“You’ve been less than forthcoming about your background, so I hired some investigators. And what they found was very interesting.”
“You have no right…”
“Your grandmother left you a substantial amount of money, which is sitting untouched in a bank. She also left you a house, which is empty. So I’ll ask again. Why are you a thief?”
“I don’t have to explain anything to you,” I said furiously. “Go to hell and mind your own business.”
“It is my business, little thief.” His voice was cold. “Because I think you do it for the thrill. I think your life is empty and meaningless, and the only way you can feel anything is to con people and steal from them.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you prey on men. And I know you were looking for your next mark. Was it Raj? Was my brother your next target?”
“I would never hurt Raj. Unlike you, he’s a good guy. The only reason I’m here, the only reason I’m not blasting you across the desert right now, is because of him.”
Dhav threw his bowl to one side and rose to his feet, towering over me. I stumbled back and he grabbed my wrist, the one with the amulet, and dragged me close.
“If you ever use your power on me, if you even think of betraying me in any way, I will activate the spell and finish you.” He held my gaze, enunciating each word so I wouldn’t fail to understand them. “Maybe you’re used to getting your own way with other men. I assure you, as attractive as you are, that will not work with me.”
He dropped my hand and stalked into the tent.
I fought the impulse to call up a tornado and fling both tent and occupant far across the desert. I spent a fruitless hour trying to get the enchanted bracelet off my wrist. It wouldn’t budge.
I spent the next hour wondering what he’d meant by ‘attractive’. Perhaps it was a slip of the tongue, because I was damned sure Dhav disliked me intensely. And the feeling was sure as hell mutual.
The sun dropped and I pulled a blanket round my shoulders. The night sky darkened to black, and the moon rose. Out here in the desert, the silver orb looked huge and close enough to touch.
I shivered. Dhav was right about one thing, I thought. I didn’t need to steal. If I used gran’s money, the small fortune she’d left me, or even just sold the house, I could live comfortably.
But they were the only things I had left to remind me of her. If I sold the house, if I spent her money, then she’d be well and truly gone.
I didn’t have friends and I had no other family. Gran’s husband, my grandfather, had died before I was born and whatever relatives I had left probably didn’t even know I existed.
I had no-one, except my wits and my power. And using my power, even if it was just to pick pockets, made me feel closer to gran. Whatever Dhav thought, it wasn’t about the thrill. It was about keeping that connection to the only person who’d ever understood me.
And let’s face it, there weren’t many legitimate jobs I could use my power for. Other than professional kite-flying. And the idea of an actual job left me cold. Nine to five? No thanks.
Besides, having no family also meant I had no-one telling me what to do. No responsibilities. No duties. Free to do what I wanted.
Dhav didn’t understand any of that, because he had obligations by the bucket-load.
It was only when I was certain he was asleep that I crept inside the tent and slid into the empty compartment.
He wasn’t kidding about the temperature dropping at night. I pulled a sweater on and huddled in my sleeping bag, trying not to shiver.
I fell into a restless doze, dreaming of voices in the desert calling out to me. I was surrounded by them, and it was comforting. You are home, they said. But I didn’t understand and pulled away. Alone is not good. Their whispers grew in volume until they were a shriek.
I woke with a start to the most hideous cacophony I’d ever heard. It was a screeching, jarring noise that juddered across my soul like fingernails on a chalkboard. I clapped my hands over my ears and staggered out of the tent.
“What the…?”
Dhav was standing there with his arms outstretched and a blissful smile on his face.
“Isn’t it glorious, little thief?” he asked.
“What, this? The noise like a cat being gutted and then set on fire?”
“You jest, of course. No, I mean that angelic sound, that glorious voice. I must find out who it belongs to.”
He started walking towards the horizon, and I saw he had no shoes on. His feet were bare. I ran round in front of him.
“Wait, Dhav, where are you going? It’s still early.”
He thrust me out of the way, and I realised his eyes were fixed on a point in the distance.
“I have to find out who is singing. I have to.”
“Singing?” I ran after him again. “That’s not singing, that’s a crime against humanity. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Leave me be, Samira.”
“But the dune buggies, the tent…” I gestured back at our worldly supplies, and turned to find he’d already marched onwards. “Shit.”
I grabbed the nearest bag I could find, and shoved a bottle of water into it. As an afterthought, I grabbed his shoes and put them in too.
“See, this is why I always sleep in my docs when I’m on the road,” I muttered to myself as I chased after him. You never knew when you had to make a quick getaway. Although, to be honest it was usually me making the getaway.
I caught up to Dhav as he walked on. It was barely dawn and still cool, but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were fixed on some point in the distance. I didn’t like the way he marched, as if pulled by an invisible string. And I really didn’t like that noise, which was getting steadily louder.
Whatever it was, it was obvious Dhav and I were experiencing very different things. All I heard was jangling, shrieking discord. But he was hearing something else entirely. Something hypnotic. Nothing I said or did snapped him out of it. I followed him to the top of a dune and my jaw dropped.
