"Sinbad!",greeted Rumina,barely able to hide her irritation."When you left to enjoy the sights of the village, I assumed that you would be back on the same day"
"Well,I got held up a little",replied Sinbad,distantly.
Rumina waited for further explanation but realized after a while that she wasn't going to get any. There was a certain hardness to Sinbad's expression which hadn't been there before. Rumina shrugged off her temper and smiled. "All is forgive and forgotten, a moment I thought you had gone off on one of your voyages without telling me"
"I'm not going anywhere without a ship"
"Which brings up some exciting news which I have for you",said Rumina, as she entwined her arm through Sinbad's ,drawing him up the slope to the house."But I will share it only over a long lunch-"
"None of the villagers seem to know you,Rumina",began Sinbad determinedly.
"What?"
"I think that's strange,don't you? After all, if you have lived here as long as you say you have,surely people would know that this is your mansion and that you,Rumina..live here"
Rumina laughed heartily. "Perhaps I'm a ghost,Sinbad. Perhaps this house isn't real at all!"She continued laughing ,walking all the while upto the house. She stopped when she realized that Sinbad was no longer following her. Instead , he was fingering the ashes from the frizzled gate-post. "Actually I did some thinking,Rumina. And I've come up with a lot of interesting questions"
"Such as?"
"Why Asif and Nassima appear glassy-eyed and speak only the things you want them to speak... Why you hire swordsmen in your "lonely" mansion by the sea... and why you have that ugly statue hidden away in your room.."
Rumina glared angrily at Sinbad,unable to retaliate at the Captain's sudden attack.
"You practice black magic,don't you?",deduced Sinbad,with a soft smile of his own."Something tells me you are very good at the magic that you do.."
Before Rumina could reply, a group of her swordsmen gathered at the entrance to the mansion,above them. "Mistress Rumina, we have a problem! The ship that was set to leave for Baghdad will begin her journey only after two days. So, if we are to leave for Baghdad right now-"
"Silence! SILENCE,YOU FOOL!",yelled Rumina,in quick fury at the imprudent timing of her minion's words. When she turned back, she saw that Sinbad already had his hand over his sword. "He will never trust me now",realized Rumina. "The time has come to drop my charade" "Go back into the house",she commanded loudly to the men."Go back and await my orders" When the swordsmen had left, Rumina turned once more to Sinbad.
"You are right,Sinbad.",she answered with a smirk."I am good at the magic that I do. You might even say, that I am the best in the business"
"What have you done to Asif-el-Quidar and his family?"
"Why don't you come up to the house and find out?"

Maeve could not believe her eyes as she inched closer and closer to view the extraordinary meeting between the Captain and the Witch. Her emotions wavered wildly between anger and dismay. Early that morning no one could have convinced Maeve of Sinbad's excellent character; Moments before this startling discovery,no one could have convinced her of his duplicity. They had come to trust one another as friends. Yet here he was conversing with Rumina - the very enemy Maeve was seeking to destroy. Maeve fumed inside and leaned forward to catch some bits of the ongoing conversation. But as she trained all her concentration, a sudden stronger presence pervaded her subconsciousness and blurred her thoughts. "Dermott!",gasped Maeve,in shock."He..He's somewhere nearby! I can feel him.. Dermott"

