The Secret of Ka (31 page)

"Lova says they made us. Is that true?"

Tracy hesitated. "She mixes truth with lies."

"Did you set up what happened to Amesh on the djinn island?"

Tracy looked puzzled. "I didn't set up anyone."

"But the way things turned out, I was forced to remain on the island and learn about the djinn in order to save Amesh. You admit that's what you wanted."

"Last summer, when Amesh heard of the Shar Temple, he became obsessed. He did everything he could to learn about it."

"Was that bad?" I asked, although I knew the answer.

"His interest wasn't innocent. He heard it was a djinn temple and he wanted the djinn inside it to grant him wishes. Of course, there were no djinn inside it."

"I guessed as much," I said with a sigh, thinking of his poor behavior on the island.

"I'm sorry," Tracy said.

"Why are you sorry? Is he not cut out for this type of work?"

"He's a nice boy—with faults and strengths like anybody else—who might grow into a great man. I know you care about him but I cannot predict his future."

"Are there Anulakai on Earth?" I asked.

"At present, they work through agents like the man who pretended to be your father."

"Didn't you recognize him when he appeared in my mother's life? I mean, in your sister's life?"

"Not at first. I apologize for that. His disguise was subtle. He has a great deal of knowledge, but it's a different kind of knowledge than what we aspire to."

"How so?" I asked.

"The Kala seek to learn the secrets of nature. There's a place deep inside every Kala that knows the creation is alive. We trust in the creation. We have faith in nature and believe it has a plan for each and every one of us. The Anulakai are the opposite—they're more interested in controlling nature, not working with it. They trust more in machines than in life. They seek to control life through the use of technology."

I frowned. "Does that mean technology is evil?"

"Not at all. But it must be used in harmony with nature."

"Can humans and djinn be allies?" I asked.

"They fought together against the Anulakai in the past."

"Lova acts like we contributed little to that war."

"Lova has her prejudices. But she was a perfect djinn to invoke the first time around." Tracy paused. "You know how to negate your contract with her?"

"Yes."

"Good. Do it as soon as you escape."

"How many djinn have you worked with in the past?"

"Too many. That's one of the reasons I'm stuck here."

"Are you joking?" I asked.

"My road has been complicated. I've probably taken too many risks." Tracy smiled. "But that sounds like someone else I know."

"Hey, no guts, no glory. Where is 'here' by the way?" Out of the corner of my eye I saw a window, and beyond it something tall sparkled. It looked like the Chrysler Building! Was I in New York City?

Tracy was amused. "Don't you know? Right now we're stuck between life and death. We're in what the Tibetans call the Bardos Realm. The world between the living and the dead."

"Interesting. Okay, you've told me how to escape this place. Can you escape?"

"Don't worry about me. I ran up too many debts with too many djinn. At the same time, I'm being chased by your father and his gang. It's a wonder I'm in a coma and not dead."

I stood. "I'm not going to leave you in this condition."

Tracy also stood. "Sara, now is the time to worry about yourself. I'm asleep in a hospital. Let me be."

"We'll see," I said.

"Sara!"

"I'm not going to argue with you."

"Same here. You're to make no rescue attempts."

"All right."

"You have to promise me."

"I promise. Now how do I wake up and find the strength to swim through this gateway you've described?"

Tracy grabbed the plastic tube that fed oxygen down her body's throat. "In a moment we'll remove this. We'll have to both focus our energy to get it to move because we're not in the same dimension as the tube. That will set off an alarm but don't worry. A nurse will come along and fix it. But before she arrives, you must breathe in as much air as possible."

Tracy studied the buttons on the computer monitor above the bed and pressed down on one with two fingers. "I'm adjusting the oxygen concentration and the air temperature. I'm making it as hot and full of oxygen as possible."

"Will that be enough to revive my physical body?" I asked.

"Yes. The air is coming fast and hot now. Grip the tube as tight as possible." Tracy paused. "Are you ready?"

"I have more questions to ask."

Like the biggest question of all.

