And there he was. Barely moving against the hills of sand surrounding our camp. He held the reins of his horse, and though he was far away, I knew he could see me. So I parted the tent further, let him see me, my body that had never been seen this way by a man, and never would be except by him. I was sure of it. Though the coolness of the night air made me shiver, I held myself proudly, as the daughter of a sheikh should, and let him see what gifts Allah had bestowed upon me. His gaze moved over my skin like the hot wind, scorching me, and I wanted to be burned.
I thought if he came to me, I would not deny him, no matter the obedience I have always given my family. How is it I am so certain this is meant to be, that Allah has willed it so, even though it is against everything I have known?
When I raised my gaze again, he was gone. I thought he might have seen someone stirring, so I quickly stepped back into the tent.
Djinn that he is, he was there, though my younger sisters slept only a few feet away. So I trembled for us both and said nothing as he reached out and touched my face for the very first time . . . only my face, while his clothed body stood so close to my yearning one. And then he was gone.
ything I have known?
When I raised my gaze again, he was gone. I thought he might have seen someone stirring, so I quickly stepped back into the tent.
Djinn that he is, he was there, though my younger sisters slept only a few feet away. So I trembled for us both and said nothing as he reached out and touched my face for the very first time . . . only my face, while his clothed body stood so close to my yearning one. And then he was gone.
3
CLUNK. Jess opened her eyes as Harry let out a triumphant whistle and Mel a startled grunt. They’d dug down three feet, so when she bent to peer in, she was gazing at the sand-encrusted top of the stone obelisk.
She tried to school her face to a mask, but fortunately they were occupied with clearing the sides, using spacers to hold back the sand. Gripping the sides of the chair, she fought sudden light-headedness. It was real. Though she’d been afraid to believe otherwise, because of how little she could afford to lose at this point, the confirmation was staggering.
When they were done, the full four-foot height of the heavy marker was revealed. She had Harry brush off the seal and shone her flashlight on it. An orchid engraving, the flower least likely to live in the dry desert. It would be a miracle to find one here. The symbolism was strong, strong as a three-hundred-year-old heartbeat.
She pointed. “It needs to be shifted into that grooved circle to the right of the base. According to the legend, it announces to the spirit you have come to honor her, and mean no harm.”
That was the truth, even if it had nothing to do with Farida’s legend. Seeing Mel’s irritated look, she added, “After that, your job will be done and you can go home.”
JOURNAL ENTRY 63, PAGE 32
Farida bint Asim
We have done it. We ran away together. Tonight was our first time truly alone with each other. I stood in the center of his cave, a place he explained he used when traveling the desert. It had as many caverns as an ancient kassar. I knew what I’d done, knew there was no going back. While he watched me look at his temporary home, I sensed he was also overwhelmed by the choice we’d made. It was right, though so momentous and destructive at once. But then all that died away when he came close, turned me toward him.
It was not the choice that made me tremble, but him, how he made me feel. A way that filled this small space, taking air from my lungs. I managed to tell him I could not breathe, and before I fell to my knees, he was there, holding me, his arms around my body, his hands upon me at last, blessed Allah. He gave me air, life, through his mouth and hands . . .
Lord Mason had been an honorable man, Jessica knew. He’d married her in a handfasting, witnessed by the stars and God, before he bedded her. It had not been a modern relationship, a careful or even hopeful matching of likes and dislikes, quirks and habits. It had been a soul finding another soul, and the search for a life that would honor that bond.