The Maghrebi djinn comes from a far off land
Go and seek the tombs that are buried under the sand
There are ancient whisperers within the trees
Yet no foliage may flutter in the Maghrebi breeze...
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The witches had spoken in canticles and riddles to the young man before he had ventured to continue wandering out alone. They were kind enough to give him some more porridge and wine before he left and In fact he felt they had treated him like a fine and quite revered guest during his short stay... considering they were merely witches after all. There was one named pearly and she was the fairest of them all. Her apple red cheeks and green wicked eyes had first attracted his attention when riding past the old and withered cottage that lay before the glitz valleys beyond.
"Perhaps this old heathen abode is indeed enchanted" he had chuckled in a cheery manner as he kissed the girl goodbye... and bid farewell to the other two dames . Apparently they were all sisters and just happened to be living alone in the middle of the mystical dessert.
"there is a fountain and a candle and then you shall find a mantel... it is there you shall seek your mint tea abode!" was the last thing the eldest witch had said to him before he mounted his steed and bid goodbye to all three of them.
The youngest witch was saddened to see him leave after the short amour they had shared.. he smiled down at her proudly and then urged his beautiful black horse to gallop away. She rode into the glitz sugar coated sand like a pegasus and his striking embellished figure dazzled under the moonlit stars…
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It had been half a moon now since he had left the little cavern of witches.. And after sailing upon his steed through the enteral night for such a long time, he was beginning to curse them in a moody grumbling way
It was during his grumbling that he sighted a flickering wisp of gold, shivering like a frigid spirit in the obsidian distance.. This frigid ghost happened to be a tent… and this is where we left out knight in the last chapter
He had a flask of blueberry wine draped around his neck in a diamond bottle….he opened and drank and suddenly heard singing from inside the golden pink tent.
Hmm that voice was very sweet… he thought …”quite alike the sapphire wine in the cask”
He looked up to the glistening stars that twinkled; they ushered him to walk onward… “could this strange singing angel perhaps know where the kingdom is” he thought to himself with a dark almost wicked expression on his face as he called out in front of the thin drapes of the tent.
“Excuse me… maiden from within… I am a knight of the land of York and I wish to stay at thy desert abode…” His voice was low and partly a little rough from the silence he had kept for the last few weeks of lone adventure …
The singing stopped and then a soft rather timid voice came from within ~ “I am not sure… are you safe to approach?”
The king furrowed his brow as the silence swept through him… “yes… may I enter” he said rather harshly
There was more silence and then the being from within emerged from the silken drapes.
Her creamy white skin and the red hue upon her small face… and cherry black eyes that seemed to not know where to place themselves, that only looked up at him for a moment. Golden hair… rippled like moonlit carpets of sand around her small rather feeble frame…
She rather reminded him of the quaint porcelain doll that sat upon the mantle of the witches cove where he had traveled from.. The only difference being that the witches doll was sewn in a yellow and blue Sverigedräkten*. The “doll” before him however was veiled in a long black cloth that trailed onto the glittering sand.
“My name is Anoria,” she uttered faintly “and you say you are a king…”
“No madam, I am an earl, a duke, a knight… not a king, '' he said, looking directly and almost fiercely upon her as the breeze twirled and brought life into the trails of her black dress…
She looked up at him once more and for a moment their glances were welded and then she said something quite unexpectedly
“You may come in sir knight… “
*traditional dress of Switzerland
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The little enclosed globe of the tent was golden and vastly decorated with traditional patterns that reminded him of the style of the Russian peasantry. The myriad of floral embroidery upon the walls of that silken cave were rather rustic and seemed more suited to a bohemian caravan than a mystical desert tent. Golden and pink ribbons bowed and weaved the roof; small crystal candle holders were adorned throughout, reflecting a clinquant glow upon the porcelain face of the maid.
He sat down without her invitation and she gave him a slice of chocolate cake and a goblet of milk.
His eyes seemed to darken as she placed the cake in front of him…and then he shook his head and laughed.
“Is it funny?” she said rather puzzled.
“No just very rare… for a travelling pilgrim to be greeted with such pure delicacies”
He looked up into her face and saw she was smiling… he raised his brow and sighed.
“well …” she said ..” I do like making chocolate cake… and I've never had a knight as a guest before… I'm not sure what delicacies he would wish for… I do have a nice carrot cake and some fine duck stew…”
“This is fine… this is good” he said while cutting the spongy chocolate with a silver spoon.
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“The djinn of the Maghrebi valley?” the maiden's face became rather serious as she thought about it.
He had just finished his third slice of cake when he decided to ask the damsel what she knew..
“yes … the djinn, I am looking for him… would you tell me where I could find him? He is also known as the mint tea djinn… A few days ago I rode across a flock of old dames who enchanted my fantasies on the subject… I wished to find and seek him. I cannot enclose the reason why… there is no need for me to do so … but I ask you good maid to help a wandering man accomplish his goals”
“Oh I do not know what you mean…” she said hurriedly and suddenly turned away and seemed to want to conceal her own face
The knight stood and calmly walked over to her… she certainly seemed to know something or at least it seemed the topic brought an uneasiness to her. “Anoria … this is very important to me… you see I have to search for him, I can see that you know something” he spoke with a gentle yet rather serious tone. He placed his hand around her and then suddenly the maid began to softly cry.
“Please do not ask.. I cannot… please go! Go! You must go!” she suddenly said through muffled sobs whilst turning to him and holding her face in her small hands.
The knight did not choose to embrace her however and just stood as she leant crying against his cloak. The shivering glow of candles danced upon his aureate visage… magically almost… as if he was a god of the fires and flames too.
Again it was difficult to find the ancient scrolls to the next part so… this all that has ever been available…
