Page 28 of Bound by Wishes (Enchanted Deceptions #1)

A ll I needed was five more minutes. Five more minutes, and we would have been long gone before Caleena had seen the Canaari Medjai. But now, the woman sitting beside me fixed me with a scowl that could level a mountain.

“Start explaining now,” Caleena growled. “Why would the Medjai try to stop us from getting the staff and putting an end to the Nightshade?”

The genie curse reared its ugly head inside of me, making it impossible not to answer my sayyida.

“The Canaari Medjai are generational descendants of the guards of King Thalorian,” I reluctantly explained, my hand balling into a tight fist as I fought the words that tumbled from my lips. “It’s their sworn duty to ensure that no one finds the Nightshade and that the staff doesn’t end up in the wrong hands.”

“Did it end up in the wrong hands?” Caleena asked, the familiar suspicion creeping into her eyes.

“Depends on who you ask,” I answered with a smirk.

Malik leaned forward. “I think they failed their job on both accounts.”

Caleena glanced down at the staff in her hands. “Can’t we just explain to them that we’re trying to right a wrong?”

“You don’t explain things to the Medjai,” I muttered as I stared ahead.

The memory of everything they had done to my family resurfaced, flooding me with an intense, searing rage that burned through every thought, every breath.

Caleena watched me, probably trying to decide if she was going to believe me or not. “What happens if the Nightshade gets the staff?” she asked.

I flinched, and Caleena noticed immediately, her eyes widening as she waited for my response.

“That staff…it took away the Nightshade’s powers,” I said vaguely, my words heavy. “With it, she might be able to regain them.”

Caleena glanced down at the staff, her tone sharp with suspicion. “So, she’s not dangerous since she doesn’t have her powers?”

My gaze finally lifted to meet hers. “She’s very dangerous. One of the most powerful djinns that ever walked the earth,” I answered tightly. “Even without the Nightshade powers, she is deadly.”

Caleena straightened, her spine rigid. "Then we just have to make sure she never gets it."

“Oh, is that all?” Malik jeered. “How exactly are we going to ensure that?”

My gaze kept drifting to the staff that Caleena gripped in her hands, her knuckles white against the eerie silvery sheen. The same sinister whispers that I had heard from within the cursed lamp now seemed to emanate from within the staff itself, faint and distant. It was as though the staff was containing them, holding the dark voices at bay. Yet they were insistent and seductive, beckoning to me, urging me to reach out and touch the staff. But I resisted, my fingers trembling with the effort. I knew all too well the price of succumbing to such temptations.

Caleena’s eyes met mine, before following my gaze back down to the staff. The voices within the staff grew louder, more frantic, but I forced myself to turn away, focusing on the horizon instead.

“Do you have a plan?” Caleena asked, her voice sharp as she pulled my attention back to her. “Do you even know how this staff works, or how we’re supposed to use it to destroy the Nightshade?” With each word she spoke, her grip on the staff tightened, her knuckles blanching as if she could wring the answers from it.

I hesitated. The staff's power was as much a mystery to me as it was to her. We were walking on a razor's edge, and one wrong move could plunge us into darkness. The only one who truly knew anything about the staff was the Nightshade.

"No," I answered honestly. Caleena’s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing my face for any hint of certainty, but I gave her nothing but the raw truth. "We’ve come too far to turn back now. Whatever it takes, we’ll find a way."

She held my gaze for a moment longer, then nodded, the tension in her grip easing. “Could the answers be in the book that Razoul has? ”

I didn’t know where or how Razoul had come into possession of the book that had cursed me to become a genie, but it was clearly a thing of immense power. Cursing a djinn was no easy task. It was also the only way I could imagine he might have discovered the location of the Nightshade in the first place.

“Possibly.” I shrugged.

Malik leaned in closer with a curious expression tugging on his face. "What book?" he asked.

Caleena turned to Malik with a strained expression. “The book that turned Ranen into a genie,” she explained.

"A Nightshade, an ancient evil book, and all we have is a staff that can turn into a snake and a genie who can’t grant wishes—sounds like we're in for a pleasant evening," Malik said, leaning back with a mocking smirk. "Yep, I'd say the odds are definitely in our favor," he added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“We’re not going anywhere tonight,” I said, slowing the carpet’s descent as I extended tendrils of magic before us.

The air shimmered as I conjured a cozy campsite nestled between two dunes. At its heart, deep-toned rugs and plush cushions in burgundy and gold formed a welcoming circle around a low stone table topped with a glass lantern. A small fire crackled in a ring of smooth stones, spreading a warmth that pushed back the desert’s chill. Everything was encompassed in a clear protective dome of magic that shielded everything from the cold yet still allowed us to enjoy the starry night sky.

Caleena and Malik hurried inside to escape the biting night wind. I followed close behind, eager to leave the harsh gusts that nipped at my exposed skin .

“This is the best thing that has happened all day,” Malik exclaimed as he dug into the spread of food on the table.

It was laden with warm, golden-brown falafel, crisp on the outside and tender inside, alongside soft pita bread, freshly baked and slightly charred. Bowls of creamy hummus and smooth baba ghanoush sat next to stuffed grape leaves filled with seasoned rice and herbs. Skewers of spiced kofta added a smoky perfection to the meal.

“Ranen is a good cook.” Caleena smiled at me before sitting on the rug beside Malik and joining in on the feast.

