"I am the servant of the lamp," the smoky man boomed. "What do you wish of me?"
Maman's eyes widened in terror, and she whimpered as she tried to back away from the djinn, for surely this was another of Kaveh's kind. Then she overbalanced, falling backward and striking her head against the wall.
"Maman! Are you all right?" Aladdin asked, rushing to check. The back of her head was bleeding from where it had hit the wall, but she still drew breath. He carried her to the bed, not sure what else to do.
"I said: what do you wish of me?"
Aladdin whirled to face the djinn. The lamp had fallen to the floor, so he picked it up. "You frightened my mother and now she is hurt. I wish you would fix the mess you have made."
"I cannot undo what has been done, but I can heal her," the djinn said.
Aladdin blinked in surprise. It took him a moment before he had the presence of mind to say, "Then do it."
He watched in fascination as the djinn bent over his mother, holding out his hands. Blue light arced from his hands to her, until her head was enveloped in a blue cloud. Then he waved his hand and the light died. "It is done," the djinn said. "When she wakes, it will be as though she was never injured. What else do you wish of me?"
Aladdin wet his lips. "Answers. What are you?"
"I am the servant of the lamp, and my master is whoever holds it in his hands."
"So you are a djinn?"
"Yes."
"You can perform magic? What sort of magic can you do?"
The djinn swelled to fill half the room. "I can make you the richest man alive. Transport you to the farthest reaches of the Earth and back again in the blink of an eye. Build you a palace so magnificent even the Sultan will beg to see inside."
Aladdin sucked in a breath. He wanted all of those things, but he knew nothing came without a cost. Before he wished for anything, he needed to talk to Kaveh. He knew Kaveh, whereas this djinn was a stranger.
"What would you wish me to do first, master?" the genie rumbled.
Aladdin thought for a moment. His belly rumbled, reminding him that it had been a long time since he'd eaten. Kaveh had provided him with food, and there had been no ill consequences from that. Finally, he said, "I am hungry. Bring me something to eat."
The djinn bowed low, then vanished.
"Show off," Kaveh muttered, emerging like a wraith from the ring. "Mister high and mighty, all powerful master of everything."
"Do you know him?"
Kaveh glared at the lamp. "I have seen him before, yes. Prince Philemon was master of the lamp for a time, before he disappeared, and he had no need for me when he had him. He handed me to one of his servants, who sold me to buy bread after he left the city. To the madman I'd rather not return to."
"Would you rather I'd asked you to fetch my food?"
Kaveh looked affronted. "You had no need to ask him for anything. I gave you the contents of the royal larder! I still have some of it, too. If I can remember where I hid it. Must be here somewhere, the house isn't that big..." He wandered about the room, waving his arms as though he expected to touch something unseen. "Ah, here! You liked the prince's almonds, so I brought two barrels."
"I liked them because they were the only thing that didn't require cooking, or taste so sweet they made me terribly thirsty," Aladdin replied. He'd eaten so many almonds in the last week, he'd happily live the rest of his life without eating another.
"Oh," Kaveh seemed crestfallen, but not for long. "I brought the prince's garden, too. That will impress your princess, you'll see."
"The entire garden?" Aladdin had briefly wandered through what Kaveh had called the harem gardens, a large, high-ceilinged cavern filled with artificial trees made of metal and gemstones. Every jewelled leaf, flower and fruit had been lovingly crafted so each was unique, but under all the dust Aladdin had found it hard to be impressed. It had looked so forlorn, a world that had once glittered with magic but was now brown and dull with dust.
"Just the trees. Most of the shrubs. And all the flowers."
The entire garden, then.
"Where did you put it all?"
Kaveh opened his mouth. "Ah – "
A cloud of blue smoke exploded into the room, then parted to reveal a host of golden dishes bearing a banquet of more food than Aladdin had ever seen in his life. Things that could only have come from the palace kitchen, or one like it.
"Your meal, master," the huge djinn boomed.
Maman screwed up her face, moving restlessly in the bed as though she were about to wake. She would not be happy to see the giant djinn in the house still.
"Now, go hide in the lamp, or wherever it is you go, until I summon you again," Aladdin said.
The djinn set the dishes down and disappeared.
Just in time, for Maman sat up. "What was that thing?"
"Nothing, Maman. I have food for us. What would you like to eat?"
Maman looked around in bewilderment. "Where did you get the money for so much food, or such dishes?"
Kaveh had disappeared again, leaving Aladdin to explain on his own. "I fear you would not believe me, Maman. It is a story for another time. But I did not steal them, and they belong to us now. Of that I am certain. Now, let us eat, and when we are done, perhaps we can sell the dishes to a goldsmith so we can buy you some new clothes."
Maman nodded. "Very well. We can talk after we have eaten."
For the first time in longer than he could remember, Aladdin sat down to a meal with his mother, where they both ate their fill. For once, he'd done something right.
FIFTEEN
"You wished to see me, Father?" Maram asked as she stepped into the Sultan's lavish apartments. She did not want to go on another diplomatic mission until she knew what had happened to Aladdin, but she could hardly refuse. "Which part of the world would you like me to conquer next?"
He laughed, for he knew as well as Maram did that she spoke only partly in jest. "No, I am happy to have you home, daughter, at least for now. It is your future I am thinking of, and all the conquests you have already made. You deserve a reward."
Maram clapped her hands. "Then you will build a bigger bathhouse on the palace grounds? I know just the place..."
Father shook his head. "No, we have all the bathhouses we need. And you will not be here to use it when it is built, so where would the point be in that?"
Maram's heart turned cold. "Where will I be, Father?" This news did not bode well.
He waved for her to sit down. Maram selected a fat cushion and took her seat.
"You know that my Vizier, Ali, has been a good and faithful adviser to me since I ascended to my father's throne. As deserving of reward as you, in fact," the Sultan began.