She was my mother. Why had she let me go?

"Ask them later on the carpet," she said.

"The carpet no longer belongs to me."

"Nonsense. The carpet decides who it belongs to." Tracy smiled. "Now pull out the tube and breathe in as much air as possible."

Tracy did not give me a chance to say goodbye. Our hands met over the center of the bed, where the tube hung from a wire, and I was given a jolt of her power just by touching her. It made me realize how advanced she was. Together we pulled the tube free but I'm convinced she did most of the work. The tube hissed loudly. Tracy nodded and I stuck it in my mouth and breathed.

Ah, the feel of that artificial air in my lungs. For some reason it tasted like the fresh air of a jungle. It was wonderfully warm. I did not realize how cold I was until I began to suck on it. It was like a miracle; the hospital air in New York was making my freezing corpse in Turkey come alive. The harder I sucked on the tube, the warmer I felt but the less clear the room became. Soon I could see only the tube and my mother's smiling face. I remembered that look from long ago, and knew she was proud of me.

I
GASPED AS I SUCKED
in a deep breath and raised my head above the shallow end of the pool. A quick glance showed me that Lova was still sitting by the side of the water, her eyes shut. In the background I could hear several of the boys crying in pain. I didn't see my fake father or his cronies but I didn't search for them either.

I was in no condition to go anywhere. My limbs were almost frozen. Yet there was life left in them, in the deep muscles of my legs and arms, even if my toes and fingers were numb. Leaning forward, I pushed off the side of the pool and waded around to the deep end. When I could no longer feel the bottom, I floated on my back and tried to relax. Then I took a series of deep breaths and let myself sink.

It was dark down below. I could not see where I was going. All I could do was trust and swim into that darkness. It took courage; it went against every instinct in my body. I trusted Tracy but I could have sworn I was swimming toward my death.

Then I felt the grip of a current. It was not subtle. It grabbed me and pulled me deeper. The pain from the pressure in my ears was intense. I kept trying to pop them by holding my nose and blowing, but the current was too fast for my feeble efforts.

I was pulled down far when I suddenly noticed warm sky above. It made no sense. The roof of the cavern that held the Shar Temple was dark. Yet the water above me was now a beautiful blue, pierced with rays of yellow sunlight.

I swam upward. As I neared the surface I got my first clear view of my surroundings.

I was back on the island! It worked!

I swam to the edge of the central pool with arms that weighed tons. I had to rest at the side before I finally pulled myself out of the water and lay panting on the walkway that led to the triangular temple. I had no idea if my pot was where I had left it, but there was something wrong with the entire basin.

The walkway was covered in dust. Not the type of dust that gathered overnight, or even the sort that built up with a recent storm. This dust was old—it had caked over the marble floor like a dozen separate coats of paint.

Staggering to my feet, I saw a layer of dirt covered the walkways that separated the six temples. Yet the pools that shone beside them were clean. The only explanation was that the water was being constantly replaced.

Where was Hara? He would never have let the basin get so dirty. Plus he was supposed to have been guarding my pot. I worried something had happened to him and Aleena since I had left. But I didn't know how long ago that had been. The word
since
scared me. I had to keep reminding myself that time was not a constant when one traveled to and from the island.

Walking like a drunk, I headed for the triangular temple.

Thankfully the door was still cracked open with the stones, although they were now worn down to a third of their original size.

Inside was unchanged. It was clean and cool. The candles lit at my entry and I saw Trakur's artifact resting on the altar. The emerald snake and its fangs, the gold hilt, and most of all, the hidden sword—hidden inside the hilt. I was not likely to forget that blade and its hunger for blood.

I saw my pot as well. It looked the same as the night I had left it, although I was beginning to fear that had been centuries ago.

Picking up the pot, I raised it over my head.

There was a reason I had added conditions to my last two wishes.

"
It is binding in so far as all wishes between humans and djinn are binding—as specified in the ancient laws governing such contracts.
"

The carpet had taught me it was only the most ancient laws between humans and the djinn that allowed for contracts to be negated by the destruction of the artifacts. But I had not bothered to add the extra language to my first wish because that wish was not binding.

