Throne of the Phoenix Read online

  I grinned up at him, unable to feel anything but joy, despite the world we were living in and the problems that came with it.

  His grin came back, infectious. “You, lady, are something else.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “Oh, so good,” he said, leaning in and taking my breath away again.

  “You don’t feel bad about what we did?” I asked once I’d come back up for air.

  He shook his head and stroked the skin on my cheeks. The chains jangled lightly as he moved.

  “I thought I would. I thought I’d wake up and feel like I’d done something unspeakable. I thought I’d feel shame. I’ve known you for a long time. That doesn’t sit easily on me.”

  “Do you feel shame?” I asked, propping my head up on my hand with my elbow on the bed.

  “I feel nothing but...I can’t even describe it. I was once human. Before my enslavement. I thought that part of me was long gone, taken over by the power of magic, but this, what I feel now is power that is much rawer. More real.” He twirled a lock of my hair between his fingers and curled up the edges of his mouth. “More wonderful than anything I could ever have imagined, but more than that. It didn’t feel wrong. It doesn’t feel wrong now. I thought for a long time that if anything happened between us, I would be taking advantage of you.”

  I leaned forward. “If I remember correctly, it was I that took advantage of you.”

  He laughed. A loud braying laugh that warmed my heart. It had been a long time since I’d seen him happy. “Yes, you did. You can take advantage of me like that any time you like.” He lay his head back on his hands and smirked. I hit him with a pillow.

  I could have stayed with Genie, lying in his bed, limbs entangled, tasting his lips until the end of time, but time was something we didn’t have. The cuffs around his wrists were proof of that.

  “We need to talk about The Vizier,” I said, hating myself for even thinking it when I was so happy.

  “Who?” Genie replied airily.

  I turned to look into his eyes. The cloud had descended again. His memories were once again leaving him.

  “Look at me,” I demanded.

  He flicked his eyes my way, and the genie I knew returned in an instant. He pulled me close and kissed me.

  “Do you remember who you are? How you came to be here?”

  It was exhausting, these fleeting lapses in memory followed by even more fleeting returns to normal.

  “I don’t really know who I am, but I know who you are, and I know how I feel about you. It’s probably the only thing I can hold onto. Everything else is fading.”

  “I need you to hold onto that,” I said, taking his hand in mine. Hold onto that feeling, and I’ll always be here. Do you remember Aladdin?”

  He shook his head. I guess it was too much to hope for. My father had been lost to us the longest.

  “A long time ago, he saved you from the lamp. The Vizier I just mentioned wanted to own you. To control you as he had controlled my grandfather. As he had controlled Badalah through my grandfather.”

  Genie closed his eyes and sucked in a breath through his nose. “I remember. At least I remember feeling unhappy, then happy again. The fabric of my mind is being torn apart.”

  I kissed him lightly on his temple and whispered. “I know.”

  “You told me yesterday that The Vizier was back. This man hurt you?”

  “Not yet, but he wants to. He believes that I was the one to defeat him the first time. I don’t understand it at all, but my birth has something to do with it. I have a brother and maybe more brothers and sisters. Our mother was magic...she had to be, or maybe our father was. We are magic too. I have siblings out there who have magic like mine.”

  I lit two of my fingers alight and watched the flames flicker in the low light. It diffused some of the pent-up feelings circling inside me. “I think our birth created a burst of magic that defeated all the evil in all the kingdoms. And now it’s back along with my magic. Our magic. I wish I knew who my brother was. I could do with speaking to someone about this.”

  “You have me, my love.”

  I snuggled up closer to him. “I know I do, but you don’t remember how powerful The Vizier is. He’s trying to enslave you, and I think he’s doing it to get to me.”

  Genie pulled back. “If that is the case, then I must leave. I cannot put you in danger. I will not play a part in anything that will hurt you.”

  “You can’t leave me. We are bonded with magic, remember? I am the owner of the three wishes, and until I use the last one, you have to be close to me if I want you to be.”

  “Damn it, Gaia,” he said, raising his voice. “Stop this. I don’t want to be bound to you because of magic, because I have to be. I want to be bound to you because you want me as much as I want you. I’d use my last breath to keep you safe, but I can’t do that if you keep me near you.”

  He got out of bed and walked backward and forward at the foot of the bed while I sat up and pulled the covers up to my chin.

  “I want you. I’ve always wanted you. What I’m feeling isn’t magic. It’s so much more than that. Your magic fascinates me, I won’t lie, but I loved you before I learned of your magic. I loved you before I knew your magic had returned, and I loved you before I knew of my magic. We are not bonded together because of magic, but because I love you and I hope you love me. But if holding onto that last wish will stop you from doing something stupid, I’ll hold onto it. I want you to be free. I’ve tried wishing it twice now, but both times you’ve stopped me. I think you did that for a reason. Until I make that last wish or someone finds the lamp, you must always come back to me no matter how far you go.”

  He sat down on the bed and lowered his head into his hands. “What have I done?”

  I moved down the bed, letting the covers fall from my naked body. “Do you love me, Genie?”

