Chapter 3: Bey Orhan Bin Osman
The palace rang with the stern voices of generals. Old men with long
beards and turbans stood around a table. The table held a map of the
world around this nation.
One
man angrily gestured toward the map, “It is not possible!”
“The
rest of Anatolia will fall to us, this I know.” Another man argued.
The
first huffed and answered, “By what providence do you know this?
They are strong and well-armed, we have failed again and again. To
keep up this campaign is foolishness.”
Just
then another man entered the room. He wore elegant clothing with a
large turban and broad beard. His presence forced everyone to bow in
respect.
“Do
I sense confusion among my generals?”
The
eldest, while remaining bowed, answered, “My Bey, it is not
confusion, just a disagreement on tactics.”
“Ah.”
The Bey said, “Then you have not decided how you will achieve what
I have asked.”
“My
Bey,” Another said, “It may...not be possible. The Byzantines are
well armed and well structured...”
The
Bey interrupted, “Do you think my soldiers are dogs chasing wild
winds and rabbits?”
“No,
Bey, not at all. Our soldiers are strong.”
“Then,
I do not see the problem.” The Bey approached the table. “I asked
you to conquer the lands of Anatolia and I expect it to be done.”
The
generals were about to address this issue when there was a great
commotion at the door. A man forced his way past the guard and came
running in. It was Arash, the city guard. He hit the floor in a
prostrate bow before the Bey. “A thousand apologies great Bey,
but...”
“How
dare you interrupt me and my generals! GUARDS!” The Bey roared and
five guards came from different directions.
The
city guard quickly said, “Please, listen to my words, oh great Bey.
I have something of divine nature that must be brought to your
attention.”
“What
are you rambling about?”
“I
have a Jinn and he wishes to see you.” Arash pulled out the
Obsidian Bottle with a trembling hand.
The
Bey waved at the guards, “Take him away, he is drunk.”
“Look!”
A guard gasped and pointed at the bottle.
The
Bey looked down and saw that the bottle shimmered inside. “What is
this? Sorcery?”
“It
is as I said, oh great Bey, this bottle contains a Jinn.”
The
Bey noticed the generals coming closer and waved to them, “Return
to your planning, I shall address this in the court.” With a regal
gait, he led his contingent of palace guards with Arash out of the
room.
The
highly ornate Throne Room of the Bey was lit by the afternoon sun. A
few servants scuttled around to take care of maintenance. The Bey had
cleared the courtiers and even removed most of the guards. Now seated
upon his throne, his personal guards directed Arash to bow before
him.
“What
is this you have brought me? Speak!”
Arash
told the story of what he witnessed in the city and how he had been
lifted from the ground by supernatural forces.
“Bah!
You have been drinking. What sort of concoction is in this bottle
that it glows?”
“No
concoction, Bey, but a Jinn. Behold.” Arash used a quivering hand
to remove the topper.
With
great shock and fear throughout the room, a bloom of blue smoke
exploded upward from the bottle. One guard jumped to protect the Bey,
as he assumed this was some far eastern explosive device. Finally,
the smoke formed a person.
Jinn
smiled at the people cowering around him, “Ah, so this is the
throne room. Nice, very nice. Oh dear, I see you are afraid. I guess
my grand entrance wasn’t such a grand idea. Sorry.”
The
Bey pushed the guard aside, but not too far away. “Who...what are
you?”
“You
must be the leader of these people. How nice. I am Jinn, a magical
being here to serve you at my pleasure.”
The
Bey said, “Are you an evil spirit?”
Jinn
rolled his eyes and let out a great sigh, “I guess I will have to
get used to that with such a primitive animal. No, your lordship, I
am not evil. I do as I please, and I am pleased to do good. I am here
to grant your wishes, to the extent that my own rules allow, of
course.”
“How
do I know this is all real and not some form of vast trickery?”
Jinn
laughed, “A wise question. One I would hope a leader would ask.
Here, watch this.” He turned to Arash, “My good man. I am sorry
for causing you such fear and tossing you around earlier. Here, I
shall grant you a wish. Think of something you want and it will be
yours, just don’t ask for wealth please, everyone asks for that.”
Arash
closed his eyes and then said, “A gift for my lovely wife.”
“Good
choice.” Jinn clapped his hands and a bolt of purple fabric
appeared at Arash’s feet.
The
Bey jumped up and his guards all became even more interested. “Bring
that to me.”
“It’s
his gift,” Jinn stated.
“I
wish to see it.”
Arash
carefully brought the fabric to the Bey. Arash said, “The finest
silk I have ever seen. My wife has wanted some of this for years.”
The
Bey ran his hands through the fabric, “Truly a marvel. Traders from
the East bring this rarely, and never this amount.”
“Good,
then it is a fine gift.” Jinn said, “Take it home and enjoy it.”
“Go,
go, do as he says.” The Bey waved a hand at Arash, who bowed out
and was quickly away.
“Now,
your highness, how may I be of service to you?” Jinn bowed.
The
Bey took his seat and waved his hands so that the dumbfounded guards
would leave them alone. After the room emptied, he said, “I am Bey
Orhan Bin Osman of the Ottoman Empire. May I ask your name, if you
have one?”
“You
may just call me Jinn.”
“Jinn,
what may I ask of you? What sort of wishes do you grant?”
“Another
good question.” Jinn picked up his bottle and put the stopper back
in it, “Well, let’s see. My people have restricted my power. So,
I can’t kill for you, don’t even ask. I can’t bring anything
back from the dead, that’s beyond my power or the power of anyone I
have ever known. I refuse to mess with time. That always turns out
bad. I can’t overthrow nations for you directly, but I can help you
win battles. And, I can help you gain wealth, but I advise against
it, for the sake of your world. Inflation is terrible...if you even
know what that means.”
Bey
Orhan stroked his beard, “Wealth I have, my friend, much wealth.
However, I could use your help. My empire is young. We wish to grow,
but our enemies retain lands we should own. Perhaps I could ask your
help in ending a long battle for these lands so we can finally be
done with it.”
“Lead
the way, my lord. Your wish is my command.”
Orhan
walked with him into the generals meeting. These old men all gave
Jinn a funny look. None of them seemed to enjoy seeing him present.
Jinn
smiled at them and stroked his naked chin, “I see everyone here
likes that bushy beard. Not my style.”
“Who
is this, my Bey?” The eldest general demanded this in the most
respectful tone he could muster.
Bey
Orhan approached the table, his eyes glinting with a touch of greed.
“He is going to help us win this war.”
“That
one? He doesn’t look battle-tested or experienced in command?”
Another general protested.
Jinn
gave the man sneer, “I was fighting interplanetary wars five
hundred years before you were born.”
“What
does he say?” The elder general yelled, going for his sword.
“Enough.”
The Bey said, “Jinn, I want the land of Anatolia, but we are facing
a war we cannot win as it stands. Their forces are great and
organized, mine seem to be children compared to them. We both have
numbers, but they seem better trained. What can you do to help?”
Jinn
walked around the table, studying the map. The other generals
murmured their disgust at this interloper, several made comments on
his strange apparel. But no one dared to speak against him while the
Bey was there.
“You,”
Jinn stopped in front of the eldest general, “You seem to know
about this. Tell me, where will their armies march next?”
The
old general sneered at Jinn and then pointed at a place on the map,
“Nicomedia. I am almost positive they will seek to fight us there,
as it was one of their strongholds.”
“Then
we shall go there and meet them.”
“My
Bey! This is madness.” The general declared.
The
Bey gave the elder general a look that sent the man into a bow, “We
will follow his ideas until I say otherwise. Prepare your forces, we
march at once to Nicomedia.”
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