Nomad's Dream

by August Li

  “No, I’m not, and you’ll never believe who is with me. You’ll need to see with your own eyes.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  ISRA FELT like an interloper as Janan’s sister opened the door, stared for several moments, and then slowly removed the fabric covering her face. She reached out a trembling hand as if she would touch her brother, but then she curled it into a fist and pressed it to her lips as tears welled in her eyes and spilled over.

  Poor Janan stood with a confused smile, and it was clear to Isra that Janan didn’t remember this woman. Before long, she caught on as well. “Why are you looking at me that way? It’s like you don’t know me. Mu’awiyah?”

  “I….” He shook his head and looked down as if afraid to meet her eyes. “I have no memory of this place… of you.” His voice broke, along with Isra’s heart.

  “What? How can that be?”

  Sehrish looked over her shoulder. “I believe we can explain, at least a little of it, but we should get inside before those guards come back and see us. Would that be all right, Nawra?”

  “Of-of course. Come with me.”

  She led them through the mansion that, while luxurious, was also sparsely and tastefully decorated, the exception being what Isra assumed were artifacts and antiques displayed in cabinets or behind glass frames as if they were in a museum—things ranging from pieces of early medieval mosaics all the way to depictions of the ancients’ animal-headed gods. They passed through a living area that looked more like the lobby of a hotel, with sofas and tables arranged around a large central fountain and hallways branching off in a starburst pattern. At the end of one, they crossed a dining room with a view of the beach, and beyond it, a large modern kitchen of granite and stainless steel.

  Nawra gestured to a round table in an alcove. The curtains were drawn over the windows surrounding it. They would not be seen by the men outside, if and when they came to their senses and returned to their posts. “I-I will make some tea,” Nawra said. “Are you hungry? There are some biscuits here. Or I can make something….”

  Sehrish put a hand on her arm. “Please, don’t trouble yourself. We should talk while we have the chance.”

  “Tea.” Nawra nodded, and Isra thought she needed a few moments to herself to get past the shock and collect herself. Heating the water in the kettle, setting out the cups and saucers, and arranging some sweets on a platter gave her some time to herself, though when she joined them at the table, she still looked pale, and her hands shook as she spooned sugar into her tea. Her eyes, their shape so similar to her brother’s, darted between Isra and Flicker, and she no doubt wondered who they were, struggled with which question to ask first. But it soon became clear what was most important to her. “Mu’awiyah, how can you not remember me? Do you really not recall any of our childhood, our growing up together?”

  “I feel like it’s right there,” he almost whispered. “Your face, the way you fold your hands in front of you…. But as soon as I reach for those memories, it’s like running headfirst into a stone wall. When I try to remember anything about my life from… from before, all I can see are eyes—eyes of blue flame.”

  “But where have you been all this time?” she asked. “Ma’shal said….”

  “What?” Isra couldn’t help his curiosity or the bad feeling he had about Janan’s brother. “What did he say?”

  Nawra shook her head. “He’s been suggesting that Mu’awiyah has fallen into his typical patterns of wandering around the world, indulging himself with… with men. He suspects many things could’ve happened: that the sheikh fell in with the wrong sort and became the victim of a crime, that he has been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. That he’s become enamored of some lover and lost sight of his responsibilities. Ma’shal maintains that the sheikh’s mental facilities have suffered recently, probably from… from a disease we aren’t supposed to talk about.”

  “Clever,” Flicker drawled. “As unlikely as it was the sheikh would ever be found, if he was, anyone who met him would be assured of Ma’shal’s conclusions. The memory loss would prove the rumors true. The man has constructed everything so that he wins either way.”

  “A viper!” Isra smacked the table with his palm. He never remembered being so angry, so hungry to commit violence against another. If Janan’s brother were present, Isra would put his hands on the man; he would not be able to stop himself. “To tell these kinds of lies and yet claim to be a servant of God.”

  “But then, what is the reason for my brother’s amnesia?” Nawra asked.

  “It is a spell,” Flicker said, his eyes narrowed at her.

