Chapter 2 #4
“You want me to kill a Jinn? And not just any regular Jinn, but the king?!” I let out a humourless laugh. “That’s impossible!”
“The impossible has already begun,” she stated, watching with eerie patience.
I began to pace, grasping at rationality that no longer existed. “You can’t even kill a Jinn! That’s not how it works!”
When I had imagined the endless possibilities of what this bargain might entail, this was not what I had in mind.
She reached out and clutched my shoulders, her nails biting into my flesh, forcing me to be still.
“You can.” Her voice was a lethal whisper. “And you will.”
Absolutely not.
“I can’t. And I won’t.” I objected.
Her smirk returned. “The bargain cannot be undone, girl. If you refuse—” her grip tightened. “Your mother will suffer consequences that will make death seem merciful.”
“No—” I swallowed the bitter taste of hopelessness. “Please, don’t hurt her. She’s all I have.”
“Then you know what you must do.”
“I’ll do it,” I whispered, defeated.
“Good girl.” Her words felt more like a chain locking around my throat than praise. Satisfied, she released me and took a step back.
“Why?” I asked. “Why would you do this? Don’t you gain more if the Veil falls?”
Zaheera’s expression darkened with something deep. Something grieving.
“The Jinn are relentless. The do not forget and they do not forgive. If the Veil crumbles, their wrath will show no mercy. Men, women, and children. None will be spared. These lands will drown in fire and blood.”
Her gaze softened, something akin to longing in her eyes.
“I have lived among the mortals for centuries. Watched them love, build, and thrive. I have seen their children take their first breaths, then watched them grow and begin the cycle anew.”
A shadow of sadness lingered in her tone.
“The Jinn cannot create life in our own image. We are as we were forged in the beginning, and as we shall remain until the end. But mortals… you are different. What you possess is a gift. Fragile, fleeting, and yet profoundly beautiful. I do not wish to see it come to ruin.”
Her words were unsettling.
“How can you cross the Veil?” I asked. “No Jinn should be able to.”
“When the war began, I projected myself into a mortal, possessing her soul. When the Veil sealed, I became bound to both realms. I can enter and leave as I please.”
A terrible thought gripped me. “Then why not kill the Jinn king yourself? Why me?”
“Because I do not know where the stone is. The Veilbinders cast an enchantment upon it, concealing it from all beings. No Jinn, no creature, no mortal can sense it.” She paused, her eyes gleaming. “Except for one.”
My pulse pounded in my ears.
“You.”
“I found the perfect opportunity when your mother came to me all those years ago,” Zaheera said.
“Before the Veil was woven, I had listened in the shadows as the Veilbinders spoke of an enchantment placed upon a stone. A stone forged to steal the immortality of a Jinn. They had believed themselves alone, unaware that I lurked just beyond their sight, memorising their words. Branding them into my very essence. I knew then that the knowledge must never be forgotten.”
She paused, lost in centuries past. “After the Veil was sealed, I thought a stone that holds that kind of power would never be needed. But then the vision came to me. The vision of war.”
A shudder crept down my spine. The image she had shown me felt as real as the ground beneath my feet.
“I tried to cast the words onto myself,” she said, her features darkening in frustration. “But the magic rejected me. I forced the enchantment upon another Jinn, then watched it dissolve into nothing.
Even when I found a mortal who had begged for power, offering their very soul, the magic withered before it could take root.”
She traced a finger through the air, leaving a trail of golden sparks that quickly faded. “It was then I understood the truth. The enchantment would only accept a vessel of pure essence.”
Zaheera reached for my hand, her touch burning, like hot iron pressing into my skin.
“When your mother came to me, I granted what she most desired,” she murmured. “But in doing so, I whispered the sacred words into her womb, binding them to you before your first breath. For there is nothing purer than a life not yet lived.”
I stepped back. “So, you’re saying… I—” I gestured wildly at myself, “am the only one who can find this mythical stone?” The revelation made my stomach twist.
She nodded.
“And then what?” I demanded, my voice rising with panic. “Won’t they just kill me the moment I step foot into their realm? You said it yourself, the Jinn hate mortals. How am I supposed to survive long enough to do… whatever it is you expect me to do?”
“I will guide you,” she said. The words seemed to come from everywhere at once. “Unseen but heard. But understand this: what lies ahead cannot be rushed.”
She began to circle me.
“The stone is hidden somewhere within their realm. Finding it requires you to become someone they would never suspect.” Her eyes flashed with intensity.
