The Revenge of the Blue Jinni: The Hakima's Tale, #1

By Dedra L. Stevenson

The Revenge of the Blue Jinni is a tale of a young Arab American girl who learns of her great destiny, to defend the human world against an ancient malevolent entity.  The Blue Jinni lies in a golden lantern at the bottom of the sea, and his generals work tirelessly to locate and free him.

Meanwhile, our hero and her family struggle to understand the strange occurrences happening around them.  The benevolent jinn around them guard them from the attacks of the generals, as each attempt on her life brings her closer to knowing who she is.

Once the hero comes of age and understands what she’s destined to do, she becomes The Hakima of Ghalib, and must begin her training as a warrior against supernatural forces.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Jinni Media
• Release date: Jan 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781942735007

Dedra L. Stevenson

Dedra L. Stevenson is the author of The Hakima’s Tale trilogy, Desert Magnolia, The Skinwalker: Resurrection, Antar and Haider, and Tales of the Lantern.  Additionally, she’s the Executive Producer of an award winning short documentary, Lemonade, about the trials of caring for an adult with Autism in the UAE. She’s worked as an Instructor of Media Studies at Zayed University for 5 years, and was the Co-Founder of Women in Film and Television in UAE.  Her publishing imprint, Blue Jinni Media, is an emerging brand for many types of content, including Audio Books, EBooks, Paperback, Podcast and Films.  Together with her partner, Rodney W. Harper, she’s producing Lore Hunters, a podcast exploring world folklore tales and experiences. Her film, Lemonade, is receiving international attention, has won two awards for Directing and Producing, and had sparked many other Autism awareness campaigns and care programs to begin. She’s the mother of 4 children, holds writing workshops at schools throughout the UAE, and reports that she’s yet to produce a feature film, so that’s on her list as she’s now writing a feature length screenplay based on her first horror novel, The Skinwalker: Resurrection. Additionally, she’s got a series of children’s books that will be coming out soon, The Magic Carpet Series, for very young readers, an international Cookbook called Breaking Bread Around the World, and a prequel to The Hakima’s Tale, called Iretunaar: The Blue Fire of the Desert You can follow her via any of her social media networks: Twitter: @Hakimastale , @LemonadethefilmUAE @bluejinnimedia Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHakimastale/ https://www.facebook.com/magnoliagrovethebook/ https://www.facebook.com/bluejinnimedia/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/244885799261170/ Instagram: #bluejinnimedia #dedrastevenson Snapchat: Dedra_s

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The Hakima's Tale: The Revenge of the Blue Jinni

E-Book Edition

The Hakima’s Tale®

is a registered trademark of Dedra L. Stevenson.

Copyright © 2014 by Dedra L. Stevenson

All rights reserved. No part of this publication, including but not limited to characters and content may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN 978-1-942735-00-7

eBook Layout and Editing by:  Rodney W. Harper

Foreword

This book is a result of many influences, far too numerous to mention, but no foreword would be complete without mentioning how great my family is, particularly my husband, Dr. Hussain Maseeh, who stood by me through it all, my children, who never told me I was crazy to do this, and my cousin Rodney Harper, for being my biggest supporter and friend through all of this.  Words cannot express my gratitude, as I can't think of a soul who would help someone the way you helped me.

My son, Ibrahim, in particular is a large inspiration for this book.  He's a wonderful young man who challenges me to be strong, and as we have all faced his Autism together, we've been surprised by the number of people that we encountered who thought of him as possessed by a Jinni.

As I heard about local stories and lore, I became fascinated with the world of the unseen.  It's important to point out that Jinn are believed to be very real by every believing Muslim, but my story is a work of fiction, just a story, and Jinn are not in reality as they are portrayed in my book ....Ibrahim and his particular situation got my imagination going, and this world of the Hakima came to life in my mind.

I sincerely hope that readers of the book will close the last page with a better appreciation of children who are labeled as special in some way.  You never know, maybe they are here to save us all.

Dedicated to my son Ibrahim, and all of the special children of the world.  May everyone realize their full value and potential.

