by F. C. Shaw
She jumped off Amethyst, causing the carpet to roll up.
“This carpet belongs to me, too,” said Dodie. He ignited Amethyst, causing the crowd to gasp.
“He can’t own two carpets!” argued Atallah.
The Magistrate turned his back on the crowd to confer with his judges. The crowd was silent with suspense. Atallah glared at Dodie and Zinnia. Zinnia squeezed Dodie’s hand. Dodie’s heart pounded in his chest. Finally Magistrate Obenido turned to face the contestants and the crowd.
“There is no rule against a racer owning more than one rug,” stated the Magistrate. “As long as a racer finishes the race on his own rug, he qualifies. Therefore, our Grand Flyer champion is Dodie Rue from Turah!”
The crowd erupted into deafening cheers. Atallah roared. Zinnia threw her arms around Dodie’s neck. Dodie felt an overwhelming relief flood his body. He had made it, and he was alive. The best part was his brother would live, and his family would be released from their debt.
Suddenly he felt Zinnia ripped from him. Atallah had yanked her back and thrown her to the ground. Next he tackled Dodie to the dirt. Dodie caught the flash of a knife. The crowd screamed, and Zinnia cried out. Dodie felt a cold blade against his throat.
A troop of guards fell upon Atallah and pulled him off Dodie. They shackled his hands behind his back and dragged him through the city gates.
“I deserve to win!” roared Atallah as he was dragged away. “You’re nothing! I was the better racer!”
The guards hustled Atallah into the Capital, and the crowd drowned out his cries.
“Dodie Rue!” Magistrate Obenido called from his stand. “Your wish shall be granted tomorrow at dawn, and your treasure will be delivered to you next week. Congratulations to our rightful winner of this year’s Grand Flyer—Dodie Rue!”
As the crowd cheered, Dodie turned to Zinnia. He pressed her hand on the rolled up Amethyst.
“I hereby give you Amethyst, Zinnia,” he told her. “She’s yours again.”
Zinnia smiled, but behind her smile Dodie could see sadness in her eyes, and he knew why. Even though she never had a chance to win the wish once she was exposed as a girl, he knew it was still painful for her to lose the hope of seeing her father again.
Dodie and Zinnia were ushered into the city where they were honored with a great banquet of celebration. Dodie’s victory was dispatched to all five competing towns through a network of five Wishing Wells. He would have loved to see his family’s reaction to the news.
He and Zinnia spent the night in the Magistrate’s mansion. Their rooms were across the hall from each other. A hot bath with flower-scented oils was drawn in Dodie’s room. As soon as he sank into the water, his body relaxed, and he nearly fell asleep soaking in it. When the water cooled, he got out and dressed in a soft linen robe laid out for him. He attacked the platter of meats, cheese, bread, and fruit, and downed several large goblets of water. He felt so much better. The Magistrate’s personal physician attended to Dodie’s multiple wounds and bandaged his torso, assuring Dodie his fractured ribs would heal with time. He drank a soothing herbal tea that put him into a deep, restful sleep. He didn’t even dream.
Dodie awoke just before dawn feeling completely rested. He lay on the over-sized pillows for a few minutes thinking about the race, about meeting the genie, and about Zinnia. He would make good on his promise to help search for her father, though he had no idea where to start looking for someone who was supposedly swallowed up by the desert, whatever that meant. Dodie sat up with a sudden thought. He wondered . . .
Two servants entered his room, and brought a royal blue tunic for him to wear and a plate of fruit and yogurt. When they left, Dodie got dressed and ate his breakfast. He was about to leave the room when he heard voices out in the hallway. He paused to listen, and recognized Magistrate Obenido and Zinnia speaking in low tones.
“I had no idea who you were at first,” Obenido was saying. “You have great courage, but it doesn’t change the rules.”
“I know, sir. I just want my father back,” said Zinnia.
The Magistrate heaved a sigh. “As do I.”
“But you’ve given up on him,” answered Zinnia, her voice hardening.
“We searched far and wide for him,” said Obenido.
“He’s not dead,” Zinnia murmured.
