But that brought up a disquieting question: Had the carpe t purposely put Amesh in danger so I would have to save him? i n other words, were the two of us mere puppets? I challenged th e carpet on this point, and it replied that I had to have faith, tha t I had been led to the island and the carpet for a reason. Later, I asked the carpet about other people who had invoked the djinn . I ts answer was chilling .

"M ost of those humans are now thralls of those djinn. "

" Where are they now?" I asked .

"You don't want to know."

Frustrated with how slow I was learning to throw pots, I asked the carpet if Aleena could make one for me. But it sai d if I wished to attach a djinn to the pot, then it had to be a n extension of who I was or I wouldn't be able to control th e creature .

What was the secret of throwing the perfect pot? it wa s fearlessness and confidence. Aleena taught me to approach th e clay with a quiet mind, but with a firmly fixed vision of what I wanted to create . T hen I would be able to mold the lump of cla y into a thing of beauty . I cannot recall how many days it was after I faced th e bloodthirsty djinn that I threw my first perfect pot . I t coul d have been three or four days, it could have been a week. Bu t when I did it, the result was exactly what I needed . I was no longer simply an apprentice . I was a real liv e potter .

Yet the pot needed a lid; it needed handles . T hose too k another day to fashion . I n the meantime the pot dried and I primed it with a white liquid and set about painting it according to the carpet's instructions . I had to create a specific sta r pattern, which the carpet said mirrored the djinn's character . I n other words, I was recreating my djinn's astrological chart o n the pot .

And here I had always thought astrology was for the birds . I asked why the other artifacts did not have stars painte d on them . T he carpet's answer surprised me. "they do; you just can' t see them." t he carpet also had me paint and carve the name of th e djinn into the pot . I t explained that such a technique made i t almost impossible for the djinn to disconnect itself from th e artifact. Once I returned to istanbul, it a.s.sured me, I would nee d such control . T he carpet made it sound like I was going to war . s...o...b.. it, I thought. Bring them on; I felt ready .

Or maybe I was just sick of the goats . T heir smell, thei r brutal kicks and constant baying . I tried to convince Hara w e should eat more goat meat and less lamb. I'm afraid to say tha t I never formed a warm and fuzzy relationship with the beasts . T he day after I painted my pot, Aleena immersed it in th e intense heat of the kiln . T he process was fascinating to watch . T he clay and paint fused to form a shiny surface that, colorwise, reminded me of the carpet as much as Aleena's finest work .

When it was done, she set it out in the cool evening air . T hen we shared a meal that we understood would b e our last . T hey tried their best to get me to stay longer . I refused. Ye t if I was honest with myself, I was pretty sure Amesh had alread y made his third wish . I f that was the case, and he was a thrall, I w as not sure how I could use my djinn to free him . T he carpe t did not answer when I asked such things . I t never gave me muc h hope that he could be saved .

"A ct. Do the best you feel you can do. But don't worr y about the fruit of your actions . T hat is beyond your control." t he night the pot was ready, Hara offered to help me carr y it to the valley of the temples . I politely declined . I planned t o fly there. But then the carpet said it wanted Hara to come, an d to fly on the carpet with me . I should have known somethin g odd was up right then, but I did not understand .

Hara held my two-foot-tall pot . I carried a torch and th e lid of the pot. Aleena stayed behind, but gave me a long lingering hug goodbye . S he had tears in her eyes when she let go. W e had become close, but I did not know we were that close .

Perhaps I had misread her feelings from the start .

We rode the carpet to the valley, but got a late start . T h e red star had already risen in the east and its sober light shon e over the cold pools of water that separated the temples . I trie d asking Hara about the star but he shook his head as if to say i t was not something to talk about in the dark .

We landed outside the triangular temple and entere d through the front door. Approaching the altar, I feared tha t trakur a.n.a.lova ta would put in an appearance, but the buildin g felt oddly calm . I asked the carpet if Hara should be presen t while I invoked the djinn and it said no . I t added: "But be grateful for his help. He will watch over the pot."

