Oops! I Caught a Genie!

Chapter 17

 Chapter  17

Nora:

I watched nervously as Fritz limped after Mangoo. I wished I could do something other than sit and watch in horror, but I had no way to fight. From what I understood, the way binders had fought in the past was with magic (of which I knew nothing) and by using their djinn slaves (I couldn't bring myself to use Fritz that way, and he was already going to fight, whether I commanded it or not). I was just about to try and wake Liana up, when the old djinn cleared his throat.

"Huma-Nora was it?"

"Yes sir?" I asked.

"I see your thoughts written clearly on your face. Do not worry about those two, they are both strong young djinn." He said, his voice was so deep I could barely hear it. I smiled at his reassurance.

"However, the threat outside is more than either of them have faced. I can sense reinforcements on their way." The smile melted off of my face.

"Can't you do anything?"

"I cannot. My powers are weak. My true power is my knowledge, not my might."

"What can we do?"

"This may sound cliché to one as young as you, but look deep within, I believe that you carry a power greater than your father ever did. Your compassion makes you stronger than him."

"This is all very well and good, but how does this help Fritz and Mangoo?"

"You, as a binder, have an amount of energy greater than an average human. If you learned incantations, you would be able to cast spells. This includes offensive spells.

You could also lend your power to Fritz or Mangoo and give them energy. Though you could only aid one of them."

"What are the spells? How do I use them? What are the dangers?"

"So many questions! If you ask too fast, you may not be able to process the answers young one!

To your last question, if you use too much energy, your life will be forfeit."

That scared me a bit, but I really wanted to help out my friends.

"To your first two questions, you will have to find out on your own. Binders never did share that information with us, and from what I know, it cannot be taught. You must find the power within yourself."

I sighed and leaned against the wall of the cabin. I was about to try 'searching' when I heard a small cough. I looked over at Liana and she was beginning to stir. When she opened her eyes and saw me, she crawled over and wrapped her arms around me, tears began to flow from her eyes.

"I was so scared!" She sobbed.

I was not the best at comforting, but I patted her back and whispered that it was ok now.

"What are you doing here Nora? Did they get you too? What do they want?" She whimpered.

"I don't know what they want..." I answered truthfully.

She was about to say something else when another loud explosion shook the cabin.

"What was that?" She squealed in terror.

I crawled to one of the two windows in the cabin and lifted the cheerfully red curtain, just enough for me to see out. I peered out, fearing what I was going to see.

What I did see alarmed me, though not as much as I had feared. Fritz and Mangoo were crouched behind a makeshift trench in the ice and snow with their backs to the cabin, the war machines loomed in the distance. Had they backed up? Why?

Liana scooched over to me so that she could see out the window. She immediately recognized the two djinn and gasped.

"What do they think they're doing?! They'll be killed! How did they get here?"

"Um, let me explain-"

As soon as I had started talking, I stopped and watched in shock when Fritz lept out of the protection of the trench and narrowly dodged a hail of bullets. I saw the diversion for what it was when I noticed Mangoo crawl out from the barrier and shot lightning from what looked like a golden stick. Electrocuting twenty three of the soldiers on the ground who had thought it was safe to get out of their various machines. I was going to have to have a talk with Fritz about using his body as a target, but for the moment I was relieved that they both were still alive.

"Di- Max just shoot- lightning?" Liana asked, turning to me.

"Um, yeah, they're not exactly... like us..." I said. "His name isn't Max either... His real name is Mangoo..."

"Nora... Are you like... them?"

"No! But they told me I was somethin' called a binder." I said, "I was just about to try and use the powers they say I have."

Liana nodded and backed away slowly. She caught sight of the elderly djinn and gave a start. I was about to go and help calm her down when the elderly djinn motioned for me to stay on task.

I closed my eyes and felt for anything that I hadn't felt before. I tried reaching into my soul and I felt... absolutely ridiculous. Like a wannabe magician. I tried visualising my hands grasping wisps of coloured smoke, but that did nothing. I was about to give up when I heard a yelp outside. It sounded like Mangoo had been hit by a stray bullet or projectile.

I closed my eyes and willed my friends to be alright. To my, and Liana's astonishment, green light sparked out of my skin. It danced across the epidermis layer of my skin and fluttered silently across my clothing where there was no skin visible. It reminded me of the Aurora borealis. I stared wide eyed as it changed from light green to turquoise and back to green. The way it shifted colors had me entranced. It reminded me of colour changing LED lights that you see around the holidays.

The feeling of safety came with the glow. It felt like no one in the world could hurt me or my friends and that nothing could go wrong. The feeling of safety that you feel on new years day when cheer is in the air. I could have stayed and lost myself further in the lights, but at that moment, Liana walked over to me and shook my shoulders.

"Nora! Wake up!"

"Huh?..."

"Save your friends! They need you!" She yelled.

"Friends?... OH MY GOSH!" I gasped and turned my attention to the window. Fritz and Mangoo's snow trench was slowly being chipped away by bullets. The ground around them was littered with the cold metal and scorched ground where deflected explosives had landed. Fritz was wrapping a bandage around Mangoo's upper arm and both were trying to fortify the crumbling trench.

I felt the power again and decided to try to will it to the djinn like the elder had suggested. I was about to try and will it to both when the elder's warning flashed across my mind. I could only lend power to one of them.

o: Back to Nora's POV! I'm sorry (so not sorry) for the ending. I tried... was it tense? Who do you think she'll pick?