Revenge of the Blue Jinni

Book One of The Hakima’s Tale

He said the world was an inferno full of darkness and evil, and that there were only two ways of dealing with it. The first was easy and wrong: to accept it and become part of it. The second way was harder and right: you fight it, and recognize those who aren't evil, and help them endure."

Scheherezade – Arabian Nights

Prelude

The Great Jinni and the Wise King

Long ago, in the court of King Ghalib, there was a powerful jinni, the Blue Jinni, and he was among the most loyal servants of the king. He was very influential among the other jinn, and, in addition to his rare ability to grant wishes.  He could perform amazing feats of strength, such as lift an entire country out of the ocean and move it to wherever he wished.

Nevertheless, he could not make full use of these extreme powers because of the restrictions placed on the jinn. They were under the power of human beings, because the human creation was favored over that of the jinni; and King Ghalib was one ruler of the earth who had been granted special powers to enslave jinn and order them to do his bidding. In addition to his many talents, along with his reputation for being very just and wise, the great king had the power to speak to animals and control the wind. The jinn never understood how or why, but they adjusted to the order of things and complied, for the king had always been fair to them, and never abused their power.

King Ghalib, being a wise leader, prevented the Blue Jinni from using the most extreme forms of his power.  The King knew that, because of the jinni’s pride, it had the power to be either extraordinarily good or exceedingly evil.

The Blue Jinni was very proud indeed. He often stormed away from the wise king in a frustrated rage.  The Blue Jinni could defeat any uprising against the king for with one breath he could manifest a fantastic storm to rise over the infidels and swallow them all. He even boasted that he could bring the throne of Bilkes from Yemen to Jerusalem within hours, if the king should so desire. However, The

King only wanted to use the power of man to defeat man and the great and powerful jinni was denied the use of his extreme abilities.

It was not long until the king discovered a dark plan, mastered by the Blue Jinni.  The Jinni and his closest comrades had planned to strike against the power of the king by using a deadly combination of their unique abilities. Despite the greatest efforts of the king’s jinn messengers to stop these traitors peacefully, their evil plan was executed and the battle began.

The Blue Jinni and his followers were seemingly unstoppable. Not only did the followers possess the Blue Jinni’s strength of moving earth, as well as the ability to wield storms, they also had the likes of Angrit, Bafeemus, and Coulda. This trio of disaster possessed their own unique and amazing powers.

Angrit had influence over animals and the ability to shape-shift into the form of any animal he wished.  Bafeemus had extraordinary power to travel and could transport people and objects in an instant. Coulda had an exceeding ability to influence thought—he could whisper into human ears and make people believe that what he said were their own ideas. These three were the generals of the Blue Jinni’s forces, and they believed with their combined power, they and the jinn that followed them could defeat the king and enslave humankind.

After all, they were extraordinary creatures, made of a smokeless fire. Humans were made of mud and incapable of supernatural abilities. Why should humans have the power to rule the earth?

The Blue Jinni and his army tried every strategy that they possessed in their attacks. Coulda whispered doubts into the ears of their human opponents, Put down your weapons, for you will surely lose this war. The jinn are superior creations. You have been deceived. These negative thoughts had their impact on some that listened. The men that had weaker spirits succumbed to the influence rather quickly.

Bafeemus moved entire regiments of soldiers into the most desolate of places. Stunned and terribly disoriented, these displaced warriors had to spend all of their remaining energy to find their way back to their homeland.

Angrit caused many to perish by animal attacks. Packs of wolves and prides of lions would obey his wishes when he shifted into their form and enticed them to follow him against the humans.

Their mighty leader, the Blue Jinni, had the ability to grant wishes and promised wealth and power to any who would betray their king. Although the jinni had the ability to grant what he promised, his promises were merely a way to lure men through their greed to do his bidding. Once these men digressed from the path of purity, he swept them into a terrible storm and tossed them to their deaths.

When it seemed that the human race would be doomed to a life of servitude to the jinn, King Ghalib raised his right hand to the heavens to unleash the power of his ring that bore the seal of The Almighty. His right hand also bore the sacred black glove given to him by Shamir, the jinn archangel. This glove gave him the power to imprison jinn infidels.

Upon the witnessing the opening of the heavens, the rebellious jinn fell to their knees under a blinding holy light that shone down upon the King. Ghalib, betrayed by their acts, exiled the trio to the far corners of the earth.

