The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike Page A

could sense his pride returning.
    "What's wrong with that?" he asked.
    "Amesh. The carpet said the djinn are dangerous."
    "You spoke to the carpet for a minute about them. And you're from America. How many Americans even know what a djinn is? But they're a part of my culture. And the one thing I know for certain is a djinn has to grant the wish of the person who frees it."
    "Earlier, you said your Papi said there were no flying carpets."
    "I never said that."
    "Yes, you did. You said—"
    "Who cares!" he interrupted, excited. "The djinn are something else! We have to try to summon one. Just one. So we can make one wish. There can't be any danger in that."
    He was being very persuasive, and I feared it was because I continued to feel guilty about having lied to him, never mind having shoved him. I had never struck a guy before.
    His outburst had not erased my feelings for him. I wanted to please him. And the carpet had said I had been brought to the island to contact the djinn. If we were very careful...
    I pointed to the temples. "We tried the doors. They're all locked."
    He pointed to the stiff tassels. "We didn't try going through the roof because we couldn't find a ley line. But you've found one."
    "It might not be safe, taking the carpet up as high as these roofs."
    "Less safe than flying across an ocean? I don't think so." He knelt beside the carpet. "Please, Sara?"
    I gave in. I could list all the reasons why, but one stood out in my mind. I realized how jealous I would be if the roles were reversed. If the carpet obeyed him and ignored me. I would have been crushed. To not do him a favor now—when he was begging for one—just seemed cruel.
    We decided to head for the triangular-shaped temple. It was nearest. The ley line felt powerful. We had barely sat on the carpet, and I had only touched the tassels, when we lifted off the ground. We rose faster than we had on the beach, and I discovered I
could
steer the carpet by using the side tassels. In seconds we were floating above the temple.
    The height made me dizzy, but at Amesh's prodding, I steered toward the three-sided chimney. I intended to land beside it, check it out from above first, but he saw no reason why we should stop on the roof. He wanted to fly directly into the temple.
    I could hear frustration in his voice as he told me where to go. He tried to hide it but failed. Again, he had tried the tassels but they hadn't responded to his touch. There was no hiding the truth—the carpet was in my control. He was just along for the ride.
    As we descended through the opening in the temple ceiling, an orange glow sprang to life beneath us and scared me half to death. Had we tripped a sensor by entering through the roof? As if by magic three tall white candles—located at the three corners of the temple—suddenly lit. It might have been the extreme darkness inside the temple but they appeared to shine with exceptional force.
    Beside the candles there was an altar in the center. It was also shaped like a triangle. We landed near it and quickly stood. It was made of gold and silver, although across its top was spread a red cloth that seemed to be made of silk. In a way it reminded me of the material of the carpet. It did not look old or dusty.
    Indeed, there was a feeling of timelessness inside the temple that was difficult to describe. The place was ancient; I had no doubt. And it was a place that was probably best left undisturbed.
    What looked like the handle of a sword rested in the center of the altar. Around its top curled a long green emerald fashioned in the shape of a serpent. Its mouth hung open at one side, its sharp teeth waiting for God only knew what.
    I wanted nothing to do with it.
    Amesh studied it without touching it. He asked an odd question.
    "Do you have your BlackBerry with you?"
    "I have it in my day pack," I said.
    "Open it, turn it on. Search for
djinn artifacts.
"
    "It's not working."
    "Why not?"
    "Beats me." I pointed at the serpent. "This