A Sheik's Spell (7 page)

Aunt Esme nodded her compliance.

Felicia’s eyes wandered back and forth beneath their closed lids as she took in each breath. Aisha had told her to just relax and breathe naturally; to concentrate on each breath, and it would be through the power of her own breath that the rebirthing would work for her.

Felicia found herself wondering why she was cooperating with Aisha’s instructions. She no longer believed in anything other than what logic and science could prove to her. She’d decided life was best seen in black and white. The hardcore truth is what a person needed to survive in this day and time. Belief in anything other than that would only bring you pain.

She was feeling more relaxed and just a little sleepy now, even though her breathing had picked up its pace on its own accord. A white light began to fill her mind as her breaths became a pant, and it appeared to encase her entire being in its energy like a sea of peace and love. She could see herself being guided upward by a tiny translucent winged being until she was no longer herself but a child. They had reached a cleft high in a mountain ridge where the being left her, but at her feet was a leather-bound

burgundy book with pages trimmed in gold. As she turned the pages, she saw they contained the story of her life.

A primordial scream brought Felicia out of her altered state. It was her own scream that she heard.
The scream of someone on the brink of death. The scream she would have emitted if her mouth had not been filled with water from the Nile.

“You are fine, Felicia.
Don’t worry, I am here. And now you are here; all of you. There will be no more physical pain or pain of the mind from things you wish you could forget Now you will be able to accept the hand fate has dealt you and begin to live your life without reservation.”

A shaken Felicia looked at the tiny woman who sat in front of her.

“It is through the breath of life that ‘The One’ constantly reminds us that we are one with Him. I did nothing but allow you to really open up to yourself. For a long time now, you have fought to forget Him. But there are many rainbows in store for you, Felicia Sanders. This you can be sure of.”

Felicia touched her own face. For some reason she felt that there would be something different about it. For the first time in years, she felt an acceptance of herself and where she had come from. Somehow deep inside, she knew this event was a turning point in her life.

Aisha busied herself, allowing Felicia a few moments to collect her thoughts.

"Aisha, did I hear Aunt Esme mention a village called Va?"

“Yes, you did. Her son, Akeel, lives there. He decided to visit her today.”

“If I'm not mistaken, Va is the village that we were going to get some of our supplies from for the research

project. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before now. Maybe Akeel will allow me to go back with him. I’m sure I’ll be able to contact Phillip and the others from there. I’ve got to let them know that I’m okay.”

“Do whatever your heart speaks to you of doing, my child. It is only from inside of yourself that the true answers will come. And never forget your will is not separate from the will of ‘The One’. It is because of that, you can accomplish anything.’ ’

Chapter Twelve

Jamillah had been reluctant when Felicia told her of her intentions of going back to Va with Akeel.

‘ ‘Why not wait for Papa to come home tonight? He will be happy to take you into town with him tomorrow, and from there you can travel to Va. That would be the best thing to do.”

“But I’ll need a guide and everything then Jamillah, don’t you see? I’ll practically be in the same position I was in when I first came to A1 Kharijah. I just don’t feel I can put it off any longer, now that I know how I can contact my research team. See you really don’t understand. I have a group of people here in Egypt who is waiting for me. It’s been almost a week since I have been missing. I’ve got to get to Va as soon as I can, to let them know I’m alright.” ‘ ‘I do understand now. I will ask Akeel to take you.’ ’ Jamillah and Aunt Esme gave Felicia and Akeel some dried meat and bread and a container of fresh water, to make their journey easier. Aunt Esme wrapped the food, along with a knife, in a piece of cloth.

It was late afternoon when they passed several people on the road; most of them walking, others pitched high on the backs of camels.

Akeel said it would take them about three more hours before they reached the town. Maybe even sooner, since they were making such good time.

Felicia knew that she was in good shape physically. She was quite an exercise and dance buff back in the States; aerobics, walking, and she still frequented the modern dance studio whenever the urge hit her, and that was once or twice a week.

Felicia’s face clouded over as she remembered when she had little time for the things she enjoyed outside of work. Alvin Bailey was the reason why. Alvin, with his suave ways and business suits. His condominium and consultant firm. His promises to marry her. His lies. His wife and family in Toledo, Ohio.

It was after Alvin Bailey that Felicia had decided to take this assignment in Egypt. He’d sent dozens of yellow roses, asking for her forgiveness. But
two years of being deceived could never be wiped out by flowers.

It had taken an additional six months for the base work to be completed on the project in a lab at William Bowles Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. But they finally did it.

Phillip and the other research team members had set out a week before she had. She had wanted to spend some additional time with her family in Clarksville. Rodney, her seventeen year-old brother, had been beside himself when she asked if he wanted to keep her Mazda RX-7 while she was overseas. Even though they were eight years apart, they were extremely close.

Akeel and Felicia reached a fork in the road. He said both of them led to Va, but one of them, the more public road, took much longer than the other. Akeel said he was familiar with both and decided they would take the shortest route.

Felicia thought of Phillip and how, by now, he had probably contacted her family. She knew everyone had to be concerned about her, and was pleased with Akeel’s decision.

She knew they couldn’t be far from the settlement because the trees and brush were becoming plentiful. She didn’t want to, but out of necessity, they stopped to rest. They couldn’t have chosen a better spot to do it The place they chose was well off the road, equipped with several boulders on which they sat Silently, they shared the bread and meat and drank some of the water.