"Watch over it?" I asked, shocked. " I'm taking it with me. "

" You cannot. "

"A mesh took his lamp with him when he left wit h his djinn. "

" His artifact is hard to destroy. Yours is easy . I t must b e guarded. "

"B ut doesn't my djinn go back inside my pot when I'm no t using it? "

" Your mind is stuck on cartoons about genies and thei r lamps . T he djinn gets attached to your pot . I t is through you r pot that it gets attached to this world. But it does not have t o stay inside the pot, not once you have bound it to you and t o this world. "

" Won't the distance the djinn is from the pot affect th e control I have over the djinn? "

"N o . E specially if she believes you're going to make thre e wishes. "

"T hat's my point!" I complained . "I f I do make wishes, I'll need to destroy the pot to cancel out my contract wit h the djinn. "

"I 'm aware of your plan and it is sound. "

"B ut if the pot's here and I'm in istanbul, I won't be abl e to destroy it when I want to. "

" Do not worry about that." I shook my head. "this is insane . T his is not what I planned."

"You must learn that things do not always go according t o your plans . T o keep your djinn attached to your pot, and the po t safe, it must stay here."

Hara saw that I was distraught, arguing with the carpet. H e felt helpless, I think, that he could not do more for me. He gav e me a hug the same way Aleena had. He shed a few tears, too . T hen he took the torch and left the temple. Yet he made sur e the door remained propped open. He really was going to chec k on my pot . T he carpet instructed me to set the pot in front of th e altar, and to sit with the pot between me and the altar . I laid th e carpet out nearby; I still had some last-minute questions .

"I s trakur a.n.a.lova ta's mate in the temple?" I asked .

"S he is near . R emember, she is free, unattached to an artifact. But she will be anxious to attach to your pot, especiall y after you defeated her mate. "

" Why? "

"S he seeks revenge." I shivered. "Her husband got at least four pints of bloo d out of me . I didn't even scratch him. He has nothing to complain about. Besides, my side's not totally healed . I still hav e pain there. "

" You may always have such pain . I t's part of the price yo u pay to walk the path you have chosen. "

"I haven't chosen to walk any path. I'm just trying t o save Amesh."

"You have a great destiny set before you. You can try t o achieve it, at great cost and sacrifice, or you can run from it an d sink into mediocrity . T he choice is yours. "

" Did I ever tell you that you need to lighten up?" I said .

"Greatness requires commitment. "

" each time I've faced a djinn, I've felt intuitively that I hav e to try to remain in charge. But it makes me wonder how to ac t with a djinn that's going to be following me around . S ay I tel l it to go away so I can sleep . T he djinn can always say to me, 'i s that a wish?' You see what I'm getting at? "

"T he djinn will try to do that every chance it gets. Yo u have to stop it from taking liberties . M ake it clear that you'r e the master and your orders are not the same as your wishes." t here was a rustle in the air .

"T rakur a.n.a.lova La comes. Quietly repeat her name. Guid e her into the pot. When she is inside, put the top on . T hen sh e will be bound to it. "

" Won't I have to let her back out when we head fo r istanbul? "

"A part of her will remain connected to this pot . M ost o f her will go with you to the city. But once she enters the pot, l eave her inside. "

"I 'm finally beginning to see how this works," I said .

