Mercy and Monsters - Chapter 5
Mercy and Monsters - Chapter 5
“I’m not getting out of your way,” he said. “I’m staying put.” “Morien…” Julia was taken aback. “What are you…?”
He falls on sleep, he can no more withstand.
Through all those meads they slumber then, the Franks;
Is not a horse can any longer stand,
Who would eat grass, he takes it lying flat.
He has learned much, can understand their pangs.
-The Song of Roland
Malik sat awkwardly at the table, as he tried to think of something to say. Across from him sat Yann, lackadaisically tending his lute, Erin, all smiles and cheer, and Julia, now tied up with rope.
“Er… would any of you like some food?” Malik asked.
“Sure,” Julia grunted.
“I’d love some!” Erin grinned.
Yann merely smiled in response.
In another corner of the mosque, Morien and his mother were in the midst of conversation.
“I… I’m sorry,” Pakeezah said. “I still don’t quite understand.”
“Do you remember when I was just a kid, baa?” Morien asked. “When I first read you the story of Lon, and said I wanted to be a hero just like him? Well now I’ve got the chance to do just that! Tar-Cruorem needs to be stopped, and someone worthy needs to collect the three Keys to his seal, someone like me.”
“I’ll admit, miss, your son is not the ideal choice for this task,” Hobie glinted gruntingly.
“H-hey! Whose side are you on?” Morien muttered.
“I am on no-one’s side, boy, save that of my master, Ohr,” Hobie glared. “It is His will that Tar-Cruorem be re-sealed, and my responsibility to find someone capable of doing that.”
“But… why can’t you… Hobie, was it?” Pakeezah mumbled.
“That is not my name but go on,” Hobie smoldered slowly.
“Alright. Why can’t you collect the Keys yourself?”
“I don’t have hands,” Hobie replied. “Also, after the Black-Blooded Baron severed my ties to Ohr, I have lost most of my power. Even hovering at this height requires far more effort than it should for me now.”
“But… what about the… the Marabout, he said…”
“Baa, the point is, I have the chance to do something great with my life, and I want to take it!” Morien said. “Isn’t that good?”
“Good?” Pakeezah cried. “You call leaving me alone so that you can follow some grand quest or noble duty good?”
“Y-you won’t be alone,” Morien faltered. “Malik will-”
“When your father left me to go on his own adventure, he said I wouldn’t be alone,” Pakeezah clutched the saphie tightly to her chest. “He said I still had my family. But then once they found out I was carrying his child, they all cast me aside like I was garbage.”
Morien stopped, taken aback. He had never considered the toll a grand adventure would take on the mother he would leave behind. The realization of this, of the foresight he had forgotten in favor of his own, selfish desire to be some knight in shining armor, made Morien question the very thing that had given him purpose for so many years. When Morien had been reading books and practicing swords, why couldn’t he have been there for his mother? He had known she was suffering just as much as him, and yet Morien had convinced himself that, if only he could be a hero, he could return triumphantly to the mosque that had become his home, and sweep his mother away to a life of luxury. But couldn’t he have done that just as easily as a librarian at the Grand Mosque? What if he had forgotten the most important thing in his life, the one who was now standing right in front of him?
“Baa…” Morien whispered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t… I didn’t mean…”
“No,” Pakeezah wiped the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. “I should be the one to apologize.”
“But-!”
“I know how much this means to you,” Pakeezah said. “I shouldn’t deprive you of your dream because of my own selfishness.”
“No!” Morien cried. “I’m the one who’s being selfish! You’re right, I can’t just abandon you to go on some… stupid quest thing!”
“But you’ll never get another chance for something like this again, will you?” Pakeezah asked. “If I take this opportunity away from you, that’ll be it. I could never forgive myself for something like that.”
“Then… then come with us,” Morien said.
Pakeezah turned away, staring into silence before finally speaking.
“I can’t. I don’t know any swordsmanship or magic. I don’t know how to navigate the world outside the Empire. I can’t speak any languages except Songhay and Mandenka. I can’t even read. And I’m so old, Morien. I wouldn’t be of any help on your quest. I’d be more a burden than anything else.”
“But… but…” Tears began to stream down Morien’s cheeks, as he saw for the first time the streaks of gray across his mother’s hair, the face made haggard from years of abandonment, the hands calloused and worn from taking care of her son for so long. He had never noticed until now. His mother had given so much for him, for his sake. How could he simply leave her behind?
But she was right. This opportunity, this chance to fight the Black-Blooded Baron and save the world, it was everything he had ever dreamed of and more. And he would not get another chance like it. It was an impossible choice, but in his heart of hearts, Morien knew the decision he would make.
“I love you, baa,” Morien wrapped his mother in a tight embrace.
“I love you too, Morien,” Pakeezah whispered.
“Hm?” Erin turned away from her meal as she saw a dour-faced Morien shuffle into the room, with Hobie floating closely behind. Seeing the boy was in a somber mood, Erin quietly made her way toward him, to tentatively reach out with a concerned query.
“Um… you okay?” Erin asked.
“Yeah,” Morien mumbled.
“Perhaps we should leave the lad alone for a moment,” Hobie suggested.
“O-okay…” Erin cast one last worried glance at Morien, before following Hobie back towards Yann and Julia. Evidently Morien needed some time to himself.
Morien glanced at the curious group of people he had met only a few hours ago. Yann was feeding Julia, who despite being tied up did not seem terribly upset at the situation. Erin and Hobie were discussing matters in hushed tones. And Malik was simply staring in bewilderment at the strange guests who were now in his mosque.
“So! What’s the news?” Julia hopped out of her chair and over to Erin and Hobie.
“It remains as we planned,” Hobie said. “We head towards Ibery in the morning.”
“And I trust you have found sufficient transportation to take you there?” Julia asked icily.
“Well…” Erin replied. “We were hoping you… I still have gold to give you if-”
“No, no, no!” Julia barked. “No way am I spending another second with you weirdos! Find someone else to take you south.”
“That would waste valuable time and energy which we do not have,” Hobie flashed furiously. “Were you not heading south in the first place? Surely it would be of little inconvenience to at least take us to Qurtana!”
“I am a simple, enterprising young businesswoman! I will not take responsibility for the human race!” Julia made a break for it, which was remarkably difficult in her currently constrained condition.
“I’ll stop her,” Erin sighed, before a hand on her shoulder caused her to look up and see Yann shaking his head. He would take care of things.
“Uh… are you sure?” Erin asked.
Yann nodded, and slowly walked over to Julia, who had now made her way outside. As Erin and Hobie looked on from a distance, Julia and Yann became engaged in what appeared to be a heated argument; or at least, as heated as an argument could be when one of the participants was mute. For several minutes the pair “squabbled”, until at last, against all expectations, Julia seemed to quiet down, and after scooping her up in his arms, Yann walked back inside the mosque with Julia in tow.
