Chapter 17

A moment later we were falling back through time. We fell out not far from a farmhouse.

A man was standing on the porch; he looked close at me and nodded. “Aye, she’s here, has been a few days.”

Catherine came flying out of the house, nearly knocking me off my feet. The same feeling, felt like ants crawling over me, went into her, then back to me.

A moment later we were blown apart. “Ah! So, I found all of you, that makes things easier,” Hajib said, then turned toward Cythina. “Who is this ugly creature?”

Oh shit, I thought as we backed away. Cythina’s entire body started to grow brighter and brighter. Then she lashed out as Hajib’s arm was ripped from his body. Oops, I thought with a smile.

I decided to stay out of the way as Cythina started to rail on Hajib. She was landing blows faster and faster, Hajib screaming and moaning as the blows rained down.

I thought she was going to seriously injure him ‘til, he drew his dark sword. He pushed toward her, then swung at her the energy blast, knocking her back a hundred feet.

She returned quickly again, hitting Hajib in the stomach. She again dodged his hit, though the energy blast hit her with a glancing blow.

Cythina groaned as the blow actually knocked her to the ground. When it took her longer to get up, I stepped up, drawing my sword.

“So, you are hiding behind a female’s skirt, how typical of a coward,” Hajib said with a sneer.

I laughed as I stepped up. “Ha! Not a coward when you are too weak to be a challenge. It was obvious when, the female was kicking your ass as long as she did. Makes me think you are a coward fighting a female,” I said with a wide grim and a look of disdain.

I could see that Hajib’s anger was starting to grow as his face was blood-red. I was hoping that the old adage that a mad enemy is a careless enemy was true.

Hajib started to rush me, thinking he was too fast for me to counter. As he started to swing uncontrollably, I patiently stepped with him, waiting for my moment.

I suddenly moved in, hitting his sword on the hilt, driving it from his hand. With a curse he dived out of my swing’s arc. Snatching the sword, he shook his stinging hand.

I pressed my advantage, nearly taking his head, then he dived again.

He suddenly lunged toward my sister as she stepped back out of the house. This time I dived at Hajib as he got a hand on her. I swung at him even as she screamed and wrenched herself out of his grasp. I managed to slice Hajib’s right arm, causing him to scream again, but my sister also vanished.

Cythina and Catherine backed away from me towards the man on the house’s porch. I screamed in rage as I started to swing in mighty arcs, cutting what was left of his right arm several times. Then I started in on both his legs.

I was roaring as I went for a killing move, swinging to cut his chest in two. I was hit by several undead bodies as I was knocked off balance.

I heard a laugh as they started to pile on, weighing me down. I heard Catherine yell, then the pile exploded outward as I started to whirl like a tornado. All that were near to me, and had been on me were sucked in and shredded.

Hajib had managed to get to his feet. Pointing his bloody arm at me, he yelled, “This isn’t over, you putrid human!”

“No, it isn’t, but it will soon be, as I will tear you to a thousand pieces as I did these dead nothings. You will soon join them as the nothing that you are,” I shouted and started to advance upon him.

A look of pure terror was in his eyes as he and the multitude that was left vanished.

I walked over to Cythina as she was still trying to get to her feet. “I am sorry that I did not take him, sir. I apologize I am still unable to call you master.” She slightly bowed her head as I put a hand on her shoulder.

“I am not sure if you saw that you most definitely hurt him. I mean really, how will he come back from losing an arm because of you,” I said as she looked at me shocked. “I mean the old saying that hell has no fury like a woman scorned, in your case, it is very true.”

A small smirk came to her lips as she slipped again as she tried to stand. I grabbed her, then noticed that she hade been cut at her waist, my hands covered in blood.

I placed a hand on the slash as it started to glow, as did something under my shirt. Cythina and Catherine’s mouths dropped open as she was suddenly healed.

“How were you able to do this?” Catherine said as she stared at me.

“I’m, ... I’m not really sure. I’ve never been able to do this,” I said as he shrugged.

Catherine and Cythina then extended their hands, running them over me. Catherine looked at Cythina, “I don’t feel anything, do you?”

Cythina shook her head no, “I am as bewildered as you are. The great Jinn would know, though I know he isn’t talking right now.”