“You must earn their confidence. Work your way into their society. The Jinn are creatures of suspicion who have spent centuries perfecting the art of detecting deceit. One false move—one misspoken word, and they will tear you apart without a second thought.”
Was that supposed to reassure me?
She clasped my hands between hers. “You will need to play a dangerous game of deception. Become what they least expect. A mortal who embraces their ways. Who shows reverence for their customs. Only when they begin to lower their guard can you search for the stone without raising alarm.”
Zaheera released my hands and took a step back. “If we execute this carefully—if you learn to navigate their world as I instruct, you will remain unharmed, and the threat against your realm will cease.”
I crossed my arms, staring at her in disbelief.
“Oh, sure. Just stroll into the realm of the Jinn, end their king’s life, and come back alive. Sounds simple enough.” The sarcasm practically dripped from me. “But one small problem, Zaheera. I don’t want to go to a land where everyone wants me dead. Alone.”
“You won’t be alone.” She turned, lifting her hand, pointing to the forest beyond us. “He will journey with you.”
I followed her gesture, my heart plummeting as I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure darting behind a tree, limbs flailing in a poor attempt to remain hidden. A mess of light brown strands peeked out from behind the bark.
Oh, for the love of—
“Theo!” I groaned, torn between wanting to hug him and throttle him.
Theo stepped out from behind the tree, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Oh hey, Elira,” he mumbled, his voice slightly cracking. He cleared his throat. “I was just, uh… walking, you know, and then, well… here you are.” He attempted a casual shrug but failed miserably.
Idiot.
Zaheera hardly acknowledged him before stepping toward us.
“You will leave now,” she stated. “There is no turning back. Do not speak of me or of what you must do. Whenever you need me, call my name and I will answer.”
She dissipated into swirling smoke, vanishing into the wind.
Theo exhaled loudly, throwing his heavy arm over my shoulders.
“The things I would do to her,” he muttered. “You have no idea.”
I shoved his arm off and turned away, staring into the trees ahead.
We were as good as dead.
Seconds stretched into minutes, and minutes felt like an eternity before I finally forced myself to move.
The forest floor crunched beneath my sandals, fallen leaves and twigs announcing every step.
Turning back wasn’t an option. I couldn’t run into my mother’s arms or listen to her soothing voice tell me everything would be okay.
There was no comfort left for me, only the unknown. My only guide was the unseen force of Zaheera, an invisible thread pulling me toward the Veil.
Mist clung to the undergrowth, wrapping around tree trunks. I slipped beneath a low-hanging branch, pushing aside a curtain of moss that dripped with morning dew. Birds flitted through the canopy above, their songs echoing through the woods.
I paused to catch my breath, leaning against the rough bark of an enormous oak. Despite the beauty of dawn, my heart remained weighed down with dread.
I turned to Theo, my reluctant companion. The one person who now shared this impossible burden. He was picking his way carefully through a patch of thorny bushes, his hair catching on leaves.
“How did you find me?” I asked.
“I couldn’t sleep. I went outside for some fresh air and then I saw you.” He hopped over a fallen log and shot me a lopsided grin. “You looked like some assassin sneaking around in the dead of night. All hunched over and tiptoeing.”
I let out a small chuckle, but it quickly faded.
“You were all alone. I got worried, so I followed you.” He sighed. “Plus, your stealth skills are terrible. I could hear you breathing from fifty feet away.”
I rolled my eyes. “Did you catch everything she said?”
He shook his head. “Not really. It just sounded like a bunch of mumbling. The only thing I know is that, somehow, I got roped into going on this ‘journey’ with you.”
He shrugged as if it were nothing, but he had no idea what was coming. And so, I told him.
He came to a dead stop.
“What!” His eyes were wide with disbelief. “You have to go… into the Jinn realm, find a stone, and then—” he swallowed hard, “kill a Jinn. All because your mother made a bargain to have you?”
“Basically. But now, you’re coming with me.”
Theo stood frozen, his expression twisted between horror and sheer panic.
“Also,” I added before I could lose the nerve, “not just any Jinn, but the king of Jinn.”
He bent forward, bracing his hands on his knees. “I’m going to throw up.”
“I know, I know,” I murmured, the guilt churning in my gut. “But I have no choice. If I don’t do this, my mother will suffer.”
Just the thought of her—of what could happen to her—made my chest tighten painfully.