“I will take you to Qurtana and absolutely no farther,” Julia grumbled grimly.
“Thank you,” Erin smiled. “Really.”
“Don’t ply me with words, ya witch!” Julia barked. “Doesn’t mean I like it! Soon as we get there I’m kicking you all out!”
“It will suffice,” Hobie said. “You have our thanks.”
From the corner of the room where he stood, Morien sighed.
From the wagon seat where he sat, Morien sighed. As planned, the travelers had left the mosque at the break of day, and both Pakeezah and Malik had been there to see Morien off. But still, even with the adventure fully underway, Morien found he was not happy. Even with everything he had wanted now in front of him, all Morien could do was look back, as the city where he had grown up slowly faded into the distance. He could still see the faces of his mother and the imam as they had waved goodbye. Malik had taken Pakeezah into his arms comfortingly then, and Morien prayed that the two of them would be happy together, until he returned from his quest.
Tightly he clutched the saphie in his hand, the talisman Pakeezah had given him with his departure. His father, whoever he was, had written this charm. Perhaps it would lead Morien back to him on this journey. That was what Pakeezah had said, as she had hugged her son one last time, and as he repeated the saphie’s words, Morien wondered what the future would bring.
“Hey, buddy,” Julia grunted. “If you’re just gonna sit around being depressed, go back inside the cart.”
“I’m fine, okay,” Morien snapped. “I just… can’t I feel like crap for just a minute?”
“You’ve had a minute and more,” Julia said. “And nobody likes a great hero who mopes all the time.”
“Of course you’d say that!” Morien growled. “Look at you, you’re only my age and already you’re a traveling merchant! It must have been easy for you to leave your family. You’re so cold-hearted, you probably couldn’t wait to get away!”
“Don’t pretend to know things you obviously don’t,” Julia hissed.
“Well same for you!” Morien shouted. “Baa and Malik were the only people in that place that loved me! Do you know what that feels like, being hated for something you had no control over? Baa… the imam… I was so wrapped up in my own dreams, in what I wanted, that I never stopped to think about them…” Morien sighed, “Never mind. I don’t expect you to get it.”
It was a while before anyone spoke, but when they did, it was Julia who broke the silence.
“I do get it,” she said seriously. “I really do. But I also know that if this sort of knight-in-shining-armor thing was what you really wanted, then your mom and the imam would be happy for you.”
“I know, I just…” Morien muttered. “I just need a minute.”
Julia smiled. “Tell you what, why don’t you go back in the wagon and spend some time with the others? You’re more likely to cheer up in there with them than out here with me.”
“Are… you sure?”
“Certain,” Julia grinned. “Besides, if you send Yann out to take your seat I’ll have much better scenery to look at.”
“Of course,” Morien groaned. “I should have known.”
Morien was still disconcerted by the wagon’s interior. In fact, that was the main reason he had volunteered to sit out front with Julia. Even with Julia’s protestations of everything being perfectly safe, and more importantly legal, Morien still could not trust any object whose interior was larger than its exterior. The inside of Julia’s wagon was several times larger than the outside, and was filled to the brim with chests, barrels, and other containers, which no doubt had similar charms affixed to contain the massive quantity of goods they stored. And near the back, sitting on the silk-sheeted bed, Morien found Yann, Erin, and Hobie in the midst of conversation.
“So, when you say the three Keys,” Erin said. “Do you mean they’re actual, literal keys?”
“No,” Hobie replied. “The ‘Keys’ are, if memory serves, closer to gemstones than actual lock-picking devices.”
“If memory serves?”
“Well, it has been several centuries since they were last used,” Hobie explained. “For all I know, the Keys could have been converted to a different form after being returned to their places of origin.”
Yann, strumming a merry tune on his lute, was the first to notice Morien’s presence, which he greeted with a charming smile. As soon as Yann noticed Morien, Erin and Hobie turned his way as well, and gave similar greetings.
“Hi Morien,” Erin grinned.
“Yes, hello,” Hobie said.
“Uh, hi,” Morien replied. Then to Yann, “Uh, Julia wants you to switch places with me up front.”
Yann nodded understandingly and stood up to make his way outside.
“Say Yann,” Erin asked before he left. “That reminds me, how exactly did you get Julia to agree to this?”
Yann seemed surprised by the question, but merely responded with a finger pressed against his smiling lips.
“Man,” Erin muttered as Yann walked away. “I can never get a read on that guy.”
For several days, the group of questers traveled southward, as they slowly made their way towards Qurtana. As they trekked onward, the steppes of the Saheli gave way to the sandy moors of Barbary, and Morien took the time to learn more about the three Keys to Tar-Cruorem’s prison.
“The first Key is the Key of Land,” Hobie explained. “Its crimson color highlights the lava and magma that flows through the earth and gives it its power. Naturally, it was forged in the mountains of Ibery, where the highest peaks in all the land sit.
“The second Key is the Key of Sea. Its bluish bloom represents the océanic waves and tides that ripple round the world and give it its life. Of course, it was forged on the beaches of Normandy, where the sea can be seen in all its splendor.
“And finally, the third Key is the Key of Sky. Its greenish glow personifies the southern lights, the luminiferous waves of magic that blow across the land and give it its magic. As such, it was forged on the island of Hibernia, a focal point of magical mana.”
“Mana?” Morien asked. “Like… heavenly food?”
“No, no,” Hobie sighed. “That would be manna, two n’s. Mana, one n, is the energy where magic comes from.”
“And the Key which represents it is green!” Erin sighed. “How cool is that?”
“Yes, I’m sure that information pleases you greatly,” Hobie said. “However, from how you describe the world today, it would appear my information has become somewhat dated.”
“That’s right,” Morien sighed. “Most of Berber belongs to the Andalusi Caliphate. There are still some Antilian holdouts in southern Ibery, but apart from that, nothing.”
“And Hibernia took to the sky, literally, since Lon last sealed Tar-Cruorem away,” Erin added.
“Yes,” Hobie dimmed drearily. “Normandy still appears to be intact, albeit as a state of Carolina. I’m afraid I don’t know any information beyond that though.”
“Maybe Yann could help you,” Erin suggested. “He’s Carolingian, right?”
“Is he?” Hobie asked.
“I don’t know,” Morien grunted. “He’s not much of a talker.”
It was true, Yann nodded. He was utterly mute.
“Eek!” Erin shrieked as she and Morien leapt back in surprise. They hadn’t noticed Yann entering the wagon to join them.
“Geez,” Morien gasped. “Don’t startle us like that, Yann!”
Yann bowed an apology, before motioning for everyone to follow him outside. Evidently Julia wanted to talk about something.
