Chapter 10
Jah’ruud
The young, slender form of the human in front of me is toned and masculine, yet with a greater than human grace of movement and long, dark eyelashes framing large brown eyes.
He stands, staring at me, seemingly recovered from the fear which overtook him when I first manifested.
I narrow my eyes, assessing his features more closely.
This is no mere human. He is a half-breed, a darkling.
Even so, he is young and probably no wiser than the last human who thought to command me. “Well? What do you want?”
He blinks. “What do I want? So many things! How long have you got?” He walks around me, still staring as if he has never seen an elemental spirit before.
Perhaps he has not. The room around me is dark, but its state of disrepair suggests I have been sleeping for some time, trapped in my metal prison.
Without thinking, I rub at the metal cuffs around my wrists, the manifestation of the curse that binds me to the lamp.
What game is the darkling playing? I’ve long since lost the patience for silly games. “Just tell me your wishes and let us get this over with.”
“Wishes?”
Pinching the bridge of my nose between finger and thumb, I let out a long-suffering sigh. “Yes. Wishes, requests, desires. It matters not how you word it. Tell me what you command. I would rather not linger in your presence.”
The darkling lets out a low chuckle. “Wait, wait, wait. You’re telling me you’re going to grant my wish? Pfft. Sure.”
“Yes. The curse compels me.”
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah. Right. Come on. Don’t lie, what’s your game really?”
“I cannot lie.”
He freezes, and his head tips to one side as he watches me with intelligent eyes. So perhaps this new master is not so dumb as my previous ones. His wishes will be as meaningless. Gold and riches, beautiful women or men, fame, a life of indolence. That is what they all wish for in different forms.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
I glare at him. “You don’t.”
He laughs. It’s as unexpected and bright as drops of rain from the desert sky. Something about his features changes as if he’s lit up from within for a moment. “True. You never know, right? OK, well what’s the catch? There’s always a catch.”
Perhaps he is not so stupid after all. “You may make three wishes. I must grant each. You may not withdraw or change a wish once it is made.”
“OK. Keep talking.” He looks interested. Of course he is. He is as arrogant as the last master who did not see that even wishes might be used against the wisher. To wish is to reveal your heart’s desire. And that is valuable information.
“There are some things I cannot grant,” I say stiffly.
“Such as?”
“I cannot change another being’s feelings. I cannot make someone hate you less or love you more.”
His expression falls, drawing in on itself. “Oh. I see. Of course. I should have known.” With a sigh, he walks to the corner and plants his back against the wall, sliding down to sit with his knees tucked up to his chest. The shadows draw in around him, as if embracing him.
Against my better judgment, I drift closer, eyeing him speculatively. This is not how I expected him to act. “You should have known what?”
He shrugs. “I should have known it was too good to be true. You’re no use to me.”
“No use?” I puff myself up to my full height. It has been many centuries since someone has dared to insult me thus. “Do you know who you are talking to?”
The wind howls outside, and I look up, gaze searching for the hole where the air rushes through, bringing a cloud of sand, blocking out the feeble light save for that of the guttering torch on the floor.
“No. How could I? You never said.”
I glare at him. “Impudent wretch. I am Jah’ruud va’tha ap hythirr. Don’t you recognize a wind spirit when you see one?”
He sniffs. “Never seen one before.”
“Of course you haven’t! I am the only one of my kind between here and the vast North Sea!” I thrust out my chest, casting a malevolent glare down at him.
“Oh.” He kicks a pebble with his toe. “What can a wind spirit do, then?”
“My magic is powerful beyond your comprehension. I can lift objects with a thought. I can command the wind. I can choke the very life from your lungs with a snap of my fingers.” I snap my fingers threateningly, but he sits there impassively.
“I don’t suppose you could stop a sandstorm, though.” He jerks his head to the gap far above us where whirling sand spills through in an angry flurry.
I plant my hands on my hips. “Fool. Of course I can stop a mere sandstorm.” Before I have to listen to him whine any longer, I stretch out my arms, calling on the magic within me.
I am rusty. It has been many years since I did anything so great.
It feels as if I am drawing on stiff muscles.
I concentrate, irritated at the fact this poses any challenge at all. It should be nothing.
Power rises sluggishly, welling in my core, bursting through me with an explosion of energy. All of a sudden the roaring of the wind from outside dies. I look back at the darkling smugly. “Do you still doubt?”
He stands, brushing at his worn trousers. “I mean, it could have just stopped by itself.”
Anger flares to life, and I stride across the temple, grabbing him by the throat, lifting him off his feet. I am a head taller than him and far, far stronger. Though his form is lithe and strong, pleasing if his personality were not so arrogant. “See for yourself and never doubt me again!”
With a growl I force magic through my fingertips again and we disappear, materializing on the sand above us moments later, coughing as the dust from the storm settles about us.
We are surrounded by silence. All life hidden or swept away by the harsh sting of the sand.
The sky is clearing to a hazy blue. Below us there is no sign of where the temple once stood. It is completely buried.
Searching within, I am alarmed at how much magic this display has cost me. I should not have been so rash in expending it, but surely this fool will not trouble me for long. His demands will be petty. Hardly anything.
The young man’s eyes widen, and his mouth parts. I place him on his feet, but I do not relinquish my hold on him. Most creatures would look away from my gaze. He does not. He only stares, and in the moment, something passes between us. I do not have a word for it.
I release him, irritated with myself.
He rubs at his neck. “That was impressive. You were right.”
I narrow my eyes, focused on the smirk he wears. So he thinks he got the better of me, does he? I fold my arms across my chest. “What is your wish? Be quick. I have no desire to linger over this.”
“You cannot lie, right?”
“That is correct.” What game is he playing now?
“So if I was to ask you to make someone marry me, could you do that?”
“I cannot change how another person feels about you.”
He taps his fingers against his thigh for a moment. “Well, you could make me eligible for marriage, couldn’t you? Could you help me?”
“There is only so much I can do. I cannot make you any less arrogant for example. Or any less annoying.”
He lets out a little huff of laughter. “Did anyone ever tell you there’s such a thing as being too honest?”
“No.”
He shrugs. “Well, my personality flaws aside, can you help me?”
I regard him. “Who is it you wish to marry?”
He opens his mouth, then catches my deception, lifting a finger and giving me another smirk. “Not so fast. I’m not making any wishes yet. Just checking what you’re capable of. I am in love with Solha Yalina of Vathira. But I don’t want her to be forced to marry me. She has to want me too.”
“I cannot help with that.”
“But could you make me a prince? Someone important?”
I sneer. “I cannot make you important. I can make you rich, though. And you already act as entitled as a prince, so you should fit the part.”
“Hmm. But I don’t want to waste a wish. Let’s see. Jah’ruud va thara hip…” he breaks off after making a complete hash of my name.
I glare.
“I wish for you to do everything in your power to help me marry Solha Yalina of Vathira, and the wish will be granted when she agrees to marry me.”
I sigh. I can see already that he will be one of the more painful masters I have ever been bound to. “What is your name, darkling?”
He frowns. “I am Kaelun. What is a darkling anyway?”
I lift a brow. So he is clever, but there is much he does not know. “Just Kaelun?”
“That’s right. I never knew my parents. So I chose my own name.”
Huh. Figures. “Very well, Kaelun. I am bound to serve you until you have made your third wish. It will be as you command.”
Perhaps this Solha Yalina is just as ignorant and self-important as my new master. They may deserve each other. I hope for her sake this is true. The way he has worded the command binds me tightly to his will. There is little room for any…adjustments.