The Expedition: Chapter Four

The genie and the young adventuress ran through the night, away from the oasis where the cultists searched for them. They didn't speak. There were no words to express what each of them felt or even tried to understand while running side by side in the darkness of the desert. Amelia had been out there for a day or two but could sense nothing familiar except Shayanna, who guided her steps with her right hand tightly clasped in Amelia's left one - guiding her down winding paths through ravines, across dunes, over rocky ridges, and across dry creek beds.

The sun started to rise when the two took shelter in an alcove cut into the rock near the edge of a canyon.

There, they collapsed on their knees next to a crack in the wall and leaned forward onto their foreheads to rest and catch their breath. The morning sky overhead turned an orange-red as if dawn would never come. The heat radiating off the rocks kept both women sweating profusely; the air seemed hot enough to burn! But it felt beautiful as Amelia inhaled deeply through her nose, letting her body absorb some fresh oxygen; she felt so alive and energized now! Her legs burned with every step she'd taken throughout the night!

Shayanna lifted her head from where she rested against a stone slab supporting a ledge above them. "We have run far this night."

"Yes," replied Amelia. She stood up slowly, exhausted yet excited, and looked at Shayanna, who smiled at her. Shayanna held her gaze for several seconds before speaking again:

"I will take you back home...but first, we must stop by my palace, where I will get some food."

"Okay!" said Amelia while rubbing her arms to help warm them. "Is your place very close by?"

Shayanna grabbed the bottle and smiled. "Very close."

With a wiggle of her nose, Amelia's head began to spin as pink smoke engulfed them both!

The genie was taking her into the bottle!

She felt her world swirl around her as the vortex of pink smoke whirled around her, and her entire body felt weightless!

Amelia let out an involuntary scream as everything went dark...then light...then dark...and then...it all came together with an overwhelming force that squeezed in on her mind until it became unbearable. Then...everything exploded outwards like a million colors flashing inside her head.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing in the foyer of an enormous and ornate regal desert palace! Amelia stared wide-eyed, not knowing how or why she had been transported here from the canyon, but sure, she had no choice except to follow along behind Shayanna and hope this would lead her friends back safely to her!

Amelia gasped! "Where are we?"

"In my bottle!" Shayanna smiled as she walked towards a large set of double doors and pushed them open. The entries must have been twenty feet tall and covered in gold!

"But we can't get out until someone finds us and rubs the bottle!" Amelia said, following but a bit light-headed. The two women entered a long hall lined with exotic plants, hanging chandeliers, furniture, carpets, statues, artwork, paintings, and décor, which seemed so extravagant yet luxurious - much more than anything seen in modern times. A few rooms were so large they could house an army of people! There was even a grand ballroom big enough to accommodate hundreds of guests.

Shayanna laughed, "You are the one who summoned me! If I have you, we may leave ourselves!"

"I'm sorry," Amelia said, "I don't know genie rules."

Shayanna led Amelia through one such room filled with rich tapestries and beautiful sculptures while carrying the bottle of water upon her head; Amelia looked at each piece as if trying to understand what it meant, for all of these items appeared very ancient, especially their faces that revealed emotions from lifetimes ago. They finally arrived before another set of doors made of solid silver, which stood almost fifteen feet high, decorated with fine gems, gold leafing, and carvings done in detailed designs. But unlike most doors she'd ever seen, there was no handle or knob...just a thin banded rope wrapped around the middle like a thick strand of yarn!

"What is this place?"

"This is my home...where I sleep...and where I live." We can rest and get something to eat here," Shayanna said. "And worry not; the bottle is hidden in the canyon, so no one shall find it and release us."

Shayanna opened the doors into a large room leading to a terrace with a long pool stretching from inside to the outside. Two large blue-skinned genies with scimitars guarded the entrance and eyed Amelia suspiciously.

"She summoned me," Shayanna said, "she is fine. Good-hearted but a little naive. But cute in a way."

Amelia groaned and rolled her eyes.

Other women, whom Amelia thought were genies, sat around the pool, and some swam in the water.

"Are those genies?" she said.

"In training," Shayanna nodded. "Daughters of djinn, and others. A few humans with the talent. My most gifted is there, on the largest pillow."

