Chapter 13
Annelise quickly formulated a plan.Jealousy had driven Leila to make her most terrible choices, and Annelise was determined to use that against the wicked djinn. Contrary to the djinn’s assertion, though, she did not believe she had all the information necessary to use her plan. She might not know all of the curse as yet. There might be some detail that would changeall.
She wanted to talk toRolfe.
But Rolfe did not return that night. The gates did not open and they would not open. Annelise had no means of knowing whether he was pacing on the outside as she paced on the inside, or even whether he had changed back to a man or not. She hoped he had taken refuge in the tower, but uncertainty gnawed ather.
By morning, she had decided there could be no further delay. The threat of Rolfe changing fully to a wolf was too terrifying a prospect. She could not lose himnow!
It was almost as frightening to have to make her best choice, knowing that she and Rolfe would have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives. Worse, there would be only one chance to trap Leila, and Annelise did not dare tofail.
She thought her scheme hadmerit.
The difficulty was that she required Leila’spresence.
Since the only other thing of import to Leila was clearly the palace, Annelise decided to destroy it, in the hope of gaining Leila’sattention.
Or encouraging the djinn tointervene.
By midday, Annelise was ready. The obsidian bottle stood in the foyer,waiting.
She ran her fingers across the inlaid surface of a delicate table she had chosen to destroy first and prayed for forgiveness for what she intended to do. The piece was a work of great artistry, but that meant it had value. Before she could forget that Rolfe’s welfare hung in the balance, she dragged the table to the large pool in the garden and flung it into the water. She winced as the top cracked and had to turn away from the water soaking into thewood.
So long as she did not look at the damage, it was more readily done. She cast a carved stool through a blown-glass window, which shattered loudly. There were vases and pots on the sill on the other side, which fell and broke on the stone beneath. She hefted a wooden chest with some effort, shoving it hard against the marble neck of a fountain so that the marble cracked. The top of the fountain wavered, then fell into the water and broke. Annelise cast rugs and pillows in every direction, sending brass clattering to the tiled floor and trinkets smashing against the wall. She screamed and howled as she did so, breaking everything she could move and making as much noise as possible in theprocess.
Fortunately, she did not have to be destructive forlong.
“My beautiful palace!” shrieked the dark djinn, appearing suddenly besideAnnelise.
Leila.
As she had planned, Annelise turned to the furious djinn and fell to her knees. “Thank the Heavens you are here!" she exclaimed. “They were destroying all the wondrous furnishings in your palace and there was nothing I could do aboutit!”
“They?” echoed thedjinn.
“Yes, there were two of them, both larger than life. They moved so quickly I could barely keep my eyes upon them, and they werearguing...”
“Who were they? I shall see them cursed for alleternity!”
“I do not think they were mortal,” Annelise admitted. She watched her opponent as she tried to appeardistraught.
The djinn’s eyes narrowed. “How would youknow?”
“They appeared as abruptly as you do and their size changed as theyargued.”
“What were theirnames?”
“I do not know, but the woman...” Annelise sighed in wonder. “The woman was so beautiful that I felt as though I had stepped into the sunlight when she first smiled at me.” She flicked a glance at the djinn. “And you will probably not believe me, but I could have sworn that diamonds and pearls fell from her lips when she spoke. Surely no mortal could be so verylovely.”
Leila hissed. “But she was notalone?”
“No, no, she came after he did.” Annelise frowned. “It was as if she came to take himaway.”
Annelise felt the weight of the djinn’s gaze upon her and did not dare look up lest she be caught in herlie.
“He?”
“Yes, he came first, and oh, he was so handsome that I nearly lost my heart on sight. He wandered through the palace, not touching anything, calling a woman’sname.”
