Loretta of the Lamp

Akil te Ahi

He stared at her blankly for a moment before turning and walking to the window balcony which looked out over the square. Loretta dropped her rucksack down and followed him.

"Just because I said it in the heat of the moment to the gatekeeper, does not mean my story was one to keep sharing," he said suddenly.

"I figured continuity was key," she replied.

"You couldn't even remember the name of the city," he told her, placing his hands on his hips.

"Hey don't get angry with me just because your tangled little web of stories and lies is falling apart."

"Loretta, I don't think you realise how much danger we are in if this story is not believable. And now Bennou has thrown his pen to the tale by telling them we are related."

"That's what you told him in the first place," Loretta pointed out.

"And he knew it wasn't true!"

"Akil, you are keeping us all in the dark, and while none of us are obliged to, we are doing our best to keep your secrets."

Suddenly he turned and clasped Loretta's arms with both her hands. She shivered with the shock of it.

"Ignore it, and look at me," he pleaded, shaking her once.

She looked up into his eyes and nodded.

"I don't know how we will get away with this ruse, but to keep us safe until we can present ourselves in the court of the Djin King we have to try, and we have to agree. This story may not be plausible to the people of Doua, because I am very clearly Te Ahi to them, but you are not."

"I don't understand," Loretta mumbled, trying to focus on his words through the electric pain of his grasp.

"You will understand soon. I come from a very well known family in Doua, one of the ruling families. This is true. But you see my eyes? They set me apart. I only tell you to keep our secret safe" He sighed, "There has never been a Te Ahi boy with pink eyes who was not accepted by the Mountain of Smoke. Because of this the gatekeeper assumed my mother hid me. For thousands of years it has been this way, when a boy with pink eyes was born, he was sent to Misbah. The sacrifice of one child rescued all the children in Doua from being sacrificed. Once upon a time that was me, I saved my entire generation from death in the mountain of smoke."

"A sacrifice with pink eyes is always accepted?" Loretta clarified.

"Always. It is a given fact that a boy with pink eyes born in Doua will become one of the Sleepers, a genie."

"So you knew your fate always?" Loretta asked, feeling a twinge of sadness.

Akil shrugged and finally let her go, "But now you have to understand that this means my return here is unlikely to go unnoticed. We cannot stay long, but now I see we will have to leave here with a caravan to stay safe, especially after you have been kissed by the Jin."

"I am sorry."

"It doesn't matter now. We will leave as soon as I can make arrangements."

He looked out over the lights of the city with a distant gaze. Loretta wondered what he recognised and remembered of a life that was lived a thousand years ago. She wondered if much had changed of the view over Doua in that time.

"Bennou must think that this was my secret the whole time, that I am of Te Ahi decent. That my mother hid me and brought me up in exile because she did not want me to be sacrificed." He looked back to Loretta, "He will believe this. It is a believable story. Malah's family will believe it too. But we are lucky that their daughter was brought up in between the culling, and they do not seem to judge. They may be awestruck by who I am, but there are many others in the Doua who would hate me if they made this same assumption."