The Secret of Ka (22 page)

"Nothing so crude. Here, let me show you."

"No! Take him in the bathroom and shut the door. Do what you have to do. But he'd better be up and out of here in ten minutes."

"I need longer than that," Lova said, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"No. And you're only taking a pint. That's all that's safe. Plus we have to talk."

Lova left with the man and turned on the water in the bathroom. I didn't know why. My hamburger and fries were delicious. I wanted to order another round, but was afraid they would ask me where their server was.

Well, you see, he didn't just deliver dinner. He
is
dinner.

Lova reappeared in ten minutes and escorted the dazed room-service guy out the door. Then she came and sat on my bed. She seemed in a better mood. We talked as I finished my fries.

"Tell me what happened," I ordered.

She explained that the Carpet of Ka emitted a powerful beacon of light and that it had not been difficult to locate. But the thugs had known exactly how to protect it. They had it locked in a bank vault.

"Are you sure it was at a bank?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Do you even know what a bank is?"

"I know your language, for the most part. The building had the word
bank
on the side. But it was a deserted bank."

"What did you do when you first arrived?" I asked.

"As you instructed, I took pictures of everyone present. There were six young men."

"Did you happen to hear what they were talking about?"

"Money. They were excited at the reward they would receive for the carpet."

"Did they say who was going to pay this reward?"

"No. But I had the impression they were waiting for the person to appear." Lova paused. "But someone else came first and I had to hide."

"Who was this someone else?"

A note of fear entered her voice. "Someone who could see me."

"How do you know he could see you?"

"It was a woman. She stared right at me, and she immediately pressed her palms together and started to invoke a spell."

"A djinn spell?" I asked.

Lova hesitated. "Perhaps."

"But she was human. She wasn't a djinn."

Lova was doubtful. "She might have been a djinn in a human body. She built up a ball of light between her hands—what we call a
pashupa.
It's a subtle weapon. It can destroy a djinn."

"What if it were to hit a human?"

"It would kill them instantly."

"Tell me, is a pashupa usually bright green?"

"How did you know that?"

"I was hit by one today."

Lova's mouth dropped open. She was stunned. "No human being could survive being struck by a pashupa."

I acted casual. "I'm tougher than I look. What happened next?"

"I hid inside the vault. The woman knew where I was. She ordered the others to unlock it. But the moment the door swung open, I was prepared. The woman tried to hit me with the pashupa as I ran out of the vault but I was able to use the carpet as a shield. Then I flew out the window."

"Did anyone try to follow you?"

"No human could follow me. But that woman is skilled in the magical arts. She tried to attach an eye to my field."

"An eye to your field?"

"She wanted to track me. But I knew what she was up to. I was able to expel the eye."

Eye
and
field.
Two new words I had to add to my djinn dictionary. Never mind
pashupa.
No wonder I had felt so weak when that light had struck me.

"You did well." I studied the snapshots she had taken. The men were strangers to me, but I suspected Amesh would be able to identify a few. They had asked about him enough. I continued, "Before the woman arrived, did you hear the guys talk about ... Amesh?" I hated to give out his name.

"No. Who is Amesh?"

"Never mind."

Mr. Demir and Mira might know some of the guys. I owed them a call anyway. I wanted to see Mr. Demir before I slept, if I was going to sleep. I had a feeling it was going to be a long night.

Because Lova seemed in a talkative mood, I teased her again about scaring the room-service guy into fainting. But she returned my remark with a cold stare. She spoke as if I were the child and she were the parent.

"Do not presume to know the mind of a djinn. We walked this world before you. We were the masters of this realm."

"What happened?" I asked.

"You command the Carpet of Ka and you don't know?"

"Just answer the question."

"There was a war."

"Between humans and djinn?"

"Humans cannot harm djinn. Not then and not now."

"So you warred with another race? Who were they?"

"You mean, who
are
they. They were not destroyed."

"Did they win the war?"

Lova hesitated. "Yes."