  My God, Isra thought. Flicker had said the conjurer was a woman.

  “That will take some explaining,” Sehrish said. “I’m afraid this will be a long story.”

  Isra spoke up. He had to, had to protect Janan. “I don’t know if we should share what we know.”

  “Why?” Nawra asked. “Who are these men? Wait. Wait, you think I had something to do with this. That’s what you’re trying to say, isn’t it? That I’m involved. That you can’t trust me with your information. Do you really believe that?”

  Though Isra couldn’t remain impassive as her eyes shone with tears again, he sat up straight, his first obligation to the man he loved. “I am saying we need to be careful. Something terrible has been done here, an elaborate scheme carried out, and we don’t know who we can trust.”

  “I suppose I should admire your loyalty to my brother, but I assure you, your suspicions are misguided. No one suffered more than I did when Mu’awiyah disappeared. I went from living independently in Cairo, the COO of a billion-dollar company, a woman with power, position, and status, to a prisoner in this house. Ma’shal forced me from my position and froze my assets as my oldest male relative, claiming I’m too mentally ill to make my own decisions. It wasn’t hard for him to find doctors and officials to bribe into agreement. If I leave here, I’ll be penniless, stripped of even the inheritance our parents left for us! Why would I do that to myself? Do you imagine I enjoy it here, without a single soul for company and not even television or a book to entertain myself? It’s a miracle I haven’t lost my mind for real!”

  “It would be a way to ensure no blame was cast your way,” Isra said. “It could be a ruse. Tell me. Have you ever practiced black magic?”

  “I— What? How dare you? How do you know my brother? It’s more likely you have something to do with this than me,” she shouted.

  Isra shook his head. He was a simple man, but she, an officer of a lucrative company, would have to be shrewd, maybe even unscrupulous. Sehrish had said she was the brains behind the corporation, after all. “No, I am a friend to Janan. He can vouch for me. Can he vouch for you?”

  “I’m his sister!”

  “This is getting us nowhere,” Sehrish said, her voice rising above the others even though she wasn’t shouting. “It’s true we don’t know who we can trust, but I don’t believe Nawra is some kind of sorceress. I can’t.”

  Isra wanted to agree; God knew he did. He hated the doubt festering in his heart, the way it made him see plots and schemes everywhere he looked. Yet if this woman had something to do with Janan’s predicament, trusting her could be a mistake, maybe even a fatal one. He could think of only one way to be sure. He turned to Flicker. “Is there something you can do? Some way to know if she’s telling the truth?”

  Flicker steepled his fingers in front of his lips, an orange glow spilling from his eyes as his lips curled up in a serpentine grin. “Do you even need to ask? I can look inside her mind, and if it holds the kind of power we saw earlier, it’ll be difficult to hide.” He stood and rubbed his hands together.

  “Wait just a minute.” Sehrish was on her feet and standing in front of Nawra so fast Isra almost missed it. “I can’t deny you helped us, maybe even saved our lives, but if there’s anyone here worthy of mistrust, it’s you.”

  Isra couldn’t abide that. “How can you say that after everything you’ve seen?�
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  “Stop!” Nawra stood as well. “The last thing we need is to fight amongst ourselves. If this… nonsense will allow us to move on and decide what we need to do to save my company and my family, then let’s get on with it.” She met Flicker’s eyes with determination, and Isra couldn’t deny his respect for her courage.

  Flicker stepped closer to her and canted his head as he looked at her. With his thumb and finger, he held her left eye open and squinted into it. “Interesting.”

  “What are you—” Nawra flinched and jerked as if she’d been shocked.

  Sehrish moved closer, her hands balled next to her hips. Her body thrummed with tension—a desert cat ready to pounce.

  Isra prepared to get between her and Flicker if he had to. They had to know the truth.

  “There’s something in there, isn’t there…?” Flicker smirked. “It’s… oh. Oh, indeed. That’s a surprise. And then, not a surprise, I suppose.”

  “Enough,” Sehrish said, the threat in her tone barely veiled.

