“Adanto?” Maggie whispered. “Are you here?”
*
Adanto was trapped between a rock and a hard place. He wasn’t sure how to respond. Maggie had made a wish. He’d fulfilled it. And unlike the old man, she was still able to make a second one. If she made a second wish, he might become one step closer to losing her forever.
He heard Maggie whispering to the treadmill, “You’ve done it to me now, Adanto. I think I’m pregnant. I’d bet money on it, in fact. And what’s more—this is not a normal pregnancy. I’m already feeling the flutter of little feet inside my belly. I thought you said you couldn’t make babies. Jesus. I should have insisted on a condom when you crossed over.”
*
Maggie put her hand on her belly, trying to calm the storm inside her. There was no time to consider being a parent. She, obviously, was not going to have nine months to plan. She would be lucky if she had nine hours. “Goddamn it, Adanto. If you don’t materialize, I’m going to make a wish. And I know you don’t want me to make wishes.”
He rose out of the aura of the treadmill, appearing as a haze before Maggie. “Please don’t. Don’t wish. Whatever you do.”
“You got me, big guy. You got me with your uber Djinn-seed and I am going to totally have your baby. I don’t need a stinking pregnancy test. I need child support. Like really soon.” She lifted her sweatshirt. “Look at this. I’m showing.”
“The consequences of a wish.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Maggie, I have failed. Once the High Ghul finds out I crossed over with a wish, impregnated you—and human/Djinn hybrids are a bad thing, Maggie—he is going to have my head. For dinner. I am bound forever to a broken treadmill sure to be scrapped, thereby leaving me no resources to find my replacement. I need divine intervention, yet if I call for assistance, I am going to be consumed and shat out as a failure.”
“Don’t say that. You are not a failure. You helped me help myself. You loved me. You’ve left love inside me.”
“You cannot have the baby, Maggie. The bloodline is tainted. Our child will be destructive. It is a child of wishcraft…” He paused. “Or was it?”
Maggie held her stomach. “I am feeling really queasy, Adanto. Don’t give me riddles right now.”
“The haunted flask, Maggie. The spirit in the flask. Was the seal broken?” He touched her belly and appeared to immediately recoil in shock. “Oh, is it that spirit? It is. It wants to be reborn. This could either be very good or very bad.”
“Whatever it is, it wants out.” A pool of blood formed at her feet. “Call an ambulance.”
She collapsed.
Not unconscious, but unable to gather her wits or focus, Maggie drifted along on a current of fear and shock. She saw Adanto’s handsome form materialize, then dematerialize in an instant as a gym employee burst into the corridor.
A fire alarm sounded. “It’s all right, honey. I’m getting help.” Words from another Bambi. Words of comfort. Words that drowned in the shrill of the alarm and the thud of a second body as it hit the floor. Through her haze, Maggie saw her rescuer had passed out. Her mind captured one final sight before blackness overtook her. Blood. Lots and lots of blood. From her own body.
Chapter Twelve
Maggie awoke in the hospital. She was hooked up to monitors, and although she couldn’t see herself, she was pretty sure she had enough tubes coming out of her to make her look like a human battery from the Matrix movies.
“How are you feeling?” a voice asked from the doorway.
“Where am I?”
“St. Joseph Hospital.” It was a nurse. A friendly faced, older nurse.
“I’m pregnant.”
The nurse sighed. “I’m sorry for your loss, dear. Would you like me to send for the chaplain?”
“I lost the baby?”
“Yes. And losing the baby just about killed you. You lost a lot of blood. You’re very lucky the towel attendant at the gym pulled the fire alarm. The medics arrived right away.”
“How long have I been here?”
“You’ve been unconscious for nearly thirty-six hours. But some of that was due to the medications the doctor prescribed to stop the internal bleeding. And it helped. You were scheduled for an exploratory today to see where the bleeder was. But it’s stopped. Your blood pressure is great.” The nurse futzed around with some dials on the monitor to the right of the bed. “And you’re no longer running a fever.”