In the first misted rays of daylight, an oasis gleamed below us. Palm trees swayed gracefully among beautiful silken tents set around a crystal blue lagoon. Banners fluttered in a pleasant breeze, and the scent of jasmine and incense drifted towards us. The biggest tent was in the centre, a circular pavilion-style marquee in bright pinks and red.
It all looked incredibly beautiful and exotic, but there was something wrong with it. Something off. The hairs rose up on the back of my neck.
“I don’t like this,” I muttered. The harsh noise stopped suddenly, leaving a sinister silence in its wake. Dhav sighed in ecstasy.
“I’ve found her.”
“Found who?”
“My true love, of course.” Dhav turned to me with a chuckle, and my blood ran cold. “You are such a child, Samira. When you find your true love, you will know it immediately, as I do. Nothing else matters. Run along now, child. Leave us. My true love awaits.”
He turned and started down the sand dune towards the oasis. I didn’t know what to do.
I could have stopped him with my power, but then what? Tie him up? Drag him back to the buggies and hope the trance would wear off if we got far enough away?
As I dithered over my options, I became aware of the noise again. Not the discordant nightmarish sound, but the whispers I’d heard earlier. They murmured and hummed on the edge of my hearing, and I shook my head irritably.
“There is something very wrong with this place,” I said out loud. The whispers stopped.
Below me, Dhav had reached the biggest of the tents. He ducked under the flap and disappeared. I waited for a second, but he didn’t emerge.
“Screw it.”
I checked behind me to make sure I knew where our buggies were parked. They both had long antennas attached to their bonnets and I could clearly see the little flags fluttering in the distance. I heaved a sigh of relief. The last thing I needed was to lose my b
earings.
I started down the dune, cursing as the sand slithered beneath my boots. My feet shot out from under me and I fell backwards, as unsteady as Bambi on ice. Giving up any semblance of dignity, I slid the rest of the way on my butt.
My birthmark started itching, and I scratched at it absently as I arrived at the oasis. It looked beautiful, a little spot of paradise in the desert, but it brought me out in goose bumps.
I couldn’t understand how Dhav had willingly walked into this place. It made me want to run screaming.
I set my sights on the largest tent and forced my legs to walk towards it. Each step got progressively harder, and something weird was happening to my vision. It kept flickering, like an old TV that couldn’t quite hang on to its signal. Under my sweater, the mark on my arm felt like it was writhing.
“Is this magic?” I wondered.
“Yes.”
The voice made me leap into the air and swear loudly. I couldn’t see anyone and for a moment, I thought I was hallucinating again. But then my gaze was drawn downwards.
There was a child there.
“You’re here.” She smiled as if she knew me. “They said you’d come, and you did.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Hey sweety, you gave me a scare.” I dropped my bag and knelt down so I was at her level. “Are you alone?”
“For the moment, yes,” she answered.
She was a sweet little thing, with silver blonde hair and big blue eyes. But her clothes were old and had been stitched up multiple times. I guess fashion stores were hard to find in the desert.
“Where are your parents? Aren’t you a little young to be left on your own?”
She cocked her head to one side.
“My parents died a century ago. And I’m seventy five, I think I can manage, thank you. But I’m glad the spirits helped you to find me.”
I looked at her uncomfortably. There were so many things wrong with that sentence, I didn’t know where to start. Seventy five? She looked like a child, though she didn’t sound like one.
“Let’s start again. I’m Samira. Who are you?”
“I’m Kiran. I serve the Lady Mantodea.” She tucked her hair behind her ears, and I noticed with a shock they were delicately pointed. “I’ve never met a djinn before.”
I frowned.
“Hang on, how do you know about djinn?”
“I’m a sprite. Or at least, I have sprite genes. Sprites and djinn share the same fae ancestors from long ago. I recognise your aura.”
“You’re… you’re like me?” I asked hesitantly.
“Oh no, not at all.” She shook her head emphatically. “Sprites are the lowest caste of fae. My magic is fleeting. More like simple trickery. But you…”
She darted forward before I could stop her, her nimble fingers pulling up my sweater.
“Hey, stop that!”
I slapped at her hands, but she was too quick.
“Where is it?”
“Where’s what?”
She grabbed the neck of my sweater and pulled it off my shoulder, nodding in satisfaction.
“I thought so. You bear the mark of the djinn tribe. What’s your power?”
“We so don’t have time for this.” I pulled out of her grasp and straightened my top. “I’m looking for someone. A man. Did you see him?”
“Your male human is in grave danger. I assume you are fond of him? He is your pet?”
“Um, yeah, sure, he’s my pet. He’s definitely a son-of-a-bitch, anyway. What do you mean, he’s in danger?”
“My Lady has snared your male with her siren call.”
I laughed.
“That wasn’t a siren call. That was the most appalling noise I’ve heard since some of the auditions on X Factor.”
“Appalling to you, maybe. But to a human, it is the beautiful sound of a heavenly choir. It is irresistible.”
“So your Lady Mantodea is a sprite too?”
Kiran shook her head violently.
“She is a succubus. A type of demon. She has no magic of her own, only that which I lend her.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “She uses it to do terrible things. I hate her. I hate her!”
“Then why are you helping her?”
