Kadin and the Jinni

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The desert air seemed to freeze in the shadow of the colossal city as Kadin sat motionless atop the camel. He has the brief though that these men would rush him, kill him and take Maahealani as their slave. This notion was quickly abandoned as she summoned to vicious cobras, however they weren't focused on Kadi or his jinni as they outstretched towards the slave traders. The fist man lowered his weapon slowly, his own eyes waxing like the fullest moon.

"I...I...we don't want no trouble, do we boys?" The cobra only inches from his face as he slowly backed away.

Another man spoke in his native tongue, the words 'Desert witch'. He also backed away. Kadin could see they were scared out of their wits and as he put the dagger back in the confinments of his cloak, he couldn't help himself. Be it from fear, or just the simple fact that he already adored Maahealani, he kissed her softly on the cheek.

"You saved our lives." The camel jerked it's head in agreement.

The slave traders moved away from them, no doubt on their way to the city to drink and whore and tell the tale of a man riding a camel with a jinni. They would also, no doubt, leave out the part about how they were scared witless, but the desert is full of lies and Kadin expected this. By the time they reached the gates of Palmira the sun had made begun it's western decent into the horizon and the only thing on Kadin's mind was rest, he hoped, in a real bed with a wash basin and basic commodities.

The outskirts of Palmira were not anywhere near as fancy as the inner city. The tent lined streets were home to all sorts of people, travelers stopping for the night and traders who made their home in the dusty roads that made up the outer mass of Palmira. Kadin found a place to tie up the Camel, who he imagined needed a name at some point, and took Maahealani by the hand helping her down from it's back.

"Should we find somewhere to rest and figure out what our next move is?"
 
Was it the flattery or the kiss? Even Maahealani wasn't sure as she felt the tinge of heat on her cheeks. With the slavers away, and the cobras back where they were happiest the jinni was able to take her attention back to the city they were entering. It seemed cramped to one who preferred the openness and solitude of her own primitive garden. There were people everywhere, and not just humans but their beasts as well. When Kadin found a place for the camel to rest she was sure their own hoofed companion was glad for the rest and the water.

With Kadin's help she got off the camel's back and stood beside him. "Rest is definitely in order. Any other plans might be poorl made before then." She then patted the flank of the camel. "Be only seen by those you wish to see you for now," she told him. It was obvious that the jinni did not trust the humans enough in this city to not harass, let alone try to steal, their mount.

"I do not know the customs of the cities of man well, and you might be a better judge of how to navigate us so, but perhaps I can find us for now the safest place to rest near here?" They were no longer alone in the desert and she was not confident how he would act among his own kind, though their first encounter made her mistrust of humans in general seem logical, but not him in particular.
 
Kadin shifted his weight and dug a few coins out of his pocket, tossing them to a man who sat near to where they had tied up their camel. He knew enough about the city to know that this man was the one who made sure no one 'accidentally' took your camel while you were away. It was the unspoken rule; Don't pay him and you would be forced to find out the hard way.

"Money is the best way to secure whatever it is you need in the city...." He paused "...or with humans." He added with a fond smile, again he found her genuine naivety cute as all hell. He took her hand and led her down the hard-packed dirt streets, no one took any notice of them as they blended into Palmira. This made Kadin feel something he hadn't felt in a long while, that sense of anonymity that only a big city can provide. He had spend day after day as an outcast, and now, he was a nobody. and it felt good.

Just as Kadin was about to make his way to a kabob vendor who had, among other things, desert lizard kabobs, a dark cloud moved across the sky. Quickly and without warning the clouds erupted, as rolling thunder boomed and reverberated throughout the city. Kadin pulled Maahealani under a near by canopy as the rain started to fall in thick, humid drops. Lightening streaked in bright oranges and vibrant blues, it was truly one of the most extraordinary thunder storms Kadin had ever seen. The storm exploded with ferocity as Kadin turned to his Jinni.

"It's a thunderstorm....so much for us finding a place to rest, at least until it stops pouring."
 
Money was a very foreign concept for Maahealani. The Djinn did trade, and bartered and extracted promises from each other, but because of the magical realm they lived their lives debt could be extracted in an actual more harmful fashion. She did not understand money because her people could ruin each other in more direct ways.

