74. The Whirlpool

{Naya}

Lying out by the resort beach with a mimosa in hand was exactly what I needed. I let the light buzz from the drink as well as the sun rays reflected in the dark, foamy water replace any anxiety that I had about Uri, Ritsu, or Janus Bergman.

There were other tourists enjoying the beach besides me. Many of them were families. Though I wasn't relying on magic to understand their conversational Arabic, I could pick out the sounds of mothers fussing over their children and scolding them whenever they played too roughly with their siblings. It made me think of my mom.

Great, I thought, swallowing the last of my mimosa, I clear my mind for one minute and now I'm missing my mom.

I snorted at the idea of her somehow learning of everything that had happened with me. I had no idea how she would take it. It was obvious that she cared a lot for Mr. Naim; there was no doubt that he felt the same. But at the same time I wondered if she would tolerate him after finding out that he played a major role in binding me to a djinni form.

What if she doesn't want to have anything to do with you either? Like the reverend?

I sat up. Ugh. I needed to cool off before I caused any more damage with these unhelpful thoughts.

By now, Aqua had thawed out a bit. Her voice was faint. I did my best to ignore it as I got up from the lounging chair and approached the lip of the inland sea.

{Water.}

I didn't answer her, only focusing on how refreshing the salty water felt against my legs as I eased further past the gentle waves. I paused briefly to wrap my hair into a messy bun so that it wouldn't be in my eyes when I resurfaced. The water was up to my waist now. I didn't want to go that much further, but Aqua was getting louder.

{Dive!} She urged. {Dive!}

"Fine," I grumbled. "If it will get you to shut up."

I leaned forward and dunked my whole body underneath an incoming wave. The sounds around me took on that muted megaphone quality as soon as I submerged. I could still hear the children laughing and other swimmers around me, but they sounded like they were on the other side of some kind of barrier. Overlaying them was the prickling sound of the sand particles moving, along with the tiny organisms that carried on beneath the first layer of sand.

Aqua's voice became gentler the deeper I dived and the further I swam out. I cast a little spell that gave my lungs more room to hold air. She didn't seem to mind me calling on her for the magic.

I swam until the water around me got cold.

{Open your eyes.}

This was the most peaceful Aqua had sounded in a long time. I obeyed her with little regard to how the salt water might burn. That's when I felt a spell wash over me, not of my own doing. Not only could I comfortably keep my eyes open, but my vision was as sharp as ever. It was still dark down there, but I could see everything perfectly.

What, am I like a mermaid now?

{Dive! It calls! It calls!}

To satisfy Aqua, I swam a little further out where the sandy floor sloped down into a wide depression. I had no clue what she wanted me to look for, so I just started to sweep the first layers of sand away once I touched the bottom.

{Yes. Yes. Close.}

That's when my fingers hit something hard. I frantically brushed the sand away to reveal a metal handle – like a door to some kind of hatch. Both Aqua and I fell silent as I worked to figure out how to open the hatch.

As soon as the metal unlocked, I backed up. It suddenly occurred to me, should I really be opening a strange door at the bottom of an inland sea? Ritsu had no idea where I was. My magic wasn't as reliable these days.

A circular door opened up to a tunnel of blackness. Millions of bubbles raced out. I felt the violent tug of gravity.

Oh, well. I guess it's too late now.

I tried to swim away, but there was no point. I was sucked inside the hallway of darkness.

***

When I resurfaced, I found myself gulping air inside of a fairly spacious cavern. It was dark enough to make the water around me look nearly black.

"Where the hell did that whirlpool dump us, Aqua?" I whispered.

My inner fire was silent. I grumbled and pushed on through the water until my feet touched solid ground. There was a very faint, cool light up ahead. I followed it. The sea dried up, forming a small beach on a patch of land. The cavernous ceiling above me sloped closer to my head. The walls drew in.

The light led me to a more open space with another high ceiling. The walls appeared to be embedded with blue quartz crystals. The natural beauty of the frosted gem-covered walls caught me off guard.

"Welcome."

I fixed my eyes on the voice in the center of the room. At first I thought it was another lump of quartz that blended into the walls. But when the mass unfolded itself, I realized it was a djinni – tall, slender, and . . . blue.

I gasped. No way.

It seemed that the djinni felt the same way. As soon as he realized what I was, his eyebrows drew up and he folded his arms.

"Uncanny. It seems that we aren't all gone like I feared. Though it's clear you've hardly been around long enough to qualify as a fully realized marid."

I blinked a few times to get a better look at the marid. Most of his skin was dark blue, except for his hair, eyes, and the strategically placed quartz on his chest, shoulders, hands and feet. Those areas were a very light, almost white electric blue. His hair sort of floated about him as if he was suspended in water.

I took a seat on the sandy floor. "I'm Naya. What should I call you?"

He mirrored my stance, a gentle smile on his boyish face. "You can call me Vishmar. Now, little marid, tell me where you came from."

I couldn't believe it. All this time Uri, Ritsu, and I have been searching high and low for one of the marida. And here was one sitting right under an oasis for human tourists. Before I spoke, I recalled everything that Uri told me about the marida. They were friendly, the most powerful among djinn, and they generally enjoyed granting wishes without any strings attached.

I chose my words carefully. "Lord Vishmar, I need your help."

The marid's body language relaxed some more. "No need to use honorifics, Naya. I'm no prince. Just an old blue djinni trying to avoid sorcerers at all costs. I wish I didn't have to hide from my own kin, but these days, there is no other way." He waved his gem-frosted hand. "Tell me how I can help you. Leave nothing out."

So I did. I told him about Uri and how we became bonded. I told him about Janus Bergman and Sabur apprehending us in Nastarajan. Vishmar wasn't happy to hear that one of the last djinn metropoles was now a ghost empire.

I wrapped up the story with the issues that I had been experiencing with Aqua and how she led me to his residence. Thankfully, she had remained subdued while I talked about Uri. She probably had a lot of faith that Vishmar could reunite us with Uri and his inner fire. I was beyond thankful that she was willing to behave.

"Please," I said, drawing myself onto my knees, "is there any way that you can set Uri free?"

The marid shook his head. "Your bondmate is too far from here and locked under many magical restrictions. I would have to go with you."

I sighed. "And I could tell by the look on your face that leaving your sanctuary is out of the question."

Vishmar's glowing eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Naya. But don't pout. I still want to help you. I can impart knowledge."

"Okay. So back to the original plan. How does one go about defeating a collector?"

Vishmar grinned. He glanced down and then back up. "Normally, I would never ask for anything in return for such a simple request. But understand, I've kept myself away from the outside for a very, very long time. If you want the answer to your question, you'll have to trade me something for it."

I fought the urge to scowl. I was freaking tired of making deals!

{See what he wants,} Aqua encouraged. Her voice was gentle and steady.

I lifted my chin. "What would you ask of me?"

Vishmar propped his elbow onto his knee and leaned the side of his face into his gem-encrusted palm.

"All I ask is but a trifle. One kiss."