“She won’t let me go. I’m too useful to her. Without me she would never trap her victims. If they could truly see and hear her, they would run as soon as they set eyes on her.”
“So just leave. It’s not like you have a contract. Is it?”
“She would follow me.” The little sprite held out her hand. There was a strange symbol on her palm, a triangle surrounding a pentacle. It looked vaguely satanic. “This tells her where I am, and it never fades. If I run, she will chase me. And succubi don’t sleep. One day I would wake up to find her standing over me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said awkwardly. It hardly seemed adequate. Kiran looked up at me and her eyes brightened.
“But you’re here now. And you’re more than equal to her.”
The conversation was getting away from me.
“Look, I don’t really understand most of what you’re saying. Can we get back to my, um, pet? What’s going on?”
“I will show you. Stay quiet.”
Kiran took me by the hand and led me to the big marquee in the centre of the camp. We slipped silently through the door, and she pushed me behind one of the supporting pillars wrapped in silk and silver thread. There was incense in the air, but my nose wrinkled. There was another smell beneath it. Something less pleasant.
The tent inside was strewn with silk throws and Persian rugs. Candelabras flickered with warm scented lights, giving the tent a sensuous, intimate feel. Yet when I looked too hard, everything wavered as if something else was trying to superimpose itself onto my vision.
I blinked, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on, and peered cautiously round the pillar.
Dhav was seated cross legged on the floor among a pile of cushions opposite the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life. I caught my breath, drinking her in.
She was Cleopatra and the Queen of Sheba rolled into one. She was an exotic Venus, dark skinned, voluptuous, oozing charisma and magnetism. She was magnificent. I could barely take my eyes off her.
Judging by the look on Dhav’s face, neither could he.
She was dressed in diaphanous gauze which barely covered her glorious curves, her luxuriant hair tumbling almost to her waist, her wrists, ankles and waist adorned with golden chains. She leaned forward to feed him a grape, and he stared, enraptured, at the goddess before him.
“My love,” he said, his voice raw. “I have never felt this way about anyone.” He reached out a hand and stroked it down her face. “I want you by my side forever.”
“Then I promise I will stay with you for the rest of your life.” Her voice was honey and molten gold.
An insane jealousy took hold of me. I wanted to be her mate, her chosen one. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I would fight Dhav for the honour. I would make her love me.
I made to walk out from behind the pillar but Kiran tugged me back. She was surprisingly strong for someone who resembled an eight year old kid.
“Leave me,” I hissed. “I must go to her. I must have her.”
“None of this is real,” she whispered urgently. “This is all an illusion, My illusion. This is what I do for the Lady. I cast a dream. But you are stronger than my magic. You are a djinn. Open your eyes, your real eyes. See what’s there.”
Frowning, I took another look. She was talking nonsense. All I wanted to do was immerse myself in the beauty of my mistress Mantodea.
Dhav had put his arms around her and was drawing her to him, his eyes half-closed as he focused on her luscious lips.
“Just one kiss,” he murmured. “That is all I ask.”
“Then a kiss is what you shall have, my love.”
She kissed him hungrily, and again I had to blink as my vision flickered. One second I saw the glorious Lady
kissing my hated rival, the next… I took sharp intake of breath.
“You’re starting to see it, aren’t you?” whispered Kiran. “Concentrate. See what’s really happening.”
I focused on Dhav. When I looked at him, my vision stayed steady. But when I shifted my gaze to the Lady in his arms… a little pulse started beating in my temple and my birthmark throbbed. I zeroed in on her, squinting hard.
It was like looking at one of those optical illusion pictures and straining to see both images at once. Is it a drawing of an old hag, or a young girl? The flickering slowed, then stopped.
“Sweet Jesus,” I breathed, as I finally saw Lady Mantodea for what she was.
A swollen, bulbous creature pressed its face to Dhav’s oblivious lips, sucking their moisture eagerly. Its skin was dark and mottled, like a rotting plum about to burst. Its body was covered in coarse hair, while several liquid black eyes were dotted about its head. The beast was still wearing gauzy veils, but now I saw they were soiled and decaying.
It looked like some kind of giant insect. A monster pretending to be human. The smell it gave off made me want to retch.
And Dhav was kissing it.
Now that I had broken through the enchantment, I could see everything for what it was. The tent was no longer a glorious pavilion of silks and ribbons; instead we were standing under a drab piece of old cloth slung across two rusted metal posts. The pillar Kiran and I were hiding behind was a pile of old wooden crates.
Beyond a flapping piece of torn curtain, I saw the other tents in the oasis were nothing more than battered cardboard boxes arranged around a sludge-filled puddle. The whole place was a dump.
I grabbed Kiran and dragged her outside.
“What is this? What’s going on?”
“I told you. I spin illusions. I can change what I see to look like something else.”
“So just stop!”
“I cannot. My mistress will punish me.”
“What does she want with Dhav?”
“She will suck the life from your human, and when she is done, she will lay her eggs in his body.”
I blanched.
“What the…? Well, that’s just gross. How long does he have?”
“A few hours. We have not had a human here for decades. She has been living off lizards and desert mice, she will want to make him last. But his death is assured, unless…” she trailed off, and I prompted her.
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