As they started to walk away she tried to take more notice of their surroundings. Curiosity was part of it. She didn't really understand humans, and she was starting to wonder if all humans were dangerous. These people did not appear to have any means to harm one such as her. She then glanced at Kadin. She was trusting a human. That should have disturbed her, but it didn't. The only thing that bothered her about him was the same thing as the beginning, the charm stone.

The disappearance of the sun was sudden and by the time she looked up the the first few drops fell from the sky. Kadin quickly ducked them under a canopy as the thunder seemed to reverberate against the buildings around them and lightening flashed across the sky. It was as violent as it was sudden and one could almost feel the city was being assaulted with the heavy rain and tremendous thunder.

"Perhaps it will quit as suddenly as it appeared," her voice betrayed her doubt of this statement as she looked from the storm to the man.

"You are not here by chance you know," a voice said behind them. Startled Maahealani looked behind them and noticed several mythical symbols. This did not bode well. This was a human that knew magic! "Don't be shy, let us talk," the voice of an older woman said from beyond the symbols and a light curtain. There were also words written on wood above the curtain, but the jinni did know know how to read the writings of man. She did not know that they were at the entrance of Madam Meskhenet, fortune teller.
 
Kadin was surprised to hear the low, deep, but obviously feminine voice as it beckoned them in. It was so sudden that the desert wanderer nearly stumbled backwards, but he caught himself and took Maahealani by the hand at the last minute. He gave her an awkward grin as the rain continued to splash the ground in sheets. The other people that had been walking on the street dove into the closest shop they could find, be it a tea shop selling exotic blends from the western continent , or hookah shop offering tobacco and strong drink to those who wanted it.

They walked through the curtains and through another curtain made of small, wooden beads. The instant they entered the shop, Kadin knew what she was. A fortuneteller. Sometimes on the far west side of the Al kazir they were referred to by the rough neck desert folk, as Sand Hags. Often times they were little more than wandering gypsies trying to make a quick coin of the nearest fool they could find, but Kadin had always respected their apparent powers of divination.

The smell of incense, thick and alluring, hit his nose, but was not at all unpleasant or too over powering. Before taking a seat on either side of a circular, black oak table Kadin squeezed Maahealani's hand.

He wouldn't admit it, but Fortune tellers and gypsies gave him the creeps. He had his grandmother's stories of kidnapping, and soups made with children, to thank for that.
 
"Aren't you both lovely," the old woman who sat across from them said. She wore her silver hair long, with a simple ribbon holding it back at the nape of her neck. Her silks were old and tattered, but not to the point of looking completely impoverish. Her eyes were a light blue, a contrast to her tanned wrinkled skin. She only gave Maahealani a fleeting glance before looking at Kadin. He was the man after all and would be the one in control of the money.

"New, yes," she said cryptically at him. "Know that Madam Meskhenet knows many secrets. Give me your hand and I'll prove I'm no fraud, then you can decide if you wish for me to tell you more." Snatching the hesitating man's wrist she opened his hand up and turned it palm down for a moment, then palm up. "Mm, a laborer you are. You've been very dedicated to your job up until recently. Yes, you have started traveling," she said to him looking at his palm and tracing a finger acrossed it."

Suddenly her back became ridged and when she looked up her eyes were now a vibarent pulsing green. "The grand ball at the palace," she started, her voice more musical then before. "There shall be a man, this man is your enemy. Find him before he finds you. That which you bare is your inheritance, but you must learn to control it, to properly use it, or else ensnarling the soul of the one you travel with will be but the start. If you fail, she will be forever a prisoner and both your lives will be in great peril."

The fortune teller's head dropped and her grip on Kadin's hand relaxed. When she looked up again her eyes were the same light blue they'd been before. "Yes, I'm, well...." she said somewhat startled. "Now, wouldn't you be willing to give an old lady a few coins for that information?"
 
Kadin, mouth agape his hand still aimlessly dangling in the air, stared at the fortune teller. His eye's were like a full moon on a clear night. After all the searching, all the wandering he had finally gotten his first solid clue. He wasn't one to dive head first into the art of fortunetelling, but this was too real to ignore. He fumbled in his pocket for a coin, his last few coppers, aside from what needed to be saved for a room. He handed them too her, unable to voice thanks.

