Chapter 14
A red-stone castle loomed large ahead that night after I slept.
My feet slid along the tile leading to the entrance, the sandals I wore lacking any grip.
My face was wet with sweat, the scorching Persia heat beating down on me.
The sun was undisturbed by any clouds, hellishly hot, following me, taunting me.
When I finally reached the entrance, my stomach plummeted. It was like I knew what was to come. With slick hands, I pushed the double doors open, skidding to a halt when I saw a row of grim-faced jinn at the center of the room.
“Where is he?” I asked, somehow managing to keep my voice steady.
They continued to stare, eight pairs of soulless black eyes watching me.
The silence rang on. “Where?” I shouted, calculating whether I could run up the spiral staircase behind them.
The entrance was decorated ornately, the ceiling colorful with artwork depicting Persian gods.
A gold-and-diamond chandelier sparkled above.
“What did you do to him?” I snarled.
That was when the group parted to show a smaller man, also wearing a black cloak, its hood covering his face. He pushed it back to expose his bald head, decorated with henna. His beard was long, unconventional for jinn, though his trademark. It was believed to be ironic, an inside joke.
“Rabiya, azizam,” he hissed. “Your angel isn’t here.” Beneath his cloak, his shoulders wiggled. The snakes upon his neck, which he attempted to repress, wanted to speak for him. It was a battle between what he wanted and what they wanted.
When realization of his words dawned, I spun on my heel and pushed on the door. It didn’t budge. Possibly laced with magic I couldn’t break.
Behind the door, I heard sniggering.
“Soon he will not be of the Earth,” he continued. “And then, my dear, neither will you.”
The other jinn took slow steps toward me. I raised my arms, concentrating on my palms. Balls of fire erupted from my hands and flew through the air, tight and whirling, toward the horde of jinn. The leader, however, flicked his wrist, extinguishing the balls of flame to nothing.
I attempted to run, but arms appeared as though out of nowhere, restraining me. No amount of elbowing or attempting to knee them in the balls worked. My magic had dampened, like someone had thrown water over the fire that burned within me.
I was trapped.
I was fooled.
No, I was a fool.