Work Text:
Mistress of the Sirrush
By Stevo
Khalil al-Raschid ibn Mustapha bin Jamila bent forward, against the wind coming, hot and dry, from the east. The sirrush, as the wind was locally known, was both unseasonably early and hotter and drier than was normal. Khalil was a study in grace. He was a man of finely chiseled features, dark hair, brown eyes and noble bearing, wearing the dress of a bedouin chieftain.
Khalil was investigating the sirrush, as he had a suspicion that the wind was not of natural origin. There were rumours that a Djinn had moved in to the area and he had taken it upon himself to discover if this was true.
Khalil looked up. The mountains were within sight. Djinni's, being creatures of Air, liked the wild currents found around the mountains, so this is where Khalil was going to start his careful search. A Djinn would be a formidable foe, even for a sorcerer of Khalil's experience.
Deciding he was growing too tired fighting the wind, Khalil summoned eldritch energy and sketched a mystical sigil in the air. A shield forming a couple of feet in front of him, Khalil straightened and stretched aching muscles. Walking against the wind like he had been was tiring work. The mountains would not get closer on their own, so Khalil continued on his way.
Finally reaching the base of a cliff where Khalil suspected the Djinn had its lair, he knelt and said a prayer for luck. He knew that, if it did come to a fight, the advantage of terrain would be against him. Taking a deep breath, Khalil started the long climb skyward.
Near to the ground, the climb was relatively easy, but it rapidly became more difficult as he ascended. Khalil was being very careful, testing each hand and foot hold before transferring his weight. Pulling himself on to a shelf, he flopped on his back, and lay still for a minute, resting muscles that had not seen exercise this strenuous for some time. Khalil made a mental note to spend less time in his library and more time in physical exercise. In his many years, Khalil had won many a sorcerous duel by outlasting his opponent. In his mind, too many sorcerers concentrated too much on the mental side of their art, and not enough on the physical. A master sorcerer needed to be strong in body as well as mind.
Khalil started climbing again, planning his ascent as he climbed. There was a crack running to the left that, at first glance, looked the easy way, but he had an uncomfortable feeling about it. Over the years, Khalil had learnt to trust his feelings. Climbing up the right side of the cliff face, he could see from above that the left side was ready to collapse. Had he chosen that way, he would probably be lying at the base now, covered in half the cliff. Continuing up the cliff, he said a quick prayer of thanks.
Finally reaching the top of the cliff, Khalil touched his toes, cracking and popping the joints in his back and shoulders. Looking around, he saw a cave entrance,suspiciously devoid of animal tracks. A cave that large would make the perfect home for a one of the large eagles the area was known for. Were this the case, there would be the skeletons of the cave inhabitants' meals. The missing skeletons were a definite sign that this was the lair of the Djinn.
Taking a deep breath to center himself, and calling all of his mystical protections into being, Khalil stepped forward. As he entered, he realised the cave was the entrance to a tunnel. Advancing warily, Khalil cast a small spell, to enable him to see in the total darkness of the cave. A less experienced sorcerer may have summoned a light to see by, but Khalil had fought Djinni's before and knew that they would sense the Fire that a light would be made of. Being creatures of Air, Djinni's could sense any magic of an elemental nature. Knowing this, Khalil had refreshed his memory on other, non elemental based magics before heading out on his sojourn.
Khalil came to a branching in the tunnel. Stopping, he extended all of his senses out to ascertain the way to go. Feeling a very slight breeze coming from the right, he started down that path. Khalil was surprised at the smoothness of the tunnel walls. This was not a natural tunnel. This was surprising, as Djinni were not known for excavating lairs, instead preferring lairs that allowed them to commune with their element. Following the tunnel, he stopped at each branching and felt for the flow of air. Following the path the breeze was coming from, he moved deeper and deeper in to the mountain. He had already gone further underground than expected. He was not worried yet, but he was moving in that direction. The signs he had come across were not like those of a typical Djinn.
Continuing on down the tunnel, Khalil was ready for anything. Noting it was getting lighter, he released the spell allowing him to see in the dark. Giving his eyes time to adjust, he readied his defenses, preparing for whatever may be around corner up ahead. Moving cautiously, Khalil stepped around the corner. Of all the things Khalil had expected to see, what met his eyes was quite far down the list. He was looking at what appeared to be the back of a bookcase. Spying a latch, he lifted it and swung the bookcase out.