He led his Jinni outside, still a little awestruck.

"That was amazing, my pockets are a little lighter but on the bright side we now know what we must do.''

As if to add an exclamation mark to this, a man sitting at a near by table with a bottle of Arak (as the rain had cleared up already) was talking loudly, and drunkenly to a couple of desert herders, about the grand ball in the palace. By the time they passed him he was already mid sentence.

".....An, they says that even the richest men are nothing in the eyes of the royal family, only men with title, lords, land barons and the like are accepted to join. It is said they have table after table of the finest food....." His words were slurred, but it was clear enough.

Kadin realized that it would be near impossible to get into the ball, and for now they needed to get off the streets. They walked down the road until they came one of the few actual buildings in the outskirts of Palmira. A structure amidst a tent city with the words 'Desert Rose Inn' painted across a wooden sign that sat in front. They went inside, paid Kadin's last silver for the room.

The inn was a hair shy of dilapidated, but to Kadin, who hadn't seen a bed of bath tub for months, it was heaven. They were on the second floor with a view of the palace walls, and beyond them, the gold peaked roof. His happiness was soon extinguished as he remembered what the drunk man at the cafe had said. He flopped down on the bed, which was not at all as comfortable as he had expected, and sighed.

"How are we ever gonna get in the ball?"
 
The Jinni was somber from the experience. On one hand the old lady did not seem to recognize her for what she was. This was all in the good as far as Maahealani was concerned, but it almost made her wonder if the woman knew her craft at all. Knowledgable or not, what she said about Kadin's inheritance, the charm stone, made too much sense to her. She was trapped, and it was Kadin's fault!

Except she couldn't blame Kadin. Was that the stones doing? No, it was her own logic she decided. As the old woman had said he had no idea how to use it, that he would need to learn to use it, or her own entrapment was but the beginning.

It were thoughts such as these she was wresting with until they got to their room, a dingy thing that the jinni was itching to make more habitable. She was indeed considering her options when the man spoke. She blinked and looked at him. She then recalled the other thing that the woman said, what likely concerned Kadin more.

"That shouldn't be too difficult," she told him as she sat on the edge of the bed, then frowned. The thing wasn't meant to be slept on let alone to sit on. Twisting her finger on the thin sheets she changed it. It looked like the same bed, but the mattress was now firm with but a little give and the sheets were much softer on the skin. That was at least something that could be slept on now.
 
Kadin ran a rough hand across the now soft sheets of the bed. Having a Jinni for a travel companion definitely had it's perks. He wondered if people would discriminated, out of fear, if they knew what she was. He assumed they would. It was not at all uncommon for people living in and on the outskirts of the Al kazir to be very superstitious and fearful of desert spirits. In fact, If Maahealani hadn't saved him, he would have been fearful, too. He looked at her, she was so peaceful and yet something about her screamed with intensity.

"I don't know how we are going to get in the ball. Unless.." He sat up, only inches from Maahealani, nearly shoulder to shoulder as he spoke.

"I don't suppose you could use your...." He paused, not exactly sure what to call it. Powers? Magic? Gift? He went with power "Power to get us some fancy clothes? Something that would make us appear to be….more than wandering transients?" Kadin would concoct a story, something to the effect of 'He was a lord from the other side of the Al kazir and Maahlealnai was his lady. He felt a twinge of guilt run through him as he turned to face her, asking her to use her magic for his own agenda didn't seem right.

It just might work, Kadin thought, it had to work.
 
"That wouldn't be difficult, but there is a problem," Maahealani started softly. "I have not met your own royals. I would not know what they wear. You would have to think of a way I could see what would be expected."

She looked at Kadin thoughtfully. He was, as he said, a wandering transient at the moment, but she had caught a wiff now and then of what she could only call a noble spirit. Peasant or Sultan he would likely be very much the same. If he were of the djinn and had the power to equal such spirit....

"There is also a different idea. What if you did not look like they expected, but still impressive? Would that work for your idea?" What an impression he could surely make wearing exotic riches that we're more common under the sands then under the sun. After all under the desert one had to make their own impressions, using not just their powers but creativity as well. Maahealani half smiled at the very notion of how very easy the human could pass as a handsome lord in any court and not just the human palaces.
 
