Three Wishes: Cairo by Jeff Klinedinst

influence on your upbringing.” Alchemy replied.
    “TO HELL WITH THE PLAN!” screamed Khayri. “I’m sorry if I’m not amazed by your planning skills. Let’s see, twenty years of planning, sweating each detail, yet here you are; on the run, your traitorous ways discovered and all done in by Ameerah in a few minutes,” he smiled. “And trust me, when they find you, she won’t be as forgiving as I am.”
    Alchemy jerked the lamp up, throwing Khayri onto the floor. His face now loomed large in the tiny windows as he spit out an angry retort, “There are always alternatives when you are a being as strong as I. I knew there were several ways that this could go. The wedding was simply the path of least resistance. You should be glad it didn’t work out because it was also the shortest path to Ameerah’s death.
    “There are several things that I knew. One, that if I sent the monster to kill you both in the library, it would get me a place beside you at the bachelor party. Two, I knew that if I was discovered during the wedding, I would have hundreds of witnesses that would attest to the fact that their new king was acting strangely and ran out of the church. And finally, I knew that Ameerah and your friends would come after us without telling anyone in order to save your reputation.” He smiled at Khayri. “Does that sound like I’ve got it right?”
    Khayri looked directly into the one eye of his captor. “You didn’t need a monster attack to insure a spot beside me at the bachelor party. You already had that place as one of my closest friends. What can I say; I’m a poor judge of character.” Alchemy looked away briefly while Khayri continued. “Ameerah will never stop searching; we both know that. Your plan has succeeded. Give the poor girl peace and let her live the rest of her life free of this.”
    “My son, Ameerah is just too unpredictable. She’s like a dog with a bone and will not give up, so I’ve had to take steps to insure that she won’t return and cause issue with The Plan. She and your friends have now fled the kingdom on horseback and are about to discover that not only have we both disappeared, but that the kingdom itself has disappeared as well. They will spend the rest of their lives trying to make their way back to a kingdom that has never moved. I’ve simply misplaced them in time.” He began to make his way to the edge of a steep overhang.
    “I am about to head back to the kingdom. I will report that the king has disappeared and that Ameerah and your two best friends have begun the search. I’ll exhibit the necessary sadness over your loss and, in a few weeks, I’ll report your deaths. Our kingdom will openly mourn the passing of a young king who never quite got a chance to lead.” Alchemy had reached the edge of the cliff. “I will reshape the kingdom and begin a long and successful reign that will eventually encompass the world itself.”
    “Wow,” said Khayri, “those are some big delusions from someone who obviously knows little about the leadership of men. You can’t muster up an integrity potion can you? Don’t celebrate victory just yet. You might have won a battle while your opponents’ eyes were closed. You’ve cheated your way thus far by playing on the blind loyalty of those who called you friend… nothing to be really too proud of. But now, eyes are opened to your treachery. The swimming may not be so easy from this moment forward.”
    “We can banter back and forth all day, but I’ve got a kingdom to lead and you, my son, must continue your studies. You can read about your new life from the books I’ve included on the table. And now, I must say, goodbye.” With that, Alchemy let the lamp drop from his hand and watched as it tumbled silently over and over. He heard a small thunk as it struck sand and scrub brush many hundreds of cubits below. Alchemy closed his eyes briefly, as if to close this chapter of his life. There was also just a slight twinge of