I couldn’t wait. Nadia might be about to get murdered. There was no time to wait. It was three against one if we got there soon, and this time, I knew what the lamp was and had a wish in mind. I was prepared.
Following the screams, I burst through the front door, sprinted up the stairs, and saw the forbidden door open at the very end of the hallway. In the lamp’s room, Rahil had his arm wrapped around Nadia’s neck, slowly squeezing the life out of her while whispering something in her ear.
Rahil saw me and Zafir cross the threshold and drew his dagger, the same one he’d stabbed me with, and angled it against my sister’s ribs. “Don’t come any closer or she dies,” he spat.
The lamp glittered innocently on a new marble stand between us.
“Alia,” Nadia squeaked. There were red marks along Rahil’s bicep where she had clawed her fingernails down his arm.
“Let her go,” I called to Rahil.
Rahil’s smile was pure evil. “I was so hoping you’d return,” he breathed. “I thought taking your sister would be sufficient motivation.”
“You were right. Now release her.”
“You want to save her?” Rahil dug the tip of his blade into Nadia’s side and she let out a small cry of pain. “I’d be glad to make a trade. You for her.”
“Don’t,” Zafir warned me. He made as if he was going to grab my arm, but I tore away from him.
The lamp was right there. I would have it soon. I just had to keep Rahil distracted.
“Put the knife down,” I told Rahil calmly, slowly stepping toward him. “I’m willing to make the trade.”
“Don’t,” Zafir hissed again, but I ignored him. Only a few more paces, and I’d be able to touch the lamp.
“Come on, then,” Rahil urged, slowly lowering the dagger’s tip. “Just a little closer.”
I swallowed, inching closer all the time. If I tried to say the well-worded wish I’d rehearsed, Rahil would kill Nadia before I finished.Forgive me, Zafir. I would have to make another hasty wish.
I snatched up the lamp the moment I was close enough. “I wish Nadia couldn’t be hurt!” I screamed, clutching it so tightly in my hands that it was painful.
Immediately, Nadia vanished in a cloud of blueish-purple smoke and a new gemstone formed, lying in the exact spot where she’d stood.
My eyes darted wildly around. Had Nadia gone to Pyren just as I had done? Where was she?
Before I could so much as make a guess, peals of laughter began, low at first, but became higher, reverberating around the room. Rahil was doubled over, laughing fit to burst. What had gone wrong with my wish?
The lamp twinkled innocently in my hands. What had the genie done to Nadia? I needed another ally. I spoke tothe lamp, willing the specter inside to emerge. “Genie, reveal yourself! Come forth!”
Rahil’s smile broadened and he spread his arms wide, the final traces of blue fading from his beard, leaving it perfectly black. “I’m right here.”
CHAPTER 31
Zafir sucked in a sharp breath of understanding, but I still couldn’t stop looking for my sister, unable to process what had just happened.
“You?” I breathed.
“Me,” Rahil chuckled darkly.
My thoughts were all jammed and felt impossible to sort out. “But…but you’ve been controlling the genie. That’s why you’re so rich.”
“No, my former wives—my former masters—all made wishes, and they often didn’t know they were binding themselves to me the first time. Women make so many requests of their husbands without ever even thinking about it.” He imitated a high voice. “I wish you’d talk to me more. I wish the house would stay clean.”
My mouth hung open.
“Some figured it out, and others I told. Then came the fun part. Most wished for wealth, then received surprise inheritances as family members died in tragic accidents, leaving them even more alone and ever more dependent on their dear and devoted husband. You were the one whowent longest without making a wish. I thought you’d be an easy one—you had nothing but you never asked for a single thing from me, so I knew you needed more motivation.”
My mouth went very dry. “Where’s Nadia?”
