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“Eat sand,” I said, looping both arms through the ladder. This time, I drove my heel into him with moreforce.
He grunted and thumped me in thethigh.
Gods.I could barely move from the numbing pain. Over and over, I slammed into him. Nothing worked to push himoff.
Bleeding from his forehead now, the fat-bellied pig snatched the carpet fromme.
“No.” I let one arm go to try to get itback.
The guardsneered.
One end of the magic carpet jolted upright as if sparked back to life. Magical fire blazed across the surface, weaving all its threads backtogether.
My jaw dropped. Maybe the genie’s magic wasn’t dead afterall.
The guard stumbled down one rung on the ladder. Taking my chances, I thrust my leg at him, connecting with his chest. This time, he fell from the ladder, landing with a thud on the groundbelow.
I flinched for hurting him. But it was either him or me. And I choseme.
Something whacked me in the side of my face, ending my assault. Pain cracked down the side of my skull. Blinding light blurred myvision.
Someone grabbed me by the armpits and hauled me over the building’sedge.
“I’ve got the street rat,” said the voice of the guard Dahvi had beenfighting.
Tightness clamped around my lungs.Oh gods.Where was the genie? Was healive?
“Dahvi,” Iscreamed.
Muffled shrieks followed, and the guard’s grip on meloosened.
I blinked away the fog in my vision. To my surprise, it was not the genie who was my savior but the magic carpet. It had wrapped around the guard’s neck and dragged him backward. The guard scratched at the carpet, trying to get it off hisface.
I rubbed my forehead, both in bewilderment andrelief.
The magic carpet lifted the guard into the air and over the roof’s edge. His legs thrashed, fingers clawed. A smug sense of satisfaction pumped through me as the rug let him go. Several thuds and a scream sounded as he crashedbelow.
Two down. One togo.
My heart hammered intooverdrive.
On the roof, Dahvi fought the last guard with his fists. The genie took a blow to the gut and chest. In return, he unleashed an elbow into the guard’s face. Dazed, he sank to his knees. The genie snatched the guard’s sword from his grip and cracked the man on the head with the hilt. The guard slumped to the ground like a sack ofspices.
Threedown.
“Dahvi,” I said, stumbling back onto theroof.
His chest heaved as he rushed to me. “Master.” He pulled me into his arms and held metight.
I pressed my head to his shoulder, listening to his quakingheartbeat.
“Did he hurt you?” He smoothed hair from myface.
“No. But another guard tried to pull me off the ladder.” I wanted to say more, but when I lifted my head, I got lost in the stormy sea that was his eyes. Fireworks popped in my chest. I’d never had anyone come to my rescue before other than Karim. Something about having a guy protect me for once made me feelamazing.
“I’ve lost count of the number of times I had to jump in and help Kaza out of a tussle,” he said with a chuckle, squeezing me tighter, filling me with his deliciouswarmth.
So that’s where he’d learned to fight. I imagined Kaza getting into a lot of trouble with his flirtywinks.