The legions of jinn that followed the traitors begged for forgiveness and swore to follow the king from this time and onward. The king pardoned the jinn but ordered them to repair all of the damages they had done and make amends with the human families that had lost loved ones. Many jinn became and remained the servants of these families for many generations.

King Ghalib ordered the Blue Jinni to enter a golden lantern, a place for eternal imprisonment. The jinn leader had no choice but to obey. The black glove gave the King the power to envelop the Blue Jinni within a fog that rendered the jinni’s power useless. Once imprisoned, the King closed the enchanted lantern and placed a seal on its lid that bore the mark of the ring. He then ordered his slave jinni to cast it deep into the ocean.

With the end of the threat, the wise king made the lives of his people return to normal. Life was peaceful for a long time thereafter.

Just before King Ghalib’s death, he called for the two people that he trusted above all others. One was his Hakima, who attended to the king’s health and well-being. She was the wisest woman of the land, for she knew everything about herbs, plants, and all of their healing abilities. She was the most loyal of servants and the most trusted of friends. The Hakima is the one that Ghalib deemed worthy of guarding the ring and the sacred glove. Once named the ring’s guardian, the Hakima alone had permission to use its power to stop Evil.

The king also called for Benaiah, his chief and faithful steward of the royal guard. Ghalib ordered the chief to protect the Hakima, and this protective order would continue in effect by the chief’s descendants. The Hakima would produce an heir every five hundred years with the ability to control and stop the powers of the Blue Jinni.

King Ghalib, being very knowledgeable of the stars and the forces of the earth, knew that every five hundred years an alignment of five planets would produce an underwater earthquake that would bring the Blue Jinni’s lantern close enough to the surface, where someone could accidentally discover it – and open it – in complete and unknowing innocence.

The Hakima’s descendant would have the power to capture the Blue Jinni and return him to his eternal prison in the event this ever happened. History did indeed prove the need as the first descendant of the Hakima had to rise to the challenge when a fisherman innocently released the Blue Jinni from his lantern. After the jinni’s release, he began to mobilize his army again but was quickly discovered by the Hakima’s heir and imprisoned. Before his imprisonment, he angrily ordered his generals to seek him out when his next opportunity for a rise to power happened.

Time and time again, every five hundred years, the Hakima’s heir, the chosen one, has been able to stop the evil one. However, since the last heir, mankind has entered the world of science, and travel had become simplified. The legends were forgotten in the storm of progress, and the descendants of the Hakima have scattered around the globe. Meanwhile, the Blue Jinni waits patiently, as his next opportunity to escape will soon come to pass. This time the jinni is aware that the chosen girl knows not who she is.

Chapter 1

The Coming of the Divider

May 1987, Phoenix, Arizona

On a warm, clear night, Leila and Ben Kasim went to the hospital. It was time for Leila to give birth to the baby girl she was expecting. This was the Kasim’s first child, so they were beside themselves with excitement. The contractions were now about five minutes apart, so Leila knew that the moment had come. She was a physician associated with Phoenix General, so the Kasims were sure to receive the best of care. Upon their arrival, Leila gave Dr. Price the up-to-the-minute information on her condition.

I believe that she’s close because the contractions are only two to three minutes apart now. I wouldn’t be surprised if I were about six to seven centimeters dilated already.

Dr. Price examined her and agreed that Leila was right on the money. Then the hard contractions began. Leila started to cringe in pain, but she still confirmed to everyone involved in the delivery that she did not want drugs, out of concern for the baby.

I said that I want this pain. I want to experience it all! Just STOP bothering me!

Only a short time passed before Leila was completely dilated and ready to push. Dr. Price ordered, "Push, Leila, come on! I can see the head! Come on…that’s it…okay!

The baby’s head is out! Oh, my goodness, what’s that?"

Dr. Price realized that she alarmed Leila by saying this, so she responded with a shrug of her shoulder when Leila and Ben gave her a sharp, inquiring look. During the birth, no one in the room was aware of the presence that was witnessing the birth. Coulda was watching. Thankfully, he was invisible to humans, because his form was frightening—even for other jinn. His head was catlike; his tongue forked, and his wings were intimidating. He was a flier, but not a strong one.