Once everyone had come outside, Morien was treated to a breathtaking view. Out in the distance stood the Montalban Mountains, those tall and majestic peaks that were said to touch the heavens themselves. Morien’s knees began to quake as he realized he could now see the fabled burial ground of Orlando! His heart pounded and his mind swam as it recited the story ever-so-faithfully.
Seventh of the Valiants, Orlando was born out of wedlock, as the nephew of Charlemagne, who sought to reclaim the glory of Aenea as the empire fell to usher in a dark age. With the aid of Orlando, who wielded the sacred sword of Durendal, Charlemagne had soon united most of Augusta, to slowly make his way northeast, towards the Berber region. Orlando ventured on many a quest as his uncle’s campaign continued, but his last battle at Roncevaux Pass was by far his most famous. The Mashreqi Caliphate had also laid claim to the Berber region in its own quest to reclaim Aenea’s glory, and at Roncevaux Pass in the Montalban Mountains the two forces met. Orlando fought bravely and boldly, armed with both Durendal and his olifant horn. But the people of Berber were tired of war. When Orlando blew his horn to call for aid, they did not come. And as he died, Orlando saw that the people he had liberated from the dark age only saw him as another conqueror. So, with his final breath, Orlando trumpeted one final prayer, that all men might know freedom. He did not finish his prayer, though. It was cut short.
Morien shuddered as he recalled the paintings and pictures in his books, and saw how poorly they conveyed the true majesty of the mountains. There they were, right in front of him, more beautiful than anything he could have imagined, and as he heard a strange howling in the wind, he gasped.
“Is… is that the olifant horn?” Morien asked excitedly.
“Enh, I’d say a dinosaur, more like,” Julia grunted.
“Dinosaur?” Morien did not know the word.
“Giant lizards, with teeth and claws and other nasty stuff,” Julia grinned slyly. “They say they can eat a full-grown man in a single bite.”
“O-oh…” Morien’s stomach began to turn. Somehow, finding out that fearsome beasts were as real as legendary heroes was not the joyful experience he had expected.
“So why have we stopped here?” Erin asked.
“Because,” Julia replied. “I just had a positively novel inspiration.”
“Oh?” Hobie grunted. “Do tell.”
“You see,” Julia sidled up to Erin. “One of our passengers here has the ability to fly.”
“Well, that’s not entirely accurate,” Erin objected. “Actually I have the power to-”
“A-ziz-ziz-zup!” Julia hushed the sorceress’ objections. “You possess enough magical power to levitate, and if I’m correct, it’s enough power to levitate a large body of people.”
“Wait,” Morien glanced back at the mountain range. “You’re not suggesting we fly over the mountains, are you?”
“I am suggesting exactly that, Morien,” Julia said. “Think about it. Either we go around the mountains, which would take several more weeks, or we go over them, which could take a day at most. If Erin here helps us fly over the mountains, we’ll reach Qurtana in record time, and you’ll all be able to go about on your merry little way and do your mystic quest thingy without any delay.”
Morien and his fellow questers exchanged worried glances at each other.
“I must admit,” Hobie replied slowly. “It does make sense.”
Yann shrugged his shoulders.
“But… wait, hang on!” Morien cried. “Are you sure Erin can even make it across the mountains? Who knows how much the wagon and all of us will weigh!”
“I believe the decision is ultimately Erin’s own,” Julia interjected. “So, Erin, what do you say?”
“Hmm,” Erin bit her lip, as she looked at the mountains, then at the wagon, then into space as she turned over the idea in her head. Finally, after several minutes of thinking, she had her answer.
“We’ll need to cover the wagon in green,” Erin said. “It can be anything; green paint, green carpets, green clothes, but it’ll have to be green.”
“Alright,” Julia said. “I can manage that.”
“And…” Erin glanced at the mule. “Can the mule fit into the wagon?”
Julia mulled it over for a bit. “Yyyes. Molly should be able to do that.”
“Okay…” Erin muttered. “Then, finally, I’ll need plenty of warm clothes and food.”
“Food?”
“Using magic takes up calories,” Erin said. “To make it over the mountains I’ll need to burn through a boatload of them.”
“But you can do it?” Morien asked concernedly.
“Yup,” Erin nodded eagerly. “Let’s get started!”
After several hours of hard work, the travelers had covered Julia’s wagon in an assortment of carpets, tapestries, and cloths, all of which had some pigment of green in them. After that, Julia at last managed to coax her Molly mule into the wagon, as well as dig up enough warm clothes for everyone, and enough food for Erin to go through during their trip. Finally, once everything was set up, Erin sat atop the wagon, a sack of food in her lap and her staff at the ready. From the entrance of the wagon, Julia and Morien poked their heads out to see if everything was in order.
“Everything ready to go?” Julia asked.
“Yup,” Erin nodded.
“If you need anything, just give us a holler,” Morien said.
“Sure thing,” Erin smiled.
“Morien, stop flirting with the witch and get back inside,” Julia snickered.
“Wh-what?” Morien blushed. “I wasn’t… I’m just concerned is all!”
“Sure, sure,” Julia chuckled as she made her way towards the back of the wagon, where Yann was tenderly assuaging the fears of a very nervous Molly. He alone had not taken any coats.
“Oh Yehovah,” Julia melted at the sight of Yann massaging Molly’s muzzle. “Has anyone ever told you how sensual you look doing that?”
“Don’t take my Master’s name in vain,” Hobie interjected.
“Yeah,” Morien said. “And what’s so sensual about a guy petting a mule?”
“Hush you,” Julia pouted. “You’ll never woo Erin if you can’t understand a woman’s heart, Morien.”
“Would you stop with that already?” Morien grumbled.
Meanwhile, on the roof of the wagon, Erin steadied her breathing and emptied her mind. She would need complete concentration to pull this off.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s begin.
“Spirits of the Spectrum, your servant Green calls for your aid,” Erin chanted. “Those who color the leaves and the grass, those who decorate the courts of kings, those who fill the eyes of my kin, I call upon you!”
As she gave a tiny sneeze Erin’s eyes emitted an emerald glow, and a gale of wind erupted from her as the wagon began to rise into the air. Slowly, achingly, the wagon ascended as its green decorations billowed and pulsed with magical energy. Erin had not expected the wagon to be so heavy, even with all the cargo Julia was no doubt carrying. But even so, Erin gritted her teeth and continued to climb, until at last, the wagon had settled to a comfortable height.
“How’s it going?” Julia poked her head out to check on things.
“Fine,” Erin grimaced. “Just… gotta concentrate.”
“Gotcha,” Julia vamoosed back inside.
