Chapter 6

“We need to plan for this idiot, he obviously thinks that he can just waltz in her and take you. As long as I am alive that isn’t going to happen,” I said. It was at that moment that I realized that I was starting to feel something for Catherine.

I looked at Catherine shocked. I hadn’t felt what ever it was I was feeling before. I sighed as I settled in trying to figure it out, though, after a few hours I still had no clue.

That in itself was disconcerting, almost as bad as the psycho killer that was after both of us. I really had a lot of questions for Catherine, though looking at her, I could see that I wasn’t going to get any ready answers.

I turned to look at her, “I almost seem to know how you are going to answer. Who is this Elvantor Hajib and why the hell is he after you? I am feeling that this goes back a long way,” I said.

I saw her lip tremble as she turned away slightly. “As you know he wants to use me. My first, last master defied him as you have. He also hurt him. All I can say is that he is a truly evil Jinn.”

I just shook my head, as I had thought for some strange reason she was not allowed to tell me. Damnit I thought, why in the hell was this always the way everything seemed to happen to me?

I had a sudden thought as I looked closer at Catherine. “Were you promised to him? This joining between the two of you was denied by whom? Your family, father, you?” I said as I saw her drop her head when I asked her.

Again I saw her lips tremble, this ass was out to punish and destroy her. Damn, if he was as bad as he appeared to be, he wasn’t about to stop either.

Shit, I was going to need more help than I had at the moment. This scum was pretty powerful, I wasn’t sure if I could defeat him, even with the magical items I had.

“If he is as evil as you say, I think that I am going to need more protection. I mean what I have helped but, no offense uh, I never did learn your name,” I asked the sword.

I felt what seemed to be shock from the sword. “I am honored, it isn’t often that the wielder even cares to learn it. I was called Felensar, for the honor you have given me, I will do all I can and more to protect you,” Felensar said.

“As I was saying, I know that Felensar will help, but I think that this ass has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. I want to come out of this in one piece as well as you, Felensar,” I said.

“Sir,” Felensar said. “I would be honored to give what life I have for you. To sacrifice for one as honorable as you would make this life complete.”

OK, I thought this wasn’t sitting all that well with me. True, it was a tool, but it was a living tool, one that I didn’t want to lose. I suddenly felt a huge sense of pride coming from the sword.

I then turned toward Catherine, “so, what is it? You were promised and refused, an agreement between families. Did the asshole just claim you as his and did all he could to obtain you?” When I saw Catherine cringe at this last statement I knew.

I thought about it a few moments, then asked, “are there any other crystals that can protect this place?”

“The two that you have are great protection, though there are others that might help,” Catherine said after thinking about it a moment.

I nodded as she snapped her fingers, and we were outside a cave on the edge of a body of water. She pointed inside when I looked back at her.

“I can expect a greeting like I did last time I take it,” I asked Catherine.

“Perhaps, it has been a very long time since I was here and actually talked to the spirits here. Even then they were the most agreeable spirits,” Catherine said.

I just shook my head, bout like my luck I thought. I swear I could feel a small chuckle from Felensar. I just shrugged, then walked into the cave not knowing what to expect.

I had barely passed the opening when a wall of solid rock dropped to seal the cave off. Again, I shook my head out of the fire into the frying pan, I thought.

“Who encroaches upon the sacred cave of the sun crystals!” A booming voice said.

I just shook my head, geez, I thought, melodramatic much? I heard an almost strangled gasp, of indignation.

“Who are you to judge us? We have been guarding this sacred place for a very long time,” the now more normal sounding voice said.

“I am Captain John Richards, U.S. Army,” I said, though Catherine was shaking her head no.

“A captain? We have not detected any boat or ship. You say you are in an Army, yet we detect no mass of soldiers. Therefore, we ask why you lied to us,” the voice said.

“I am alone with my Jinn and sword, I am in an Army. I did not bring one with me,” I said.

“Still, you are her, to what plan an attack against us? You will fail and die most painfully,” the voice said, seeming to grow angry.