  Nawra whimpered, and Janan looked torn between intervening and staying behind Isra. A little shriek escaped his sister, and he stepped closer but stopped when Isra put a hand on his elbow.

  “Well. There’s the big secret.” Flicker let Nawra go, and she stumbled, sat down, and pressed the heels of her hands into her eye sockets. “You have a strong will. You almost managed to keep it from me.”

  “What?” Isra asked, in no mood for his friend’s showboating. “Is she to blame for what happened to Janan? For the storm and the rest of it?”

  “Oh.” Flicker shrugged. “No, not at all. She possesses no magic. Though her mind is sharp and… rather fascinating.”

  “But what’s the secret you mentioned?” Isra pressed.

  “It would be wrong for me to reveal it,” Flicker answered. “It’s nothing to do with our current situation, and really no one else’s business.” He nodded to Sehrish. “Please get her some water. She’s sure to have quite the headache for a while.”

  Nawra straightened. “I’m fine. A disconcerting experience, but worth it if we can move ahead. Everyone please sit back down. I want to hear this story, learn where my brother has been and why. And don’t neglect any of the details. I think I’ve earned them.”

  “Very well.” Flicker sat and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Isra turned to Nawra. “First, I have something I must say. I’m sorry for doubting you and making accusations. We have been through a great deal these past few months, and I hope you can understand why I needed to be sure even if you cannot forgive me. I also need you to know that I want only what’s best for your brother. He….” Isra took a deep breath. He would no longer be ashamed. He wouldn’t be afraid. “He means a great deal to me. I’d do anything for him.”

  “I… see,” Nawra said. “If that’s true, then our goals are similar and I’m sure we can be friends. Tell your story, and then I’ll make my decision. You surely can’t begrudge me the same caution you felt necessary.”

  “No.” Isra blew out a breath, relieved. It seemed they’d found themselves another strong ally. “Early in the summer, I started having strange dreams, dreams of a man I didn’t recognize but who I somehow knew I needed to meet….”

  It took a few hours to fill her in on everything they’d experienced and answer her many questions. By the time they finished, it was very late, probably almost morning, and Isra was tired.

  Nawra shook her head. “If it wasn’t for what I experienced earlier, I would think all of you needed to be taken to a mental hospital. Most of me still wants to reject this, but I find I cannot formulate any other explanation. The question is who could’ve done this.”

  “What about your brother?” Sehrish asked. “Ma’shal. He’s never agreed with the sheikh’s views, and it’s no secret he resents the direction the company is taking and not being in charge of it.”

  “I wouldn’t put anything past him,” Nawra said. “Not anymore. Not when he’s confined me here and cut off all the company’s charitable donations. My mother’s heart would break. Most of those causes were her own projects, and they meant a great deal to her. I think he might even be funneling some of that money to fundamentalist political groups. Still, my brother is a lot of things, but I don’t think a wizard is one of them. If this is really magic, he’s not the one doing it.”

  “Not to mention that the magic is feminine,” Flicker said. “As I’ve explained.”

  “Has Ma’shal been spending time with any women?” Isra asked.

  Nawra snorted. “He thinks very little of women, thinks they have no business doing anything but having children and serving men.”

  “He would hardly be the first hypocrite to practice the opposite of what he preaches if it suits his needs,” Flicker said. “From what I’ve witnessed, ideals fly out the window pretty quickly when someone sees a benefit to himself. Especially if it means more power. Female enchanters and shamans have always been some of the most powerful. Their ties to nature, time, and its cyclic movement are stronger, more innate. Unscrupulous men have always tried to harness that power. It often backfires, but it doesn’t stop them trying.”

  “Even if that’s true,” Nawra said, “I have no way of knowing how he spends his time, or who with. Not long after Mu’awiyah disappeared, Ma’shal convinced the board to grant him executive authority. I lost my job and have been sequestered here ever since. I don’t even have access to a phone or the internet.”