I tried to get her to speak more about this third race but she clammed up. She pleaded exhaustion. Escaping the woman with the pashupa had drained her, she said. She asked if she could rest. I said fine, but that she should be prepared to respond in case I called.

"I might need you to destroy Darbar," I said carefully.

Lova lay on the floor beside the bed. "That is one wish you should avoid," she said.

"I might have no choice."

"I've warned you of the consequences, Sara."

"Why did you warn me, Lova?"

She shut her eyes. "The Carpet of Ka would not serve a fool. You must be worthy of respect."

"Why, thank you," I replied.

Her compliment was the last thing I had expected.

To leave my suite, I had to remove my makeshift bandages. Unfortunately, there was still blood in my hair. But I could not risk reopening the wound by washing it out. I arranged it as best I could and hobbled downstairs to buy some fresh clothes in the hotel store: black pants and a black shirt—the ultimate stealth uniform. With the carpet in my pack, I headed out into the Turkish night and grabbed a taxi.

Going straight to Amesh's home was not an option. The same men who had tried to steal the carpet could have it staked out. Better that Mr. Demir and I meet in a public place, I thought, although I did not want our meeting observed.

Using my cell, I called Mr. Demir. Mira answered.

"Did you find Amesh?" she asked.

"I met him for lunch."

"Thanks be to Allah!" She sounded so relieved. "Is he all right?"

"He's okay but things are complicated. Is your grandfather there?"

"He's coming right now. Please tell Amesh to come home."

"I will, when it's safe," I promised.

Mr. Demir came on the line. "You saw Amesh?"

"Yes."

"I search everywhere, I could not find him. Where was he?"

"I'd rather talk in person, but I can't come to your house. Others know about the treasure. I was attacked this afternoon and badly beaten."

"Are you okay?"

"I'll live."

"We should go to police."

"The police can't help. This situation has gone way beyond them. Please, meet me in an hour in the lobby at the Sheraton by the airport. Make sure you're not followed. This is very important. I'll be waiting for you."

"I leave now," Mr. Demir said.

"Bring any paperwork you have on Amesh's trial. Any photographs of the defendants. If you have a transcript of the trial, bring that."

"Why?"

I hesitated. "The people who beat me up today asked if Amesh had kidnapped some of their friends."

"My grandson is cripple, one hand. He could not kidnap goat."

"Trust me, there's a connection between what's happening now and what happened last summer. Please, I need to know about the trial."

Mr. Demir was silent a long time. "I bring papers."

"Thank you."

We exchanged goodbyes. I had my taxi drop me at the beach, not far from the hotel, and told him not to wait for me. I wanted Mr. Demir to approach the Sheraton carefully, but I planned to arrive in a manner nobody had ever used before.

The beach was silent, the stars bright, which was what I was hoping for. I needed time to talk to the carpet and consider everything that had happened. It did not take me long to find a powerful ley line to rest the carpet on in case we had to leave in a hurry. It floated a few inches off the ground in front of me.

While the stars glowed in the center, I asked my first question.

"Did I waste a wish by having Lova rescue you from the men?"

"What do you think?"

"I feared that the carpet didn't have the strength to break out of the vault."

"It was never a question of the carpet's strength. It was a question of yours. Had you been able to focus your will on nothing else, you could have forced the carpet to break down any door. A Kala could accomplish such a task. But you are just a beginner."

"So this time I probably did need Lova's help."

"The greatest help comes from inside. The djinn offer the opposite with their wishes. That is the trap in using them too often. They offer quick solutions—when you need to learn how to create your own miracles."

"But there's only so much a person can do," I protested.

"A person is limited by his conception of himself, nothing more. If you really knew who you were, you could stop the sun from rising tomorrow."

"That's hard to believe."

"That's why the sun usually comes up each morning."

"Today, after I saw Amesh, I went through a period of doubt where I was scared to help him. I was ready to abandon him to his djinn."

"A person can only demonstrate their courage by overcoming their fears. Someone who is never afraid is either a Kala or a fool."

"These Kalas sound superhuman. Can I really become one?"

"It is the path you have chosen for yourself."

"When did I choose it?"

