The Last Wizard: Case Files (7 page)

Chapter Three

   Chimes from the morning church bells echoed throughout the city waking me from a mostly blissful sleep. But I can't complain, over top my stomach laid a fallen angel whom I believe was sent from the heavens to wander this wretched earth aimlessly. Groaning at my movement she fell over onto the soft haystack and continued her dream undisturbed. The squalls of pigeons fighting over remnants of the night's food brought on the morning. Taking a quick look out the window, trash scattered the deserted boardwalk as the dull morning gave it an eerie feel. Not to mention the thunderous clouds hanging over our heads, taunting us for what may or may not come. I borrowed one last look at Fatima's glowing smile to carry me forward onto another day.

   As I shut the door behind me, I stared off into the distance realizing another day continues where I must seek my fortune; it is just another day where I leave my dorm without weight in my pockets. Starting my walk along the once crowded boardwalk, merchants had already started their day. After counting their spoils from the night, they start by cleaning off their carts and their portion of the walkway. Work had already begun to churn for the night to come, like a well greased machine continuing it’s never ending trek to the lifelong dream of riches.

   I will not be left behind.

   Dashing down the narrow alley between two homes, the path was wet, I just hope its not piss but nevertheless I shall remain on the drier portions of this road.

   Egypt is an amazing place, it is mostly everything one could want. It is a place of history, of beauty, and an interesting culture; with vast riches waiting to be made. Traveling through the streets, you can always see when the huge cargo ships pull into port with their sails towering over the sky's limits. The palm trees waved at me as i made my way to the square, this is the place where everything happens and passes through. If you want work, or you want a connection for anything, this is where you need to be. All you have to do is bring your coin, nothing is free. The natives of the land are very peaceful too, foreigners are allowed to open themselves to commerce, as long as you don't poach someone else's business directly, go right ahead. But we both know that business is never sweet.

   Alas, the crown jewel of the peasant world, the square sat right on the doorsteps of the Church, and unfortunately for them they can do nothing about it. The ground was paid of pure white stone which laced the surrounding buildings, it was quite astonishing. The architecture of this place was always diverse; no two places looked alike. Two towers from the Church rose from the ground and into the sky high above the rest, perhaps to reach God, I don't know. The dome rested in the middle of the two smooth as butter and as clean as one would expect.

   Looking at it during the night, the blue lights that light up the towers were one everyone could always take a moment to appreciate. But nothing could make the square more colorful than its people, the bustling noises of merchants and customers jeering at each other. You then have the street performers competing with each other for attention and sadly, most of it goes to the wonderfully decorated Ottoman guards posted at each entrance. Order must be kept, and so it was, no one challenged the guards.

   Staying atop the bridge that led into the square, I bided my time, looking for an opportunity that I can seize today. "Hey you." I heard with a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was, hopefully not someone I owe money to, almost no one approaches me unless I owe them money... or a favor.

   It was the girl I saw at the excavation site, the one with the enormous guard that almost took my head, "Hey... You." I said forgetting I didn't even know her name, that's always an awkward moment no matter how you spin it.

   "It's Sonia, you are?" She said circling me. Trailing her movement, she was definitely an interesting person. Her brown tan and eyes tells me she hailed from the east, yet the way she carried herself and spoke in an almost perfect English dialect was very western.

   "Jinn... It's Jinn," I said looking at her curiously, “You're the girl from yesterday, no? At the dig site."

   She said nothing, she continued to trace every movement I made. Finally turning to me as my gaze got lower, "yes, and everyone did see you too. It was quite a spectacular fall." She said with a smile she was trying so hard to hold back, but couldn't.

   "Well, I did it because I like the attention." I said in the most serious tone I could conjure.

   "Oh I see, but it was pretty grand, I'll give you that." She said, "Like I said, I am Sonia, I hail from England with my father." She said holding her skirt out to the side and giving me the royal bow. I could swear that a few people stopped in the street to take a look.

   "Well, uh, it’s really nice to meet you Sonia, welcome to the East I suppose." I said giving her a clumsier bow that definitely attracted some attention, and not the good kind. It was more the 'I am worried about your survival' kind of stare.

   Trying to keep her composure she held in her laugh, horribly. "So what do you do here Jinn?" She said spinning around clapping her shoes together and peering over the marketplace rising up onto her toes for a better view.