“Has anyone been in to see me? A man…really handsome. Italian-looking?”
“No, but someone sent you those flowers. Is your man’s name Adanto?”
“Yes. Adanto. Crap. Do you know what happened to the treadmill?” Maggie bit her lip, worried about him and her lost child.
“You came in delirious, talking about a spirit trapped inside the treadmill. The gym attendant said you’d insisted on seeing it. To each his own, I say. I’ve never had romantic feelings for a piece of exercise equipment myself. Oh, but I love my electric mixer.”
“I’m kind of hungry.”
“I’ll check with the doctor about you eating solids today. You rest now. I’ll be back soon.”
The nurse ambled out of the room, seemingly in no hurry to help her other patients. She waited until the door to her semi-private room clicked shut. “Adanto,” she cried. “Adanto. Where are you?”
“He’s busy.”
Maggie turned her head to the window bench. Next to Adanto’s bouquet was an extremely hairy, dark blue, highly pierced being. “Oh, fuck. Not another jinni. You guys are nothing but trouble. So, who the hell are you?”
“I am the High Ghul of the Djinn.” His voice was thunderous.
Maggie wiped a drop of spittle from her chin. “So you’re the boss man, huh?”
“I am,” the High Ghul replied. She thought of him more like a “ghoul.”
“Look, Ghulie, I’m too tired to deal with you right now. Unless you’re here with diet cola, push off.” She closed her eyes, suddenly tired.
“I’ve never been spoken to in such a way. Are all mortals of this century as rude?”
“Are all genies in the upper echelon of the Djinn race as blue, hairy, and smelly as you?” It had to be the meds talking. “And what’s with the dick jewelry?”
The High Ghul flickered and moved closer. “I will ignore your comments as my business is more pressing than having you punished for a thousand years for disrespect. That would be contrary to my plan.”
“Thanks loads,” Maggie deadpanned.
“I would like to offer you three wishes. The first two can be your choice, the third is predicated on acceptance of a gift.”
“I have a jinni, dude. And making him grant me one wish is what got me into this predicament.”
“Yes, you and he are separated by the breath of God that flows between our world and yours. I can bridge that gap and bring you together for all time. You and your child.”
Okay, the High Ghul had her attention. Sorta. “I had a miscarriage.”
“A very powerful and determined being is your child. As Adanto surmised, the flask you purchased contained a trapped spirit that used your wish to find freedom.”
Maggie took a deep breath as a wave of nausea passed. “No shit.”
The High Ghul frowned. “Make a wish, Maggie.”
“Why should I? All I want is for Adanto to find his replacement so we can be together. And it would have been nice to have his baby. But now that’s gone, and his treadmill is in a trash compactor somewhere.”
“Adanto is fine, though he can no longer seek a replacement. He was bound to a device that has been destroyed. He was warned and made his choice. He should be punished. I should punish him, but I have another plan. One that’s keeping him terribly busy. Caring for your daughter.” She narrowed her eyes at the High Ghul. “It dawned on me that his mistakes could benefit us all. His flight, your wish, and procurement of the flask…it must be the will of the Creator.”
“What?”
&n
bsp; “Firstly, dear lady, the child created by Adanto and empowered by the spirit of the flask would not have been well-born to the human race. A trifecta of unstable powers. Djinn and human children are innately evil. Add to that the determination of a long-trapped specter, and the situation would have been grave indeed. I took your child from you as it—as she—tried to flee the confines of your womb. I apologize for the resultant hospitalization, but I’m a bit rusty at performing miracles. You will recover fully—I promise.”
She sensed something hidden behind the Djinn’s smile and promise. But felt it more prudent to go with her gut in making her reply. “You aborted my baby?” Maggie sat up higher in the bed. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
The High Ghul smiled. His yellowish teeth reflected grimly against his blue skin. “I am your savior and the savior of your child. You would have died. The child would have been born a monstrous parasite sure to have adhered to the closest warm body while it developed in a carbuncle of immense power. When the host could no longer handle the weight and girth of the growth—wherever it might be growing—the child would spring forth and wreak havoc. As it stands now, she is fine, Maggie. Your baby has been transfused and transformed.” He displayed his right arm, emblazoned with a Sponge Bob Band Aid. “Several of us helped cleanse her spectral and human blood lines so she can grow up well-situated and happy. She is a full Djinn now. And she is growing rapidly, as Djinn babies will. Do you not wish to see her?”