"Good. You fly the carpet, not the djinn . T hey have a tendency to abuse magic carpets and treat them as slaves. "

" Okay." suddenly I could sense an invisible being in th e a rea . S he didn't feel as large as her husband, yet she felt mor e focused. Her energy was more concentrated . I began to recite her name. "trakur a.n.a.lova La . T raku r a.n.a.lova La . T rakur a.n.a.lova La." it wasn't long before a mis t formed between me and the altar. unlike the previous invocations I had been involved with, this djinn didn't quickly a.s.sume a form . I thought I understood why. unlike the other djinn-wh o were attached to artifacts and accustomed to ensnaring unwar y humans-this one had not put its foot into our realm in ages, i f it had ever done so . I continued to chant its name for hal f an hour before it settled on a shape . I didn't get impatient . I could see it was making progress. Also, the form it chose wa s pleasant . S he looked like a human queen, with long, black shiny hair, a veritable shawl made out of darkness . S he wore a crown, a small gold one, and not much else. Her dress was mostly shee r and black . S he was dark-skinned . I f not for a wide silver bel t around her waist and a similar necklace atop her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, sh e would have been exposed . T he necklace and belt were draped i n hair-like material and inlaid with precious stones, mostly rubies, w hich matched the creature's eyes . T hey were black and had fier y red pupils . T he color reminded me of the blood her husban d had stolen from my veins . I wondered if they shared the same appet.i.tes .

s he stood. "trakur a.n.a.lova La," I said in a firm voice .

"Come closer." s he came near, glancing at the pot with distaste . T o m y surprise she gave off a faint camphor smell, which was rathe r pleasant .

"I am here to grant you three wishes," she said in husk y voice. "tell me your name and what you desire. "

"I 've fashioned a beautiful pot for you . I t contains the star s of your birth. Your name, both carved and painted on the sides . S igns of the fire element, dear to your kind . I n all respects it i s perfect for you. Would you like to step inside? "

"I am more interested in what you want. "

" You know that you can grant me nothing in this worl d unless you are tied to an object in this world . T rakur a.n.a.lov a La, I order you to step inside the pot . N ow." s he hesitated, moved close to the pot, suddenly shrunk i n size, and stepped inside . S till, her head and crown stuck ou t the top .

"T rakur a.n.a.lova La," I said. "Please sit, relax; I mean yo u no harm." t he djinn sat, and I quickly placed the lid on top of th e pot . T he fit was firm but not too tight . S o far, so good . N ow c ame the dangerous part-the binding of the djinn to th e earthly object . I had to wait until trakur a.n.a.lova La tired o f being inside the pot and begged for me to let her out .

I was what the carpet called her Nagual Nagual -__________her Primal o r First. For all of time I would be the one who had connected he r to this realm, even if others begged wishes from her in th e future . -__________her Primal o r First. For all of time I would be the one who had connected he r to this realm, even if others begged wishes from her in th e future .

Yet if I did not not wait for trakur a.n.a.lova La to beg, if I grew i mpatient and left, then she might break free and chase afte r me and try to attach me to an object from her world . T hen I would be stuck with one foot in her realm . T he carpet had emphasized this point. Always, it said, the djinn schemed . I had t o stay alert . I lay down on the carpet, prepared to wait days if need be . wait for trakur a.n.a.lova La to beg, if I grew i mpatient and left, then she might break free and chase afte r me and try to attach me to an object from her world . T hen I would be stuck with one foot in her realm . T he carpet had emphasized this point. Always, it said, the djinn schemed . I had t o stay alert . I lay down on the carpet, prepared to wait days if need be .

But trakur a.n.a.lova La did not seem to fear me . S he was confident she would be able to get me to commit to three wishes . S he waited only half an hour when she asked to be let loose . I said no, beg . I n the end she did beg, but I never took the top off th e pot . I ordered her to exit it whatever way she could and gave he r permission to do so. As her master, I needed her to know m y permission was key . S he stepped out and swelled to her previou s height-a head taller than myself . S he stared down at me wit h burning red eyes .

"You thought to take from my husband without paying," s he said. "You thought wrong. "

"B e silent," I said . I checked the pot lid . I t was on tight .

I pointed to the carpet. " I'm flying to istanbul tonight .

You're coming with me . S it on the back . I'll sit up front an d control it from there. "

" You? A mortal? What do you know about magic carpets?" I felt the urge to brag . I t might have been a mistake .

