Genie Knows Best (22 page)

“Oh for gods’ sakes! Just drop it, will ya? Maybe a donkey will show up in Kal’s lantern.” Harv made no attempt to hide the sarcasm. “Given what an ass he can be, that’d be a hell of a coincidence.”

“Actually it’d probably be a miracle,” said Dirham. “We had the place sealed against magically appearing animals ever since an unfortunate camel incident.”

Kal remembered that occasion vividly. He’d mentioned he was hungry enough to eat a camel and Dirham had, in his infinite helpfulness, delivered one to the lantern. The animal had left enough “presents” that it’d taken half a century to air the place out.

Maille wrested the katara from the antler. “Enough!” She
thwacked
the blade on the table. “This isn’t about winning a bet or playing word games. This is about Laszlo and how we’re going to find him. Remember?”

With the grace of a champion fencer, she flicked the blade toward Dieter. “I want to know more about those disturbances. The velocity, magnitude, composition, and exact time and sites they occurred.” She arced the sword toward Bart. “And if I hear one more breath about you not being their father, I will personally see to it that you’ll never be
anyone’s
father.”

“Too late,” Harv taunted the wyvern.

Maille swung the sword at him. “Keep it up, Harv, and you’re next.” She slid the katara through the sash tied around her hips and glared at Samantha. “And as for you, I ought to torch you right where you stand.”

“But you can’t torch anything,” said the ever-helpful Dirham.

Maille glared at the fennec.

“Torching won’t be necessary.” One antler stroked Harv’s chin. “I’ll take her.”

Over Kal’s dead body. He cracked his knuckles.

“Hello? I’m standing right here.” Samantha took a step behind Kal. “With a genie?”

“For now.” Maille spat an ember. “I don’t care who does what with the mortal. All I know is that my kid’s with this piece of trash, so we’ll head out and look for him. First one to find the mortal and my kid gets to trade them for a pet genie. Let’s get moving.”

Kal grabbed Dirham by the scruff when the fennec went to defend him yet again. “Pet” was an insult in the Djinn world, but that didn’t matter now. What mattered was getting Laszlo back.

“Let’s split up to cover more ground quickly. Albert wants me, not a dragon who’s going to be unmanageable soon, so he won’t go far, even with the amulet. Let’s put out some feelers. Someone has to have seen something.”

“Don’t count on getting any takers,” said Bart with a sneer. “My ex hasn’t exactly been spreading goodwill with her fire-breath.”

Maille whipped the katara out of her sash and sliced the back of his vest so fast that the momentum slid the separate pieces down his arm. “Don’t piss me off, Bart.”

“This is you
not
pissed? And you wonder why I left?”

Kal grabbed the sword before Maille could shove it through the wyvern’s heart. “This bickering is slowing us down. You two head back to your home and canvass the neighbors. Harv, you do your thing with the underground inhabitants. Dir and Lexy, you check out aboveground, and Samantha and I will check out the sites of the disturbances.”

“No way.” Maille shook her head, purple slithering along the gray streak like a spark trying to ignite. “
I’ll
check them out. I don’t trust you.”

Bart grabbed her by the arm and shoved her toward the door. “That’s your problem, Maille. You don’t trust
any
one. No one can do as good a job as you. At anything. Well, guess what, sweetheart? Even Maisey managed to keep the kids from getting kidnapped, something you couldn’t.”

Kal winced right along with Maille. That was harsh.

“So, Kal,” said Bart, rattling the door to the tunnel, “mind lending us the Benz since it’s because of you that we can’t fly there?”

“Actually,” said Maille as she yanked her arm from Bart’s grasp, “it’s thanks to Samantha that we can’t.”

“That’s enough, Maille,” said Kal.

“Enough? I don’t think so. But I’m willing to let it go. For now. You just better hope we find Laszlo in one piece, Kal,” she said, turning a feral smile on Samantha, “or
she
won’t be.”

“You’ll have to go through me to get to her, Maille.”

Because that, even more than Harv having Samantha, would be over his dead body.

Albert climbed out of the Ferrari into the dimly lit building. He probably shouldn’t have brought the car, but he wasn’t ready to part with it yet. The thing drove like a dream.

He wondered what a flying carpet drove like. He rubbed his hands together. He’d find out soon enough.

Too bad Samantha wouldn’t. And couldn’t. He was still shaking his head over what he’d overheard from another group of leprechauns. She’d wished away her wishes, and the leprechauns had been taking bets on how long the genie would remain with her. Albert shook his head. Only someone as spoiled as Samantha would do something that stupid.

Only someone as clueless as Samantha
could
do something that stupid.