Shayanna pointed to a beautiful dark-skinned woman with long hair, with a few strings of gold beads along the sides. She was wearing a gold-chain bikini, and every feature on her body looked perfect, just like a statue!

"Is she a genie, too?" asked Amelia.

Shayanna laughed. "No! That is Trey. She is like a goddess in human form. In a way. Very skilled in magic. She has the potential to become a Djinn-Arch Magi someday."

Amelia swallowed. "Can I say hello to her?"

Trey smiled and waved her over. "Mm! Come! Sit near me! Keep me company!"

Amelia did so as Shayanna made them something to eat, roasted goat meat and dates. Then they relaxed by the pool while listening to music from several instruments.

Amelia had never seen anything so unique or exotic; it was all new and wonderful. It felt almost magical to be sitting in this palace with a genie in such proximity. The two women talked about everything and nothing at once.

"Death cultists, hmm?" Trey said, raising a brow. "Not good. No, not good at all."

"Can you help us?" Amelia asked. "You have djinn with swords and are so powerful, I mean..."

Shayanna smiled. "The world of genies is not like that, child. The other djinn here are lost, their lamps destroyed, and they must be bound to new lamps to be free again."

Amelia blinked. "What about Trey?"

"Mm," Trey hummed, "more complicated than that. I am, as you say, a bit cursed to be stuck in this lamp. My fault. And I have never mustered the will to break it or leave."

"So you are like me?" Amelia said.

"Sort of," Trey shrugged. "A human sorceress cursed to be in a genie's lamp forever. Never to leave. Not until I find true love."

Shayanna laughed. "That is the curse. No love can come in here to find your heart!"

Trey groaned. "You got it, sister. Loveless and forlorn am I. Yes. Stuck in here, I spend my time learning, reading, and, oh, yes, dancing and enjoying the good company of the genies and djinn of an empire lost to time and the sands."

Shayanna laughed. "It is a home, and as I find spirits of my kind, I bring them in. I hope my lamp survives, or our people shall be lost."

Amelia nodded. "When I get out, I shall make sure it is protected! My father is essential, you know!"

Trey smirked. "Importance is fleeting. Only for a short moment is anyone significant. Otherwise, they fade like sand unto the wind."

Shayanna nodded. "And please do not put my lamp in a museum, child!"

Amelia blinked. "But we have a Royal Museum that is very safe-"

Trey shook her head. "To forever be looked upon and forgotten is a fate worse than being buried and lost to the sands of time, child."

Amelia nodded. "Then what should I do?"

Trey sighed. "If I could get out of this lamp, I could bind genies to lamps. But I would need a mage's laboratory. And a safe place. And a small city willing to let the djinn and genies be themselves. Not easy things in my time, not do I bet as easy in whatever time it is out there." She waved a hand at Amelia with two fingers extended as if pointing outside. Then she grinned. "But you seem like you might just have all those things!"

"I'm sorry," Amelia said, feeling deflated but still determined.

"Mm," Trey hummed, shaking her head slowly. "No...don't apologize! If it makes your heart feel better, then by all means. You will be the only human to free one of us from the lamp!"

"Do you want to get out of your lamp too?" Shayanna asked Trey.

Trey smiled. "I cannot leave my lamp unless I fall in love, which has not happened, yet."

Amelia nodded. "Well, I'd like to try and help you, so I can free more djinn like you and make a home for them somewhere!"

"Good for you," Trey winked and turned back towards her books and scrolls as music played softly throughout the palace grounds. The sun was rising when they finally retired for bed on large soft cushions arranged around low tables near the pool, where they sat together enjoying their last few hours before returning the bottle to the canyon.

Amelia yawned and leaned against Shayanna, who snored gently beside her. Amelia took off her shoes to massage her feet while listening to birds chirping in nearby trees and a river flowing over rocks in the gardens. She thought this place felt magical and exotic, much different than modern times. She remembered reading about genies and djinn in ancient texts in school. Some were known as angels with powers like magic, flying, or other special abilities, but she never dreamed she would meet one someday! And especially not one so close as this!

She couldn't believe how tired she was; it had been an exciting but exhausting day.

Shayanna's eyes opened suddenly!

"What is it?"

"We have visitors," Trey said groggily from her table by the pool, "some men...near the canyon! They are looking for the lamp!"