The Secret of Ka by Christopher Pike Read Free Book Online Page B

something trivial. This may be the single most important discovery in the history of the human race. Swear to Allah that you'll keep the carpet secret. At least until we both agree it can't be kept a secret any longer."
    He paused. "All right. But you have to do the same."
    "Fine. I swear on the holy name of Allah that I'll never..."
    "Stop!"
    "What's wrong?"
    "You're not a Muslim. You can't swear to Allah."
    "Why not?"
    "He's not your God. You have to swear to Jesus."
    "But I don't go to church regularly."
    "You don't? Why not?"
    "I don't know. Why don't you pray to Allah five times a day?"
    "I do."
    "Gimme a break. I haven't seen you pray once."
    "I do it when you're not looking."
    "You mean, you were praying in the bathtub?"
    "Yes."
    "Didn't you get water up your nose when you bowed down?"
    "Don't make fun of our prayers."
    "I'm sorry. Let me start over. I swear to the Father; and to the Son, Jesus; and to the Holy Spirit, that I'll keep secret the unique and mysterious qualities of this carpet."
    "Why don't you just say you'll keep the
carpet
secret?"
    "I would but there's a good chance my father will see it. I'm going to tell him it's just something I bought."
    Amesh shook his head. "You're not keeping it here."
    "What are you talking about? Of course I'm keeping it here."
    "It would be safer at my house."
    "Your house? I don't want to hurt your feelings, but from what you've told me, your neighborhood's not that safe. Besides, you're gone all day at work."
    "That's why Mira..."
    "Mira's ten! She can't be trusted with a secret this big! Plus you promised not to tell her!"
    "All right, you can keep it here." Amesh lowered his head. "I swear on Allah's holy name to keep the carpet secret."
    "Thank you." I gave him a hug. I had not known him long but somehow trusted that his word was good.
    His body was pretty good, too. I let the hug linger; he did not push me away. I rested my head near his collar, on the left side, where I could hear his heart beating.
    Like mine, it was pounding.
    But it was no time to fool around. He would have been too shy, anyway. Not that I wasn't feeling shy, too. Sad to say but I was fifteen and had never been kissed.
    We turned back to the carpet. It was still acting like a mirror of the heavens. The darker the sky got, the brighter the carpet's stars became.
    "While you were in the bathtub, I read up on magic carpets," I said. "They're historically connected to genies, or what you guys call
djinn.
Did you know the djinn are mentioned in the Koran? It speaks of them like they're real."
    Amesh hesitated. "My Papi said something about that. Did you find out anything about how to operate the carpet?"
    "Many magic carpets are controlled by spells or incantations. If you know the secret words, and repeat them three times, then the carpet lifts into the air."
    "A lot of good that does us," he grumbled.
    "I felt the same way until I discovered another technique listed on two sites. They said magic carpets don't fly just anywhere, but follow what are called ley lines. Have you heard of them?"
    "No."
    "I hadn't either. The British are the experts on them. Ley lines deal with lines of magnetic energy that cover the earth. There are legitimate scientists who have mapped them throughout England. Stonehenge, for example, is supposed to be a focal point of dozens of ley lines. That's why it's considered a place of mystical power."
    "We're not taking the carpet to England."
    "We don't have to! I'm just saying the British studied them. There are probably as many here as there are there. We just have to find them."
    "You think the carpet will fly on such lines?"
    "It's possible. We know the carpet has twice tried to fly in this suite. But it's never really taken off. Maybe it can't without a ley line to float on."
    "Did these sites tell you how to find one?"
    "Just hold a compass in your hand, and when you cross a ley line, the needle will dance."
    "Dance?"
    "It will start spinning like crazy."
    "Why?"
    "A compass