“Okay,” Erin tried to regulate her breathing again. She saw her path before her, between the two highest-peaked mountains of the range, which would surely lead directly to the southern mountain base they wished to arrive at. All she needed to do was hold out until then. Already, her stomach was growling and her eyes were heavy, but she refrained from opening the sack of food. Not until she reached that mountain, Erin thought, the one she had just picked out in her head. The goal was a purely arbitrary one, but it allowed her to focus, and as soon as she reached that mountain and ate a little, she would pick another mountain, and refrain from food until she reached that one. So on and so on it would go, until she at last reached her goal.
Sluggishly, the wagon lumbered across the sky, wintry winds whipping it and making Molly upset. Thankfully Yann was there to keep the mule calm, as Erin brought the wagon further and further into the Montalban peaks. Morien glanced nervously outside, while Julia calmly contemplated and Hobie hovered back and forth within the wagon.
Suddenly, the wagon crew noticed a strange noise coming from below. It was a screeching sound, and more than that, it was getting louder. Quickly, Julia and Morien rushed outside to see if something had come loose from the wagon bed, only to find the problem came not from the vehicle, but from the horde of screaming creatures making their way towards it.
“Dactyls!” Julia hissed.
“What?” Morien asked.
“Flying lizard-birds,” Julia cried. “Sard sard sard! This is bad!”
“Now there’s no call for such language,” Hobie interjected.
“Morien!” Julia chose to ignore Hobie’s moralizing. “How good are you with that training sword?”
“Uh… good enough to stave off a couple lizard… bird… whatevers,” Morien said. “I think.”
“Well good! Take this,” Julia rushed over to one of her trunks and took out some rope, which she quickly tied to Morien’s waist.
“Wait, are you-?”
“Go!” Julia shouted. “Erin’s defenseless up there. If those dactyls attack her we’re all done for. I’ll keep the rope steady in case you slip, but you need to get up there and protect her, okay?”
“O-okay,” Morien gulped. He couldn’t help but feel nervous at the prospect of fighting several thousand feet above the ground. But Julia was right. Erin needed his help. So Morien clutched his saphie for courage before making his way outside the wagon.
Morien’s multitude of coats made it difficult for him to move as freely as he was used to, but they protected him from the wind and the chill that slashed through his body as he slowly climbed up to where Erin sat. Even before reaching her, Morien saw that several of the dactyls were already circling Erin, trying to gauge whether this strange flying creature was a threat or a potential meal. Looking at them now, Morien saw that “flying lizard-bird” was indeed an apt description. The dactyls had snouts like lizards, with reptilian teeth and long tails, but at the same time their wings were distinctly avian, and snow-colored feathers grew all across their bodies and wings. However, this was no time for Morien to be examining the strange dinosaurs that were besieging the wagon. Shouting with all his might, Morien swung his practice sword around to scare the beasts off. The dactyls circled away, realizing that whatever this flying being was, it had defenses. However, whether those defenses could be overwhelmed or not had yet to be assessed, and the dactyls fully intended to make such an assessment.
“Go on! Beat it! Scram!” Morien yelled, and when the dactyls swooped down at him as a group, he swung his sword with all his might and managed to bat several of the creatures away. However, they soon recovered, to join the rest of their pack as it circled around and prepared to strike once more.
“I said beat it!” Morien howled, before checking to see the status of Erin. She was unharmed, but fully concentrated on her current task, the stress of which was obvious from the sweat on her brow and the harrowed look in her eyes. Even if these dactyls dealt no harm to her, they were surely a deadly distraction, which Morien had to take care of quickly.
As the dactyls swooped down again, Morien prepared to deal them another blow. When the two forces collided though, Morien realized too late that the dactyls had improved their strategy. The creatures could not bite or scratch through Morien’s coats, but they could push him off the wagon, which is exactly what they did.
“Morien!” Erin cried, and for a moment the wagon began to plummet, before she regained her concentration and put it back on course. In her mind, Erin was screaming, wondering if Morien was alright, but she could not come to his aid. Much as she wanted to, she needed to focus on keeping the wagon aloft.
From within the wagon, Julia was taken aback by the sudden lurch she felt from Morien’s fall and Erin’s lapse in concentration, and it was only with a great deal of effort that she managed to keep the rope steady and not fall out herself. Hurriedly Yann stood up to come to Julia’s aid, but she shook her head wildly.
“No no!” Julia cried. “We can’t have Molly rocking the wagon! I’m fine, just keep her calm!”
Yann cursed the current state of affairs, but knew that Julia was right. After the wagon had fallen momentarily, Molly had begun to get the jitters, and a berserk mule inside the wagon would only make things worse.
“Hobie!” Julia barked. “Can you check to see how Morien is?”
“Of course!” Hobie hurried outside, and saw that Morien was doing his best to fend off the horde of dactyls. Morien’s coats were slowly being torn apart, as the dactyls latched onto what they recognized as easy prey, and despite Morien’s best efforts, he could not stave them all off.
“It’s… oh dear,” Hobie muttered. He knew there was something he could do. But did he have enough power to pull it off? Well, it was at least worth a try.
“Everyone!” Hobie howled. “I need you to close your eyes!”
“What?” Julia asked.
“Just do it!” Hobie cried, and began to charge his energy up.
Julia, Yann, Erin, and Morien all did as Hobie had said, and so their eyes were spared when at last Hobie exploded in a brilliant flare of light, causing the newly blinded dactyls to howl and shriek as they fled in terror. As he saw his plan had succeeded, Hobie fell back inside the wagon. His light had dimmed significantly after generating that flare, but he was glad that he had managed to save Morien.
Unfortunately, just as the dactyls had been frightened by Hobie’s light, so too had Molly, and the mule shrieked in terror as she rampaged through the wagon. Yann tried to calm her, but Molly could not see and would not listen to him, and in the course of her riot, she bumped into Julia, and made her lose her grip on the rope.
“No!” Julia screamed as she lunged outside to make one last reach for the rope, but it was too late. As Morien plummeted into the craggy cliffs, the last thing he saw was Julia’s horror-struck face before he closed his eyes and waited for the end to come.
When Morien opened his eyes, he discovered to his surprise that not only was he not dead, but he was resting in the hand of an enormous, blue-skinned being, with pupil-less, red eyes, a thick, bushy beard, and an ornately ostentatious scarf wrapped around a ponytailed head.
“What?” Morien looked around, and saw nothing but snow and rocks. Was he still in the Montalban mountains?
“I’m alive?” Morien pondered aloud, prompting a disdainful snort from the creature whose hand he rested in.
“Yeah. Now get off,” the being growled. “My master forced me to save you, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“Master? What are you talking about?” Morien hurriedly did as the creature asked. Morien suspected he would not take kindly to being disobeyed.
