Fate's Pawn: Wishes Three

Chapter Three: Our Hotel

The room was far more well-furnished than I had expected it to be. A giant bed that dominated the room, dressers galore, and an amazing fuzzy rug that tickled my feet. Plush pillows littered the bed and I picked one up and hugged it close to my body, I was overwhelmed with the sense of vanilla and citrus and inhaled to absorb myself in the scent. “Sleeping on this will make the floor so much softer. This is all I need.”

Dagon raised an eyebrow at me. “No.”

“No?” I questioned back.

“No, you’re not sleeping on the floor. You are sleeping in the bed, I’ll take the floor and one of those pillows is all I need. I’m used to a bit of discomfort but from what I know of your living situation you’ve been forced to endure far worse for a long time now.”

“Will you let me rest in my lamp then?” I questioned my voice just above a whisper. My heart pounded at my daring. To question a master at all was unheard of especially since he had already said he preferred me out of my lamp.

“When I get back home and able to open the box it is in, of course.”

“Can I try to open it?” I questioned. I hadn’t tried before considering I had been kept as far from it as I physically could without being sick.

“There is a magical spell on it. If I’m not able to break it with what I have at my place I know someone else who will for sure be able to force it open.”

“Someone that can force open a magical spell?” I frowned at that. “And why didn’t they take the seals off for you when you won the auction?”

A faint smirk lined his lips. “You’re very sharp, Acacia. Tell me, why do you think they didn’t offer me the means to extract your lamp from its prison?”

I hadn’t expected this. I hugged the pillow closer to my body as I let my mind roam back to that hell hole I had lived in. I had been alone for so long, kept in dingy surroundings but always promised the next auction would be the big one. I remembered the red-head and frowned. “They didn’t plan for you to win, did they, Dagon?”

He smiled and shook his head. “You’re correct. Granted we did have to leave in a hurry because those I outbid were none too pleased, but I’m positive if they had won then the lock would have been broken. My best guess is they assume I’ll take you back to them in order to get the seal off.”

I climbed onto the bed and sunk into its softness. I had only planned to get more comfortable but a soft moan escaped my lips. “Wow,” the whisper escaped me before I could stop it.

“That’s why I want you to have the bed, Acacia. You deserve it after such a time of misery. Punishing you because people don’t know how to make proper wishes is insanity. You’re a genie you shouldn’t be treated like a low-class slave.” He paused. “Not that I believe in slavery itself in the first place.”

I turned my head toward him and watched for a moment. He didn’t try to take any steps toward me. He stayed in his exact spot a distance away. “We’re in a safe place, and despite not being able to retreat into my lamp, I can still grant wishes. Do you know what your first will be? I can replenish the money you’ve spent, or make you powerful beyond all other mortals.” I shrugged my shoulders and my eyelids fluttered at the softness of my resting spot. “Long life?”  my body settled into comfort.

Dagon shook his head as he continued to watch me. There was an intensity in his eyes again, but once more I didn’t sense any danger from it. “All those wishes are small-scale. If I want money I can work for it, I have no problems finding work in my field. Power is in the eye of the beholder, and anyone can be taken out of it if they end up corrupt. As I recall you made someone very powerful, but it was because they were a leader of a large criminal organization and they were slaughtered for their cruelty. It’s no fault of yours of course, but the last one does sound promising.”

I smiled. “So you wish to live a long life or would you rather live forever?”

Those blue eyes of his sparkled like sapphires as he stared at me. “Acacia, I almost don’t want to make all of my wishes so I can always be with you. I’ve been fascinated with you for a long time now.”

I frowned and sat up. “If that’s supposed to be a compliment, it doesn’t sound like one.” I had no desire to be a master’s pet or experiment, of course what I wished didn’t really matter in the long run of things.

“I’m sorry, I meant no offense. I just meant I enjoy your company. I’m loathe to make my wishes and lose it.”

I shrugged my slim shoulders and sunk back down into the bed. “If you always want to be with me, then perhaps immortality is the spell you desire.”

“There’s always a cost for magic, Acacia. I’ll hold off on my wish, for now, I want to make sure that I ask it in just the right way.”

“Well, you have three, if you mess up one you can always save it for another. Especially considering you don’t want any of the usual things.” My eyes widened and I sat back up again. “Oh! I can get you a harem, all men like those right?”

He frowned at me. “I have no desire for that either. I don’t need women fawning over me trying to win my favor or my wishes. It’s best to be alone. You’ll understand later when you meet my friend.”

