Three Wishes: Cairo (7 page)

He was struggling mightily to maintain his control. This human body was sweating and his focus was waning. He had never tried to carry on so long with a spell. He had practiced in small doses and was quite pleased with the results and with his own ingenuity.

The first part of The Plan had gone very well. The potion he’d slipped into the Prince’s first drink made him malleable to suggestion and had knocked him out almost instantly when they had returned home. From the privacy of the Prince’s chamber he had all night to conjure and perfect his appearance. Khayri was now out of the picture. His solution for removing the Prince was not only creative, but a way to flex his magical muscles and revel in his genius.

As spells go, Cloning was fairly easy. A singular hair plucked from the Prince’s head was all he needed to alter his appearance to match Khayri’s. This was a basic and easy task to accomplish. The challenge would be in maintaining all aspects of the Prince for an extended period of time. Not only did it require Alchemy to dig deeply into his power reserves, but it also took tremendous focus to match the voice and facial mannerisms that made each person a distinct individual.

It was almost laughable how easily he hijacked Khayri’s body and mimicked his mannerisms. It was going so well until his idiot friends showed up in the morning. Even though Alchemy was quite versed in their history and had watched most of the special moments these good friends shared; speaking as an active participant rather than a non-interested bystander proved to be much harder than he had anticipated.

Several times during the preparation for the wedding, he caught both Rorgue and Atiene giving him puzzled glances. Both also asked if he was okay several times. He blamed the drinking and tried his best to laugh it off. But trying to actually
be
the Prince was proving difficult. Joking and playful banter was not natural to him and he sounded ridiculous as he tried to fend off the normal back and forth that good friends put each other through during stressful times. He was failing at it badly and expending far too much magical energy to carry it off. Eventually, he just told his friends that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and he’d see them at the altar. Though he could tell he’d aroused suspicion, the time alone would give him ample reserves to make it through the ceremony.

Now, as he stood facing the large gathering in place for the wedding with the beautiful Ameerah approaching him, he struggled to maintain the charade. Alchemy was not so wrapped up in magic that he couldn’t appreciate Ameerah’s beauty. That was simply a fact, no matter what type of creature you were. But if killing her became necessary, it would not really present a large problem for him. He didn’t particularly like her tongue or her sarcasm. Alchemy viewed her like a beautiful deer in the forest. From a distance, he could appreciate a creature of the gods, but in that same train of thought, he’d have no problem putting a knife through her heart. Her death might simply be necessary to complete The Plan.

He would marry her as Khayri, perhaps even enjoy a wedding night fit for a king and eventually, he could see himself killing her.

He snapped out of his deep thoughts to notice that Ameerah was now nearing her place beside him and was openly staring in his direction. It could not be possible for her to see through this expertly crafted spell, yet he could feel her gaze burning holes through him. She looked neither happy nor at peace. He gave her an awkward nod and a smile that came off more sickening then sincere. That didn’t really help things much at all. God, this body was sweating. He almost felt it would just be easier to erase all of the humans in this room and use no subterfuge at all. But that wasn’t part of The Plan and The Plan was the only thing that mattered. The time had come for Alchemy to really concentrate and pull off the second stage. But Ameerah’s reproachful gaze threatened to tilt the entire scheme out of balance.

“My dear friends, we are all part of a wonderful event today. We are not separated by station or class, but one kingdom united by the simplest of traditions: a wedding. For the first time in history, a new King and Queen
of
the people will be crowned in the presence of our God, our kingdom and each of us.”

Ameerah was hearing the words the elder spoke, but they weren’t sinking in. On what was supposed to be a wonderful day, she now felt anxiety teamed with a sickening and overwhelming sense of dread. This could not possibly be Khayri, a man she new practically as well as she knew herself. He hadn’t even spoken a word, yet somehow she sensed that something dreadful had happened overnight and that she must get to the bottom of this before she enjoyed one second of her wedding. Even when he grabbed her hand, in an effort to calm her nerves, something felt off. And it wasn't just the overall sweatiness of their connection, though she had to admit that this was new. She felt as if she was missing something elemental, but couldn't figure out what it was.

There was a wonderful mixture of people in attendance to witness this historic event. But the real action bustled just beneath the surface, as rampant thoughts careened wildly through the minds of those individuals who stood calmly in the front of the room.

Alchemy was struggling mightily with control. His battle to hold his appearance and mannerisms was failing. Ameerah was scared and frustrated because she simply couldn’t put a finger on what was wrong; but something was
really
wrong. Atiene sensed that his friend was worried about something and looked almost frightened by it. Rorgue knew something was amiss, but was also very hungry.