She’d see. She’d find out what it was like to
not
have everything handed to her on a silver platter. To have to do without. He was so going to enjoy taking the genie from her, an additional bonus he hadn’t considered when he’d thought about what the genie could give him.

The dragon whined. Again. Christ, he couldn’t get rid of this thing soon enough. Needy little lizard.

He grabbed the cage off the passenger seat, clicked the fob to lock the car, then brushed his hands over the sweet tail end. Monty hadn’t wanted to give “Samantha’s boyfriend” a company car. Said only family members got one.

Well Monty could eat his heart out; Albert didn’t need the old man’s condescending handouts anymore, and this car was only the beginning of what Albert would have.

Checking to make sure the coin was in his pocket where it should be, Albert took one last look around the spacious interior of the old domed building. This was the last time he’d stay in something this dumpy. From now on, it’d be first class all the way. Life of luxury. Cream of the crop and top shelf.

All his.

The dragon nailed him in the leg with one of its claws and Albert cursed. Damn thing’s aim was getting better. He’d better keep his mind on the task at hand and save the daydreaming for later. Didn’t want to die of rabies before he got to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Speaking of which, he had to deliver the note. The helicopter he’d commandeered—a more P.C. word than
hijacked
—had managed a quick survey above the glass ceiling to find the perfect spot for this exchange to go down. The genie would never suspect it on his home turf, and that’d be his mistake. Too many had underestimated Albert, Henley and the helicopter pilot included. They’d learn.

The pilot had. A little too late, though. Ah well…

The dragon coughed and a tiny flame shot out. Hit Albert in the pants and torched a hole through one of the legs before he could put it out. Seared a patch of hair off, too.

This couldn’t be over with quickly enough.

Albert felt for the coin. The minute he got his hands on that lantern, he was out of here. But where would he go?

He snorted. That was easy. An uninhabited island in the South Pacific where he’d have the genie zap in a harem of Playmates, a personal chef, and every creature comfort he could think of. Maybe he’d get tired of it after a month or two. Or six.

Or not.

The dragon growled. Albert dropped the cage, the
thud
as it hit the floor enough to silence the whiny thing. But then the cage tipped over and one leathery wing stuck out awkwardly between the rungs.

Oh, hell. Had he damaged the dragon? Killed it?

Albert grabbed the cage, yanked the dish towel away—and got blasted in the face with a thick cloud of smoke that had a grinning dragon behind it.

Evil. Dragons were pure evil.

Albert cursed and dropped the cloth back into place. The dragon incinerated it with two breaths.

Yeah, the exchange would definitely go down on that island in the river. That way he could threaten to drop the little pyromaniac into the water if they didn’t do what he said. He’d heard enough chatter on the street to know that once the genie was his, he’d be calling all the shots. If he wanted the dragon to take a dive—and never come up—there was nothing the genie could do about it.

He tapped the top of the little flame-thrower’s prison. “Keep it up, Jack. Just keep it up. Once I’ve got that lantern, whatever bargain I’ve made won’t matter. I’ll be the most powerful man on earth, and there won’t be anything anyone can do to stop me.”

Especially Samantha. That idiot had gotten rid of her wishes. Albert would find that funny if he hadn’t almost chosen her to be the mother of his children. Although, since she no longer would be, he actually
did
find it amusing. The pampered princess would now have nothing to make all her wishes come true, not even the inheritance her father had left her.

That
would belong to him.

After grabbing a couple of pomegranates from the trees she’d wished into being in the center of Palm Street earlier, Samantha and Kal made a thorough exploration of both disturbance sights. The only thing they found unusual at the abandoned pawnshop was that some gold- and jewel-encrusted items were still lying around. After the conversation she’d overheard, Samantha would have expected Albert to fill every pocket with the loot. The fact that he hadn’t meant either he didn’t see the need—a tough thing for her to believe—
or
he wasn’t their villain, which was even harder to fathom.

Then they arrived at the second location and found the Ferrari. Nothing indicated that it was Albert’s, but besides the fact that this was too much of a coincidence—he’d coveted the cars her father’s company designed and built—it’d be just like Albert to buy from a competitor to rub it in her face.

The scorched jacket they found, however, confirmed that not only was Albert the guilty party—she’d given him that jacket for his birthday—but also that they were running out of time. With Laszlo now having fire, the clock had started ticking faster. Albert wouldn’t want a dangerous hostage; he’d either make his demands or do something with the dragon no one wanted to think about.

They climbed the minaret’s circular stairs to look for other clues Albert might have left behind and had just reached the top when Dirham’s cry of “Kaaaaaal!” rose above the beat of wings and the scrape of talons along the outer wall as Kismet reached the top of the minaret.