“I would like to believe that,” muttered Obenido. “After all, he wasn’t called the Great for nothing. We’ve lost a brilliant alchemist, and you a wonderful father.”
Dodie opened the door and met Obenido and Zinnia in the hallway.
She looked rested and as beautiful as ever with her short hair washed and her skin clean. She wore deep purple robes and gold bangles, and smelled like jasmine. She greeted him with a smile.
“I’m allowed to go with you to the genie—if that’s okay,” she added hastily.
“Of course you’re coming with me.” Dodie couldn’t take his eyes off her. “You should’ve won. I couldn’t have—”
“I don’t wanna hear it,” she cut him off. “You couldn’t let your brother die.”
“But your father—”
“I’ll find him some other way.” She didn’t sound too confident.
“We both will,” added Obenido. “Now, Dodie, you know the genie’s rules on wishes? Good. And you’ve thought long and hard about your wish? Good.”
Dodie turned to Zinnia and started to ask her the name of her father, but Obenido continued.
“Once we set foot on the mount, we must observe an attitude of silence in reverence to the genie. Do not utter a word inside the shrine except for your wish. Be sure to word it very specifically. Follow me.”
Silently they walked out into the open courtyard, then headed out of the Magistrate’s house. Dodie and Zinnia followed Obenido through the stirring streets and up a hill that overlooked the city. Fresh sunshine promised a beautiful spring day. At the top of the hill was a golden shrine that hurt their eyes in the morning light. They gathered just outside the shrine’s door. Obenido fished out a large skeleton key strung on a leather chord around his thick neck, and unlocked the shrine door.
Dodie stepped inside, Zinnia right behind him. The shrine was still cold from the night, and weak light filtered through a single hole in the roof. A shaft of light spotlighted a pedestal in the center of the room, upon which rested a golden lamp.
Dodie edged closer to the lamp, feeling a sense of awe. The golden lamp was polished—except for a patch on its side that had been rubbed dull countless times by countless men through the ages. Slowly Dodie reached his hand out and rubbed the worn spot on the lamp’s side.
A wisp of powder-blue smoke curled up from the lamp. As it rose, the vapor expanded and filled the shrine, causing Dodie and Zinnia to take a few steps back from the lamp. The form of a man from the waist up materialized in the smoke. He was nearly transparent, but the powder-blue smoke helped define him. He wore no tunic, only cuffs on his wrists and a hoop in his ear. His pointy face bore no expression, and he seemed not to notice Dodie and Zinnia. Instead he gazed vacantly at the ceiling.
“Your wish is my command,” the genie said in a hollow monotone voice.
Dodie swallowed.
Zinnia nudged him.
Dodie took a deep breath. “Genie,” he began.
The genie nodded his head.
“I wish for Zinnia’s father to return to her right here, right now.”
Chapter 16
The genie bowed. “Your wish is granted.”
“What?!”shrieked Zinnia. “No! He wishes for his brother’s life to be saved!”
The genie dissolved away and the powder-blue smoke sucked back into the lamp.
Zinnia spun around to face Dodie. “What did you do?”
Dodie took a deep breath. “You heard me.”
“Why? What about Taj? I don’t understand.” Zinnia was openl
y crying.
Dodie couldn’t tell if she was angry, sad, or happy.
“Why did you wish for my father?” she choked in between sobs. “Why would you . . . do that . . . for me? What . . . about your . . . brother?” She could barely speak through her crying.
Dodie tried not to watch her cry. “Because this way we both get what we want.”
“How?” she sniffed.
“Your father can save my brother.”
Zinnia stared at him. “What do you mean?”
“You told me your dad was a great alchemist. I overheard the Magistrate call him the Great.”
Zinnia wiped her face. “Yes, that’s true. But—”
There was a loud pounding on the shrine’s door outside, and Dodie hurried to open it.
“He appeared out of thin air!” Magistrate Obenido exclaimed, clutching his heart in shock. “I assume you wished for his appearance?”
“Zinnia!”
“Father!”