"All I want is an explanation,Rumina.",cried Sinbad as he bounded up the steps to the house."Is that too much to ask?". Sinbad stormed into the hall and stopped short in astonishment. The hall was full of swordsmen,dressed in royal blue. They wore glistening medallions of silver upon which was emboldened the face of monstrous statue in Rumina's possession. Their silver helmets were carved in the shape of the exoskeleton of a wild jaguar's herself, stood with her back to Sinbad, looking through the glass wall which faced the open sea. She was dressed in blue as well and held the sceptre of Kohlmar in her hand. Some of the burly swordsmen leapt forward at once and engaged Sinbad in a heated battle. "Four against one. You call that even?",yelled Sinbad,through the clash of the swords. One man retired to the sidelines with a severe blow to his shoulder while another's sword went sailing through the air and landed precariously upon the top of the stairs. More swordsmen joined eagerly into the fight.
"Hey,call off your goons! I came here to talk not fight",called Sinbad again. In a fleeting instant,Sinbad's hands were pinned down and his sword was held against his own throat.
"One little brush with this tip..",grinned a nearby swordsman."And things will get pretty nasty for you.."
"Don't harm him",ordered Rumina,finally turning around."Let him go"
"It's about time",huffed Sinbad,pulling away from the men and stepping forward to join Rumina by the wall. "Now.. about that explanation-"
"Get ready to set sail",called Rumina to her army,ignoring Sinbad's presence.
"But Mistress, the merchant ship is not due for two-"
"Forget the merchant ship. Why wait for one when I can resurrect another.. equally strong and re-decorated by the creatures of the ocean"
Rumina stretched out both her hands and concentrated her powers in a blinding red surge. Her hair blew back and she swayed lightly. Beside her, the sceptre stood erect, mysteriously planting itself on the floor. Sinbad followed the direction of her powers and saw something huge rising from the sea. It was a large , hole-ridden, water logged, sail shredded ship!. Rumina's face was drained of color. Sweat beaded her brow and began to tumble in tiny drops down her face. Still, she determinedly focused her powers until the skeleton ship was afloat on the waters.
"There!",she said in a ghostly whisper, heaving wildly for breath. She suddenly swooned and caught her balance on the staff."I...I've done it"
"I'm impressed",nodded Sinbad,not taking his eyes off the ship."You must be really eager to get to Baghdad"
"You have no idea",said Rumina,tiredly. She reached out and a jolt of red lighting surged through Sinbad, stunning him instantly. He fell limply to the floor. "Take him aboard. I need him alive". Asif came forward to drag Sinbad away to the ship.

Maeve raced along the path towards the white house with the courage of a true warrior. She was filled with new energy ,now that her brother was closeby - alive and well enough for her to feel his presence. Maeve's sword was drawn out and she breathed evenly, prepared to strike at the first hint of approaching danger. Should she meet Rumina now.. or that fierce soldier - whoever he was - If she should meet Sinbad.. Try as she might, Maeve still harbored vague doubts as to the true nature of Sinbad. "He must be her ally.. Why else would she speak so freely, the way she did",thought Maeve,trying to convince herself."Evil has many faces indeed!" Maeve climbed higher and higher up the path. She grew distracted by the appearance of the statuary and the landscape of the lush gardens and lawns. The pain in her head had returned abruptly ,much to her aggravation. There was something incredibly familiar about the house. Maeve's eyes darted all her position on the pathway, she could ascertain that the gardens were deserted.

Maeve bounded boldly up the stairs. How different was the sight that met her eyes than the one faced by Sinbad who had been in her position just a few moments ago! The house was devoid of life. The halls and stairways were silent as a sanctum. Maeve walked gingerly, watching out for any unpleasant surprise. When she couldn't find any,she risked calling out, "Is anyone here? Dermott?"
Still, no sound. The house was deathly calm.

Maeve lowered her sword and squinted at the tall windows."Curtains of cream and gold..",she echoed,grimacing under her head-ache. She leaned forward,feeling the softness under her feet. "Th..thick white carpets covering the floor.." Maeve shivered,although the morning air was warm. She gazed across the wide oval hall, mesmerized by the whiteness of the carpets. "Wall of glass",she breathed, her voice barely a whisper. She looked out of the glass wall of the house,her head throbbing harder now,threatening to steal her balance. "The view of the sky and the sea and the silvery line where they both meet.." Maeve's knees buckled under her and her sword dropped with a soft thud to the floor. She stretched out in pain,looking upwards at the spinning ceiling.
"It was a spectacular house with extraordinary design and color."
Maeve began to gasp for breath. Her eyes closed into swirling blackness.
"..it was being laid to waste for Mala had died many years ago"

The blackness seemed to transport Maeve in a strange current. She felt herself being lifted, travelling quickly through the air while a voice kept speaking to her.
"the house was marvelous, it was in a location far away from the cities on a rather secluded spot. Doubar would never live there and Sinbad was too little to decide for his own."
"Sinbad",said Maeve,wondering why the voice had spoken his name.
"the deed documents were in safekeeping of Sinbad's old Uncle who came once in three months to air the mansion"
"Sinbad",thought Maeve."That name again". The voice seemed to belong to a woman now. She was speaking as if she was telling a story of a time long long ago. Her voice was pleasant and likeable. Maeve liked the woman. She seemed to be her friend.
"He made a lot of money and decided to settle down with his family in Beuid-Merra. He built there, the mansion of his dreams. The same terrace gardens and the same white pathway. And he never forgot Sinbad the sailor."
"Beuid-Merra.. Sinbad the sailor!"
Maeve's eyes snapped open and she looked upwards at the gigantic wall that had loomed up before her.
"Welcome,Maeve",greeted an unfamiliar voice. "It has taken you a long time to get here.. I wonder why-"