It was just another tactic I had used to throw Lova off.

"Trakur Analova La!" I shouted. "I, Sara, now negate our contract!"

Goodbye, Lova,
I thought.
And good riddance.

Bringing the pot down hard, I shattered it on the altar. A scream emanated from every wall inside the temple. There was no mistake; the sound was feminine. I had to smile.

I picked up the hilt. Since I wasn't going to be invoking its boss, I did not have to grip the handle and risk the piercing fangs. Still, we were connected, that artifact and I, and its djinn. Bound together in blood. I had already made one wish using Lova's mate. I hoped I would not have to make a second.

I shoved it in my pocket and returned to the pond.

Sitting on my knees beside the water, I drew in several deep breaths and let my body relax. This time, when I focused on the white light flowing into the top of my head, it was much stronger. I knew why. I had died and been reborn. Indeed, I had entered the realm where that white light shone eternally, and from now on I would always be a part of it.

I may not have been a Kala but I was no longer a beginner.

I focused on the carpet and my longing to be with it, and to fly it from one end of the world to the other. I had no idea how far I was from Istanbul. I could not even have said what century it was. But I felt a strong link form between me and the carpet, strong as a rope. If I pulled on my end and it pulled on its end, working together, we could help each other escape.

Minutes after kneeling beside the pond, the carpet flew out of the water and landed beside me. I was not surprised, my faith in it was that strong. But I cried as I held it again. I always felt incomplete when we were not together.

Time, time—I did not know how fast it was flowing back in the Shar Temple. For that reason I did not linger, although I longed to fly over Hara and Aleena's home and see if they were okay. Even the goats would have been a welcome sight. Yet a part of me was afraid of what I would find.

Hanging on to the sides of the carpet, I asked it to erect an air bubble and take me back through the gateway that led to the Shar Temple. The trip was smoother and faster this time around. But I think the carpet wanted to play. It managed to splash me and get me wet.

When I flew out of the temple pool, all the guys were moaning now, including Amesh and Spielo. But there was no sign of my father and his gang.

I had no idea what time it was.

When I flew over Amesh's hole and he saw me on the carpet, and saw I was alive, he burst out crying. I had never seen him weep so openly—he didn't bother to hide it. Of course, being a natural-born sap, I wept with him.

"I knew. I just knew," he whispered.

Rescue time. The four who had hurt Amesh were guilty. But he told me to go ahead and help them. The hole had given him a taste of an agony he wasn't eager to prolong for anyone, friend or foe.

Of course I freed Amesh and Spielo first.

I did so by putting the carpet in reverse—yes, it had such a gear, after all—and slipping backwards into each hole, where the carpet magically curled and scooped out one boy at a time. The four bad guys were so glad to see me they started praying. They kept thanking Allah, instead of me, but that was okay.

It took me only a few minutes to get everyone out of their holes, but I wasn't comfortable leaving anyone on Becktar's property. At the same time, Amesh and Spielo were my priority. In the end I flew my boys out to the desert, to a spot beyond the compound. Then I returned for the four scoundrels. I wanted to only take two at a time but their nerves were shot and I could understand why.

The carpet managed to expand its shield and keep all four aboard while we flew to Istanbul. Along the way I encouraged them to find new jobs. I set them down close to where they lived.

Finally I was able to pick up Amesh and Spielo in the desert.

They were in remarkably good spirits. They said they had only been in the holes two hours after I left, but it had been a long two hours. It seemed that when I had vanished, my father and his partners wondered if I was receiving help from a "higher source." Then the Carpet of Ka disappeared on them—exploding a vault in the process—and they got really worried. They left in a hurry. They did not even take time to kill Lova for letting me escape.

The boys had no idea where they went.

"Your dad could be back at the hotel," Amesh said. "Why don't we grab him and fly a few miles out over the ocean and dump him?"