A man with unkempt hair and beard and wearing tattered clothes threw his arms around Zinnia. The two buried their faces in each other’s necks and sobbed together. Dodie stood off to the side, watching the reunion with a mixture of happiness and awkwardness. To his astonishment, he realized this was the man from his dream, the man who had conjured a cobra from the green liquid. When they parted, they turned to him.
“Thank you, my boy, thank you!” Zinnia’s father exclaimed, stretching his arm out to Dodie and embracing him.
“Dad, this is Dodie Rue,” said Zinnia. “Dodie, this is my father—”
“Zalla the Great!” Dodie finished breathlessly. “The most powerful alchemist of our time.”
Zalla smiled, the creases around his eyes deepening. “If there is any way I can repay you, if there is anything I can do—”
“Yes, sir!” Dodie said immediately. “You can save my brother. He’s been poisoned by Devil’s Kiss, and the alchemist in town says there’s no antidote.”
“There is an antidote, but it requires very complicated alchemy,” said Zalla, scratching his bearded chin. “But I know how to make it. When was he poisoned?”
It seemed ages ago that Dodie had attended the Magistrate’s Banquet, watched his brother succumb to the poison, and entered the Grand Flyer.
“About five days ago, sir.”
Zalla’s face clouded. “That doesn’t leave us much time. If not treated by the seventh day, the poison will induce death.”
“Can we make it back in time?” asked Zinnia as she clung to her father’s arm. “Back to Dodie’s village?”
“Turah,” Dodie clarified.
Zalla gaped in shock. “Turah, did you say? That’s where I’ve been held captive!”
“What?!” Zinnia shrieked for the second time that morning. “By whom?”
“I’ll tell you all about it along the way.” Zalla started down the hill. “We must leave immediately if we are to make it back in time to save your brother, Dodie. We will make no stops.”
“It is good to have you back,” Magistrate Obenido said, shaking Zalla’s hand. “What do you need from me?”
When they told the Magistrate of their dire situation, Obenido was very helpful in quickly packing food and water for them to take. He also generously gave them a small sprinkling of stardust to give them a head start. They agreed Phoenix should take the lead, and tied Amethyst to her back tassels so they wouldn’t get separated. This way they could also take turns sleeping, for they couldn’t afford to stop for a minute. Within the hour, they left the Capital. Phoenix drank up the stardust and rocketed off with Amethyst in tow.
The day was bright and clear, the ocean and sky a matching hue of brilliant blue-green. They zoomed down the coast of the Siren Sea so fast that they couldn’t take in any details or even hear the waves. The stardust lasted a good thirty minutes, in which they covered hundreds of miles, and as they eased into a more moderate speed, they were able to enjoy the scenery.
Zalla knew a more direct route that took them down the coast for most of the journey, then cut across the mountains straight to Turah. Dodie was glad they wouldn’t have to navigate Quillian’s Pass, evade the ghoul, or dodge dragons again. Around midday, Zinnia passed out bread and cheese. She and Dodie sat cross-legged on Amethyst while Zalla guided Phoenix. As they ate their lunch, Zalla told them his story.
“I was making my journey to the Capital along my usual route, which took me past Turah. I don’t usually stop in villages, because when people find out who I am, they come with all manner of requests for potions and miracles. But I discovered that I had forgotten to bring along a healing herb that helps me with the headaches I sometimes get from too much sun. I had a long way to go to the Capital, and knew I would need that herb. I had heard there was an aspiring alchemist in Turah, so I covered myself up and went looking for him. I figured he’d have the herb I needed, for it’s a very common headache remedy. I found the alchemist in question, and he had the herb I needed.”
“That was Raz,” said Dodie.
“Yes, Raz,” Zalla said darkly. “At first he had no idea who I was, and I wasn’t about to tell him, but in the back of his shop there was a sudden explosion caused by his nephew experimenting with elements in an unsafe manner. Raz apologized, admitted to being an amateur, and confided that he had come across a deadly element with which he had no idea how to use or dispose of. The alchemist in me couldn’t miss this opportunity to help and educate him. So I revealed who I was, and I gave Raz and his nephew a little lesson on how to handle the element. Biggest mistake of my life.
