The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike

tell you any secrets?"
    Damn,
I thought. He had been listening for a while. I had not only asked the questions; I remembered repeating many of the carpet's answers aloud. But I couldn't remember exactly which ones. He brought his head closer in the dark. I could feel the heat of his breath.
    "What did you learn about the djinn?" he asked.
    I sighed. "I thought it was spelling out words, using the stars. But it might have just been my imagination."
    "You were having a conversation with it. You knew exactly what it was saying." He paused. "Is this the first time you've spoken to it?"
    "What kind of question is that? You've been with me since I found it."
    "I wasn't with you all the time in the hotel room. And you said I fell asleep last night before you did. For all I know you talked to it all night."
    Sarcasm was an old ally of mine, particularly when I felt cornered. "You're right. We plotted against you. It told me the best way to murder you in your sleep."
    He stood and stared off into the distance. "In a way I'm glad you're sticking with your lies. From the moment we found the carpet I've had a bad feeling in my gut. I thought I was being paranoid. But now I know you're not who you pretend to be."
    That hurt.
    "I'm sorry," I whispered.
    He turned back to me. "What are you sorry about?"
    "I'm sorry I lied to you," I said.
    "You're just sorry you got caught."
    "I only took it away from where you were sleeping so I wouldn't wake you. I had no idea it would start talking."
    He pointed at the carpet. "How does it work?"
    "I ask a question and certain stars brighten while others dim. They spell out words."
    "Show me."
    "Okay, I'll try talking to it," I said hastily, turning toward the carpet. "Can you tell us more about who made you?"
    The star field did not change.
    Amesh crouched beside me again. "Ask it more about the djinn."
    "It said the djinn are dangerous."
    "Ask!"
    "Can you tell us more about the djinn?"
    Again, the stars did not change, and I knew why. There was too much tension in the air. Besides, I sensed it didn't want to speak to him because it knew he was not of the same lineage as me.
    "It's not working," I said.
    "Why not?"
    "I don't know."
    "Is it because I'm not royalty? Like you?"
    Oh God, I thought, he had heard so much!
    "Amesh, please, I apologized. I was wrong not to tell you at the start that I spoke to it. But you startled me and..."
    "You automatically lied to me," he said.
    I leaned over to gather up the carpet. "Fine. Be angry, I don't care. I'm going to sleep."
    He grabbed my arm. "We're not sleeping tonight!"
    I shook free and shoved him in the chest. Hard. "Don't touch me!"
    I could not believe the trust we shared had collapsed so quickly. Yet I felt in no mood to repair it, not now. He was behaving like a madman.
    He seemed to realize that. He bowed his head, softened his voice.
    "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
    "Unlike you, I accept your apology."
    He nodded. "I accept yours, too."
    "Well, I'm no longer offering it. I had a right to talk to the carpet if I wanted to. I'm glad I was successful. And it's not my fault if it doesn't want to talk to you." I turned away. "Now I'm going to rest."
    He blocked my way. "Sara, please, you have to see my side. When I woke up and you were gone, I got really scared. We're on a strange island. I thought maybe someone had taken you away. I called out your name and you didn't answer. And then, when I saw you laughing with the carpet, talking to it, all my fear just turned to..." He didn't finish.
    "Rage," I said.
    "I got angry. I said I'm sorry."
    "You're only sorry because you want to fly into one of these temples and summon a djinn."
    What I said was true, but it was also odd. His whole attitude had changed since he had heard about the djinn. He was supposed to be the cautious one. He had not wanted to take the carpet across the sea. He had even been reluctant to enter the temples.
    This was an Amesh I didn't know.
    Even in the dark, I