65. 1001 Days

{Naya}

The next few days were absolutely miserable.

Without a camel, Uri, Ritsu, and I were forced to cross vast stretches of desert on foot. Thanks to our djinni-DNA, Uri and I only suffered from mild discomfort due to the scorching sand and sun rays. When the evening approached, it provided no relief whatsoever. The temperature dropped pretty close to freezing, and with no magical hookah pipe to call home, we had to huddle together for warmth.

I came to learn that the chilly nights were less tolerable for djinn because it took more effort for our fires to stay warm. So even when I wasn't on duty looking out for those vampiric foot-lickers, I couldn't get any meaningful sleep. Every hour or so I would wake up shivering despite Uri and Ritsu's efforts to make me comfortable.

Ritsu, surprisingly, did not take this as an opportunity to be inappropriate. At night, he would curl himself into a tight warm ball against my navel in an effort to keep heat near my core. During the day he wouldn't complain about the heat or lack of food. He merely tugged on my sleeve whenever his hunger overwhelmed him. I conjured small nuggets of food like nuts and dates to keep his energy up. Water was the only thing that neither I nor Uri could manage to magic into existence.

The only water we had access to was what we were carrying on us when the gatekeeper took off with all of our stuff. Anything else had to be collected from sporadic rainfall, which had yet to happen. We were able to find a few tiny oases. Between this and the water we already had, there was just enough to keep Ritsu at the point where he wouldn't completely dehydrate.

Through all of this I was trying to hunker down and focus on what needed to be done in the moment, such as getting to the nearest sand dune. Climbing it. Keeping my eyes peeled for pockets of water. Keeping Ritsu out of the sun. Calling on a tiny bit of my fire so that I can make him some food.

Uri on the other hand . . . . I could tell that he was on the verge of losing it just about every day that we were out there. First the ghouls. Then the magic-draining sex. And of course, the gatekeeper. I had to guess that there were just one too many failures for Uri to deal with. The endless trekking across empty wilderness wouldn't be so bad if I had him to talk to, but Uri had almost completely shut down on me. He barely spoke a word.

The few times that I had tried to make a suggestion, like finding another jann and asking it for help, Uri lashed out on me. He yelled something about never wanting to speak to or trust another djinni again until we got to the city with the marida. I wanted to point out that we were more likely to find this city if we interacted with djinn first, but I held my tongue when I saw his eyes crackling in that scary shade of red.

At dusk, we came to the skirts of a low mountain range. There were caves along the base, which meant that we could finally have some shelter against the cold winds. Even though it was still light outside, we ducked into a cave. It was cramped and probably roaming with those foot-licking palis, but for that night it would be home.

Uri leaned his back up against the cavern wall and edged down to the ground. Something told me that he was trying his best not to appear exhausted. I quietly told Ritsu to search the place for palis and report to me if he found any.

While Ritsu was away, I approached Uri and knelt down beside him.

"Have some of my water."

He wordlessly pushed my hand away. I pressed my hand against the cavern wall and leaned in. His lips were cold.

I pulled back. Uri was never cold.

"Er, Uri. What's the matter with you?"

His eyes rolled back and he wasn't responding to any of my shouting or when I shook him by the shoulders.

"Ritsu! Quick! Something's wrong with Uri."

It didn't take Ritsu long to scurry to my side and examine him. Meanwhile, I kept muttering, "Please, please, please!" under my breath. Uri had to be all right. He had to be. The very thought of his soul somehow slipping away made my throat dry up to the point where I could barely speak.

I wanted to tell Uri that I loved him, but still, even then, I couldn't get the words out. All I could do was swallow them down with what little moisture I had in my mouth and choke, "Uri, please!"

"Mistress, it's okay," Ritsu said, his voice steady and relaxed. "He's just passed out is all."

I blinked. "Passed out? But why?"

Ritsu gestured to Uri's limp body. "He's exhausted. It's a result of him trying to rely on his suit of fire as little as possible. You may want to have some food ready for when he regains consciousness."

I stood up. "I'm going to go look for water. Will you watch him?"

Ritsu nodded. "Sure. Just hurry back. I don't know how long I can keep off a palis should one wander in here."

I peered towards the mouth of the cave. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to be back before the sun completely sets."

Before leaving, I planted a kiss on Uri's forehead, willing a fraction of my flame to transfer to him and help speed up his recovery. Then I scratched Ritsu behind his ears and left.

I had lied to Ritsu when I told him that I was going to look for water. I had no intentions of doing such a thing. There was no water for probably hundreds of miles. I'd be looking for it for days. And days were not something that I had an abundance of.

Now that Uri was temporarily out of the picture, I could go back to my original plan and try to enlist the help of a friendly djinni. I knew that this was the last thing Uri would want me to do, and he would be really pissed if he had any idea what I was up to. But we didn't have a choice. If we didn't find resources soon, we were going to die out here.

I kept to the rocky foothills so it wouldn't be hard to find my way back. I took easy, light steps to save as much energy as possible. I may not have been as far gone as Uri, but a few more days of this and I would be joining him.

I hadn't wandered that far from our cave, but the sun had receded low enough that I could pretty much see it at eye level.

Should I turn back?

Shadows began to stretch past the rocks. They shifted across my path as easily as the wind. I had to blink several times to adjust my vision and make sure I knew the difference between the sand, the rocks, and the slanting light. There was something about this place that seemed both empty and crowded.

{See that you watch where your feet step and count your breaths.} Aqua warned. Her voice sounded faint and far off, as if she were hiding deep inside me.

"Why do I have to count my breaths?" I asked aloud. My voice was drowned out by the wind.