I settled down, leaning against a silk pillow, and watched as Caleena and Malik enjoyed the food. As they ate, I contemplated how I was going to get the book from Razoul.

“How are we going to get inside the palace and retrieve the book?” Malik asked between bites of food. It was as if he’d read my mind, the concern in his voice mirroring my thoughts.

“Simple,” Caleena said with a confident smile, lightly dabbing her lips with a linen napkin. “We walk right through the front gates.” Her tone was casual, as if the task were as effortless as the meal she was enjoying.

"Care to elaborate?" Malik questioned, his brows knitting together as he crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

Caleena set her napkin down, and I was drawn to the hint of mischief that twinkled in her eyes. “Razoul is looking for me.” She paused. “Or at least, he was. Malik can simply carry me back and turn me in.”

“Simply,” Malik echoed. “Nothing about that sounds simple.”

“I don’t want you back in Razoul’s clutches, especially now that he knows who you truly are,” I growled, glaring at her.

Caleena rose from her seat and walked over to me, her expression calm but determined. “And for that very reason, he won’t hurt me,” she said, her voice steady and velvety soft. “I’m too valuable to him, and it's the only way I can get close enough to get the book.”

“She always gets her way,” Malik warned, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

My gaze wandered to the staff resting nearby, its surface shimmering in the flickering light of the fire pit. From within its core, I could hear the faint whispers of evil voices, their taunts curling around my thoughts like carnage. They seemed to dare me to go along with Caleena’s plan, their mocking presence adding an unsettling tension to the moment.

I shook my head, defeated. The plan would work. Razoul was greedy and unaware that we already had the staff he sought. He needed the key—he needed Caleena to unlock the mines, where he believed the staff still lay hidden.

“What could possibly go wrong?” Caleena taunted. She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “You’ll be right there with us.”

“Don’t ask that question, Cal,” Malik warned. “Everything could go wrong.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line but never took her eyes off me.

“Fine,” I conceded. We were out of time and options. “We’ll leave at dawn.”

Caleena smiled, clearly pleased with herself for getting her way. “Good,” she said, her tone brightening. “Now, could you arrange a hot bath for me? Preferably in a separate tent that’s not see-through.” She glanced up at the invisible dome that shielded us from the cold wind.

My eyes drifted to the dried, caked blood on her arm, then traced down to her hand where dirt and blood still clung. “As you wish, sayyida.”

Tendrils of black smoke swirled outside the dome as I wove together a warm tent, complete with a bath fit for a queen. Caleena’s smile of gratitude was brief but genuine before she hurried off to the new tent.

Malik watched me with a hawklike intensity, his disdain rising to the surface now that Caleena was out of sight. He stood, closing the distance between us. “Caleena’s been through a lot, and she’s very fragile,” he warned.

I couldn't resist the smirk that tugged at the corners of my lips. “Caleena is anything but fragile.”

Malik’s voice sharpened as it rose in pitch. “You didn’t see what I saw that night.”

I stood, towering over him, my expression hardening. “In my experience, it's those who have walked through the fire, endured its searing pain, and emerged on the other side—scarred yet unbroken—who are truly the strongest.”

“She’s not as strong as you think, and I won’t let you hurt her,” Malik threatened, his voice trembling.

“I admire you for standing up for her,” I replied, recognizing his threat, however small it seemed to someone like me. “But you have no idea who she truly is or what she’s capable of.”

Malik's eyes narrowed, flickering across my face. “You talk like you know her better than anyone, but you don’t know what she’s been through. You don’t know what it’s like to watch your friend break,” he said, his voice humming with emotion.

I softened my tone, just a fraction. “I may not have seen what you have, but I’ve faced enough darkness to recognize it in others. She’s not broken, Malik, she’s forged. And that kind of strength, once tempered, is unbreakable.”

The air between us was tense and charged with testosterone. I didn’t know what Caleena had been through, but Malik’s protective anger told me it must have been something substantial. I had already deduced that it had something to do with a man by the way she shied away from them. My curiosity gnawed at me, and despite the tension, I couldn’t keep the question from slipping out. “What happened to her?”

“It’s not my place to tell you her business,” Malik replied. “Just know that if she’s placing even an ounce of trust in you, it means more than you can imagine.”

Something about his words made my chest buzz with an unexpected intensity. I had to resist the urge to lift my hand and press it to try and quell the disturbing feeling. Malik retreated to the other side of the tent without another word. He settled onto one of the pillows, making himself comfortable for the night, the tension between us settling into a quiet mutual dislike.

Caleena walked in a few moments later in the silken pajamas I had laid out for her. Her dark hair hung in damp tendrils around her shoulders, glistening with droplets of water that caught the soft moonlight. She chose a spot closest to the fire and made herself comfortable.

Caleena shifted, her gaze meeting mine. There was a hint of something unreadable in her eyes before she turned back over. The brief contact left me unsettled. I was so in tune with her that I could sense something was troubling her. She sat up, biting her lower lip in that irresistibly innocent way.

“Can the Nightshade still invade my dreams, even without its powers?” she asked, her tone tinged in fear.

I wanted to scoop her up in my arms and cradle her until she fell asleep, but I leaned into my pillow instead, propping my hands behind my head with my fingers entwined so I could watch her all night. “Don’t worry, sayyida. No one is going to touch you in this world or in the land of dreams. Not while I’m around.”