Because all of them had ulterior thoughts and fears, absolutely no one was paying attention to the most important ceremony in the history of the kingdom.

They had now reached the apex of any wedding ceremony. The elder had finished with all of his sage words of wisdom, songs had been sung, stories had been told and the end of the ceremony was near. When these vows were created, the young couple had decided to finalize their marriage with the phrases that had first bound them as friends.

Ameerah stared into a stranger’s eyes and uttered, “You can count on me”.

To which her betrothed answered, “And I, you.”

All of her fears had been realized. She hadn’t wanted to be right, but she knew now that somehow, the man that she was about to marry was a cheap imposter. There was nothing she could do to fix this right now. But she had to do something because everyone who mattered was now staring at her.

She then made the only decision she could with limited resources:

She fainted.

Once free of the crowd and the sanctuary, Ameerah opened her eyes to reveal the small room just off the main sanctuary. She was not staring into the face of the man she loved. Rather, she was staring into the concerned faces of Rorgue, Atiene and her family. Rorgue had carried her here after she had fallen and was hunched over her like a protective bear over a cub. And while Rorgue was definitely the man you wanted by your side during a crisis, he was neither a nurturer nor a comforter.

“Are you okay Meer?” he said.

“Hands… on” she muttered painfully.

“Handsome?” he replied with a puzzled look. And then he leaned out into the sanctuary and spoke to the small crowd who had remained just outside the door. “I think she’s gotten a pretty stiff blow to the head. She’s just called me handsome.”

“Hand, you’re on my hand, you idiot! Your knee is on my hand.” She said with the normal exasperation she reserved for pets, cattle, and Rorgue.

“Praise the Gods,” said Paninah, as she watched her daughter with great concern. “For a moment I thought she had suffered damage to her brain.”

Rorgue looked puzzled at first, then a bit insulted when her message finally sunk in. “Oh” he stammered and quickly shifted his weight off of her hand. He then spoke to the concerned crowd one last time. “You can go home. She’s okay now. Everything’s fine. Feelings a little hurt, but I’ll be alright.” The dutiful crowd slowly exited. The three friends watched them clear away from the door before they started a conversation.

“Where is Khayri? Ameerah asked. “Something was wrong with him.” She started to rise but Rorgue pushed her back down protectively which netted him a well-deserved glare from Ameerah.

“You’re telling me.” Rorgue replied. He ignored her glare and kept his hand on her shoulder. “He’s was out of it all morning since Atiene and I woke him up. He is never unprepared, yet he was still sleeping when we went to his room. And when we talked to him, it was almost as if… ”

“It wasn’t really him?” she finished his sentence for him. Again she tried to rise, but Rorgue reflexively kept her down to protect her.

“But how could that be? Of course it was him. We’re not blind, you know.” Rorgue looked puzzled. His thinking generally was two-dimensional black and white. He didn’t do well with concepts that tended to lean toward the gray. This situation was completely gray.

“Where is he now?” said Ameerah as she gathered herself, punched Rorgue lightly in the stomach so that he released his grip on her and rose to her feet.

Rorgue ignored the physical aspects of this mini confrontation and just continued without pause, “He’s gone. Once you passed out, he excused the guests, mumbled something about a problem and ran out the back door. I heard his horse heading toward the castle. He never even checked to see if you were okay. Shouldn’t have Alchemy been here to keep an eye on things? If people are wearing other people’s faces, he sure seems like the guy you’d want on the job.”

“Yes, why isn’t Alchemy here on the most important day in Khayri’s life?” said Atiene.

“Alchemy,” Ameerah muttered as her suspicions coalesced into a conscious thought. “Of course, I should have seen it. There was something about the way he looked at me today. It was Khayri’s face, but Alchemy’s mannerisms. No one else has the power to pull this off. It’s all been a lie. He told us this was dark magic, but I never would have guessed that he was the one creating it. We’ve got to find him. Only he can tell us where Khayri is. No one mention this to anyone. Remember, Alchemy is currently wearing Khayri’s face. Until we have more facts, we can't confront him directly. There is no one more dangerous. I don’t know how he’s doing it, but I don’t think it would be a good idea corner him right now.”  Ameerah began to pace.

“We five are the only ones who know what's going on and we have to keep this under control. Mother, Kamila; can you just tell everyone that Khayri was called out for an emergency and that we're riding out to help him?”

“Of course we can, my dear,” said Paninah as she rubbed her daughter’s shoulder. “Find him and bring him home. And please be careful Ameerah. Dark magic is nothing to trifle with.” She hugged her daughter and then the two sisters exchanged an embrace before her family left. Before she left, Paninah grabbed Rorgue’s arm with enough strength that the bear of a man winced. Paninah looked at him with a smile. “If any harm comes to my daughter, don’t return.”