{If you aren't careful, the desert can whisk you away . . . . Do you see that?}

I squinted. "See what?"

Aqua's voice grew louder, more present. {There! Near the rocks. Is that a . . . cat?}

"No way."

There was without a doubt a feline shape crouching near an isolated boulder. I picked up speed as I approached it. Once I locked onto it, I realized that this was no ordinary cat. Its body was long, lithe, and traveled with a slinking gait. Gold rings and beads dangled from its angular ears. More jeweled bangles crowded its ankles.

Even though this strange cat didn't appear to move fast, I had to practically jog to keep up with it. Just like the shifting winds and shadows, the original patterns and hues in the cat's fur began to change. It started off a typical dark gray that blended into purple zebra stripes. I blinked and suddenly the pattern was replaced with patches of turquoise checkered fur.

I slowed down when the cat dashed around a bend in a rocky outpost. On the other side I could see the flare of a fire burning and hear fragments of soft conversation.

Before going any further, I took a deep breath and prayed that the djinn the cat had led me to were not another group of psychopathic ifrits.

Aqua interrupted me. {You must hurry. It's almost dark.}

I edged around the corner to see a contraption on wheels, like a wagon. Presently, it was parked before a cooking fire. A handful of short, furry beings moved around on two legs.

Hinn.

These were the same species of djinn as the gatekeeper that conned us out of all of our stuff. However, instead of resembling wallabies, these guys looked like foxes with their bushy tails and large, tuffed ears. The one bending over the fire appeared to be the matriarch. She was covered in more handmade jewelry compared to the rest, and she was a little more plump around the middle.

I stepped into view, holding my arms out and palms facing up to show that I wasn't a threat.

"Hello," I said as calmly as possible. The djinn didn't appear too startled by my arrival, but they paused in their activities and flattened their ears against their skulls.

The matriarch stepped forward while the rest retreated behind her.

In a smooth, deliberate voice, she said, "Djinniyah, who are you and what is your business with us?"

I folded my hands in front of me. "I need your help. My friends are in a cave not too far from here. We were robbed a few days ago. All we need are directions to the nearest djinn city and some food and water if you have it to spare."

One of the smaller hinn padded up to the matriarch, placed a paw-like hand on her shoulder, and whispered into her ear without taking his eyes off of me. The matriarch gave an imperceptible nod and he backed away.

Then she refocused on me and said, "My child tells me that you are telling the truth, but there are facts that you are leaving out. Of what manner of being are your friends?"

I didn't want to insult this djinni by lying, so I said, "Ritsu, the one who desperately needs food and water, is a monkey. My friend Uri . . . he's an ifrit."

The hinn did not take this information well. There was a lot of shuddering, hissing, and flattening their ears with renewed vigor.

The matriarch held up a paw, which quieted them by a few degrees.

"We will help you and the monkey, but you must leave the ifrit behind. Some of his aura clings to you, and I can already sense that he is too dangerous."

I had a feeling it might come to this. I bowed my head. "Then I'm sorry, but I cannot accept anything from you."

I started to turn around, but something pulled on the hem of my trousers. I looked down to see a hinn slightly larger than Ritsu staring up at me with enormous green eyes.

In a voice that was surprisingly deep, it asked, "How did you find us?"

I glanced up, trying to lock onto the cat that led me there, but there was no sign of it. "I followed a cat. Its fur changed colors. Doesn't it belong to you?"

"No. It does not." The little hinn at my leg looked back at the matriarch. "She was led here by a sila."

Another wave of mixed reactions passed over the group.

The matriarch's eyes went wide. "Get in the cart. We will leave right away."

"But –"

She held up her hand again. "We are going to fetch your monkey . . . and your ifrit."

The other hinn clambered around her, chittering away their anger and disapproval. The matriarch wheeled on them and made a sound that was harsher and fiercer, like a hiss combined with a bark.

"It's bad luck to go against the desires of a sila. If one was willing to help her, it means we have nothing to fear."

This shut the rest of the group up. They didn't so much as grumble under their breaths as they began to gather their belongings and douse the fire. The tiny one at my feet let go of my pant leg and went to help its kin.

I caught up with the matriarch and asked, "What do I owe you?"

She waved her paw. "No charge. A sila revealed itself to you. That is enough. Besides, if you were robbed, then I doubt you have anything to pay us with."

"A debt is a debt," I said. Plus, Uri would never believe that a group of hinn would want to help us for free. He'd think it was another scam.

When the hinn did not respond, I said, "My name is Naya by the way."

"Cyndr," she replied.

She helped me into their wagon. Once I was inside, it became clear that it worked a lot like our stolen hookah set. The inside was more spacious and even had levels. Hammocks and rugs made of thick, richly dyed fabrics crowded the interior. The rest of the hinn retired to their respective shelves. One of them stayed outside to drive the wagon.

Once I found an empty rug and took a seat, Cyndr set a copper tray before me. I looked down on a modest spread of bread, warm yogurt, and tea. Before I could even utter a proper thank you, I was stuffing my face.

"I'm sorry," I said after a few bites, "I did not realize how hungry I really was."

Djinn didn't really need food to survive, but it was still a great source of energy. Plus, I'd been heavily relying on my fire in order to feed Ritsu without replenishing it.

Cyndr nodded. "The desert has a way of making you feel full when you are in fact empty. I could tell as soon as I saw you that had you gone another day without food, you would have collapsed."

I had eaten all of the bread and yogurt, but I was still licking my fingers clean.

Cyndr passed me a peach. "Eat some more. When you are finished, I want to hear about how you wound up lost in the desert with an ifrit such as yours."