“You there!” In Khaleeji, a clarion cry cut through the wintry air, and Morien looked up to see a man standing on the cliffs above him. The man was dressed completely in black, from the turban on his head to the shoes on his feet. From his dark skin and impressive beard, Morien presumed this strange man to be a Khaleeji from the western lands. But what was a Khaleeji doing in the Montalban mountains?
“I say, are you alright?” the man cried.
“Yes!” Morien responded. “But… who are you? Where am I?”
“Hold on, let me join you,” The man casually leapt off the cliff and began to plummet towards the rocks where Morien stood.
“Master!” Before Morien could utter a cry of shock, the blue-skinned being had reached out a hand to catch the man and set him gently down next to Morien.
“Thank you, jinni,” the man smirked.
“Jinni?” Morien gawped. “Wait, he’s an actual jinni?”
“Yes, and one bound to preserve this one’s safety, as per his one wish,” the jinni hissed bitterly.
“Only one wish?” Morien muttered. “I guess you’re not very powerful then.”
“Why you-!” the jinni rushed towards Morien with fingers sharp as sabers, and Morien realized he had made a terrible mistake to open his mouth. However, before the jinni could strike a fatal blow, his master deftly pulled out a dagger and placed it to his own throat, forcing the jinni to halt in his tracks.
“Ah-ah-ah, jinni,” the man grinned. “You know the terms of our agreement.”
“Yes, master,” the jinni growled sullenly, and floated back to his master’s side.
“I’m sorry, jinni sir,” Morien bowed politely. “That was disrespectful of me.”
“No need to apologize, my boy,” the man patted Morien’s back. “There is never a need to apologize to one’s lessers, after all. Now then, I believe introductions are in order.”
“Oh, uh, yes,” Morien said. “My name is Morien.”
“Morien,” the man repeated the name. “A… Songhay, are you?”
“Um, Mandenka, actually.”
“Well Morien, my name is Abdul Yusuf, Allamah of the great and noble Ar-Rahman, Lord of All Worlds,” the man smiled. “Tell me, how did you come to fall from the sky as you did? You wouldn’t happen to be a fallen angel, would you? Haha!”
“Ah! That’s right!” Morien cried. “Erin!”
“Harun?” Yusuf furrowed his brow.
“No, Erin! The girl I was helping!” Morien tried to spot the floating wagon in the sky, but it had passed too far away for him to see.
“Now calm down, young man,” Yusuf said. “You say you were protecting a girl? From what exactly?”
“From the dactyls!” Morien explained. “Erin was using her magic to fly us over the mountains but then we got attacked by some dactyls and I was trying to stave them off but then they pushed me off and they probably think I’m dead now!”
At this, the jinni began to emit a biting, derisive cackle, before a look from Yusuf silenced him.
“Now hold on,” the allamah said. “This Erin… you said she was using magic?”
“Uh… y-yes,” Morien was taken aback by the question. Why ask that of all things, given the current situation?
“I see,” Yusuf grumbled. “You do recall what the Prophet, peace be upon him, said about magic, do you not?”
“Uh…” Morien thought back to his lessons on scripture. “It’s… forbidden. But-”
“But nothing!” Yusuf bellowed. “Magic is one of the seven destructive sins! If you were attacked by dactyls, I can only assume it to be Divine Providence, intent on steering you away from that sorceress Erin and her toxic influence! You should praise Ar-Rahman’s name that He was generous enough to give you such a second chance!”
Morien squirmed beneath Yusuf’s accusatory gaze. That hadn’t been what Imam Malik had taught him about magic. As the imam had put it, magic itself was not evil. Rather, it was the wielder that ultimately decided whether its purpose was for good or for ill. Evidently though, the allamah was of a more fundamentalist mindset than Malik had been. But then, as Morien noticed the jinni floating beside his master…
“Wait… if magic is so wrong, then why are you using a ji-”
“Hold your tongue, boy!” Yusuf struck Morien across the face. “I use this jinni so that he may atone for his existence! His magic nature may be evil, but by serving me, he may do good.”
“Sure, just keep telling yourself that,” the jinni muttered, before a death glare from Yusuf silenced him.
“I saved you from death because I believed you to be an innocent soul,” Yusuf spat at Morien. “Now though, I see I was mistaken. Come jinni, let’s leave this poor creature to the wolves.”
As the allamah and his jinni made their way away, Morien suddenly remembered. These were the Montalban Mountains, where Julia had said fearsome dinosaurs lay. If the dactyls alone had almost killed him, Morien would never survive the other horrors that surely lurked within these lands. And with Erin and the others nowhere in sight, Morien had only one option left for survival.
“Wait!” Morien called out, making Yusuf and his jinni pause in their march.
“Yes?” Yusuf growled back at the young man.
“I… I’m sorry,” Morien said. “You were right. Are right, I mean. When I learned there was an easy way around the mountains, I took it, even knowing it was a sin. I made a stupid choice, because I was being immature, and… and if there’s any way I can make up for my mistake, I’ll do it. Just… I’m sorry.”
Yusuf stared coldly at Morien, and the boy hoped within his heart of hearts that his lie had worked.
“Very well then,” Yusuf turned and began to walk away once more. “In Qurtana, we can find proper punishment for you. But for now, I shall allow you to accompany me.”
“Thank you sir!” Morien hurried to catch up with the allamah, as he breathed a sigh of relief. Yusuf was going to Qurtana too! Perhaps then Morien still had a chance of reuniting with Erin and the others. Until then though, he couldn’t help but wonder what he was getting himself into.
“Easy, easy, there we go… Okay! We’re good!” Julia said as the wagon finally came to a landing at the valley below. At last, they had made it across the Montalban Mountains. It should have been a cause for celebration. But at that moment, all anyone could think of was the companion they had lost along the way.
“Morr…” Erin tried to speak, but found words too difficult to form in her current state, as she collapsed and fell limply from the top of the wagon. Thankfully, Yann was there to catch her, but still the young sorceress remained in great distress.
“Morr…” Erin mumbled and whimpered.
“It’s okay, Erin,” Julia said gently. “We’ll find him. But we need you to rest now. You can’t do anything until you recover your magic.”
“How… do we know… he isn’t simply… dead?” Hobie hovered limply out of the wagon.
“You shut up!” Julia snapped. “I’m sure he’s just fine!”
However, Julia’s faltering tone betrayed her, and Erin only moaned more deeply. Yann motioned that he would take Erin into the wagon, where she could rest. To his surprise though, Julia hurried back in before him.
“What… are you doing?” Hobie rasped.
“Where is it, where is it?” Julia rummaged frantically through her various chests and containers, until at last, with an “aha!”, she found what she was looking for.
“What is… that?” Hobie examined the smooth, jet-black stone Julia held in her hands, before jolting back in surprise as it began to light up with various colored dots and dashes.