“My lady, if any harm comes to your daughter, Atiene and I won’t be able to return,” said Rorgue as he rubbed his arm like a small child.

Atiene looked sullen. “If Alchemy is wearing Khayri’s face, then doesn’t it mean that he might already be…”

“We’re talking about Khayri here,” reasoned Rorgue. “You and I have been in battle with him. It would take more than a twisted little wizard to take him out. Now let’s get some supplies and meet back here as soon as possible to mount up.” He sounded strong and confident with this pronouncement, yet the concern for his friend was written all over his face.

They would find answers no matter the cost.

The chase was on.

Khayri was jolted from his bed and heard the sound of horse hooves on a flattened trail. He was on the move. It would be impossible to yet again climb the dresser to get a better view as just about everything in this strange new prison was shaking and moving. He hated this helpless feeling, but there was little he could do right now. He did his best to climb back onto the bed to steady himself and avoid being thrown into a wall or impaled on his bedposts. He could see the blue sky and bright sun peeking through the tiny openings in the top of his room, but he was otherwise powerless to gather more clues to this predicament. After what seemed like an eternity, the shaking slowed and eventually stopped.

A strange quiet overtook Khayri as his mind began to clear and the reality of his situation hit home. As the lamp was unpacked from its place on the saddle, Khayri recognized the familiar robes of his captor. Though Khayri spoke in almost a whisper, his voice easily cut through the quiet of this typical desert day, “Why have you done this, my friend?” They were walking somewhere but it was hard to tell from this vantage point.

“I am sorry, my Prince but I had no choice. There was a larger plan that I simply had to honor,” said Alchemy’s voice as clear as if the two were standing side-by-side having a normal conversation. A passerby would have given this scene a wide berth, as a bespectacled gentleman in a robe, seemed to be having a deeply personal conversation with an antique lamp. Of course, there was not another human within a thousand cubits. Alchemy had used magic on his horse to give it unending endurance and speed so that they had already traveled a great and safe distance from the kingdom.

“I believe you were the one who taught me that there is always a choice,” Khayri replied. “Perhaps, like all of your teachings, it was simply a lie told to a fool who blindly believed you had integrity. As for honor, it is a sad realization for me to find out that you have none. ”

“Don’t take it personally, my Prince. I feel badly that you and your friends have been caught up in this. But I have a responsibility far greater than you can even comprehend. I can no longer just watch a community of wizards cowering and surrendering. I feel like I’m the only one with the drive to stop this deterioration before it goes any further. I believe in the laws of the jungle and there is no sane reason why my species should not lead. We are the strong. We are the wise. We control the elements. We are touched by the gods and we should control this planet!” He gasped in air as if the full weight of his brilliance was finally even clear in his own mind. For the first time, everything felt real because he was finally out of the shadows and speaking it aloud. He could reveal his true face to someone and stop hiding his true self.

“There is no doubt that you have been blessed by the gods with powers that mortal man cannot even understand.” Khayri said quietly. “But please tell me a god that would smile upon the betrayal of family to attain one’s power. You have undone years of good with one act of treason. I don’t exactly know what you’ve done here, but to the outside world, you have killed a king. And unless you’re planning on killing an entire kingdom, it appears to me that you’ve gravely miscalculated the reaction you’re about to receive.”

“My dear Khayri, I have not killed you. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have
transformed
you. I’ve given you the gift of immortality. As a tutor, I am merely continuing your training. For you see, one important element has always been missing from your regimen: the ability to obey. Now you will get to see firsthand what it means to serve. You will get a chance to walk the same path as I have all these years. You’ll possess powers beyond your wildest imagination, but those powers will come with a price. With them, you’ll have to serve at the discretion of a mere mortal. No longer will your better judgment or your opinion figure into the equation. You’ll simply apply your astounding power to serve the whims of another who possesses far less ability than you. This learning experience will help you feel what it’s like when your wise advice is ignored on an impulse. It is the gift of humility.”

“To what end have you crafted this plan, Alchemy? You certainly haven’t ended my life as I knew it and ruined the lives of those close to me in order to teach me a lesson.”

“Certainly not. I may not believe in the rule of man propped up by the powers of wizards like myself, but I do believe in Karma. As a being of immense power, I am given a bit of leeway with the decisions I make. Killing you or simply stealing a kingdom would certainly be noticed by the council of my peers. But continuing your training? Well, that won’t receive a second look. I had hoped to replace you for the wedding and then simply make you disappear.