Exhausted, the Simurgh clawed the ledge and tossed her long neck and wings over so Dirham, Lexy, and Maille could disembark.

“He sent a ransom note!” Dirham slid down Kismet’s neck waving a piece of paper. “He wants Samantha!”

Samantha read it by Kal’s side.

Samantha,
it read:

I’m assuming you’ve figured out by now that I have the dragon. I don’t want him; I want the genie. Bring him, locked up nice and tight in the lantern, to the island in the middle of the river beyond the gates at sunset. Come alone. No dragons, no unicorns, no centaurs, nothing. Not even that annoying little fox. Do as I say or the baby dragon gets it. Don’t try to outsmart me, Samantha; you can’t.

The note wasn’t signed. It didn’t have to be.

Samantha felt sick. The Albert Viehl she’d thought she’d known had never existed if this was what he was capable of.

“You aren’t going without me,” growled Maille, ripping the note from their hands and crumpling it. “I’m going to make that son of a wyrm pay.”

“No you’re not,” said Kal. “You’re staying here.”

“Like hell I am. That’s my kid we’re talking about.”

But it was
her
ex-boyfriend and Samantha was afraid Albert would do what he said he would. “You should listen to Kal, Maille. Albert’s desperate. There’s no telling what he’ll do.”

“Oh and you’d know? Weren’t you the one going to shackle yourself to him in the first place?”

“And I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t make the same mistake I did by underestimating him.” Hmmm, maybe the Oracle
did
know what he was talking about.

“I’m not placing much stake in anything you have to say, mortal. You can’t even manage a genie correctly and how hard is that?”

“That’s enough, Maille,” said Kal, quietly but menacingly.

“No it’s not enough. Why does she get to call all the shots? Why do you? This is my child.”

Kal exhaled. “Because it’s me he wants.”

That shut Maille up for a couple of seconds. It cut off Samantha’s breath for twice that long.

“What are you going to do, Kal?” asked Dirham.

Kal raked a hand through his hair, then kneaded the back of his neck. “Samantha’s going to give him the lantern.”

His words sliced through her, and Samantha lost her breath all over again.

“What?” Dirham’s legs splatted out from under him. “You can’t be serious!”

Oh he was. And with good reason. Samantha ran through a few scenarios, and with each one she came to the same conclusion Kal had. They had no bargaining power—and what was worse, no magical power.

“You’re not gonna do it, are you, Samantha?” Dirham whispered from his spot on the platform floor.

“I—” She didn’t know what she was going to do. Saying she’d give him up was one thing; doing so was quite another. But what choice did she have? What choice did any of them have?

Kal helped the fox back to his feet. “Yes, she is, Dir. It’s what we have to do. The only thing we
can
do because, without magic, I can’t save Laszlo. This is no different than the agreement with Harv.”

“Oh yes it is. You were tricking Harv. How are you going to trick Albert?” The fox was bouncing again but in short, little bursts as if he were a piece of popcorn in hot oil. It felt like they were all in that pan with him.

How could Albert do this? How could she?

Kal reached for Samantha’s hand. “Do what you need to, Sam. I’ll be fine.”

Samantha dragged in a breath. She couldn’t live with herself if something happened to Laszlo. Kal had been a genie for four thousand years, another forty or so with Albert would be the blink of an eye for him. For her, on the other hand…

It was amazing how much he’d come to mean to her in such a short time. By rights, this shouldn’t have happened, but then,
none
of this should have happened: Izaaz, flying carpets, magic, none of it.

Especially falling for a genie. And so quickly.

But Dad had fallen for her mom quickly, too. It’d been a story he’d loved to tell, how he’d seen her at a disco beneath the sparkling ball, and he’d been captivated. They’d danced for hours, and by the time he’d driven her home, he’d known he was going to marry her. Six months later, he did, and the rest was history.

Samantha smiled and touched the necklace at Kal’s throat. She’d have to tell Berosus that sometimes, you
could
learn things from history that weren’t mistakes.

“How long until sunset?” she asked.

“Half hour tops,” said Maille. “Long enough for Kal to get us hidden on that island before lover boy shows up.”

Samantha’s skin crawled at the description. To think she’d thought to spend the rest of her life with Albert.

“You’re not going, Maille,” said Kal, his voice firm.

“Try to stop me.”

“I don’t have to. I just won’t take you. Kismet’s in no shape to transport anyone now, and by the time you walk to the river, let alone get someone to ferry you to the island, it will all be over.”

Maille scraped the floor with her foot like a charging bull and hissed, but nothing came out except enough foul language to put a fleet of merchant marines to shame.