“I am not here to attack or plan an attack. I was told that you might be able to help me. I was told that you possess crystals that would aid me against an evil Jinn. I am sorry that I bothered you. I can leave if you are unable to help,” I said.

I could suddenly feel something like a wave of heat, though this was emotions. “You are a brash human, here you intrude, then insult us.”

“That’s why I said that I could leave. I know I intruded and do not wish to bother you,” I said.

I suddenly felt a wave of shock roll across me. Another booming voice came from the walls of the cave. “This is an honest man, far more honest than any I have felt in a very long time. It is true he has gone against an evil Jinn.”

There were suddenly three or more gasps as I heard, “Elvantor Hajib! So that evil is still alive. You were Anteras’s Jinn?” The third voice asked Catherine.

Tears were falling from her eyes as she nodded, “I was, he fought to defend me, but in the end, he was lost. This had him sealed away for a long time. Since I was freed, so was he,” Catherine said.

“Noble Master of the Jinn Catherine, we will provide any help that we can. You will need no less than four crystals for what you wish. Might we suggest that you take no less than twelve,” the third voice said.

A moment later, twelve rather large crystals floated to me, then were deposited in a bag that suddenly appeared. I turned toward Catherine and mouthed the words, thank you.

“Remember us if you have further need of us,” the voices said.

“I will, and I thank you for the gift of the crystals,” I said.

“We are honored to help to destroy this evil that has been released upon the world again,” the voices said.

We winked out when Catherine snapped her fingers. We were at the far corner of the camp. Cathrine had made a hole while waiting. “They must be placed by you master, no one else can touch them,” Catherine said.

I shrugged and placed two in the hole. She snapped again and we were at another corner. We repeated this at all four corners, then were back in the hut. That’s when, a few minutes later, I heard a high-pitched scream near the corner where the hut was.

I casually walked out and turned my gaze skyward to where the Jinn was trying to enter. Apparently, he hadn’t felt the crystals and had charged in, with not favorable results. As a matter of fact, he was about half fried when he withdrew.

He then saw me and started to curse. “You will pay for this outrage, I promise you. I will not be denied what is rightfully mine!”

I laughed and thought back to him, she isn’t and never was yours. One would think that by now that you would have learned by now, that you have no chance.

He started to scream in outrage again and pointed at me, “you! Enjoy this small victory. I can promise that it will be your last. I will have her at last and your soul will fuel my power to untold heights.”

He then vanished a little more crispy than he’d been before. I then turned toward Catherine. I thought about it more as I had been. There was more going on here that anyone was letting on, and I was tired of being in the dark.

I stood there a few more moments, then wished I was in the place of the Jinn council again. I heard Catherine snap her fingers and we were there.

I immediately marched to the council chambers to stand before the twelve males there.

“Alright!” I nearly yelled. “I am tired of being kept in the dark. What in the hell is going on? I have a Jinn with some type of death wish or promise on her as well as me. Just because she is my Jinn, I am supposed to die! Talk or so, by god I swear I am going to find a way to punish all of you!”

As soon as the words left my lips, all twelve of them were on the floor writhing in extreme pain. I also noticed that none of them were able to talk.

“Alright, stop, but if I don’t hear anything I like, the pain will start again, and it won’t stop,” I growled at them.

All twelve very slowly got off the floor, sitting in chairs they made grasping their throats. “We are sorry master John, we weren’t able to say anything ‘til you became aware of the situation. Yes, as you guessed, there is a curse on her and her current master. We know that only you can break it, only you have the ability to,” the first councilor said.

I looked at him as if he were crazy, “I have no abilities, I am just a soldier doing my duty. I have no magic to do the things that you obviously think I can do. I am a man, nothing more, nothing less, how in the hell am I supposed to do all this, huh?”

“As you have found out, there are many magical beings and items out there willing to help you. You are also willing to accept the help a plus for you,” the male said.

“Uh huh,” I said, “that’s all good for you, you know what to do. I don’t. Learning as I go seems a hell of a way to die rather quickly.”

“As I started to say, we know there is a curse, we know it can be broken. We know that you are the only one that can, what we do not know is exactly how to break it,” the male said.