"T his is the Carpet of Ka, the greatest magic carpet in th e world . I t is I who command it." t he red in her eyes flashed at the mention of the name, a nd she stared at the carpet with unexpected reverence. "How d id it come to you?" she asked .

"N one of your business." I climbed aboard, not worrie d about finding a ley line in the temple. And when we reached th e beach, I was confident that i'd be able to pick up the spot wher e Amesh and I had come ash.o.r.e . I was going to take the sam e magnetic highway back to istanbul . T he djinn climbed on th e carpet and settled at the rear .

"What is your name?" she asked .

"M y name's unimportant. But I'm already tired of calling you trakur a.n.a.lova La. Do you have something simple r you go by?" t he djinn hesitated. "You may call me Lova. "

" Lova . I think we'll get along fine. All I require is you r obedience. "

" You want me to obey you? is that a wish? "

" When I make a wish, I'll invoke your full name an d c arefully label it as such. Otherwise, do what I say and don't ge t in my way."

Lova smiled faintly . "I cannot get in your way, not when i t comes to interacting with others. You are the only mortal wh o can see me . T hat won't change unless our relationship shoul d change."

Lova was talking about taking control .

"Don't even think about it," I warned her .

Chapter Fourteen.

ALL night, over the calm sea, we flew-twenty feet above the water and traveling fast. The air was warm and humid, but I hardly felt any breeze. It seemed as if the carpet had erected an invisible force field without my even asking. Had it felt my desire to be sheltered and simply obeyed? the longer I spent with the carpet, the more it seemed to antic.i.p.ate my desires. I felt at home on it. Even with Lova and her glowing red eyes sitting behind me, I was not frightened.

With the Carpet of Ka as my ally, I knew I had a power that was as great as any power she possessed. I had been through a lot since I left Istanbul. I was returning to the city a different person. My confidence in my abilities was high. I was fifteen, but felt twenty-five. If Amesh could be saved, I would save him.

Like before, the stars were bright on the water. Soon I grew sleepy, and I told Lova to shrink in size so I could lie down without b.u.mping her. The instruction might have been unnecessary-I was not even sure if she was touchable. Yet she obeyed without complaint. I was not trying to be a brat; I was just trying to maintain my position of authority, and to sleep. My sleep was deep, without dreams. I a.s.sumed that I would awake in the twilight zone we had pa.s.sed through on the way to the island but I did not. One moment I was staring up at the stars, and the next there was an orange light in the sky. I sat up quickly and saw istanbul in the distance. The sun had yet to rise but I was no longer worried that the carpet would fail if the stars vanished. It had finally explained that it could fly in the daytime, but the stars were like a power source for its batteries. For example, if I left the carpet out all night, under the stars, and did not use it to fly, then I could use it to fly during the next day. But not the entire day; for three or four hours at most. The sun peeked over the horizon as I landed on the beach. It was the same sh.o.r.e where Amesh and I had started our adventure. It was hard not to recall how excited and happy we had been that night. The place was deserted, which was fortunate. How could I explain surfing in on a carpet? I immediately rolled it up and hid it in my backpack. Lova stood behind me, watching.

"Why do you stand behind me?" I asked.

"It is customary for a djinn to walk behind its master."

"Do you consider me your master?" she hesitated. "Yes."

"Have you served a human master before?"

"No."

"But your mate has?"

"Yes."

"How many human masters has he served?"

"Sixteen, before you."

"Do all of them serve him now?" she grinned; it was more of a gloat. "Yes."

"That will not happen with us. I know the Laws of the Djinn."

"All humans say that."

"How long will you wait for me to make my third wish?"

"until you draw your final breath."

"If I have a friend who has become the thrall of another djinn, can you set him free?"

"No." the sharpness of her answer surprised and depressed me.

"What if he is close to becoming a thrall, but he's not one yet?"

Lova hesitated. "Djinn do not interfere with other djinn."

"The Carpet of Ka told me differently. You can interfere if you're more powerful than the other djinn, and if I demand that you do so."

"Is that your first wish?"