  Isra looked around the table. Nawra’s eyes were red and puffy. Janan appeared exhausted with pale, dark circles beneath his eyes. The poor man had been fighting to reclaim his life for so long, and even now, here in his family home, his memories and his destiny were denied him. And why? Because he’d tried to modernize his company, give opportunities to those who deserved them? Because he had tried to look out for the less fortunate, just the way God taught? No, it wasn’t right. It wasn’t right, and Isra was angry. This world beyond his desert was full of greed and injustice, but he didn’t have to stand for it. He wouldn’t. “Where is this man?”

  “He’s staying at one of our properties south of here,” Nawra said. “Overseeing the addition of a few dozen new oceanfront bungalows. He’s been there every day and most nights for weeks.”

  “What are you thinking?” Janan asked.

  Isra sighed. “I’m not a clever man, not one for schemes. I’m thinking we need to confront your brother. We need to face him, demand to know whether he has done this to you, and learn why. If he is any kind of a man, he won’t be able to lie to your face.”

  “You’re assuming quite a bit,” Flicker said. “What if you’re wrong?”

  “Then… then I don’t know what we’ll do. Maybe we will even have to use force. But this needs to end. It needs to end now.”

  Sehrish narrowed her eyes. “I like the way you think.”

  “I don’t,” Isra said. “Threatening this man will bring me no satisfaction. But putting an end to a good man’s ordeal will.” He reached over to cover Janan’s hand with his own. “Not to mention all the people depending on Janan… er, Sheikh Mu’awiyah. It’s the right thing to do.”

  It was the right thing, even if it would mean Isra spending the remainder of his days longing for the happiness he felt now, with Janan’s hand in his, knowing when they went to bed for the night, they would be by each other’s side, in each other’s arms.

  When Isra looked up, Flicker was watching him closely, and for a moment Isra felt sure he could read his thoughts as easily as if they were printed across his forehead.

  “I’m not sure if it is the right thing,” Flicker said slowly. “But if what you want is to make this man talk, then making him talk is what I will do.”

  “I have to admit that’s a good plan,” Sehrish said. “We’d be foolish not to use an advantage we have.”

  “Can we do this soon? Tomorrow even?” Janan seemed either excited or anxious; Isra wasn’t sure.

  “I don’t see why not,” Naw
ra said. “The resort is only a few miles away. I… I will be very pleased when you can remember me, brother. We’ve always been close, and all those good times we shared, the support we showed each other… I could not bear to think of them forever gone from your heart.” She forced a smile. “Besides, I’m eager to get my old job back. There are a few people who deserve… some of my attention.”

  “We should try to rest,” Sehrish said. “Will we be safe here?”

  “Ma’shal doesn’t allow his mercenaries inside the house,” Nawra said. “And we certainly have the space.”

  Flicker stood. “I’ll just go have a look around. Maybe entertain myself some more with your guards.” He pressed his hand to his heart, bowed, and left the kitchen.

  Nawra led them upstairs to large and comfortable guest rooms, not even blinking as she waved Isra and Janan into a single one with a gorgeous half-moon balcony that overlooked the sea, where the first blush of dawn colored the eastern sky. At the threshold, she scooped up her brother’s hand and held it in both of hers. “God has been good, guiding you back to me, to….” Her voice wavered. “Guiding you to this good man who looked out for you while you were away. I’m glad you found him, and I’m glad he returned you to me. I might be the brains of this company, but you’re its heart, just like Mother was. Now, get some sleep if you can. We’re going to get the rest of you back.” She kissed his cheek and then turned to leave but paused to smile at Isra. “Thank you for what you’ve done.”

  He inclined his head. “God has been good to all of us.”

  With a nod, she left and shut the door softly behind her.

  Janan opened the french doors to the balcony and leaned his elbows on the railing. The roar of the sea resounded, drowning out any other sound, and as Isra stood behind Janan and wrapped his hands around his waist, he had to concentrate to hear Janan’s words.

  “My poor sister. The pain in her eyes. That’s the worst part of this, being forced to hurt the people I care about against my will. I would never make her suffer like this, and yet I cannot stop it.”