   I approached her side and leaned on the railings, "Well I'm sort of a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy. I like to dabble in various art forms." I said as she seemed too busy trying to see over a guard that wandered into her line of sight. Grabbing her hand, "here, come with me." Guiding her down the alley I came from, making a quick left turn, we climbed a flight of stairs and down a narrow corridor. The sound of her shoes clicked against the stone floor, she stayed surprisingly quiet for someone who could have been kidnapped by a stranger. But being patient, we came up onto the overpass, standing on a bridge overlooking the fair.

   Letting go of my hand, she grabbed onto the railing, leaned forward and watched below like a child waiting for the right moment to leap into the pool. From up here, you could see everything, every detail from the performers, vendors and the sea of heads bobbing up and down below like a river below. This is my scouting spot, the single best place to find some poor soul to pickpocket, but I'll skip the semantics. "Oh my god, this is amazing." She said.

   "Taking the Lord's name in vain," I said with a sly smile, "not much of a Church girl are ya?"

   She gave me a blank stare and a grin as if that was all I was owed, turning from me, she said: "Thank you for the view Jinn. It is truly remarkable." A strange feeling of conclusion loomed in me, I can't have this end now, its just about to get started. You are my key.

   "Wait what?"

   "Something wrong?" She said with a puzzled look, wrapping her hands behind her back, waiting for my word.
   "Come on, let's go check out this place together." I said walking past her.

   "Sure!" She said with a wide smile, a response she was most definitely expecting as I reflected on it.

   First, we stopped by a performer that played a stringed instrument, it was shaped like an over sized sharply curved banana. Strings ran from end to end all the way through as it spun a melody that was gentle to the ears. The man stood with the large instrument and ran his hands along the string plucking away as the crowds dropped coins in a purse laid out in front of him. Sonia and myself stood hypnotized by his work, I could barely follow his hand movements as he increased his pace for a faster finish. Sonia clapped like a little girl experiencing music for the first time, the smile on her face was contagious to say the least.

   Following through, we browsed the various workshops displaying the unique ways of building origami paper structures like the sphinx. One couple sat in the workshop together and made pottery out of fresh clay on a spinning table. Before we knew it, dusk started to break as we nibbled on some freshly baked Baklava through the seemingly never ending crowd. The Egyptian sky flowed like an ocean of purple water with the clouds serving as a splash of white, an orange hue of the sun hid behind the taller pyramid, exemplifying its enigma. As the night came, the more I realized my feet were sore, I could see Sonia limp in her shoes too, but she didn't tire. "Hold on, lets take a break here." I said. We sat on a bench atop a hill overlooking the desert, the vast wasteland of dirt and sand glowing a bright orange from the sunset.

   Sonia stared into the sky, her eyes traced the faint stars that began to shine in the sky. It looked like she was lost in thought, the inner working of her brain may have been in overdrive as great philosophical questions entered her through the exotic mystery of these lands. "Are monkey butts hairy? I've never seen one before." She turned to me with a straight face.

   "Uhh..." I managed to mutter as I was baffled by her wild imagination. Had this girl been so locked up all her life, that this may be in fact the first time she is experiencing the outside world. A world that was brought onto me as long as I could remember, I didn't have the luxury of a home, walls, rooms and a roof over my head. But, the more I think about it, the more I see it could also resemble a cage, designed to hide ourselves from the danger by sacrificing the beauty of the world. "I don't believe so, but I'm no expert." I said.

   "So much for jack-of-all-trades." She said with a coy look slumping back into her seat.

   "I'll be sure to check that detail out and get back to you on that okay?" I said jokingly. She fidgeted constantly on the bench, yet managed to stay seated. I could hardly believe I was with an adult at times but it was something about her, maybe it was her free spirit, or her innocent attitude to life that drew me in further. "So your dad is a white Englishman? Are you..."

  "Nope, my mom is a priestess from India, and my dad is the captain of the crusaders of England."

   "That's a curious match."

  "Is it?"

   "Maybe a little."

  "Hmm."

   For a brief moment we enjoyed the silence, it was as if the world froze and each person held their breaths barring the stale wind. The sun slowly dipped beyond the horizon continuing its journey to the other side as the lights lined throughout the city began to flicker on. And just like that, the night was just about to be born. "Do the pyramids have names?" She asked, staring at the large shadows highlighted in the night sky.

   I leaned in onto her as I guided her with my hand, "Yes, we have Khufu on the left, Khafre in the center, and Menkaure is the one on the far right. All named after their Pharaohs." I pointed out to her.