In the ensuing void, I would be asked to take over in your absence. I’d have humbly stated some nonsense about never being able to fill your shoes, before begrudgingly accepting. Slowly over time; I would begin a campaign to assert control over not only your kingdom, but over all of the land. I have a lifetime to achieve my goals. I will rule long after your kingdom is dead and buried. Your kingdom is but the first rung of the ladder. You, on the other hand will become a wise and powerful genie that has the power to grant wishes to the keeper of the lamp. You will continue your training and I will take the next step in my ascension to power.”

“Sounds as if you've planned this down to the last detail,” said Khayri quietly.

“This plan was started before your birth. I leave little to chance,” Alchemy muttered.

“And my parents were never aware of your treachery?”

“Oh, quite the contrary” Alchemy said without emotion, “they became quite aware of the details just moments before their deaths.”

Khayri sat down heavily on his bed. “You? How could you? My father respected you and treated you like family. He welcomed you into our lives with nothing but graciousness.”

“I didn’t kill your parents, my Prince. I just didn’t save them when I had the chance. It was all part of The Plan to exert more influence on your upbringing.” Alchemy replied.

“TO HELL WITH THE PLAN!” screamed Khayri. “I’m sorry if I’m not amazed by your planning skills. Let’s see, twenty years of planning, sweating each detail, yet here you are; on the run, your traitorous ways discovered and all done in by Ameerah in a few minutes,” he smiled. “And trust me, when they find you, she won’t be as forgiving as I am.”

Alchemy jerked the lamp up, throwing Khayri onto the floor. His face now loomed large in the tiny windows as he spit out an angry retort, “There are always alternatives when you are a being as strong as I. I knew there were several ways that this could go. The wedding was simply the path of least resistance. You should be glad it didn’t work out because it was also the shortest path to Ameerah’s death.

“There are several things that I knew. One, that if I sent the monster to kill you both in the library, it would get me a place beside you at the bachelor party. Two, I knew that if I was discovered during the wedding, I would have hundreds of witnesses that would attest to the fact that their new king was acting strangely and ran out of the church. And finally, I knew that Ameerah and your friends would come after us without telling anyone in order to save your reputation.” He smiled at Khayri. “Does that sound like I’ve got it right?”

Khayri looked directly into the one eye of his captor. “You didn’t need a monster attack to insure a spot beside me at the bachelor party. You already had that place as one of my closest friends. What can I say; I’m a poor judge of character.” Alchemy looked away briefly while Khayri continued. “Ameerah will never stop searching; we both know that. Your plan has succeeded. Give the poor girl peace and let her live the rest of her life free of this.”

“My son, Ameerah is just too unpredictable. She’s like a dog with a bone and will not give up, so I’ve had to take steps to insure that she won’t return and cause issue with The Plan. She and your friends have now fled the kingdom on horseback and are about to discover that not only have we both disappeared, but that the kingdom itself has disappeared as well. They will spend the rest of their lives trying to make their way back to a kingdom that has never moved. I’ve simply misplaced them in time.” He began to make his way to the edge of a steep overhang.

“I am about to head back to the kingdom. I will report that the king has disappeared and that Ameerah and your two best friends have begun the search. I’ll exhibit the necessary sadness over your loss and, in a few weeks, I’ll report your deaths. Our kingdom will openly mourn the passing of a young king who never quite got a chance to lead.” Alchemy had reached the edge of the cliff. “I will reshape the kingdom and begin a long and successful reign that will eventually encompass the world itself.”

“Wow,” said Khayri, “those are some big delusions from someone who obviously knows little about the leadership of men. You can’t muster up an integrity potion can you? Don’t celebrate victory just yet. You might have won a battle while your opponents’ eyes were closed. You’ve cheated your way thus far by playing on the blind loyalty of those who called you friend… nothing to be really too proud of. But now, eyes are opened to your treachery. The swimming may not be so easy from this moment forward.”

“We can banter back and forth all day, but I’ve got a kingdom to lead and you, my son, must continue your studies. You can read about your new life from the books I’ve included on the table. And now, I must say, goodbye.” With that, Alchemy let the lamp drop from his hand and watched as it tumbled silently over and over. He heard a small
thunk
as it struck sand and scrub brush many hundreds of cubits below. Alchemy closed his eyes briefly, as if to close this chapter of his life. There was also just a slight twinge of guilt, as he had loved this young man like a son, but he had given him the ultimate gift. Khayri would eventually see that.

He smiled when he noted that Khayri never yelled or called out as the lamp fell. He had always taught the boy to never show weakness or pain.

“I taught him well,” thought Alchemy.

Now, back to The Plan.