His wings were strong and hideous, but defective; which meant that he could only fly on earth, not beyond. This was partially because of his scaly skin and its wet texture. He always looked as though he were sweating. In many ways, he looked like a flying cat/snake. Coulda, along with the other generals of the Blue Jinni, were of the highest and most powerful form of jinn, known as the Marid. However, because of their tendency to embrace evil and their jealousy of the human race, they were, usually, hideous in appearance. In fact, most of the legends of dragons, demons, and other monsters arise because the jinn can show themselves to the human race at will. Many who still know about jinn believe that it is The Almighty’s mercy to mankind that they cannot see the jinn because the sight of them would terrify humans.

Coulda tried to use his power of influence over the Kasim family but found it difficult to make contact because of the fact that they were so happy. They could be under some kind of protection; he observed to himself.

The baby was born healthy but had one strange feature; she had a cover of skin over her face. It was very strange indeed, even to the doctor. They gently removed the layer of skin with a scalpel, and because it was so rare; Leila thought that it might be nice to preserve it. She remembered something in Arabic folklore about it being lucky.

I know it sounds odd, but I really want to preserve this, Leila said.

Everyone, even Ben, thought this was a little odd, but he knew better than to interfere with the wishes of a new mother. The nurses carefully removed the layer of skin and put it in an organ storage device. The delivery staff cleaned the lovely baby girl and then handed her over to her mother. The baby’s eyes were bright. Leila commented, I know that she’s a smart girl. Just look at those eyes, already taking in the world moment by moment.

However, when the baby looked in the direction of the huge, horrible Coulda, she shrieked in terror. Coulda instantly realized that this baby was indeed the child that they were looking for, because, like the Hakimas before her, she could will herself to see them. When the baby cried, everyone was startled to hear the loud croaking of two frogs outside the hospital room window. A startled Ben asked, Frogs, what on earth? Does anyone here know if it’s normal to see frogs in a desert climate? I always thought that they stuck to tropical environments.

The frogs seemed to be startled by the crying of the baby, and Coulda was startled by the sound of them. Cursed frogs, your disguise won’t fool me. I know who you are! You will never protect her because you can’t watch her every minute! When your attention wanes, we will be there. This is a certainty!

At this, Coulda disappeared, leaving only the jumpy frogs to watch the baby. The frogs were, in fact, the elite guard of the Arwaah, a more benevolent, albeit less powerful, form of the jinn, who were friendly to humans and had pledged to keep the balance of the species exactly as it was. They were happy to have found the girl, but they knew that their fight had just begun. Coulda would most certainly ready the forces of the Marid against the child and her family now.

Leila stayed in the hospital overnight.  The next morning the new family went home. Ben remarked, Honey, we haven’t given her a name yet. What are we gonna call her?

Leila mentally went over the names that they had thought of. They had short-listed names such as Alice, Connie, and Brittany, but Leila suddenly felt inspired and said, Why don’t we give our daughter a more meaningful name? When I was in the hospital, someone told me that the name Phoenix means ‘The Coming.’ I really thought that was interesting, and it just occurred to me this name would be appropriate for her, because we tried for her for a very long time. What do you think, Sweetheart?

Ben thought about it for a few minutes as he drove and finally said that this name was so much better than the cutesy names they had considered. Alright, that sounds great, Honey—Little Phoenix Kasim. Hey, do you realize that her name quite literally means, ‘The Coming of the Divider’? That will be very original; I’ll give it that much.

Upon arrival, all of the flowers around their house were in full bloom. This was surprising to the Kasims. Ben said, Some of these blooms were not due for at least one more season! Wow! This has got to be a good sign, don’t you think? Leila agreed and suggested that Ben take a picture for Phoenix’s baby book. The Arwaah loved flowers, and they were very gifted gardeners. When they heard the Kasim’s reaction to their garden surprise, they were pleased.

As the baby grew, her raven-black hair became curlier and curlier. She was very bright in both her behavior and her appearance. She smiled to reveal very big dimples and a look on her face that was very mischievous. Her parents often commented on what a little trickster she was