“It lets me track all my inventory, in case something gets stolen,” Julia explained. “Got it from a Capronan fellow named Campanella.”
“How… does that… help us?”
“Morien had some of my rope tied to his waist when he fell, remember? If he’s alive, then the dot indicating that rope should be moving… and… it is!”
From the bed where Yann had set her down, Erin gave a pitiful moan, and flailed her arms as much as her exhausted state would allow.
“How… do you know… the rope… wasn’t simply… stolen… from him?”
“I told you to shut up!” Julia shouted.
“But… even if he is… alive… Erin’s magic… and my own… are depleted. And… I doubt… Molly is willing… to aid you… after the stress… of today.”
Julia bit her lip. Hobie was right. There was very little anyone could do to find Morien in the current situation. Perhaps it would be best to wait a while, until everyone had recovered fully. But then, by that point, Morien could already be dead, fallen victim to the elements or monsters of the mountains.
“You’re right,” Julia finally spoke. “Which is why I’m going alone.”
Yann stood up in protest, while Erin and Hobie emitted worried mumblings, but Julia was resolute.
“Erin, Hobie, you two are in no shape to go anywhere,” Julia said. “And Yann, I need you here to keep an eye on these two, and Molly as well.”
Yann tried to argue, but Julia would hear none of it. Instead, she went to several more of her chests and took out a pair of winged boots, a quiver of arrows, and a small crossbow.
“What… are you doing?” Hobie asked.
“Well, these Pegasus Boots I got from Normandy here’ll help me cross the mountains in a couple hours, tops,” Julia said as she put the boots on. “When we needed to bring the whole wagon across, they were pretty much useless. But now, with just me, they should come in handy. As for the crossbow, I know I’m a lousy shot, but it’s better than going with nothing.”
“Are… you sure about this?” Hobie queried concernedly.
“Hey, never let it be said I don’t take responsibility for my actions,” Julia grinned. “Well, except for a few business deals. And maybe one or two relationships. Uh… y’know maybe I should just stop while I’m ahead.”
Yann placed a gentle hand on Julia’s shoulder. As she looked up at him, she could see he was deeply troubled.
“Hey,” Julia smiled. “Don’t worry. There’s no way I’ll let myself die if a hunk like you’s waiting for me here.”
As the sun began to set across the distant mountain peaks, Morien felt the chill in the air pierce through him even more bitingly. Despite his multitude of coats, Morien was miserably cold. For some reason though, Yusuf seemed unfazed by the chill, despite his robes being obviously meant as desert wear.
“H-how are you n-not cold!?” Morien’s teeth chattered.
“Hm?” Yusuf glanced back at Morien. “Ah, yes, I’d forgotten. You don’t have a jinni to warm you.”
“Oh, okay,” Morien muttered. “M-magic then.”
“I don’t much care for your tone, boy,” Yusuf hissed.
“S-sorry,” Morien replied. “M’just cold.”
“Yes,” Yusuf sighed. “It is getting dark. Perhaps we ought to-”
Before he could finish, a raspy roar rolled across the rocks where Morien and the allamah stood. Whipping his head in the direction of the sound, Morien saw a massive dinosaur charging towards them. With its snowy plumage, razor sharp claws, and a frightening frill on its fanged face, the creature looked like a cross between a dragon and an eagle. Morien could only cower in fear at the sight of the monster. It was bigger and more terrifying than anything he had ever seen in his life! Yusuf, on the other hand, could only regard the beast with bored disinterest.
“Jinni,” Yusuf snapped his fingers. “Be quick about it.”
“Yes, master,” the jinni erupted from his master’s side and, to Morien’s surprise, took the form of the beast before them. The creature, taken aback, was unprepared when the jinni sank his fangs into its neck. Quickly regaining its composure though, the beast ripped free of the jinni’s teeth and leapt towards him, claws at the ready.
“I said, be quick about it,” Yusuf growled bitterly at the jinni.
“Now master,” the jinni chuckled as he wrestled with the dinosaur. “You know the terms of our agreement.”
“All too well,” Yusuf grumbled.
“Wait… I’m c-confused,” Morien said.
“My wish was for this jinni to preserve my safety,” Yusuf explained. “However, his own… proclivities cause him to carry out those duties in a most roundabout way sometimes.”
“Proclivities?”
“Yes,” Yusuf sighed. “As you can see, rather than utilize the vast power at his disposal, the jinni prefers to pummel his opponents.”
“There’s no joy to a fight if you can never lose!” the jinni cried as he was tossed over Morien and Yusuf’s heads by the monster.
“And there’s no use to a jinni that’s dead!” Yusuf shouted.
That was true, Morien recalled. As he had read, whenever jinn took the form of another being, they gained all the weaknesses of that being. And judging from the jinni’s current bruised and bloodied state, it was in very serious danger of dying.
With another mighty roar, the dinosaur charged towards the jinni, ready to strike the final blow. However, just as Morien turned away, the jinni leapt up and sank his claws into the creature’s belly, spilling its insides out and ending its life.
“Are you quite done?” Yusuf growled.
“Yes, master. The beast fought bravely,” the jinni returned to his regular form, a serene smile on his face.
“Bravely?” Yusuf scoffed. “It was a dumb animal. Nothing more.”
“Uh… are you alright?” Morien inquired.
“Oh, yeah,” the jinni said. “My wounds should heal quickly, now that I’m back to my normal state.”
“Good. You can also return to your ring,” Yusuf placed his fingers close to a ring he was wearing, poised to rub it.
“But… master!” the jinni cried horror-struck. “I… you said I didn’t have to go back in the ring!”
“Yes, but that was before a certain someone decided to make things difficult and almost got himself killed.”
“P-please master,” the jinni began to shake in terror. “Don’t make me go back into the ring! Don’t!”
“Well…” It was obvious the allamah was toying with the jinni. “I don’t know. Maybe if you make us a fire for the night, I’ll allow it.”
“B-but… that isn’t part of the agreement!” the jinni protested.
“No, it isn’t.”
The jinni balked, evidently torn between serving a master he despised and returning to the ring that served as his prison. The expression on the jinni’s face, the obvious torment, was an expression Morien was all too familiar with. It was the expression of a bullied victim, an expression Morien had experienced many times during his encounters with Zakariyya and his goons. Morien could not help but feel a pang of pity for the jinni, as he struggled between the two awful options. But at last, after clenching his fists, gritting his teeth, and growling out a “yes, master”, the jinni went to do as he was told, and set out to find wood for kindling. Morien’s heart swelled, wishing there was something he could do, when suddenly he remembered that which still lay wrapped around his waist.
“Uh… h-hey!” Morien called out to the jinni.
“What?” the jinni grumbled back.
“Uh…” Morien lifted up the rope. “You can… at least, I think you can use this.”