Kadin let out a visible sigh, then stood. He walked over to the only window and looked out. He hand;t thought of that, and there was no way he could describe to her the detail in which they would have to appear in order to be disguised as 'Desert royalty'.

"Yes, that may work….but we will have to come up with a story, where we are from, why we are here. The simpler the better." Kadin tried to think for a total of 10 seconds before giving up and collapsing on the bed again, his head swimming with question and worry.

"I am not even sure what to do once I find the people I am looking for, I don't even know who they are? Maybe I should just give up and go back to wandering the desert?" He felt defeated, but knew better than to give in.



"I'm sorry, I need to rest my brain. A bath wouldn't be bad either." He looked across the room to the steel wash basin that sat in the corner of the room. No cover.
 
The exhausted jinni frowned as Kadin contemplated giving up before he even got a chance to start, though his quick apology saved him from some very unsympathetic words. Still she spoke on the topic. "I hope that is only a moment of uncertainty talking, for your choices no longer affect only yourself."

While Kadin's concern may have been his enemies, Maahealani's was on the charm stone. Even without the fortune teller's words she knew how it haunted her dreams at night.

"When you are ready to consider your options and choose to go to the palace, I can see that your false tale is already a rumor before we arrive." Lying was not something that Maahealani wanted to do, but if Kadin concocted a simple enough story she had the imagination to cause it to be heard.

"If you desire a bath, why don't you do so?" As she said the words she looked over at the wash basin and suddenly flushed. For all the differences between humankind and the Djinn, there were far more similarities to the people that lived around al Kizar and the Ifrit. Maahealani realized that race was not the biggest difference between herself and Kadin. After all just a moment ago she had been having thoughts that him being human was nessisarily so important when it came to impressions.

There was only the merest wisp as the outer sheet that was on the bed they were both on swooped away and then hung midair in front of the washbasin. Maahealani had her arms crossed over her chest, a frown upon her lips and the blush still very evident on her cheeks. "Don't fall asleep and drown," she said to Kadin in a tone that he had never heard from her before as she attempted to not look directly at him.
 
Hearing the Jinni voice the fact that his actions also affected her made Kadin fel less alone. Something about the way she phrased it made an explosion of warmth fill him with heart touching happiness. Even if it was only the Charmstone, he still embraced the feeling. He placed his hand on hers, not voicing the words, but his eyes said 'thank you'

Outside the sun had begun its steady declination to the west. The sky at Dusk in the deep desert is something truly amazing. It is no wonder why some people come to the Al Kazir and never want to leave. Kadin shifted his eyes out the second story window as evening shadow cast long fingers of opaque reflection against the endless sea of sand and orangeish hues rested in contrast, splashed on a canvass of purple blue sky. Kadin let his gaze hang on the changing atmosphere a little too long, and when Maahealani spoke again he almost jumped, pulling his hand back from hers.

"A rumor....That would be fantastic, and we only need to play the part for as long as it takes me to figure out who this person or persons are."

He absently got to his feet, unbuttoning his shirt and laying it neatly on the bed. He was too exhausted to take notice and didn't want to make the situation more awkward by addressing her reddening cheeks.

"I won't fall asleep, just a few minutes in the water and I'll be better suited for thought." He stepped behind the sheet, undressed and cranked on the water. When the basin was full he sank in and let days of stress and dirt wash off his tired body.
 
Maahealani only relaxed once the nomad was behind the makeshift curtain, unfolding her arms. She looked around the little room, but really it held little to hold her attention. Her gaze lazily returned to the curtain and the siloetted form on the other side. She wasn't really thinking much anymore.

Belatedly she shook her head. The curtain was there so neither of them would be watching, and what was she doing. With a yawn she looked at the bed stand. They had eaten little since late last night as they road through the desert. Maahealani did not feel particularly hungry but she made sure there was food enough for both of them. She even took a fig and bit into it.

Finishing the one piece of fruit she laid down on the bed. Kadin wouldn't be long in bathing and then they could talk about what sort of plans that needed to be made. With little thought she closed her eyes, just for a moment. And in that moment sleep stoled her away and her mind was filled with dreams and the whispers of the charm stone, which her sleeping form reached out for with one hand.
 