   "Amazing." She said pushing her body towards mine. I could feel the warmness of her touch against me as she hung onto my arm.

   "Yeah, it's a fancy grave alright." I said my voice getting a bit high, jumping onto her feet before I had the chance to do anything else.

   "Well, thanks for the lovely evening Jinn. I best be back, before my dad invades the city looking for me." Part of her voice meant that as a joke, but I could feel a hint of literal meaning in there.

   "Oh, sure." I said still sitting down, this isn't like me. I'm usually three steps ahead, but I feel like I'm sprinting backwards. Everything I do seemed to be walking away, when all I want to do is go forward. "Hey Sonia." I managed to squeeze out before she drifted too far. "Will I see you again?"

She looked over her shoulder at me, "well that depends Jinn. Do you want to?" She had me hooked like a fish, and she knew it. But I didn't care, I just wanted to be around her. I gave her a quick nod, my heart pulsated in a rhythm that was foreign to me.

   "Then yes. Meet me over there, lets say over-morrow in the afternoon?" She said pointing at a tall lit up church showcased brightly in the night sky like a beacon.
   "I'll see you then." I said, as the cool wind brushed her dress into the wind.

   She walked along the deserted street endlessly to her destination, braving the cool draft that drifted inland from the bay. Standing silent and unwavering under the clear night sky, I looked upon her with curiosity and wonder. Wondering if she'll take a moment, a moment to notice. Her hair reflected a ghostly grey, her eyes, a mystic brown. Her soft skin glowed on the nights touch. Stopping in her path, she stood, feeling it behind her. Like an itch she couldn't shake, she turned and faced what stared at her. Above, was a bright smile wrapping her in a blanket of warmth. Returning the smile, she continued her trek forward, bathing in the warmth under the moonlight.

Chapter Four

   The hot sun crept onto my face through a crack in the rotting roof; it pierced my eye lids and blinded my dream. Raising from the sack of hay I slept on like an old pharaoh from his tomb, only to see he wasn't in the land of vast riches he was promised. My mind was in a state of flux, the day should just be starting, but it feels like days had passed, my present wasn't recognizable. A barrage of questions filled my thoughts flooding what sense I had out, I dropped onto the floor failing in my attempt to walk. Straws of hay imprinted on my face deep enough for a river to flow freely.

   I had definitely overslept.

   A piece of parchment hung on a post pegged with a dagger, curious, it read:

   "Jinn! I got us a job digging some trenches, meet me south by the plantation at noon!" - Fatima

   Yup, I'm late.

   Limping over to the barrel of water sitting by the doorway, I dunked my head in, the cold wrapped my skull in a coat of ice that felt refreshing. Pulling out, the water whipped to different ends of the room as my growl scared the birds sitting atop the roof. The world looked real again, I had a sense of being, I knew exactly where I was. Tossing my shirt over my shoulders, I hit the ground running towards the exit, and into the bright day leaving the darkness behind me. The blatant light was so blinding my eyes retreated behind my head, though, I continued to wobble down the shaking staircase like the mess I was. Jumping the railing, I headed south to the plantation where Fatima will probably put my soul to rest.

   The south was mostly complied of large stone plants, and the main docks where the cargo ships pull into port. Outside of the city, along the water ways, the farms were placed to feed the town above it. Sprinting along a thin dirt road curving between the large fields, all I could see for miles were the grassy lands flooded by water. The wind brushed along the fields like waves rippling in a sea. The air was fresh, it made breathing a lot easier, compared to the wild flavors of the city. Fatima stood in the distance waiting along the road, her tiny arms rested on her hips, while the shovels lay on the ground beside her.

   She's pissed; she has to be... who wouldn't be. God help me.

   "What the fucking fuck." She yelled out, her voice was deeper than normal. Almost demonic, it made me skip a step and almost tripping over.

   I knew it.

   “I am soooo sorry!" I said grabbing the shovels off the floor and walking past her. There was no way I could face her right now, she would kill me. This is the first job we've had in days.

   "Where were you last night?" She said right behind me, every time she took an extra step to get in front of me, I made two.
    "Uhmm, I got lost?" I said to her, but it came out more like a question. That was stupid. How could I get lost? She knows I know this place like the back of my hand.
She finally stopped me, with a swift kick in my shin toppling me over onto the floor.

   "Stop lying!" She yelled looking down at me on the floor.