The room he had entered was a study in opulence. Fine exquisite carpets lined the floor, intricate bead hangings draped one wall, while another had a tapestry measuring 10' by 20'. Against the back wall was a large bed, a diaphanous insect net hang from the roof, enclosing the bed completely. The bed was empty. Turning and pushing the bookcase back, Khalil heard the click of the latch asthe secret exit closed. Deciding he should have an escape route planned, he started to examine the bookcase, looking for the mechanism to open it from this side. Keeping an ear out for anyone, or anything, he eventually found the button on the underside of the bottom shelf. Happy that he could get out again, Khalil turned to the door leading out of the bedroom. Pressing his ear to the door, he listened. Not hearing anything, he opened the door.
Stepping in to the hall, he had two options. He could go left or he could go right. Smiling to himself, Khalil thought to himself, he did have a third option. He could turn around and leave again, but that would be counter-intuitive to the whole purpose to being here. The was one door to the left, at the end of the hallway and one door to the right, just before the hallway turned to the right. Choosing left, he stealthily moved up to the door.
Pressing his ear to this door, Khalil listened. Not hearing anything, he tried the latch. The door was locked. Muttering an small incantation under his breath, he unlocked the door. Glad for the two years he had spent in the Baghdad thieves guild, Khalil opened the door. Door were locked for one of two reasons, to keep people out, or to keep people in. Wondering which was true in this case, he entered the room.
Seeing that this was the Djinn's treasure room, Khalil looked at the amassed treasure. Chests overflowing with gold and gems filled the room, next to gold and silver urns and fine carpets rolled up and stacked neatly. Suspicious that so much wealth was unguarded, he looked at the room again, this time using his sorcerous sight. The rugs and urns were illusion. The chests were real, but were locked, not open and overflowing. Of far more importance, however, was the ward on the floor, with the chests in the middle. Examining the wards with a professional eye, he saw that they were wards of warning only, probably alerting the Djinn that a thief was in his treasure room. Nodding to himself, Khalil left the room, closing the door quietly. Muttering a spell to lock the door again, he turned back down the hallway. If there was one lesson that was drummed in to him during his time with the thieves it was this, the most successful robberies are the ones that no one knows took place. Moving up to the door on the other side of the bedroom, Khalil listened at the door, and hearing nothing, opened it. This room was empty. Closing the door again, he slinked up to the corner of the hallway. Extending his hearing out, he heard nothing. Boldly stepping out past the corner, Khalil saw the hallway continued for about 20 feet, with a single door on the north wall, before turning north.
Moving as silent as a ghost, Khalil walked up to the door. As he had with the other doors, he listened, and hearing nothing, opened the door. It was the Djinn's kitchen. Smiling to himself, Khalil thought how the tales had never mentioned anything as mundane as a kitchen. Closing the door again, he turned to move down the hallway. Rounding the corner, he had found the main room of the Djinn's lair.
The room had a large chair, reminiscent of a throne against the west wall. On the east wall was a door way, leading out in to a cave on the side of the mountain. Khalil had, through shear luck, found the back door, else he would have entered through the cave he now saw. Leading from the entry, to the room from the cave, was a plush red carpet. This would have two purposes. One was the obvious impression of wealth and power and the other, less obvious purpose would be the fact that an attacker would find it harder to get a stable footing in thick plush carpet.
Continuing his perusal of the room Khalil saw that the roof was a cavern in itself, with an exit to the sky at the very top. This did not surprise him, as Djinn, like most sentients that could fly, preferred to live within sight of the sky.
Conspicuous in his absence, however, was the Djinn. Suspecting that the he was out making mischief, Khalil settled himself in the chair to wait. Inwardly he was prepared, but to the outside eye, it looked like he was simply bored. Khalil knew that the appearance of power was just as important as actual power. If he appeared to be unconcerned about the Djinn, he would already have the upper hand.