The water felt like heaven, Kadin thanked the gods. He hadn't given thanks to anything for a long time, and as the layers of dirt and sweat disintegrated from his body everything became clear. Kadin had spent several years working for a land Barron. A rich man who owned pretty much the entire town Kadin was raised in. During his time of employment Kadin only met the man twice, but each time was memorable. He was a great man, larger than life and he held him self in such a way that commanded respect. Kadin was certain he could emulate the man, thus playing the part effectively enough to gain access to the ball. He stepped out of the bath, his outline very visable through the thin sheet, but there was no time for embarrassment. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked over to Maahealania. Water dripped from his chest and face as he sat on the bed, taking a handful of nuts and tossing them into his mouth. He hadn't been truly hungry in what seemed like forever, but he ate to survive.

"I Think we should keep the details shaky, because getting locked into a story might ruin the plan. I will be a rich land barron from the far eastern borders of the Al Kazir. You will be my lady......"

He stopped short, seeing that she was asleep. It had been a long couple days, but Kadin was too anxious to sleep. He dressed quietly and sat in a chair by the window. He reached in to his shirt and pulled out the charm stone. It felt heavy around his neck, as if carrying the weight of the misery it had caused in his life.
 
The morning brought with it an odd whisper. It was but a footnote of the days conversations, not everyone had heard the story of course that would be too obvious and suspicious, but the whipser was there just long enough to perpetuate itself. From the far eastern boarder a great man of wealth, a landed baron, was in the city. He and his lady were here for there own reasons, but how could they not stop in for the ball. Oh the speculation was high among those that spoke of it, even those that pretended they did not care that there was yet another rich man in the city.

Maahealani's spell was as subtle as a spring breeze and as random as a summer storm. Too many people that heard the tell and some magician or another might get suspicious. Not enough people hearing the tell and they might gave too many questions asked up them when they arrived at the ball. It was a delicate creation, but one the jinni was very proud of.

Once she had awaken and Kadin had told him his idea she had been pleased. It wasn't elaborate or needlessly complex, which makes not only her spell but what she was going to have to do at the ball much easier. As she started the spell she explained what she was doing and why. Normally she wouldn't do so for a human, or even one of the djinn. In either case you didn't want to give away your secret. With the humans so they couldn't use it against you, with other Djinns so they could be impressed. Kadin couldn't very well be impressed without knowing what she was doing, and she wasn't worried about him using the knowledge to hurt her, it seemed it was his ignorance that was the cause of her entrapment after all.

"So then, that is that. What shall we do in the meantime?"
 
About the same time the rumor silently spread though the city, preparations were being made at the palace. It was a grand event, bringing nobles and lords together from every sandy finger of the southern desert lands. Many rich men made a point to come to the ball, not only to meet the royal family of Palma, but also to meet others from around the Al Kazir, securing business deals and creating alliances.

In the great hall leading to the banquet room of the Palace of Prima, servants worked feverishly to get everything ready. Although the feast and reception wouldn't commence until dusk, there was much to do.

…"And I hear he owns nearly all the water producing land to the east, along with the largest herds of sheep in the whole continent" Said a wide eyes servant to another "... they say his lady is the most beautiful woman a man has ever laid eyes on…." The servants hushed voice carries off as the preparations continue.

Kadin stared at his reflection in the mirror, hair combed, clean shaved, trying his best at a 'lord like' expression. He was nervous, but the burring desire to discover the truth was stronger. This was in, finally, after long last, a turning point in the adventure.

"Now, we just need to look the part. My father always used to say 'a man is always respected for his appearance first'." He turned to smile at his Jinni, and for a brief moment, he forgot of the dire situation and was lost in a fantasy that he was a real lord, and she, his lady.

"Can you make it happen?"
 
For an answer Maahealani only grinned. Up until now all she had done around Kadin had been very subtle or simple tricks. She had not done anything grand, because there simply was no need to d so. Now however she had been asked to excersize her imagination at the very least, if not her craft.