   I held onto my shin with my hand from the blunt pain, "what the hell! You psychopath!" I yelled. I could see that she was upset, for what... I don't know. "I was just out, I needed a break, this fucking place has been living off shit for five years!" I told her hopping up to my feet. "I'm tired Fatima." I said, I could feel the tension in my brow. Shaking it off I continued: "I just want to get out of this shit hole. I want to be somebody."

   Fatima balanced the weight of the shovel on her finger tips and continued to the site ahead. Following the beaten path behind her, my shovel dragged along the road slicing through the dirt trail. For the next few hours, it was quiet, we both did our work together without a word. The shovel pierced the soft ground with ease like dipping a spoon into creamy custard. 

   A constant steam of clouds hovered over the sun occasionally giving us a break from the harsh rays, not only did it make the work easier, it was a way for us to count the day go by. Fatima stood behind me toiling away in a silent rage, her eyes didn't say it, but the way her hands gripped the neck of the shovel like an executioner gripping his blade for the final bow and finally the grunts from when she dumps the dirt afar. As I drift to the edge of the hill I tilled, I stared outward to the green lands that stretched across the horizon. I could see a world beneath my feet, my finger big enough to crush villages. And the heavens... feeling ever closer above me. I could feel the breeze wrap my body as it pushed onwards to a future determined by its own will.

   Fatima stood taking in the marvel beside me, with me for the brief moment, stretching her shoulder she turned, again, without a word and got back to work. "Are you hurt?" I asked to no response, just a blank fixation of the blood pulsating through my jugular vein.

   A sigh of relief hushed along the low lands of the site as the blaring fog horn signaled lunch. Workers from all corners of the field swarmed to the tents like bees returning from their pollinating duties. Not I though, to hell if I would be herded like sheep, I instead fell onto the dirt of which I dug. Throwing my head back into my arms, I stared skywards, ignoring the growling of my stomach that would probably provoke a stray dog. Mind over matter, it’s what the orphans would say when they had to go to bed without dinner some nights. Closing my eyes, I began my drift from consciences as I began to spawn a dream to bide the time. Before I could venture any further, something small and soft hit my head, a small parcel wrapped in cloth.

   She always knew what I was thinking, what I was feeling. Yet, I could never place her at any given moment, and I hated every time I couldn't. "I'm sorry." I said before taking a bite, why try, I always lose. 

   Its flavor was almost divine, there was just enough cheese to taste and the bread wasn't overly stale. She must of bought the bread fresh in the morning before coming here. "I was out with Sonia last night." I said, the words escaping my mouth on its own will, maybe it was my subconscious fighting to connect. Or, maybe it was just because I hated the silence between us. What I said was enough to get her to look over, her eyes were curious but her mouth mute, she was thinking. "I think she may be our way into the site." I said peaking at her from the corner of my eyes, I knew she said to drop it, but a golden key had fallen onto my lap. "You know... Because she's Galahan's daughter..."

   "I know who she is, idiot." She replied. Fatima had stopped eating, her hands instead turned to picking pieces of bread and flicking it as far as she could. Pigeons eventually gathered over head focusing the crumbs, surveying if it was safe to land and feast. "I think you should take Sonia a bit more serious, she could be your ticket out of this life..." She said.

   "Fatima... I would never..."

  
She placed her hands in the air stopping me dead in my tracks like a trained dog waiting for its master. "Why can't you just listen to me? I said to drop it." She said inter-rupting me.

   "But why." I said with a sigh of frustration, "I don't get it, why won't you give me a reason."

  "I just think it's not safe."

   "Is this your cult friend talking?"

   "Cult friend?"

   "Oh yeah... You think I wouldn't pick up that you're part of some inner circle group? It's pretty obvious; I'm not the only one that disappears." I said, opening the floodgates. I couldn't stop talking, and this is typically the point where I should just shut up. But I wanted to know, what her response would be.

   "I don't know what your talking about." She said cradling her injured shoulder, grabbing her shovel, she left my side with her head high and her back upright. 

   "Of course you don't, don't put to much weight on that injured shoulder." I said. I shared my piece, I've never felt this way before it could be relief, or fear. The butterflies in my stomach felt like they were going to burst out of me.

Chapter Five

   Another day has come and gone, and I still sleep on a bed made of hay shrouded under the shadows of the rich. Too long have I fetched the weight of those who only serve their own plates on my back, like a mule being whipped as it trekked along the sliver of a road across the edge of a mountain. No matter where I went, greed has always served as law of the lands, now it is time for me to get my fucking fill. No longer shall I wait for opportunity to bear fruit, it is time for me to grasp up into the tree of life and reap my own path.

