The greed was uncontrolled in his eyes. “Simply touching it should’ve been sufficient. Then you made a wish?”
“There were a few things going on at the time, but for simplicity’s sake, yes, I made a wish.”
“What was your exact wish? Think!”
“To be on the other side of the world.”
Zafir leaned back, dumbfounded. “You could have wished for anything—anything, and you wished forthat?”
I scowled. “Look, I just said the first thing that popped into my head. Believe it or not, when a person is in the middle of being murdered, their thoughts aren’t particularly logical or eloquent. I was sort of preoccupied with staying alive, and it’s not like I thought the wish would actually come true.”
It looked like Zafir was chewing on his tongue. “But you didn’t see a spirit…did you perhaps see smoke or vapor after you wished?”
I thought back. “Yes. Right after I made the wish, there was a lot of some kind of navy or purplish smoke, then I appeared on the street here. I don’t recall anything else.”
His expression cleared. “Ah, so perhaps a juvenile spirit. Very good. Where is this lamp, exactly?”
“Back in Brisden, I suppose.” A shrewd idea slunk into the back of my head and I flashed a winning smile at Zafir. “I’d be willing to take you there and show you if you kill my husband for me.”
He looked wholly uninterested. “No. I’m not an assassin; I’m a vizier, and as much as I understand the appeal of revenge, I have no interest in going anywhere with you.”
“You don’t have to kill him then. I simply want him brought to justice. He’s killing women and he has to bestopped. My sister could be in danger right now; she was planning to go to him.”
Something dark flickered in Zafir’s eyes, hardening his expression until he lifted his brow and stated flatly, “An unfortunate situation. You’re welcome to borrow paper and ink to write to the officials in Brisden, but I can’t change those circumstances. Now, back to the lamp, it belongs to your husband? I expect that he kept it locked away? Perhaps in a vault or similar location for safekeeping?”
I sighed. “Yes. There was a locked room. It seemed like the oil lamp was his most prized possession. He even kept the key to the room hidden and locked away.”
“Rightly so; I would do the same. And I assume he’s wealthy? Famous? Well-known?”
“I suppose he is. What, you think he used a genie to wish for all that?”
“I would assume so. Do you know where his riches came from? Is he titled? Was his family fabulously wealthy, or perhaps he runs multiple successful businesses?”
“He said he had a sizeable inheritance, and I think he runs a business,” I answered slowly. I’d been so fixated on my own suspicions and exploring the house that I’d never once stopped to question his story or inquire as to what sort of business he ran. “And I’d be willing to help you if you help me in return.”
“No. You already suggested your little murder plot and I immediately declined. My mind won’t change.” Zafir’s cold eyes drilled into mine. “I saved your life, and now you owe me all the information I want.”
“I don’t even know if there is a genie or not. I never saw anything other than an old lamp and some smoke. You’re making a lot of assumptions.”
“Do you have another way to explain how you magicallyappeared thousands of miles away in an instant? Only a genie is powerful enough for feats of that magnitude. Not even dragons have that sort of ability.”
“I don’t have an answer. If you want to find out, then run off to Brisden and find out. I’ll even guide you there myself.” I needed to find Nadia and make sure she was safe, then I’d find some way to get revenge on old Bluebeard. He wouldn’t get away with this, and I would not let him continue his scheme now that I knew what he was up to. My gaze snuck over to where my confiscated belongings rested on Zafir’s desk. Before I ran again, I’d have to get my mirror back.
“You have the mark of a genie.” He turned my arm over so he could look at the tattoo that encircled my wrist. “Do you have any other explanation for it?”
I pulled my wrist away. “No, I don’t have any other explanation. So, how do we get back to Brisden? You can have the lamp as long as I can make sure my husband is brought to justice.”
Zafir stared off into the distance. His face was so sharp and angular that he almost looked like a statue.
“Hello?” I snapped my fingers in front of his face. “I said I’ll take you to Brisden and you can get the lamp of your dreams.”
He frowned in annoyance. “It isn’t that simple. Without a genie to make me instantly vanish and reappear somewhere else, financing a voyage like that would require a hefty sum of money. I won’t pay for you to go on a vacation.”
“It’s hardly a vacation to try to get back home, and you could ask your government. I’m sure the Parliament people you advise would love to get their hands onto a magic lamp with an all-powerful genie inside.”
“I’m not fool enough to shout about knowing where agenie is. That’s how people get killed. Or”—he nodded at my bandaged shoulder—“stabbed when they aren’t careful.”
“What, so you’re just planning to leave me here?” A horrible, creeping realization stole over me. Without any money, I would be stuck in Pyren forever. What was I going to do? Even if I managed to find employment, it would take years, if not a lifetime, for me to save up enough to go back. My thieving skills were sufficient to keep me fed, but not to accrue a massive amount of wealth in a short period of time.