Getting up on the bed where she had been lounging while Kadin shaved, she gracefully walked over to him. With every motion, from swinging her feet onto the ground to stand, to the swing of her walk, her appearance changed. It was still Maahealani, but her tribal marking were replaced with simpler make up, her hair went from being loose to coiled artistically and decorated with gold and pearls, her top lightened to a rosy pink, as did her skirt which lengthened. Gold threading eventually stitched in to the cloth. Golden bangles were on her wrist, and pearls held with more gold hung off her neck. By the time she stood next to him, the jinni that was before him was a queen in comparison to how his rptraveling companion looked before.

Maahealani then lightly touched his shoulder and the material of his own clothing metamorpahsised, though in a much quicker manner, with but a tickle of heat as though a lick of flame moved in direction for a moment. Perhaps the jinni had done a practice run with herself first, but the truth was she just wanted to see his reaction as she pulled off a bit of theatrics. She had not been flamboyant with Kadin before now, but she was feeling playful.

What reflected in the mirror was a lord in red and gold, a strong presence versus the softer, pearlier version of his lady. The shirt was sleeveless to show off his arms that were encased in solid gold arm bands. This was no illusion she had created, Kadin could feel the material on his skin, she had indeed transformed what he wore into something not usually seen by any.

The jinni's hand still rested upon the man's shoulder and as she looked at him she smiled a mixture of pride and admiration. She made the costume, but it was Kadin that was pulling it off. "Will this be enough?" her eyes sparkled. There was no denying the fact that she was enjoying herself.
 
Kadin nearly forgot to rinse his razor after shaving as Maahealani's appearance changed. He was mesmerized, and thought that he would never stop being amazed by the desert magic. When her hand softy touched his should, his gaze shifted to the full length mirror. Where a road worn traveler once stood, his eyes tired and his cloths dull and faded, was now replaced by that of a rich lord. His face broke into a smile and he was refilled with a new sense of confidence.

"It is…perfect. I will be Lord Caspar, and you my beautiful lady." He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her into the reflection of the mirror. She was warm to the touch, and soft with an underlying firmness that would have normally aroused his senses, but not now. Kadin from the east was now Lord Caspar, a man in disguise and on a mission. To find the bastards that killed his father and bring some sort of understanding to his bleak situation.

About the time Kadin and his Jinni were making their way across the outskirts of town, unnoticed, the royal ball room was filling with guests. Many were nobles and lords from the far outreaches of the Al Kazir, others were part of the Royal family, and heirs to the throne, the rulers of the capitol city Prima.

Low hanging chandlers and brightly flickering torches lit the room, gleaming off the gold and jewel studded adornments of the guests, many of whom were talking about or speculating upon the Arrival of Lord Caspar and his lady, without a second thought about how they knew of him. The plan was working seamlessly.
 
No one noticed the lord, his lady and their beast as they left the market near the eastern gate, nor as they passed through the guild neighborhoods. That they passed unchecked by the gate of the second wall, that separated the palace land from the grubby city should have gotten someone fired, but no one would ever realize that.

As they approached the palace proper, they were finally noticed. It seemed Lord Caspar was wealthy enough and secure enough in his position not to have an extended entourage. Of course rumor had it he was only passing through the city. Where the other nobles and royals were stopping before walking inside the palace was obvious. There was much glitter and exhibitions of exotics.

"Do you see the lording with the carriage driven by zebra?" Maahealani said softly to Kadin from behind him on the camel. There was humor in her voice. "I wonder if getting real ones would have been too difficult for him or..." Pausing she came to a better idea and put her hand on his arm. "I think you might be able to see what I mean without me doing it. Here," she directed his wrist so that his hand was over the charm stone under his clothing. It occurred to the jinni to see how responsive it would be to the man. "Think about wanting to see the truth. Let's see if you can do that without vocalizing the demand." It was a babystep, but if Kadin could see the magestic zebras were nothing more then donkeys, well cared for ones that anyone would be proud to have, then they would have their first breakthrough with the charmstone.

Meanwhile the whispering was getting more intense they were noticed by not just the visiting lords but their host as well. He could have been out there in honest hospitality wanting to greet each noble as they came into his home. He may also been there to size up any competition that was there to bargain, haggle and otherwise do the business of politics under his roof. Was it the intent to make true the gamblers' lament? 'The House always wins.'
 
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