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.
