Kadin
EVERYONE WAS QUIETINthe early morning dawn, still waking up after spending the night in a small inn on the way to Baradaan.
I drove the wagon while everyone else lounged in the back. It didn’t take much focus. The animals plodded along, following the road, and the reins weren’t even necessary except for at the occasional crossroad.
I slipped the small lamp from my bag and held it in the palm of my hand. The green glass was smooth and thick, surprisingly sturdy and not nearly as fragile as it had seemed from a distance. I couldn’t help but wonder what this Jinni wanted with it.
Carefully, I re-wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it back in my bag for safekeeping. We might never know.
All that mattered now was that we’d finally found a Jinni to bear witness; Prince Dev was about to receive the justice he deserved.
All these years he’d gone about his father’s kingdom doing whatever he wanted and getting away with it. I couldn’t wait to see that smirk wiped off his face. No doubt, Naveed felt the same.
When I pulled my gaze from the road again to glance back at my friend in the bed of the wagon, my eyes snagged onPrincessArie instead.
I hadn’t found a way to bring up her secret again. Though I’d made Bosh return her crown the moment I’d pieced together that his latest haul belonged to her, I’d pretended not to notice the way she’d clutched the bag to her ever since.
The whole situation frustrated me more than I wanted to let on, because I should’ve guessed. Of course she talked like a queen—she was destined to become one. But at the same time, it didn’t fit the Arie I’d come to know. She was so normal. Not at all like the ruling class I’d known my whole life, who flaunted their Gifts and authority. She was just... Arie.
I wasn’t familiar with her kingdom of Hodafez. All I knew was what I could glean from a map. It was almost three days east of Baradaan, where I’d grown up. Where we were headed now.
I’d visited many kingdoms in my travels with Naveed. He’d been my closest friend since we were children running around naked in the streets. When we first left Baradaan, it was just the two of us. We’d added to our crew along the way until we grew to the size we were today. But I’d never been to Hodafez. And I hadn’t been home either. Not since I’d left four years ago.
Bosh’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. “Should we call on the Jinni soon or wait until we arrive?”
Naveed signed to me and the others.Do we even know how he travels? Does he need time to reach us?
I translated for Arie—and Bosh, who was still new to us and learning to sign. “Does our little Jinni-hunter know?” I asked Arie, though I suspected even more now that this title was a ruse.
She pulled out the Jinni’s talisman and we all stared at the little gray pebble like it might come to life. She shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
“We’ve already traveled a full day and then some,” Ryo spoke up. “What if they can only do that little zip from one place to another if they’re close by? We’d better call him now so he has time to catch up.”
Illium chimed in. “What if it’s nothing to him? You want to risk pissing off a Jinni? Be my guest, but let me off first.”
“Yeah,” Daichi agreed, standing even though the wagon hadn’t stopped. “Let me off too.”
“Don’t worry,” Bosh said from the opposite corner. “We will. No one wants to see you wet your pants when he shows up.”
Daichi lunged for him, and both Naveed and Illium held him back while Ryo laughed with Bosh. Arie shifted to another hay bale to avoid getting run over.
“Only one way to find out,” I said, and they quieted, turning to face me. I gestured for Arie to go ahead. “If it takes him a while to arrive, then we’ll know.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Illium asked, but Arie had already wiped her thumb across it, ever so gently.
The horse carried on down the road, but we all stayed frozen in a semi-circle, staring down at the pebble in silence.
When nothing happened, I opened my mouth to suggest she try rubbing it a little harder.
I hadn’t even begun when Gideon appeared. He sat at the back of the wagon on one of the hay bales, plucking a stray piece of hay off his trousers. “You certainly choose unique places to meet.”
Daichi yelped and jumped a whole hay bale over before catching himself and growing still.
Illium’s skin had gone ashen. As the oldest member of our group, he had grown up with stories of the Jinn terrorizing humans. Despite nothing really happening over the last few decades, he hadn’t forgotten, and had made sure we didn’t either, but I leaned forward, more curious than afraid.
“Thank you for coming,” I began, straddling the wooden divider between the driver’s bench and the bed of the wagon to face him, still holding the reins. It was uncomfortable, but I tried not to let it show on my face.
“Of course.” Gideon gave up removing the straw and placed his hands casually on the elegant cane he carried but didn’t seem to need. “It is a strange place to bear witness, but I’m ready to begin whenever you are.”