I stifled a yawn. My body was so relaxed. The whole bed smelled like the pillow and the aromas lulled me into deep relaxation. “I thought we would only meet him if you couldn’t get the seal off my lamp.”

Dagon chuckled. “You underestimate just how powerful a spell is on your box. I’ve just been prodding it for now, but I’m fairly positive we’ll have to meet him. He helped me track you down, though he didn’t realize what I was doing at the time. He’ll be honored to meet you, and who knows, maybe he’ll be able to grant one of your wishes.”

My eyes were already closing but I frowned regardless. “My wishes? Why would a genie need wishes? I’m supposed to grant them, not make them.”

Dagon’s chuckle rumbled nearby but I was too tired to keep an eye on him now. I’d just have to trust that he’d keep his word, but then again if he did try anything with me there wasn’t much I could do about it. I was forbidden from hurting my master, and as long as he possessed the lamp that’s exactly what he was. “There’s so much more to the world than you allow yourself to see, Acacia.”

I grunted in response. “It’s kind of hard to see when your life consists of a small cell. I’ve been out of my lamp for so long I don’t even remember what it’s like in there.” I chuckled. “So I guess that would be my wish, Dagon. If I could have any wish I’d wish to get back into my beloved lamp where I can truly be safe.”

The bed shifted and I tried to open my eyes but I just couldn’t manage it. Too much exhaustion on my body was weighing me down. Mortals were indeed a flimsy lot. I tensed as I prepared for the unwanted caress or touches, but none came. 

Dagon was breathing nearby, I could tell that. He was close enough that if I reached out I could touch him but my limbs were iron weights. “Relax,” he whispered. I shivered at the sound. “I’m just getting a pillow, I promised not to hurt you, remember?” The bed shifted again and the heat that had been rising from his body faded away.

“Thank you,” my words were starting to slur together as sleep thickened my tongue. It was all I could do to make coherent noises at this point. Could genies be put under spells? I wasn’t sure but this bed was like a well-contrived trap. All I could focus on was the softness and how I was cradled in it.

“You’re welcome, Acacia. Now, rest. You must be exhausted after today. I’m sure it has been many a moon since your body has been pushed to the brings like it was today. We’ll have to leave early tomorrow if we wish to get out of here without being noticed. I don’t need to pick up your fan club again.”

“What about food?” I questioned with another yawn. I dimly recalled Dagon mentioning that food was going to be sent to us, and as tired as I was my mortal body was still growling at me. I had been fed slops and remains at the auction, just enough to keep this body slim and alive.

“I’ll wake you in a bit after it gets here. Rest is the most important fuel for you right now.”

I didn’t want to fight him but my stomach growled loud in protest. “Sorry,” I mumbled. I didn’t hear his reply. My senses started to turn off one by one until all I could focus on was the softness of the cloud that I nestled in.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I was aware of was Dagon gently shaking me. “Acacia,” his whisper was at my ear and I struggled hard to open my eyes.

The room was dark and he was crouched beside me. His blue eyes were trained on the window. “We’re going to have to evacuate a bit sooner than we had anticipated.”

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and blinked at him. He was just a blurry dark shadow to me at the moment. “We haven’t even got to eat.”

He smiled at me. “And you can eat some of the rolls that were brought to us while you were passed out. It won’t be much, but better than a completely empty stomach, and at least you got some solid rest in. I’ve just been awake keeping watch.”

I didn’t like the idea of him watching me while I slept. “Can I have one now? I can’t move I’m so hungry.”

He pushed one of the soft loaves of bread in my hand and I grinned before shoving a giant fluffy chunk in my cheeks. I struggled not to groan at the faint butter taste that flavored it. “Glad you’re enjoying it,” Dagon whispered. His eyes were still locked on the window. He got to his feet and pushed a small bag of the amazing smelling morsels into my hands. “Are you ready to go?”

I took another bite and swung my legs to the side. I buried my feet into the carpet and frowned. “I went to bed with my shoes on, why are they off?”

“You looked uncomfortable, so I took them off.”

I wanted to scold him but the soft carpet banished all my thoughts. I settled for a glare as he handed me my possessions back. I wiggled my toes a final time in the plushness before strapping my footwear on. Dagon had slipped away from my side and was leaning against the window as he looked out of it. He frowned at me and crept back to my side. And my look he shook his head. “It’s more than just one now. They have sent quite a few of their men out there, and I can’t be positive if they know we’re in here, but they’re combing the entire area.”