Kal still didn’t give in. “We’re trying to save Laszlo, Maille. If you show up, Albert might disappear faster than you could get to him. It’s not worth the risk. Without you, there won’t be any risk. Samantha will hand over the lantern and Albert will hand over Laszlo; after all, Albert’s not after a dragon.”

“Try and talk him into one, will ya?” said Maille. “Then you can summon me and I’ll fry his brains and eat them like toasted marshmallows. Deal?”

A bit bloodthirsty, but it worked for Samantha.

“Isn’t there some other way?” Dirham’s bounces had diminished to mere hiccups.

Lexy shook her head and dashed a tear from her eye with a paw. “It makes sense, Dirham. One more master won’t make a difference to Kal, but it’ll make all the difference to Laszlo.”

“That’s not true, Lex.” Dirham sat back and crossed his front paws over his chest. “One more master
will
make a difference to Kal. He’ll be able to—”

“Dirham.” Kal tapped the fennec on the snout. “I’m not out of the woods yet. Let’s focus on this problem and then we’ll worry about the rest.”

“Rest?” Samantha asked. “What else is there?”

Dirham snapped his snout shut, his eyes as big as his ears. “Um, that is… I mean, um… how we’ll get you home.” He turned those big eyes to Kal. “Yes, how’s she going to get home? By giving up all her wishes, she’s going to be stuck here and I don’t think that’s advisable.”

It wasn’t the wishes she’d be giving up—if she could even wish them—that would hurt; it’d be losing Kal that would.

“No need to worry about Samantha,” said Kismet. “I’ll take her home. After all, no good deed should go unrewarded.”

“That’s not how the saying goes.” Samantha tried to muster a smile at the botched cliché but couldn’t. Rewarded? By losing Kal? Forget about losing the magic and her wishes. Forget about giving Albert confirmation that she wasn’t smart enough to outwit him; losing Kal put everything else in perspective.

She couldn’t lose him. Not when she’d just found him. But what choice did she have? He was bound and determined to do this. She’d have to take solace in Laszlo’s safe return. That’d be all that was left to her from this debacle.

And Albert would end up with everything, his plan from the beginning. The man had no heart. No soul. And she’d played right into his hands, the slimy lizard. She so wished she’d turned him into one.

Dirham rubbed a paw under his nose. “I still don’t see why you’re going to go along with what he wants, Kal. You don’t deserve to have this happen, Samantha doesn’t, and Maille
definitely
doesn’t deserve our help.”

“Watch it, furball,” said the dragon lady, her bark just as dangerous as her bite now. “I might not be able to incinerate you, but I’m very handy with knives, and I could put a fox coat to good use.”

Dirham shivered. “I don’t have enough fur to cover you.”

“A hat then. Point is, don’t tempt me.”

Kal was tempted to whisk Samantha out of there to someplace where he could take her mind off all they were facing and tell her the truth: that he had no intention of going blindly to Albert if there were any other chance to get Laszlo away safely.

But neither of them would be able to live with themselves if something happened to Laszlo, and if Kal did end up kowtowing to Albert, it’d only be until he was granted an audience with the High Master. This was actually a better scenario for him. He’d be free of his sentence and, once he became vizier, free of masters.

Free of Samantha.

Actually, maybe that wasn’t a better scenario after all.

The sun sank lower on the horizon. The time for planning was up; they needed to go. Whatever happened, happened. As long as Laszlo ended up safe in the arms of his mother, everything else would work out. That’s what Kal had to keep telling himself—even while he prayed to a higher power that he’d be able to come up with some way to make it work to their favor.

Kal waved his hand and conjured another carpet. This one, woven of golden Muga silk with a touch of genie magic, was traditionally used only for royal processions, but for this trip, the last he and Samantha might take together, he wanted the carpet to be special. He wanted to be that Prince Charming she’d called him.

“Come on, Sam. It’s time.” He held out his hand and crooked his knee for her to step on. “Your chariot awaits.”

He got a smile out of her, one that touched his heart. His
heart.

Kal closed his eyes for the briefest of seconds, but it was long enough to see the future. One without Samantha. And it wasn’t a pretty sight at all.

Somehow, she’d slipped past his ambition, wended along his dormant emotions, tiptoed among his memories, and wedged herself in the one place he’d thought would be the last place anyone would touch him again.

But she had.

He’d fallen in love with her. Fully, wholeheartedly in love with her.

And now he could lose her—and the bitch of it all was that he couldn’t tell her because to do so would not only cost him his magic, immortality, and the chance to clear his name, but it would also cost Laszlo his life.

So here he was, with the utterly shitty irony that he, who had a shot at the highest title in his world and unlimited powers, not only couldn’t grant his master’s wishes but couldn’t make any of his own come true, either.