Fortunately he did not have long to wait. Khalil felt a strong wind coming in from the exit in the roof. Looking up with a bored expression, he saw a mass of what appeared to be solid air enter and settle to the ground. This was one of the forms of a Djinn. The massed coalesced in to the usual, more human looking form of the Djinn. Khalil managed to keep the shock from his face as the Djinn took the form of a stunningly beautiful woman, with a lithe figure, long blonde hair, in itself a rarity, and the clearest pale blue eyes Khalil had ever seen.
The Djinn looked at Khalil, surprised to see someone in her home. Looking at Khalil, sitting in her chair, leaning on her cushions, the female Djinn asked, with a sneer in her voice, "And who might you be, little man?"
Putting aside his earlier plans, Khalil replied, as he knelt on one knee, "I am The Master Sorcerer Khalil al-Raschid ibn Mustapha bin Jamila and I bid you greetings. I humbly apologise for entering your domicile uninvited. Might I know the name of such a beauty as yours?"
Smiling at the compliment, Jamesina replied warily, but replying as custom dictated, with her full title, " I am the Djinn Jamesina Mistress of the Sirrush. Now, might one ask, why are you here in my home?"
Khalil rose, and gestured for Jamesina to sit in her chair. Taking one of the cushions for himself, he placed in on the floor at the foot of the chair and, as Jamesina sat in the chair, sat down himself.
"I am tracking the unseasonal sirrush that has been battering the coastlands where I live. Is the sirrush yours, oh beauteous one?" Khalil asked Jamesina smoothly, even though the answer was obvious.
Looking at Khalil with an appraising eye, Jamesina replied, "Yes. But I only sent the sirrush to the coast to repay a debt to an Ifrit. That debt is now repaid. Answer my challenge and I'll release the winds that plague your homeland. What say you, Master Sorcerer?"
"If it will help my people, then I will take your challenge. Although, truth be told, I would rather not fight one as lovely as you," Khalil spoke in reply, summoning his power in the process. Expecting an attack, Khalil readied a defensive spell.
Standing up, and motioning for Khalil to do the same, Jamesina took a step, so that she was directly in front of Khalil. Raising her arms, she stated formally, "Then this is my challenge. Stay here with me and I will free your home of the winds. I will guarantee the weather will be what they need. Mild in summer and wet in winter."
Khalil looked at her in surprise. He had expected a fight, not this. More out of formality than anything, Khalil asked, "What would you have me do while I stayed here with you?"
"The task I give you is not an onerous one. If you stay, I only ask one thing of you. Love me and let me love you." Jamesina stated, as she put her arms around Khalil's neck and looked deep in to his eyes. "Would you do that for me?"
Putting his hands on Jamesina's hips, Khalil smiled at her and gave his answer, "Aye, I will stay." Khalil then gave Jamesina a quick peck on the lips, with the promise of more to come. "But I would ask, why me? Surely, with a beauty such as yours, you could have princes and sheikhs knocking on your door, should you choose. Why ask this of a minor desert trickster?"
"I have watched you from afar. You truly care for the people you protect. And I don't think 'desert trickster' is the correct way to describe a 300 year old Master Sorcerer, do you?" Jamesina cooed, playing her trump card.
Khalil had heard that after sufficient shocks, one became numb. He was still short of that number. "How did you find out? I have been careful to keep that secret."
"As I said, I have watched you. In fact I have been watching you for some time now. To your neighbours, you appear as just a 'desert trickster', but" said Jamesina, "to someone who has seen a few centuries herself, it is obvious. You have that grace that only comes after centuries of life."
"That makes me feel better. I will have to work on that." Khalil muttered softly to himself. "Now if I might ask again, why me?"
"Besides the fact that you are also pleasing to the eye? You are a gentle, caring soul. I like that. But the final thing that drew me to you, is that you are Undying." Jamesina explained to Khalil. "Immortality gets lonely. As an immortal yourself, you know this." Taking Khalils face in her hands, Jamesina looked deep in to his eyes, in to his very soul, and opened her heart to his. "Do you think you can love me, as an equal, in all things."
Placing his hands on Jamesina's cheeks, Khalil replied, "Aye, that I can." And with a kiss, he realised that he had found something he did not even know he was missing.
Outside, the sirrush died down to a warm spring breeze.
The End.