"I s the Carpet of Ka older than mankind's recorde d history? "

" Yes. "

" Can it be damaged? "

"N o . I t protects. "

"I t helps protect me? "

" Yes. "

" From what? "

" evil." I stopped to take several deep breaths. We were gettin g heavy here, especially since I was sitting alone in the dark .

"You said this island is magical . I s there evil here?" I asked .

"Good and evil. "

" What makes this island magical? "

" Djinn. "

" Djinn." my heart shook with excitement. "Are you sayin g there are genies here? "

" Djinn. "

" G.o.d," I whispered. "Where are they? "

" Here. "

"A re you saying they're all around but I can't see them? "

" Yes. "

" Can they see me? "

"S ome . T hey see you when you enter their temples. "

"I s that what these temples are? Djinn temples? "

" Yes. "

"A re the djinn evil? "

"M ost are ambivalent when it comes to humans. "

"A re you related to the djinn? "

"N o. "

" Was I brought here to contact the djinn? "

" Perhaps. "

" Would it be dangerous to contact them? "

"A lways dangerous. But . . ." i t did not finish. "But what?" I asked .

"Perhaps necessary. "

" How can I protect myself if I try to contact them? "

" Don't tell them your full name."

"Why not? "

"N ames have power. "

"M y name has power? "

"T o you it does . T hat power can be used against you. "

"I s it important that I learn the name of any djinn I meet? "

" Your intuition serves you well . T he name of a djinn is key. "

" How else can I protect myself from them? "

" Learn the three Laws of the Djinn. "

" What are the three Laws of the Djinn? "

" First wish, the djinn must grant for free . S econd wish, on e owes the djinn . T hird wish-" I did not get to hear what happened with the thir d wish. Amesh was suddenly nearby, looming over me like an angry lion .

"What are you doing behind my back?" he boomed .

Chapter eight.

He st s rt l e d me, and his tone made me fee l guilty, although I had done nothing wrong . S o I instinctivel y lied, saying, "nothing."

He crouched beside me, his head an outline in the dark . I did not need to see his expression to know his mood .

"I heard you talking to it," he said .

"T alking to what? "

" Don't play dumb . T he carpet . I t was talking to you." I did try to play dumb. "You heard it talking to me?"

He pointed at the central star field, which no longer displaye d any words. "You were bent over it, staring at that spot," he said .

" I was trying to study how- "

" You were talking to it!" he interrupted .

"I don't know what you mean. "

" What you mean is you don't know how long I've bee n standing in the dark listening to you." I tried acting hurt, anything to deflect his anger. Why wa s he so mad? He was scaring me .

"You were spying on me," I said .

"S pying? I wake up and suddenly you're gone . I got u p because I was worried about you . T hen I find you off with th e carpet trying to learn stuff behind my back. "

"I didn't find out anything. "

" really? the Carpet of Ka didn't tell you any secrets?"

d.a.m.n, I I thought. He had been listening for a while . I ha d not only asked the questions; I remembered repeating many o f the carpet's answers aloud. But I couldn't remember exactl y which ones. He brought his head closer in the dark . I could fee l the heat of his breath . thought. He had been listening for a while . I ha d not only asked the questions; I remembered repeating many o f the carpet's answers aloud. But I couldn't remember exactl y which ones. He brought his head closer in the dark . I could fee l the heat of his breath .

"What did you learn about the djinn?" he asked . I sighed. " I thought it was spelling out words, using th e stars. But it might have just been my imagination. "

" You were having a conversation with it. You knew exactl y what it was saying." He paused . "I s this the first time you'v e spoken to it? "

" What kind of question is that? You've been with me sinc e I found it."

" I wasn't with you all the time in the hotel room. And yo u said I fell asleep last night before you did. For all I know yo u talked to it all night." s arcasm was an old ally of mine, particularly when I fel t cornered. "You're right. We plotted against you . I t told me th e best way to murder you in your sleep."

He stood and stared off into the distance . "I n a wa y I'm glad you're sticking with your lies. From the moment w e found the carpet I've had a bad feeling in my gut . I thought I was being paranoid. But now I know you're not who you pretend to be." t hat hurt, G.o.d .

"I 'm sorry," I whispered .

He turned back to me. "What are you sorry about? "

"I 'm sorry I lied to you," I said .

"You're just sorry you got caught. "

"I only took it away from where you were sleeping so I wouldn't wake you . I had no idea it would start talking."

He pointed at the carpet. "How does it work? "

"I ask a question and certain stars brighten while other s dim . T hey spell out words. "

"S how me. "

" Okay, I'll try talking to it," I said hastily, turning towar d the carpet. "Can you tell us more about who made you?" t he star field did not change .

Amesh crouched beside me again. "Ask it more abou t the djinn. "

"I t said the djinn are dangerous. "

"A sk! "

" Can you tell us more about the djinn?"

Again, the stars did not change, and I knew why . T here wa s too much tension in the air. Besides, I sensed it didn't want t o speak to him because it knew he was not of the same lineage a s myself .

"I t's not working," I said .

"Why not? "

"I don't know. "

"I s it because I'm not royalty? Like you?"

Oh G.o.d, I thought, he had heard so much!

"Amesh, please, I apologized . I was wrong not to tell yo u at the start that I spoke to it. But you startled me and . . . "

" You automatically lied to me," he said . I leaned over to gather up the carpet. "Fine. Be angry, I don't care. I'm going to sleep."

He grabbed my arm. "We're not sleeping tonight!" I shook free and shoved him in the chest. Hard. "Don' t touch me!" I could not believe the trust we shared had collapsed s o quickly. Yet I felt in no mood to repair it, not now. He was behaving like a madman .

He seemed to realize that. He bowed his head, softene d his voice .

"I 'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that," h e said .

"unlike you, I accept your apology."

He nodded . "I accept yours, too. "

" Well, I'm no longer offering it . I had a right to talk to th e carpet if I wanted to. I'm glad I was successful. And it's not m y fault if it doesn't want to talk to you." I turned away . "N ow I'm going to rest."

He blocked my way. " Sara , please, you have to see my side .

When I woke up and you were gone, I got really scared. We'r e on a strange island . I thought maybe someone had taken yo u away . I called out your name and you didn't answer. And then, w hen I saw you laughing with the carpet, talking to it, all m y fear just turned to . . ." He didn't finish .

"rage," I said .

"I got angry; I admit that. I'm sorry. "

" You're only sorry because you want to fly into one o f these temples and summon a djinn."