"Who are you?",cried Maeve. Her fingers searched eagerly for her sword and finding her scabbard empty,she reached out, her hands poised to conjure a fireball. "What is this strange place?"
"You have made it here because you wanted to remember Sinbad,Maeve"
"Remember..". Maeve frowned in the darkness. She looked up with a start. "You were the one who's stolen our memories..I've been wandering around all this time,forgetting the crew and the ship.."
"That's right"
Maeve breathed harder,unsure of what to speak next. "Are you our enemy?",she asked after a long pause.
"Enemy?",laughed the voice."Oh.. hardly,my dear. I am merely an observer. But it is true that I have aided another sworn enemy of yours. She is most eager to destroy Baghdad"
"Rumina!",seethed Maeve,in fury."What have you to do with her?"
"Rumina is weak and alone. She begged for my help"
"Since you have aided her, you are my enemy as well. I want to go back to the others. Let me out of here or I'll burn my way through!"
"I like your spirit,Maeve! I have underestimated your spirit. You draw your strength from your brother do you not? Dermott has been cursed by Rumina.. I peered into his mind and happened upon the memories of a young boy rather than a hawk.. It was startling surprise! I never bothered to erase his memories when I erased yours"
Maeve faltered lightly.
"Oh, I know about him now. I know about Dermott. I've been watching the bond between you two. Rarely have I seen such a connection. You will one day become a fine sorceress.. if that is what you want to be"
"My life's goal is to kill Rumina"
"I will not stand in your way. I have helped her far enough" The voice grew louder."Rumina should have killed you when she had the chance. When you stumbled alone through the forests, she should have attacked and destroyed you"
"Send me back!", yelled Maeve,bringing out her fireball."SEND ME BACK NOW!"

Maeve's eyes shot open and she found herself ,flat on her back with the sword by her side. She scrambled up in haste and bounded up the stairs, in search of Dermott.
"Dermott!",she cried,urgently."Where are you?"
Maeve's instincts led her to the room at the very end of the hallway. She barged in and found her brother inside a thick metal cage. Dermott chirped and screeched happily. He was very glad to see smiled through tears, her hands producing the heat needed to melt the bars and free her brother."How I've missed you"
She spied a small movement at the corner of her eye and whirled around to stop Nassima from leaving the room. Maeve slammed the doors shut with a sharp gust of wind and then approached the trembling woman. "Nassima?",she called."Don't you remember me? I owe it to you and your story about Sinbad's house which helped me get back my memories..."
Nassima stumbled backwards in fear. Maeve reached out her hand and felt the spell that Nassima was under.
"Rumina has enchanted you with a mind-controlling spell,Nassima.. But the spell is weakening. It can be broken if you only try"
Nassima stared blankly at her.
Maeve ,deciding not to waste anymore time, beckoned Dermott to her arm and walked out of the room. She strode into the terrace and gazed out into the deep blue sea. A horrific sight met her eyes. The Nomad, covered in bruises from Rumina's destructive power was floating like a hollow hull upon the were more than a hundred men aboard the ship.. dressed in blue,carrying swords and wearing heavy masks."
"She's heading for Baghdad to destroy the Caliph!",realized Maeve, her memories flooding back in a rush. "I've got to stop her. Rumina's magic is sustaining the broken Nomad. She is so weak, that all her concentration and effort have been spent up in keeping the ship afloat. That's why her other spells are weakening.. Rumina will be easy to defeat if I can stow-away on the ship before it sets sail!"

Nassima looked emptily ahead, her face drained of any expression. Her eyes wandered to the melted cage where the hawk had previously been kept. The rescuer - the sorceress was no longer in the room. The hallways were silent once again. Suddenly Nassima saw a young boy standing shyly -half hidden, by the archway which led to the outer balcony. Nassima frowned sharply and blinked hard as if trying to ascertain what she recollected Maeve's words."The spell is weak now. It can be broken if you try". Nassima cried out and stood up on uncertain feet. She stepped forward, first unsure.. then suddenly she moved faster until she was near the archway. "Abdul ..come here",she said,holding out her trembling hand. "Come here"