"Before you were born."

"Is there a connection between what happened to Amesh's hand last summer and my finding the carpet this summer?"

"Several players in this drama overlap. There must be a connection."

"Did Amesh almost stumble on the carpet before?"

"He stumbled onto something. But it was your destiny to find the carpet."

"What did he stumble onto?"

"Mr. Demir will know."

"I'm going to see him soon." I paused. "Amesh was in so much pain today. I worry I won't be able to save him. It was a struggle to get the truth out of him. Do you know if he has made three wishes or two?"

"A djinn cannot control a human unless he has delivered on the three wishes the human has made. So far, Darbar has been unable to deliver. Yet he keeps trying, and he is close to success."

"So Amesh still has free will?" I asked.

"He is driven by a desire for revenge. He is far from free."

"But Darbar tricked Amesh by giving him that useless hand."

"Amesh asked for his hand back. Darbar was required to give him that hand. Had the hand been destroyed, Darbar would have given him a new hand. But such was not the case."

"Sometimes I feel like you're on the side of the djinn."

"Not true. But I understand them."

"Is Lova an ordinary djinn?"

"She was born into a powerful lineage, but is inexperienced when it comes to humans."

"Somehow I can't see her making me into a thrall."

"That's a dangerous conceit. For all you know, she acts kind toward you so you will drop your guard."

The carpet's words chilled me—I had given myself the same warning earlier in the day. Yet it was important to hear it from another source. I had begun to act too carelessly around Lova. I should never have let her feed on the room-service guy.

"Today, when I was attacked, someone in a van hit me with a bolt of green light. It drained my strength. I think the same person attacked Lova when she went to get the carpet. Do you know who it was?"

"What did Lova say?"

"Lova thought she might be a djinn inhabiting a woman's body."

"Wouldn't Lova know if it was a djinn?"

The answer was such an obvious yes that I was annoyed I hadn't realized it before. "Why would she try to mislead me about this being?"

"That's a good question to ask yourself."

I tried to get the carpet to say more on the topic, but it refused.

"I'm afraid I'm not using the full potential of the carpet. When we were flying home from the island, I felt as if it had erected a shield to deflect the wind."

"Yes"

"Why?"

"You wanted it so."

"I want to fly over this city unseen. Can the carpet become invisible?"

"That's an advanced skill."

"But it can be done?"

"Yes."

"Can you teach me how to do it?"

"Keep experimenting. You will learn."

I had more questions—I was never done asking my questions—but I sensed it was done with me. I felt the presence behind the carpet withdraw.

I
T TOOK ME A WHILE
to find a ley line that flew directly over the Sheraton. But in the end I was able to land the carpet on the roof. The view from the twenty-story building was beautiful—brightly lit city on one side, dark ocean on the other. I almost left the carpet on the roof to give it extra time to charge beneath the stars, but I was too paranoid to part from it.

I arrived at the hotel lounge before Mr. Demir and ordered a Coke. While waiting for my drink, I called my dad and told him I would be staying with Rini again. He didn't mind. He seemed tired, anxious to go to bed.

It might have been the danger I had faced—and had yet to face—but I felt the sudden urge to call my mom. I owed her a call. When my Coke came, I took a sip and then dialed my home number.

"Sara!" my mother squealed with delight. "I was just telling Sally and Alice you've been avoiding me. How are you?"

"I've been busy, Mom. I met a new friend, Rini. You'd love her. So what's new with you?"

My question may have appeared harmless, but directed at my mother, it was dangerous. She could rattle on for hours about what she'd done—or failed to do—in the last week. It didn't matter how inconsequential the act might have been. She told me about picking up milk at the 7-Eleven late at night because she had forgotten to get it during the day. She remarked on how much more the milk cost there than at a regular supermarket. She complained how the guy at the cash register spoke poor English and did not deserve the job. She swore that he was an illegal alien. My mother disliked anything illegal or alien, and somehow, when she combined the two words, they ended up sounding atrocious, like something better not talked about. Except that it was okay for her to do so because she talked aboute verything.