“How?”
“Make a wish. Something simple. Something that cannot cause a rift in time and space. Then make a second. After that, I can share the gift with you. A gift for us both.”
Maggie sighed. She was on a Demerol drip. She hit the pump a couple of times. If she was going to screw her life up any further by consorting with the Djinn race, she might as well feel calm and pain-free doing it. “There’s a purple stain on my bathroom vanity countertop. Hair dye. Nothing I’ve used will make it fade. It drives me and my little type-A personality crazy. I wish for you to remove the stain, leaving the surface its original color.” Take that space and time.
The High Ghul yawned.
“Finished?”
“The countertop is perfect. I repaired the slight imperfection along the spigot too. And for your second wish?”
“I want a diet soda. I wish you’d pour me a glass of pop. No ice.”
“As you wish.”
“Well?” Maggie was impatient.
“Wait for it…” the High Ghul said softly.
A candy-striper entered the room with a tray of broth, toast…and a diet soda. “The nurse said to give you a soda. Everyone else is getting tea. How special is that?”
Maggie glanced toward the High Ghul. He shook his head and mouthed the words, She can’t see me.
“Thank you. Tell my nurse I appreciate it. It’s just what I wished for.”
The candy-striper nodded sweetly and literally skipped out of the room.
The High Ghul chuckled. “I do love it when things work out so well. May I now share the most sacred of gifts with you?”
“Knock yourself out.” Maggie took a sip of the soda. It was perfect. The bubbles tickled her nose and it went down smooth.
“Adanto wishes to be with you. You wish to be with him. Another of our race wishes to be reunited with his breathmate—your daughter. And I, I am tired. I’d like to retire,” the High Ghul began. “But I need your assistance.”
“What, you want me to secure a room for you at the Old Age Villa?”
“I’d like you to take the spark of divinity from me—and I, in return, shall embrace your humanity. It serves both our purposes. You will enter Adanto’s realm as a member of the Djinn race. You can raise your child with Adanto, free of guilt or fear that the girl will add to the horrors of this world. She will grow up and be reunited with her breathmate, who has waited centuries for her return. And I will be free.”
“So you want me to give up all of this,” Maggie waved her hand dramatically, “for a lifetime with Adanto as a magical being, and you get to retire and move to Florida? I don’t know if they make sunscreen to protect your shade of blue. And that nasty cock-ring? Honey, it’s got to go.”
“Make me a list. I haven’t lived amongst humans for centuries. But to answer your questions, yes.”
“Exactly what happens to me during the process of giving you your walking papers, Ghulie?”
“We share a breath and the transfer of your humanity and my divinity begins. It is exciting, but painless. Make a wish.”
Maggie chuckled. “I wish…and you can fill in the blanks. I’m too tired to deal with grandiose verbiage.”
“As you wish.” The High Ghul scooped Maggie into his arms.
“You’re not going to kiss me, are you? Your breath is kind of nasty.”
“Your forehead to mine is how the transfer begins. I must pass the gift to you. I will not hurt you. Tell me, to what object do you wish to be bound? It is customary that all new Djinn start with static objects.”
Maggie relaxed in his embrace, though she thought his body odor might choke her. “Does it matter?”
The High Ghul smiled. “You wouldn’t want to be bound to a toilet seat, would you?”
“No, thanks. I’ll use my ring. My mother’s ring.” She held up her hand.
“Perfect. And very traditional of you. Adanto was bound to a torque, which he lost. Do keep track of your ring, dear.” He lowered his head so their foreheads met. A strong magnetic force locked them together.