The sun was just beginning to set when they completed their meal, and the sky was filled with the most beautiful hues of magenta and violet as they began to make their way back to the road, Felicia heard someone weeping. At least she thought she did.

She placed her hand On Akeel’s arm, and motioned for him to stop and listen. After a few moments, the faint noise was heard again.

Felicia began to move in the direction of the sound, with a reluctant Akeel in tow. As they got closer, crying wasn’t the only thing they heard. Boisterous laughter began to drown it out. Male laughter.

Through the trees Felicia could see three men sitting in a small clearing in the brush. It was the woman with them who interested Felicia the most. The men patted and pinched on her as she passed by, serving them food. It was this woman that Felicia had heard crying.

The men seemed to be having a great time. They knew of the woman’s discomfort, but it was obvious they didn’t care.

One of the men motioned toward a set of trees behind them. The woman gathered some of the food together and

proceeded in the direction of the trees, directly opposite from where Felicia and Akeel were hiding.

As she looked more closely Felicia was shocked to see four bound women
.. Ropes encircled their waists, as they sat with the tree trunks supporting their backs and their feet extended outward.

Three of the women snatched the food hungrily, but one refused to take it and her food was left sitting in her lap. It was obvious these women were here against their will.
But why? Could these be the kidnappers Na’im had warned her of, and she had brushed him off?

Akeel leaned close to Felicia’s ear, his fear apparent in his voice.

“This is dangerous. There is nothing we can do. We must get the authorities.’ ’

Felicia’s mind flooded with images of police coming to her house after her father had kicked in doors and battered her mother. She felt it would be too late by the time they contacted the authorities.

“It won’t do any good then, Akeel. We’ve got to do something now. I think we’ll have a better chance once it is dark.”

It didn’t take long before the group had a small but adequate campfire going. The men had placed their guns, along with other gear, in two small tents they’d hoisted. Probably, if Felicia and Akeel had not spotted ±e campsite during the daylight, it wouldn’t have been easy to find after dark.

For some reason, against the campfire’s glare, one of the men seemed vaguely familiar. Felicia dismissed the thought as she began a wide circle around the clearing.

The woman who refused to eat was the first one that Felicia approached from behind. “Sh-sh,’ ’ she warned, as she quietly cut her ropes.

The startled woman remained seated as she waited for Felicia to free the others.

Felicia had cut the ropes of a second young girl, when she was grabbed from behind and dragged forward to the middle of the camp.

Chapter Thirteen

Felicia couldn’t understand a word that was being said, the man was speaking so rapidly. But when he dumped her at the feet of Yusef Shabazz, she was terrified. She only hoped that Akeel would not try to play the hero like she had, and had gone to get some help.

At first Shabazz spoke to her in Arabic, assuming she understood him. Felicia didn’t say a word, because then he would know she and Na’im had deceived him in more ways than one. Her silence did nothing but provoke Shabazz.

She could tell he was explaining to his men where he had seen her before, and he pranced around the fire showing just how he had seen her. At this, they all roared with laughter.

Shabazz laughed louder than any of the others; but once his laughter subsided, another expression appeared on his face-the same one Felicia had seen that night when he and Na’im had sat before the campfire. One of pure lust Shabazz toyed with a long stick he’d picked up in the clearing, before he began to poke Felicia with it. She covered her breasts with her arms as he used the branch to circle them. Leisurely, he raised her dress as she clasped her arms tightly to her sides.

“That’s enough, Shabazz,” a male voice called out from the edge of the clearing.

Felicia could not believe her eyes or her ears as she turned and saw Na’im.

“So you speak to me in English this time, huh?” “Yes, because I want the young lady to understand everything we’re saying. Don’t try to go for your guns because I am not alone.’ ’

More than ten men, along with Akeel, stepped out of the shadows to show that Na’im was telling the truth.

Fatimah wasted no time shaking off the cut ropes. Relieved, she ran across the clearing to stand between her cousin and Ilyas. The second woman who Felicia had managed to set free followed suit, to another young man in the group.

‘ ‘How did you get loose?’ ’ Na’im asked.

Fatimah pointed to Felicia. “This woman freed us. It was while she was trying to free the others that Shabazz’s lookout caught her.”

“Where is Waheedah?”

“They split us up once we neared the borders of A1 Kharijah. Two of Shabazz’s men took her and Khalilah (Kah-lee-luh) with them. I do not know where they have gone.”

“Where are they, Shabazz?” Na’im demanded. “They are being taken to Hassan, but don’t worry, nothing will happen to them.
At least nothing that you’ll be able to look at them and tell. I understand you have a special interest in...”

“You only need answer the questions that I ask you, Shabazz, and nothing else.”

Na’im crossed over to Felicia and lifted her up from the ground.

“I must say, Na’im, you seem to have impeccable timing.”

“Only where you are concerned, aros al bher. As my mother would say, our karmas are intertwined.”

Feeling a flow of heated relief rush through her, Felicia responded, “Whatever the reason. I’m thankful for it”

Na’im decided to remain at the campsite the rest of the night. After all, the women had had enough excitement for one day.

Felicia was put into the tent with all of the single women. The other tents contained the men and one married couple. Shabazz and his men looked on from their vantage point, tied to the same trees that had earlier held the women captive.

Na’im had been busy with the men, getting the camp ready for the night, securing the tents and taking care of the camels. The women took on other chores. Once Na’im was done, he asked Felicia if she’d like to walk with him.