I looked at both of them as I shook my head. I thought that they would be happy, not bewildered. They both suddenly looked at me as I had a frown on my face.

A moment later the man that I had first met walked out of the house. Damn, I thought, he looks a lot like my grandfather.

He then walked to me, extending his hand. “You must be the brother that she talked about. Appears you got here just in time. By the way, my name’s Charles, Charles Richards,” he said.

My mouth dropped open as his name registered in my mind. “Uh OK,” I said, unsure of what to say.

“Ya know ya sister reacted the same. I have to ask is me name that shocking? I know ya be family though I can’t place ya,” Charles said.

Again, my mouth dropped open as I realized just who the man was. I could only stare at him as yes; he looked a hell of a lot like my grandfather.

A female voice came from behind him. “I am not feeling evil, just a lot of frustration.” Then an extremely beautiful woman walked out the door.

“That may be true me love, tho, I no be trusting that much, be he family or no. As I remember family is why we be here,” Charles said.

I just looked at both of them, then they both turned toward Catherine and Cythina. “The both of you do not need to hide,” the female said.

Both my Jinns appeared, their mouths open. They both held up their hands, then their mouths dropped open. They both looked at me. “I don’t feel anything, she has a very strong hiding field,” Catherine said.

The female smiled slightly, “Very good my dear,” the female said.

She then passed a hand over Catherine and gasped. “So many curses on you though, more than that have been removed. For a time, your power was restricted, that is almost completely removed.”

Catherine blushed, then turned toward me with a huge look of pride on her face. I in turn started to blush also.

“Master has been removing a great many curses, many that were thought to never be removed,” Catherine said with more pride.

Again, I blushed as I thought that I hadn’t really done anything. The female’s mouth dropped open as she stared at me, Cythina, then for a long time at Catherine.

She then nodded her head as she clasped Catherine and hugged her tightly. “So long, such a long wait. I would not have survived being encased as you were. Then the complete joy when he found you. I am happy that the evil one is finally paying for what he has done.”

“How?” Catherine started confusion on her face.

A moment later the woman started to glow, then revealed that she was a Jinn also. “Molly! We can’t trust them to not be,” Charles started.

“I know this one, Charles, she was the lost one cursed more than any other ever. Now though more than half those are gone,” Molly said. She then turned to Catherine, “My given name was Afee. I changed it when I met Charles, a most remarkable man, though not as much as your master. If I am seeing right, I am seeing a far-off relative, John Richards,” Molly or Afee said.

“Richards?” Charles said with a start. “So, from further in the future then.” He held up a hand, “no, I don’t want to know, we have enough problems as it is right now.”

“Could I do something to help? We are family after all,” I asked him. There was suddenly a hung gong sound as Charles and Afee’s eyes opened wide.

They both stared at me with a look of wonder. Afee swung an arm over herself, and tears started to fall from her eyes.

“Charles, it’s gone. I don’t understand, but it’s gone!” She said as she stared, then went to her knees before me. “I don’t know why or how, but I wish to thank you for this gift. Almost all my power has returned, thank you.”

Charles was staring at her, his opened wide, then he turned to me. “We were told that a family member would break this, not near but far. Now it all makes sense.”

I myself was a bit in shock, then I felt something like a jolt of energy go through me. I then noticed that both of my hands were glowing again, though far brighter.

I shook my head as both my Jinns were also staring at me. “Master?” Catherine asked. “Are you feeling alright? I know that, that glow can’t be that safe. As we both know, you aren’t a full Jinn.”

“Not a full Jinn? OK, I am more confused than I have been in a long time,” Cythina said.

We all three turned toward Afee with looks of questioning on our faces. Afee nodded before we got to ask.

“I am happy that mine and Charles’s lines kept going. It would have been really sad to think that it was gone from the world. Seeing you and your sister has been a blessing and a gift that can never be repaid,” Afee said.

Charles thought for a moment, his head down, before he spoke, “since you have regained them. I guess that ... that you’ll be leaving now.” Charles refused to look up, shedding a few tears.

A confused look, then one of anger came to her face. Then she was saying in a loud voice, “Charles Richards! You want me to leave?! After all we have been through, you’re going to throw me away!”