“At first Raz and his nephew peppered me with all sorts of alchemy questions, and showed me different experiments they had been working on—most of them had been performed on local palm trees and a few vermin. I was happy to help, but the hour was growing late. I needed to get back to my journey. I promised to stop by on my way home to give them further instructions.
“I was about to leave when suddenly I was knocked unconscious by a purple cloud, which was the potent sleeping drug Nightcall. When I awoke, I was locked in an underground cellar. Raz was desperate for more alchemy help, but could not afford formal lessons at the Capital because he was in deep debt already. He made me a deal: if I helped him with a few experiments, he would release me. He promised I could continue on my journey in three days. It seemed I had no choice, for I had no weapons on me, and he locked me up securely. I told him where I had left my camel packed with all my equipment—at an oasis just outside Turah—and he brought them to his shop. He took good care of my camel, but stole all my ingredients and books. After three days of helping him, I asked to be set free.
“But he needed more help. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. There was always something he needed help with, and he had the leverage. Once I realized he had no intention of letting me go, I stopped sharing my alchemy secrets and started giving him false information. Sadly, his nephew paid for it.”
“What do you mean?” asked Dodie.
“Well, within a few weeks of staying there, I discovered that Raz’s nephew was his personal punching bag for letting off steam when things didn’t go his way. He started blaming Binni for the mistakes I was purposely making.”
Dodie looked shocked. “You mean Raz beats Binni?”
Zalla nodded his head gravely. “I saw the evidence all over Binni right away, but didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. After all, alchemy is a dangerous profession.” Zalla pushed up his sleeves to reveal a plethora of scars on his arms. “But then I heard things, and a few times I saw Raz openly beat Binni. As much as I wanted to thwart Raz, I couldn’t jeopardize Binni’s safety. So I continued to help Raz, and Binni received fewer beatings. Most of my help involved simple healing potions and growth tonics, but I got worried that I may be causing more harm than good when one day Raz demanded Devil’s Kiss.”
Dodie and Zinnia gasped in uni
son.
“So Raz did have Devil’s Kiss!” exclaimed Dodie. “He claimed he didn’t carry it.”
“It is one of the most deadly poisons, and it is manufactured in a very difficult way that only I know how to do,” said Zalla.
“And only you know how to make the antidote, too,” added Zinnia, glancing at Dodie.
“Correct. There is no other use for Devil’s Kiss than to induce death, so I knew Raz was up to no good. By now it had been about four months of being held captive, and I was fed up. I refused to make Devil’s Kiss for Raz. He threatened to torture me, and he did, but I still refused. Then he figured out Binni was my weakness. He threatened to torture Binni if I didn’t comply. I knew he would, so I made Devil’s Kiss.” Zalla turned sorrowful eyes to Dodie. “I’m so sorry.”
Dodie swallowed. “But you saved my best friend.”
“I’m sure I did. Raz never told me who he used the Devil’s Kiss on.”
“So did he poison my brother,” asked Dodie, “or did he give it to someone else to use?”
“I’m willing to bet Raz used it himself, because when I questioned him about it, he shared that a prophecy had been made about him and his enemy,” continued Zalla. “He needed to vanquish his enemy to fulfill the prophecy.”
Dodie snorted. “What a lie! That prophecy said nothing about vanquishing an enemy. And besides, Taj was not an enemy! We’ve been family friends with Raz and Binni for years.”
“I’m so sorry,” Zalla shook his head. “I immediately brainstormed on a plan to escape. I had had enough, and as much as I didn’t want Binni to suffer, I had a daughter to get home to. I was just working out details in my head of how I could get away when—poof! I found myself standing outside the genie’s shrine!”
Dodie and Zinnia laughed. They spent the rest of the day sharing stories of the Grand Flyer. The sun set behind the rocky cliffs, the air cooled, and a light salty breeze followed them. They ate lamb strips and grapes for dinner. As night set in, Dodie felt his eyes grow heavy. Zalla assured them he was fine to fly for a while if they wanted to get some sleep. Dodie and Zinnia lay on their sides with their backs against each other. Dodie felt Zinnia’s warmth next to him. For some time he watched the moonlit waves roll and topple, roll and topple.
