Page 47 of Releasing the Djinn
Chapter 14
After three days, Nadira finally got a call from her sister, confirming that she made it to the school and settled into her room. It started off with a litany of complaints about how far the school was from any decent city and how most of the women there seemed to be stuck up snobs. Eventually, after an hour of venting, the younger girl confessed her worries. Even so far away and her divorce papers signed, one signature magically forged of course, Nazma feared Kedar and his family would somehow try to take her back. The need to know what had happened to her sister in her brief marriage to Kedar ate Nadira alive, but she couldn’t bring herself to press her sister about it. Each time she hedged around the question, she could feel her sister tense on the other end of the line. Grateful that she was safe, Nadira didn’t press the topic any further and promised her that she would send her plenty of clothes and other necessities. For the first time in a long time, Nazma had thanked her and promised she would call again soon.
Hanging up with her sister, Nadira smiled. She was happy for Nazma, she could only pray that everything worked out for her. Looking up to the window beside her, Nadira pulled her legs tightly beneath herself as she sat in the corner of the couch. It was dreary outside. Earlier when she woke up, it had been raining, leaving the concrete tiles around the pool wet and the sky overcast. Idrak was gone, he told her that morning he was curious if there were any remains of an Ottoman battle he helped wage. Nadira knew the real truth though, she knew the arrogant demon just wanted to see if there were any inaccuracies in the archeologist's findings so he could gloat and send a scathing letter on just how wrong they were and why. A little habit that was starting to become more than a hobby for the djinn.
Actually, she was happy that he was gone. It was getting harder and harder to put on a convincing smile in front of the observant djinn when all she could think about was that he might be trying to hurt her.
She had come up with the startling thought early that morning when she woke up again from the all too very real dream. Warm hands had brushed over her body with a gentleness that belied the claws that followed and how they scratched unknown symbols into her skin. When she woke with a start, she had screwed her eyes shut tight to keep from crying. He was marking her, and though she could not see them after what felt like an hour of examination in front of the full-length mirror, she knew he was. His once smooth skin was completely marred by the ancient text scrawled across his skin, symbols he refused to acknowledge or discuss, no matter how many times she asked.
Why wouldn’t he tell her what they were? Why wait until she was asleep to claw at her skin? If he could not—would not—tell her then it must be something she would disapprove of or maybe worse, something that would scare her. With each turn in her thoughts, her fear grew, and the bile rose in her throat. What if this was all just a lie? A lie that was too good to be true. Her worst fears were coming back to the surface, and now there was nothing to hold onto, nothing to shield her so that logic could safely dispel them.
Standing up, Nadira began to pace restlessly. Glancing out the window, she was startled to see the sky much darker than before. Turning her wrist, she did a double-take at the time, she had lost a few hours sitting here lost in her fear. Idrak would be home soon. Her stomach knotted at the thought. Shaking her head, she ran an agitated hand through her wavy black hair as she tapped her ballerina slipper anxiously on the carpet. She needed time to think this through, time away from the djinn. She could feel his perceptive eyes hone in on her as she gave him a restrained kiss before he left, but he said nothing and blinked away. He would not let that go twice. Inevitably he would reach for her again tonight and undoubtedly call out any hesitation on her part.
Rushing up the stairs, Nadira grabbed her long crocheted sweater and the stone necklace from her closet. Slipping the stone around her neck, she went downstairs and out into the backyard, ignoring the drizzle of falling rain. She just needed time she reasoned to herself at the sudden assault of guilt. Tonight, she would tell Idrak about the stone, but she would demand he tell her about the marks in return. No more dancing around the topic and backing off, tonight she would get answers.
Stepping onto the soaked patio, she paused at the sight of the open gate. She had planned on sitting quietly in the corner of the yard invisible to Idrak as she thought of exactly what to say but as she watched the gate to the beach sway lightly in the increasing wind, she stepped forward. Glancing at the once welded shut lock, she noted that it looked as if it had never been touched, just like a simple open gate lock.
Taking the narrow winding steps slowly, Nadira hugged her sweater near her as the wind began to whip her hair about her face. With each step, it seemed the storm grew stronger until she found herself pausing near the bottom, only steps away from the sand, wondering if she should go on. Worriedly, she turned and stared up at the stair-stepped pathway that led up to their house. She couldn't go back now, not until she just had a bit more time to herself to think what she was going to say. Making her decision, she plunged ahead, her shoes sinking into the wet sand.
With each step forward near the water's lapping edge, the storm seemed to calm. Wind still whipped at her hair, but an eerie silence that seemed misplaced settled over her until all she could hear was the sound of the waves.
Stopping at the water's edge, Nadira clutched at the stone with one hand and closed her eyes. She had told Idrak she loved him, was she a fool for doing so?
Water lapped closer and closer as she stood there trying to recall every moment she shared with the djinn, trying to collect all the evidence she could that would prove to her he truly loved her in return.
Cool water touched her ankle, pulling her from her thoughts. Opening her eyes, Nadira froze. Standing a few yards away from her stood a woman. Unaffected by the waves that lapped at her knees, the woman stood staring back at Nadira. As if in complete obedience, moonlight trailed over the woman's form, highlighting her gold netted outfit that left very little in the way of concealment. Her dark skin glistened while her dark brown hair lay gently in long spiraling curls reaching down to her hips.
Nadira knew immediately who the woman was and fear appropriately began to rise within her as the woman narrowed her golden eyes at her.
"Surely the djinn would have warned you about coming out into the sea?" The woman's voice was deep and commanding, a woman whose words were always heeded whether one wanted to or not.
Nadira nodded hastily, wishing for anything she could turn back and run. "He did."
"Then…" The woman let the words drop off as she waved one hand out with impatience.
Nadira jumped as thunder above her cracked over her head. Looking around her, she could see that the storm was raging like a hurricane and she was standing safely in the eye of it untouched.
Pushing back some of her flailing hair, she looked back at the woman standing calmly in the chaotic waves and tried to gather her words. "I think…I don’t know…I thought he cared for me, but I think he is trying to get rid of me."
The woman gave her a stern questioning look that reminded Nadira of her mother.
"He has put markings all over me, symbols I cannot read," she tried to explain, not sure why she was confessing this to a dangerous witch.
A ghost of a smile played at the woman's lips. "Have you asked him about them?"
"I have tried," Nadira said in a small voice.
"Tried? Either you did, or you did not, which is it?" the woman's words hit the air between them like another crack of thunder.
"I…" Fear and a little bit of shame caught Nadira's words in her throat. She had planned on asking him plainly tonight but…
As if reading her mind, the woman just shook her head before a sound stole both of their attention.
A deep unearthly sound ripped through the air and shook the ground beneath them. Looking back at one another, one woman's face filled with fear, and the other filled with surprised intrigue they both looked up to the cliff that Nadira's house sat on top. Black inky smoke filled the night sky, defying the storm's turbulent winds. Again, the sound rent through the air cutting through the maelstrom until they could both hear the name being called clearly—Nadira.
Nadira's blood froze, and her heart stopped. "Oh God," she whispered, clutching onto the stone tighter with one hand and the hem of her sweater with the other.
"Both of you are incredibly naïve," the woman spoke easily through the sounds ignoring the dark shape forming from the jet-black cloud. "Just children playing as adults."