  He turned his head to the side. “I love you more than I could possibly have imagined. I have spent my entire life not wanting to get close to anyone, but then I fell in love with you. I’ve tried to fight it. For so long. I love you with everything that I have, which is why you should let me go.”

  “If you go, I will die. I will have nothing left to live for.”

  He raised his hands in the air and brought them down over my head and behind my back, bringing me close to him.

  “I can’t fight The Vizier alone,” I whispered. “You were always the person who knew what to do in a crisis, even when you didn’t have magic. I want you to be free, but I can’t use the last wish anymore. Not until you tell me you’ll stay and help me fight.”

  He looked up. His eyes were red. “I’ll fight, and I’ll stay with you.”

  “That’s all I want.”

  I moved to kiss him again, but he leaned back. “I need you to promise me something.”

  “What?”

  “My memory is fading. I slip in and out of the fog. Promise me that you’ll save yourself if you need to. Use the last wish to keep yourself safe. Do not waste it on me.”

  “If your mind goes completely, I promise, but I’m not going to let that happen.”

  He gave me a sad smile. “And I need you to stay as safe as possible. I know you don’t like being cooped up inside the palace, but for now, until we sort this out, I think you should stay inside.”

  “I promise to stay by you if you promise to stay by me.”

  His smile came back. “Deal.”

  He leaned forward and kissed me. We didn’t leave his room for the rest of the day or night.

  3rd July

  Genie slept peacefully as I slipped out of bed and pulled on my pajamas for the first time in 24 hours. I kissed him lightly on the cheek and tiptoed across the floor and out through his private suite and into the corridor. Looking both ways to make sure no one noticed me, I ran all the way back to my room and jumped in the shower.

  My magic had become almost incontrollable thanks to the high emotion and the lack of letting it out. I
gniting my fingers for a few seconds was not enough to diffuse the swirling energy. I let the fire burn as the cold water of the shower hit me with a hiss. I let myself sizzle until my magic was burned out completely, and only then, did I turn the shower up a little warmer and wash my hair. I’d known for a while that my magic was strengthening. That, in itself, was not a problem. If The Vizier’s was growing, then having mine strengthen was a bonus, but I needed to learn to keep it under control. I couldn’t run to the shower after moments of extreme emotion because now that I was with Genie, strong emotions were going to be a part of my life. Not to mention the emotions that went along with running a kingdom.

  I jumped out of the shower and dried quickly. My wonderful day with Genie yesterday had been perfect, but I’d left my mother alone when she needed me the most. I’d left the whole kingdom alone to indulge in my own pleasure.

  I dressed in my most business-like attire and left my room to find my mother.

  She wasn’t in her room, nor in the breakfast parlor, although breakfast had been laid out ready for her. It wasn’t the usual breakfast affair, but some bread, butter, and fruit. I picked up a slice of bread and slathered the butter on it thickly. I’d not ventured from Genie’s room the whole day before, so our food supply had been limited to the fruit bowl he kept in his bedroom.

  I’d been hiding from the world, I realized as I wolfed down the bread and picked up an apple. I’d been using my time with Genie as an excuse not to have to do anything else.

  “Nice of you to show up,” Jamal said, grabbing a plate.

  “I was looking for my mother. I think we need to come up with a plan of what to do now.”

  Jamal raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips. “If you’d have not spent the whole day in Genie’s room, you would know that we already came up with a plan. Your mother is in her study. I said I’d bring up some food for her.”

  My cheeks colored. So Jamal knew where I had been. I guessed the rest of the palace did too. I’d never promised Jamal anything, but he’d stayed here in our moment of need for me. I knew that.

  “I’m sorry, Jamal.”

  “Yeah,” he said, retreating from the room with the plate of fruit. I ran after him down the corridor.

  “What’s the plan?”

  He didn’t stop. If anything, he picked up his pace so that I had to keep running just to keep up with him.

  “The gates need to be opened, but tension is high on both sides. Your mother was in talks with people from Kisbu and those from out of the city yesterday.”

  He turned and began to walk up the main stairwell to the office my mother and father had shared when things were peaceful.

  “How did she speak to people from the outside if the gates were closed?” I asked breathlessly.

  He finally stopped and turned to face me. “Freya and I took her to the gates yesterday. As the Sultana, she was allowed to pass through. We ventured to the city of Khoha to speak to the mayor there. The mayor agreed to speak to the leaders of the other nearby towns to come up with a plan. I’m surprised you care.”

  “What do you mean? Of course, I care.”

  “You didn’t seem to care yesterday. I came to find you so you could come along. Freya told me you’d gone to speak to Genie. I assume you stayed there all day because I couldn’t find you when I got back either.”

  There was no point denying it. I wasn’t planning to hide my love of Genie. I just hadn’t thought I’d have to admit to it so soon. There were so many other things going on that I’d hoped to fly under the radar a little longer.

  “I said I was sorry. If you knew I was with Genie, you should have knocked on his door.”

  “So it’s true then? I’d really hoped I was wrong.” He moved to turn away from me, but I caught his shoulder.

  “You should have come and got me.”

  “Would you have left his bed for me?”

  I was silent. He was right. Nothing beyond the palace being on fire would have dragged me from Genie yesterday.

