Tomorrow there were plenty of last-minute things to do, and tomorrow night there’d be no time for sleeping.
The only problem was, as soon as I shoved one worry from my mind another one surfaced—huge ones and little ones, like what would happen if Malphic caught us and whether I should have waited until after I returned to register for the London course. I’d always wanted to go, but still—
A thump-thump noise followed by a thud came from my bedroom: the sound of the chair I’d braced against the door falling over.
My heart leapt into my throat. Most likely it was Selena. Who else would barge in like that? I gripped the sides of the tub, sliding upright. The person who kidnapped Lotli could have seen me. They could be out for revenge.
One footstep. Two. The bathroom door flew open.
I snagged the bath towel from the floor next to the tub and pulled it up onto the edge, just in case.
Selena sauntered in with a steaming mug in her hands. “I thought you might like some of my special Heavenly Dreams tea.”
I slid back down into the water, hiding my body and more importantly my hands in the sanctuary of the bubbles. The last thing I needed was for her to force that mug on me and have her experimental tea send me on a trip to psychedelic dreamland, or give me the mega-shits, like the special tea she’d made for the Professor a few weeks ago.
“Thanks. I’ll drink it later.” I gestured for her to leave it on the sink.
Ignoring my suggestion, she put the cover down on the toilet and made herself at home. “It has vervain, skullcap, and a few other things in it. Nothing unusual.” She held out the mug. “Go on, try it.”
I cringed. “It smells like dirt.”
“Don’t be chicken.”
“All right,” I said, taking the mug. “I’m glad you stopped by anyway. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.” Not really, but I hoped it might buy me a minute to clear my head, along with distracting her from the tea.
“Sure, anything.” She leaned forward, elbows on her knees.
“I was wondering . . . um.” I balanced the mug in the soap dish.
“Yeah?”
“I registered to take the short course in London.”
She blinked at me. “You did? I’m surprised. I know it’s not a full-semester class, but I thought with you and Chase getting close . . . It’s a long ways.”
“If Newt wasn’t going to Harvard—would you be as pissed that your parents want you to take a year off before college? Tell me, honestly.”
“I don’t know. Honestly? Probably not.”
I hugged my knees, resting my chin on top of them as the bathroom’s cool air sent goose bumps across my shoulders. “Things were really simple before I came here. It’s Chase, but there’s other stuff too.”
“You didn’t talk to him about it?”
I shook my head. “This isn’t exactly the right time. Everything’s supposed to be about the mission—about saving my mother. It would have felt kind of selfish to bug him about one stupid class. Besides, it’s not like we’ve known each other that long. And it isn’t really up to him, right?”
She laughed. “It isn’t up to the guys, is it?”
“No. But, what if . . .” Trailing my hand through the water, I considered asking how she’d feel if Newt turned out not to be the kind of person she thought he was, like if she discovered he had another girlfriend at college—or that he was hiding the fact that his brother was a psycho. But I didn’t want to compare that line of thought to Chase. For now, I needed to put away my concerns about Newt, and especially about Myles. When I got back, I could do some investigating before I jumped into what was likely thin air.
“What are you getting at?”
“Nothing. Just a crazy thought.” I grabbed my towel, wrapping it around me as I got up and out of the tub.
“Hey,” Selena said, nodding at the mug. “Are you forgetting something?”
I glanced at the mug and covered a sigh. There was no way I was going to totally get out of this, apparently. I picked it up and took a tiny sip. It prickled the back of my throat and left a moldy aftertaste on my tongue. “You might want to work on the flavor.”
“Don’t be such an ingrate.” She flounced toward the door and paused, silent for a moment before turning back. “You want another truth? I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you guys to go to the realm. I think maybe you should wait until everyone gets back from Slovenia.”
I ran my free hand down my neck, rubbing my collarbone. “You might be right. But I’m certain it’s better than risking your dad’s, or my dad’s, or our grandfather’s life—and that’s exactly what will happen if we wait. I keep thinking about my mom, too. I want a chance to know her—and Chase needs someone to go with him besides Lotli, someone who will make sure he doesn’t challenge Malphic or do something else crazy.” I said it with confidence, but the words settled as heavy as iron in my stomach and I started to wonder if they were just false bravado. To hell with if it was a good idea. Was I even capable of doing it?
Selena sighed. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“You have every right to be worried. You’re a part of the team.”
As she gave me a hug, the worst of all possible scenarios whirled in my mind: Chase in chains being dragged off to a djinn coliseum filled with bloodthirsty fighters, Malphic branding me as his slave, Mom being whipped for our brazenness, Lotli having her magic sucked from her body by a host of djinn sorcerers.
I squeezed Selena hard. “Now forget all the scary stuff, have some tea yourself. We both have a huge day tomorrow.”
Closing the door behind her, I rested my back against it and let out a long, shaky breath. Then I gulped the tea down before I could second-guess myself.
CHAPTER 19
I have fled to the palace of Nod. To where the skies are cut sapphires and the gardens rubies with diamonds for dew. I am in the land of Nod. A place where the sky weeps blood and the grass slices the soles of my feet.
—“Trapped”
Poem by Josette Savoy Abrams
The tea worked like a charm. I quickly fell into a dreamless sleep and didn’t wake up until after seven the next morning. I didn’t waste time lingering in bed. Instead, I flung on a tank top and cutoffs and dashed for the servants’ stairs. This time of day, Laura would be setting up the breakfast buffet in the dining room. Tibbs sometimes helped, but more often than not it meant no one would be in the kitchen for short periods of time, and tha
t was exactly what I needed.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I flew around the corner and nudged the kitchen door open. It was empty. Perfect. Still, I had to do this quick.
I started opening drawers, searching for a box of plastic baggies. On my sixth try, I found them. I swiped a couple, then rushed to the cupboard by the stove. As I’d hoped, it was filled with baking supplies and spice tins.
My hand trembled as I took out the salt container, hurriedly poured a cupful into one of the baggies, and zipped it shut. I’d thought about swiping salt from the temporary warding bowls that Olya had put at Hecate’s feet last night, but I decided that would be too noticeable. Salt couldn’t kill a genie like fruit pits supposedly could; however, it could cause serious bodily harm, and it had other protective uses as well.
Just as I put the salt container away, the kitchen door swung open.
“There you are,” Laura said.
Crap.
I spun to face her, holding the overstuffed baggie behind my back. “Hi,” I said, keeping my voice upbeat.
She glanced from me to the open cupboard door. “Looking for something?”
“Ah—cinnamon. I love cinnamon toast and I woke up with the worst craving.” I shoved as much of the baggie as I could down the back of my cutoffs. It left a lump on my butt, the size of... well, the size of a cup of salt. I smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t want to be a bother by asking you to make me some.”
“No trouble at all. Two toasts enough?” She turned her back to me and opened the fridge door.
“Perfect,” I said. I yanked the baggie out of the back of my cutoffs and shoved it down the front of my shirt.
She turned around just as my hand was retreating from my boobs and gave me a puzzled look.
I shrugged. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to run up to my room while the bread’s toasting. I think one of the wires in my bra just broke. I bought a cheap one and I really shouldn’t have. I usually buy nice ones from Victoria’s Secret.” I caught myself rambling and bit my tongue.