In her mind’s eye, Maggie envisioned a scene from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast as they lifted and rose in a swirling mist of blues and purples. The transference felt amazing. Everything that could ever feel good enveloped her all at once. The first sip of coffee in the morning. A bite of chocolate in a time of stress. The moment after a powerful orgasm.
Maggie shuddered as the final exchange passed between them. She gasped for air, suffocated by the omnipotent power coursing through her body. The breath had flavor. It lighted on her tongue like a delicate dessert made of spun sugar. The flavor slid back, teasing every taste bud, warming her throat as it went down. Hot chocolate. Warm crème brûlée. The sweetness of Adanto’s kisses.
She felt her humanity fade as she drifted into another realm. It wasn’t that she felt inhuman—she realized the energizing sensations coursing through her were almost superhuman. She saw the cosmic rays and space between raindrops. Her world was now as large as the realm between heaven and Earth.
There were no regrets in her heart. Only magic in the soul.
Maggie awakened to the gentle strums of a Spanish guitar.
A warm sun blanketed her, and the air hung with the scent of roses and jasmine.
“Adanto? Are you here? Where’s our child?”
“We are here, Maggie.”
She turned and tears welled in her eyes. Adanto held a toddler in his arms. A beautiful child with crystal blue eyes and black hair. “Is this my baby?”
“She is Alexandra. And she is our baby. The first one born into the Djinn world in centuries. You are the mother of a new century of Djinn lore, Maggie Abbott. And I am honored to be your consort.” Adanto’s words sang in her heart and stuck on a single thought.
“Consort? Who around here performs marriage ceremonies?”
“Why, the High Ghul, of course.”
“He’s retired. Oh, and I need to make him a list of do and do nots for living in Florida. First on the list—he needs to bathe.”
“The new High Ghul. Alexandra’s breathmate. When the time comes, our daughter will be wife of Turhan, leader of the Djinn race. Our daughter will be a queen, Maggie.”
“Not today. Today, she’s my baby.” Maggie kissed her daughter, safe and secure in Adanto’s arms.
“Alexandra will not be ready for centuries. She will be our little girl for a long time, and our queen for eternity.”
“Where’s this Turhan? Seems to me he’d like the parents of his future queen
to be married, don’t you think?”
“I’ve trained you well, beloved. Let’s take our first steps as a family and wed with our child at our side,” Adanto replied. “Mi aria. My air.”
Maggie leaned forward and kissed Adanto gently on the mouth. “I can run there, you know. You did train me well.” She playfully jogged away.
Adanto laughed, and took off after her, the baby secure in his arms. Neither looked back.
Epilogue
Two Hundred Years Later (give or take a decade)
Alexandra loathed the ceremonious acts of her race but took part in them with her head held high for the sake of her parents, who she loved, and her husband, who worshipped her and lived for ceremony. He was a funny old bear, her Turhan, with his ornate robes and wicked grin. An old-school Djinn in a changing Djinn world. Still, she loved him.
This particular ceremony had not been enacted in thousands of years. So old a team of researchers had to scour Djinn lore to find the exact procedures.
She was the first to participate, but she would not be the last.
She, Alexandra, daughter of Adanto and Maggie, wife of Turhan, had become pregnant. Birth was imminent.
The Djinn birthing ritual had roots as deep as the Tree of Life itself. The shade and coolness under the tree now provided her sanctuary. Surrounded by her attendants, for she was the Djinn queen, Alexandra donned the mask of pain as she passed the child from her body.
The birth was easy.
The child flowed from her without effort.
Turhan hung back, allowing his wife to bask in the glory of this most momentous event. He grasped Adanto’s hand. “This new beginning for our race is because of you, my friend. Because of you,” he whispered.
“Are the lamps ready to be deployed?” Adanto’s voice was hushed during the ceremony.
“At my child’s first cry, yes. A new era of Djinn/human relations begins.” Turhan’s voice was just as quiet.
Maggie smiled. “My grandchild is breathmate to humanity as a whole. This is the age of humankind when peace shall reign. Each finder of a lamp shall work toward peace, culture, and education for all. The world will think a miracle has occurred.”
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