   The shadow from the afternoon sun cloaked me in its darkness, I looked to Sonia like a pigeon scooping its next prey to shit on. Our last words were to meet at the church, and to be honest, I gave her time to turn back and leave. She sat upon the railing of the Church's stair well dangling her feet greeting people that passed by. The look on her face reminded me of the innocence of a young child that saw no evil, a child that has yet to be touched by the political war that plagues the adult world.

   Looking at each path that has passed me as I walked to my goal, I see them as missed opportunities to free myself from sin. But in the end, I couldn't, I need this! This is life, one feeds, the other bleeds.

   "Hey Sonia, sorry I'm late." I said looking up from the bottom of the stairs, she looked over in surprise. I guess part of her didn't expect me to show up. She didn't say anything either, just simply staring with a bewildered look on her face. Flicking her head, her silky black hair went flying back over her shoulder covering her face from me.

   Oh great...

   I climbed up the stairs, careful not to rush to her side that would make me look completely at fault. Yeah, sure I was... But she doesn't need to know that. "Aww Sonia, come on, I'm sorry." I told her. Dropping down to her level, I brushed the hair back from her shoulders with the utmost care, like cradling a newborn in your arms for the first time
.
 She tried not to look over, but I did manage to catch her take a quick peak. I'm officially in the clear.

   "Don't look at me." She said in a stern voice. She raised her hand, placed it firmly on my face and pushed me back onto my ass.

   I felt every inch of the interlacing brick road as I hit the ground, looking up at her for a moment, I climbed to my feet. Lord knows I’ve dealt with my fare share of angry women, I gently pulled her towards me by her shoulders and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned into my embrace and let out a content sigh, she welcomed me, we stayed there for a moment without saying a single word. We watched as Church goers entered and exited the chapel staring us down disapprovingly. One lady went so far as to shout "shame" to us. I will never understand the fanatics, why must they try continuously to change others. Focus on yourself I say.

   The sun eventually ducked behind the Church voiding us of its warm sunlight. The radiant glow managed to push past the blockade and turned the sky orange. The streaks of clouds hovered as it bounced the light back to the sun with a purplish color. Sunsets are always a bliss, I feel sorry for those who stand ideally by as it pasts them in a hurried day. 

"Okay, let’s go." Sonia said pulling away from me, brushing herself off and fixing her hair. Wrapping it up in circles, she pushed a hair stick in securing it; it looked like a freshly baked small bun. "Are you going to stare at me all day or are we going to go?" She said catching me off guard. I could do nothing, I was guilty, I simply smiled and stepped forward.

   We followed the road aimlessly yet the old Church site always hovered on the horizon. Stopping at the market, we pick up freshly cut and marinated mangoes. They were laced with a red spice that burned my lips, but sparked my tongue in ways I could've only imagined. Sonia's laugh mid sentence always seemed to draw attention, I think she eventually started doing it on purpose. To me, it was attracting stares that I detested. To her, the world was at her foot step, she could do one thing that would cause a ripple in the world. She was well aware and in love with the power she wielded in this foreign land.

   The night marched beat after beat through the brigades of late street performers; the obscenities of fatigued vendors just wanting the night to be over and the cloudy streets of late night shisha smokers coveting the bars. We inevitably found ourselves at the gate of the excavation site. A single guard was posted at the entrance; he sat in a chair half asleep like a toaster. It wasn't very hard to sneak past him, he casted a shadow from the dim street lamp that I could've sworn was a pyramid at first sight. His blind spots were at our advantage, Sonia went first, and she almost woke the tard from her maniacal giggles. As I took my turn, I stayed low to the ground, almost crawling. I heard Sonia whisper harshly over to me: "hurry up!" She knelt on the floor waiting, continuing onwards, we made our way down the pit away from the guards. Miraculously, they focused their efforts on guarding the perimeter rather than the object of interest itself.

   "Why'd you bring me here? This place is odd." Sonia told me as she passed the dugout Church buried in the sands, she stepped carefully as to not disturb the ground. She even went as far as to hold up her dress from dragging on the ground.

   "I don't know, its quiet I guess, it does have a great view of the starry sky." I said hopping onto the aforementioned Church Cross sticking out of the dirt. "Plus, we have our own personal guards." I finished with a smirk on my face, except she found no humor in it, it’s a real hit or miss with this one.