Stopping at the water's edge, Nadira clutched at the stone with one hand and closed her eyes. She had told Idrak she loved him, was she a fool for doing so?
Water lapped closer and closer as she stood there trying to recall every moment she shared with the djinn, trying to collect all the evidence she could that would prove to her he truly loved her in return.
Cool water touched her ankle, pulling her from her thoughts. Opening her eyes, Nadira froze. Standing a few yards away from her stood a woman. Unaffected by the waves that lapped at her knees, the woman stood staring back at Nadira. As if in complete obedience, moonlight trailed over the woman's form, highlighting her gold netted outfit that left very little in the way of concealment. Her dark skin glistened while her dark brown hair lay gently in long spiraling curls reaching down to her hips.
Nadira knew immediately who the woman was and fear appropriately began to rise within her as the woman narrowed her golden eyes at her.
"Surely the djinn would have warned you about coming out into the sea?" The woman's voice was deep and commanding, a woman whose words were always heeded whether one wanted to or not.
Nadira nodded hastily, wishing for anything she could turn back and run. "He did."
"Then…" The woman let the words drop off as she waved one hand out with impatience.
Nadira jumped as thunder above her cracked over her head. Looking around her, she could see that the storm was raging like a hurricane and she was standing safely in the eye of it untouched.
Pushing back some of her flailing hair, she looked back at the woman standing calmly in the chaotic waves and tried to gather her words. "I think…I don’t know…I thought he cared for me, but I think he is trying to get rid of me."
The woman gave her a stern questioning look that reminded Nadira of her mother.
"He has put markings all over me, symbols I cannot read," she tried to explain, not sure why she was confessing this to a dangerous witch.
A ghost of a smile played at the woman's lips. "Have you asked him about them?"
"I have tried," Nadira said in a small voice.
"Tried? Either you did, or you did not, which is it?" the woman's words hit the air between them like another crack of thunder.
"I…" Fear and a little bit of shame caught Nadira's words in her throat. She had planned on asking him plainly tonight but…
As if reading her mind, the woman just shook her head before a sound stole both of their attention.
A deep unearthly sound ripped through the air and shook the ground beneath them. Looking back at one another, one woman's face filled with fear, and the other filled with surprised intrigue they both looked up to the cliff that Nadira's house sat on top. Black inky smoke filled the night sky, defying the storm's turbulent winds. Again, the sound rent through the air cutting through the maelstrom until they could both hear the name being called clearly—Nadira.
Nadira's blood froze, and her heart stopped. "Oh God," she whispered, clutching onto the stone tighter with one hand and the hem of her sweater with the other.
"Both of you are incredibly naïve," the woman spoke easily through the sounds ignoring the dark shape forming from the jet-black cloud. "Just children playing as adults."
Nadira could hardly pay attention to the woman as her eyes kept darting back to the horned shadowed colossus stepping down from the cliff, setting one giant clawed foot onto the beach only a hundred or so yards away. This had to be a nightmare, some small voice in her head reasoned. This could not be real. But even as she thought it, Nadira knew it was real.
As if reacting to his presence, the storm escalated as the colossus djinn turned his head from side to side, searching the beach for her.
"Let me be clear, silly girl," the woman demanded her attention again. "I was the one that gave your djinn those markings. You must have noticed he has covered himself with them as well and probably even your house. When I first met him, I made him a deal and I made good on my end just as he did his."
"I don’t understand," Nadira shouted over the increasing winds. "I thought he turned your deal down."
"No, the djinn accepted it by keeping my son alive, allowing my son to live a long life before his own deeds caught up with him. But despite the many chances he no doubtedly had, the djinn did not take the opportunity and kill his master. Instead, he wisely waited, knowing that a warlock's life in comparison to that of a djinn is merely a drop in a bucket, and when we met again, I gave him the spell that would keep him hidden from any warlock's eyes. A spell he carved into his flesh—and now yours."
Realization spread through Nadira like frostbite, leaving her cold and a little dead at the meaning of her words. Turning to look back up at the black demon, she watched as he began to pull in his own power, causing the air and space around them to warp. Nadira clutched at her stomach, the pull of his powers made her want to puke and crumble to her knees all at once. What was he doing? Sparing a glance to the witch, Nadira groaned at the sight of the woman who stood mostly unaffected by this. Only a few strands of her long curly hair betrayed her, rising up towards the suctioning force.
"Before you go back, may I ask what you intend to do with that stone?" The sudden politeness of the witch's tone was suspicious.
Nadira tried to open her mouth to ask her what for but her words were lost in the wind. Above them, the demon held out his hand over the ocean, a large black ball of swirling black and purple forming in his open palm.
"May I have it?" the witch asked, stepping closer until they were only a foot apart. This close Nadira could appreciate the woman's beauty even more than before and could see calm confidence of ancient power shine back in her golden eyes. "I would, of course, give something in return for it, something you would find even more valuable."
"You don’t intend to hurt Idrak with it or use it against him, will you?"
"You have my word, I have no issue towards djinns," she smiled. "Some even say that djinns are the father of all witches, of course, I cannot speak to that since I never knew my father. But you have my word, I will never harm either of you.”
Nadira wasn't sure why she trusted the woman, but she did. Taking off the stone, she knew deep down she needed to get rid of the thing, twice now it has gotten her into a world of trouble. Holding it out in her fist, she dropped it into the woman's outstretched hand.
Closing her fingers around the ugly stone, the witch gave it a satisfied smile before reaching out and grabbing Nadira by the chin. Quick as lightning and before she knew what was happening, the witch placed a brief kiss directly on her lips.
"Now," she said, turning Nadira by the shoulder until she faced the opposite direction and leaned to whisper in her ear. "It is now time to face the music."