The jinni stared back blankly at Morien, while Yusuf cast a suspicious glare but said nothing.
“Th-thank you,” the jinni said.
“What?!” Julia cried as she gawked at the black stone in her hands. No, she thought, this couldn’t be happening! And yet, the stone’s display showed that not only had the rope’s light stopped moving, but it was slowly fading away, until at last it disappeared from the black stone completely. It was gone. Nothing remained. Which could only mean…
“No,” Julia whispered as she sank to her knees. “No no no no no no no…”
She had failed him. She had failed Morien, and because of her, he was now dead. She could see the frightened image of Morien being torn to shreds by a monster’s claws, of him calling out for help but finding no answer, of him dying alone, out in the wilderness, all because of her stupid idea. He might have been a naïve kid, but he hadn’t deserved that.
Her fault. All her fault. Tears began to stream down Julia’s face, as she looked up to the sky, wondering. If Yehovah was real, why hadn’t He helped Morien? It was all too cruel. Too cruel. Too…
Just then, out in the distance, Julia noticed a trail of smoke billowing from between the mountains. Hurriedly, Julia glanced back at the black stone, then at her surroundings, then back at the stone again. If she was right, if her triangulations were correct, if there was any justice in the world at all, then perhaps there was still some hope yet. Quickly, with the full power of her Pegasus Boots, Julia bounded across the rocky crags towards the smoke, hoping against all hope that she would find Morien safe and sound, sitting by a fire.
After completing the customary nightfall prayers, Morien, Yusuf, and the jinni each lay down to sleep. However, as the night stretched on, and the fire crackled away, Morien found sleep difficult to accomplish. He hoped that everyone back at the wagon was alright. Erin would surely be devastated, and Yann and Hobie would probably be fairly upset as well. But what about Julia? It wasn’t as though she had even wanted him along in the first place. More than likely she had simply continued on the journey to Qurtana, without giving him a second thought.
“Say…” the jinni interrupted Morien’s thoughts. “Can’t sleep?”
“Uh… no,” Morien replied. “You?”
“I don’t sleep,” the jinni said. “I don’t have to.”
“So… you just lie around all night?”
“Pretty much,” the jinni grunted. “It’s really boring, but it’s a million times better than being stuck in that ring.”
“How did you get trapped in there in the first place?” Morien asked. “From the way you talk about it, it sounds like the ring is a prison.”
“It is,” the jinni shuddered. “I’ve never been the strongest jinni. Never had the most powerful magic or the strongest charms. But I hated being looked down on, so I would get into fights with other jinn, just to prove something. I never won at first, but then I realized how much fun fighting could be, and after a while, I got stronger and started winning more and more. It was great! Punching all those smug faces right where it hurt, beating up everyone who’d ever looked down on me, getting stronger and stronger with each new victory, those were the best times of my life. Should’ve known it wouldn’t last though. Should’ve known the other jinn’d all gang up and imprison me in that ring.”
“I’m… sorry.”
“Naw, shut up!” the jinni hissed. “Don’t give me any of that pity nonsense! If I’d wanted pity I wouldn’t have told you all that.”
“Then… why did you tell me?” Morien asked.
“Because you get it,” the jinni said. “You get being looked down on, don’t you? I can tell.”
Morien thought back to his childhood, a time without friends or social standing. Back then, he had always been able to retreat into the comfort of a book, to return to the safety of the mosque. But as he looked at the jinni, Morien wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t even possessed those comforts? If there was no respite in the daily battle between him and his bullies? What comforts would he have turned to then? Would he have ended up just as violent as the jinni?
“Yeah,” Morien mumbled. “I get it.”
“See? Like I said,” the jinni smiled.
“So… how did you get out of the ring?”
“Oh, you know,” the jinni sighed. “My master found me, released me, and I was so thankful to him I decided to grant him a wish. Should’ve known better than to do that. But at least the guy has a lot of enemies, and I get to fight them. But since they’re not jinn, I have to copy their form just to make things interesting.”
“Interesting?” Morien balked. “You almost died today.”
“I know,” the jinni grinned. “That’s the only way I’ll be free of my servitude, after all. And besides, there’s no other way I’d want to die than by fighting. Maybe one day, I’ll even get to fight another jinni, or at least someone I could fight at full power with.”
“What? There has to be some other way out of your agreement, doesn’t there?”
“I wish,” the jinni grumbled. “My master’s clever. It seemed like a simple wish at first, protecting his safety, but he’s already used it to make himself virtually immortal, and once he starts getting really old, that’s probably just what he’ll use me for.”
“So… what’ll you do?” Morien asked.
“Just keep fighting, I guess,” the jinni shrugged. “If I keep getting to do that, then it’s not so bad.”
“That’s…” Morien tried to find something appropriate to say, but found the only words that came to mind were ones of pity, and after all, the jinni had no wish for those.
“Maybe we’ll get attacked by something in the middle of the night,” the jinni grinned. “That’d be nice.”
“I’m gonna… y’know,” Morien got up and motioned towards some bushes.
“Aw, great,” the jinni said. “If anything attacks you, give a holler, and I’ll kill it for you.”
“S-sure,” Morien replied, as he made his way towards the bushes. In reality, he did not have to relieve himself. He simply wanted to get away for a while. In Morien’s mind, the image of the jinni tormented him. All at once, he felt a mixture of pity, wariness, fear, and compassion for the poor being. He obviously took sick joy in killing his opponents. But then, if he hadn’t been tormented so much in his youth, could he have turned out better in the end? But then, just because the jinni had had a tough break in life, did that excuse the things he had done? The jinni had only said that Yusuf had many enemies. For all Morien knew, the jinni could have killed countless people. But then, still Morien could not help but see a bit of himself in the jinni. The pain that lay in their hearts was the same, even if their way of dealing with it was different. He could tell.
“Pst!”
As Morien was lost in his thoughts, a harsh whisper brought him back to reality. Peering into the bushes, he saw the last person he had expected to be standing there.
“Julia!” Morien almost shouted, before remembering to keep his voice down.
“Praise Yehovah,” Julia whispered. “I wasn’t sure if… let’s just go okay?”
“Wh-what are you doing here?” Morien asked.
“Rescuing you, obviously!”
“But…” Morien did not know what to say. It all seemed too good to be true. Why had Julia come back for him? It made no sense. But in that moment, Morien wasn’t sure if he minded.
“Is everyone else alright?” Morien asked.
“Of course,” Julia said. “Now come on, let’s-”
“Let’s what?” Yusuf’s voice made Morien’s blood run cold, as he turned around to see the allamah lying awake with a cold, cruel stare on his face.
“Master!” the jinni cried. “I… I thought…”
“You thought I lay asleep, and thus deaf to your mutinous whisperings,” Yusuf stood up. “But I assure you, jinni, I am never deaf to treachery.”