  “I thought so,” he said, turning away and walking down the corridor.

  My mother was sat in her usual chair in her study. The room only had two chairs. My mother’s at one side of a table and my father’s at the other. This is the place where they ruled the kingdom together. Freya stood to my mother’s side as they both peered down at a piece of paper. They both looked up as Jamal and I entered the room.

  “Jamal...and Gaia, darling. It’s so lovely to see you. Jamal, what’s the matter?”

  “Nothing,” he said, dropping the plate of fruit onto the table with a thump. An apple rolled out. Freya picked it up and gave me a questioning look.

  “Later!” I mouthed at her from behind Jamal’s back.

  “I think everyone is on the same side,” my mother said. “I received this letter from the Mayor of Khoha this morning. She really is a delight. She said that if we open the gates to the city, she will make sure that the farmers bring food. I assured her yesterday that I’ll lower my previous tax hike. I don’t really know what possessed me to raise taxes in the first place. I’ve really not been myself these past few weeks.”

  Jamal rounded the table and sat in my father’s chair. Something about it annoyed me, but I kept my mouth shut. I’d never seen anyone sit in my father’s chair besides my father. It made no sense for Jamal to stand though when there was a perfectly good chair to sit in, and it wasn’t like my father was going to show up any minute now.

  “Don’t sit there, Jamal darling,” my mother said.

  Jamal stood up at her request.

  “Why not, Mother?” Did she remember Aladdin?

  She looked up at me in confusion. “I don’t know.” She gave a little shiver. “It just feels wrong.”

  I leaned across the table and looked her in the eyes. “Why? Why does it feel wrong? What is it about that chair?”

  Both Jamal and Freya were silent. They knew what I was doing. My father was still in her memory. I just needed to get it out

  Tears formed in her eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t...”

  She stood up and walked past Freya and to the door. “Please excuse me.”

  She bolted from the room, closing the door behind her.

  “Well done,” Jamal said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “She remembers him,” I replied, ignoring his tone. “I know she does. Do you know what this means?”

  “What?” Freya asked.

  “If I can get my father to somehow come to the castle and meet with my mother, she might know who he is again. I can ask the Genie if he can make them fall in love.”

  I ran from the room, but not before I saw Jamal roll his eyes. Yeah, he was pissed at me for wanting to go and see Genie, but this time it wasn’t about me. It was about my parents.

  I found him whistling a tune in his office. After our day together yesterday, something had changed in him for the better. His hair was brushed back and tied neatly, and the pallor in his skin was gone.

  “Gaia!” he said, pulling me as best he could into a twirl and ending it with a kiss.

  “I didn’t come to you for that,” I said, laughing. On the way there, I wondered if he’d already forgotten our time together. It seemed he hadn’t.

  “What did you come to me for? Is something wrong?”

  He let me go and turned back into the man I knew and fell in love with. This new happy side of him was all kinds of wonderful, but I fell in love with his serious side, with the part of him that could tell me any fact I asked of him.

  “I’ve been thinking about that last wish.”

  “The one you said you wouldn’t use because you don’t want to lose me.”

  I smiled up at him shyly. “That’s the one.”

  He took my hand and pulled me to the sofa. “I’ve been thinking about that. I won’t leave you. Not ever. But I still don’t want you to free me. I’m yours whatever you do, but you might need that wish for something more important than me.”

  I kissed him slo
wly, inhaling his spicy scent. “There is nothing more important than you.”

  His eyes crinkled up at the side. “You are more important than me. Keep the wish until you really need it.”

  “Actually, the wishes are the reason I’m here. What exactly did my father wish for? You can’t make people fall in love right, so what did he do to make mother fall in love with him?”

  “You are asking me about your father again? You know I don’t remember. I only remember being inside the lamp and then living here, being an aide to your mother.”

  “My father was a brilliant leader,” I prompted.

  Genie stroked my hand. “I know. You’ve told me. I know you want me to remember him, but I can’t.”

  “He was only the leader he was because of my mother. They were an inseparable team. They worked so well together, and they were so in love. Even after eighteen years together. I’ve never known another couple love each other as much as they did.”

  “They were very lucky to have found each other. Just as I am lucky to have found their daughter.”

  My mouth turned up at the corners. I wasn’t used to him talking this way. It was sweet but funny at the same time.

  “If I asked you how you think I could get someone to fall in love with me using wishes, what would you say?”

  “I’d say, be you, but I’m guessing that’s not what you are really asking.”

  “Whatever made my parents fall in love before, I’m going to try and recreate it. My father was at the palace the other day. My mother missed him, but if I found him and introduced them, maybe they’ll remember each other. I just want to make it the same as the first time. He was a street rat, she was a princess. How did they even meet?”

  “Hmm,” Genies said, crossing his legs and stroking his chin. “If you were a street rat and wanted to marry a prince, I’d conjure up new clothes. I’d make you look like a princess.”

  I thought back to how my father looked the last time I saw him. His clothes were filthy and full of holes, and he hadn’t shaved in weeks. “I can do that. I have all his clothes here. I just need to get him to the palace under some pretense and get him cleaned up.”