“I wasn’t about to betray you, master, I swear!” the jinni squirmed. “I would never do such a thing! Please don’t put me back in-”
“Silence!” Yusuf bellowed. “You are unworthy of my compassion, jinni. But perhaps, if you kill the boy and this witch, I shall forgive you.”
“Whoa now, pops,” Julia said. “I’m no witch. I’m a wench. A wench, y’hear?”
“B-but… master…” the jinni glanced reluctantly at Morien.
“But?” Yusuf sneered. “Were you not just telling him how fighting was the only source of joy in your life? Already lost your bloodlust, have you?”
“I… I just…”
“Do it now,” the allamah placed the knife to his throat. “Or I-”
Before he could finish, the allamah was taken aback by a bolt whisking away his turban. For a moment, all the jinni and Yusuf could do was stare in shock at the turban as it plummeted past the cliff-edge and towards the ground so far below. Turning back towards Julia, Morien saw the young woman with a recently-loosed crossbow in her hands and a look of frustration on her face.
“Ah nuts,” Julia griped. “I said I was a lousy shot.”
“Kill them!” the allamah screamed at the jinni. “Kill them now!”
“Time to leave,” Julia grabbed Morien’s hand and raced down the mountain.
“Whoa!” Morien was caught off-guard by the Pegasus Boots’ remarkable speed.
“Oh yeah,” Julia said. “If you’re having trouble, you can climb on my back!”
“Uh… are you sure?” Morien asked.
“Relax,” Julia smirked. “I’m used to having men on-”
Before she could finish, a mirror image of Julia appeared seemingly out of nowhere to deliver a kick square to her jaw. With a cry of pain, Julia flew backwards, and might have crashed into the ground had Morien not been there to catch her.
“Julia!” Morien glanced up to see the mirror-Julia strike a fighting pose.
“What the-?” Julia stared in shock at the mirror image of herself. “What the heck is that?”
“It’s the jinni!” Morien explained frantically.
“Genie?” Julia furrowed her brow.
“Something like that,” the jinni said. “And I’m sorry. Really, I am. But I don’t have much choice, do I?”
“Of course you do!” Morien cried. “Say we got away! You tried your hardest, but it just wasn’t enough.”
“I’m sorry,” the jinni shook his head. “But he wouldn’t believe me. He’d lock me up in that ring again. Do you know how long I was in there the last time? A thousand years! Do you know what it’s like, to be trapped inside a cage no bigger than your thumb for one thousand years?”
“Then… then…” Morien glanced around, trying to find something, anything he could use to defend himself with. But there was nothing, nothing but snow and rocks as far as the eye could see.
Then an arrow shot through the jinni’s shoulder.
“There, will that help?” Julia asked her double.
“J-Julia!” Morien screeched. “You… what… you shot him in the shoulder!”
“I was aiming for his stomach,” Julia shrugged.
“You… WITCH!” the jinni shrieked.
“Wench, wench,” Julia stressed. “I already told you that.”
“Whatever,” the jinni pulled out his own crossbow and shot Julia in the shoulder. “Either way, you’re just as dead.”
“Julia!” Morien cried as Julia fell to the ground, and her blood began to stain the snow a crimson red.
“Ah, gee, right where I got you. What are the odds?” Julia couldn’t help but snicker, even in her wounded state.
“Better for me than you, obviously, since I hit what I was aiming for,” the jinni cocked his crossbow at the ready. “This next one goes through your head.”
“Wait!” Morien quickly placed himself between Julia and her double. “Jinni, I… I don’t want to fight you.”
“I don’t want to fight you either,” the jinni hissed. “This wench, on the other hand, I have no problem with.”
“Glad you got it right this time,” Julia smirked.
“Julia would you cut it out?” Morien cried. “You’re not making this situation any better!”
“Now get out of my way,” the jinni growled.
“No!” Morien shrieked, though his obvious fear made it sound more like a squeak. But then, how was he supposed to react? It wasn’t as though he’d ever been in this sort of situation before. Even when facing Zakariyya and his gang at their strongest, Morien had never faced certain death as he did now, with the jinni pointing his crossbow directly at him. And for what? Why was Morien standing in the way now? For some girl who didn’t even like him that much? Maybe it was better that he stood aside and let the jinni finish his task. Maybe it was better…
No! Morien crushed the cowardly thoughts just as they began to take root in his mind. Was that any way for a hero to behave? It didn’t matter how poorly Julia regarded him. What mattered was that if he didn’t intervene, she would die. He knew her mirror would kill her, should he decide to step aside. So instead, Morien locked his shaking knees in place, held his jittering hands out, and stared a frightened gaze directly into the jinni’s eyes.
“I’m not getting out of your way,” he said. “I’m staying put.”
“Morien…” Julia was taken aback. “What are you…?”
“Morien…” the jinni gritted his teeth. “You…”
There was no way Morien could win against the jinni. Morien knew it. The jinni knew it. Even Julia knew it. But when he looked at Morien, standing there resolutely despite his obvious fear, the jinni couldn’t help but remember how he had stood up to all those other jinn that had tormented him, even knowing he would never win. It hadn’t mattered that he couldn’t beat them. What had mattered was simply having the courage to stand up in the first place.
“You get it,” the jinni lowered his crossbow. “Don’t you?”
“I’m sorry,” Morien whispered. “I wish we could take you with us.”
“Naw, shut up,” the jinni huffed. “I don’t need your pity. Just… here.”
Morien blinked in surprise as the jinni handed him the crossbow.
“You’ll need to get me somewhere good,” the jinni said. “If you want to leave a decent wound.”
“Hey,” Julia said, as the two at last spotted the familiar wagon in the distance.
“Hm?” Morien turned back to look at Julia, still keeping pressure on the arrow wound. They had exchanged the Pegasus Boots back there, where they had left the jinni wounded enough to return to his master, and Morien had been carrying Julia on his back ever since. They hadn’t spoken after that, enduring the trip silently until now. So Morien was surprised, not only by the sudden break in the silence, but by Julia’s uncharacteristically thoughtful expression as she spoke.
“Why… why did you save me back there?” Julia asked.
“Well… why did you come back for me?” Morien returned her question with another question.
“Hey, I asked my question first,” Julia retorted. “Answer mine and I’ll answer yours.”
“Alright,” Morien replied. “I did it because it was the right thing to do.”
“Heh,” Julia sighed after a pause. “You really are a naïve kid.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Morien said. “So what about you?”
“I just…” Julia mumbled. “I just don’t like people getting left behind is all.”
“Huh,” Morien muttered. “Well… thank you. Really.”
“No prob. And… thank you. For back there.”
“No prob.”
And with that, the two questers continued their trek back towards the wagon.
