“You’re certain the two jinn aren’t connected?”
“One hundred percent. The fires were beacons to call for help. When I responded and provided that help, the jinn decided to move on.”
Chairman Mariani nodded with satisfaction. He had no idea it was his jinn. Hearing the enemy was in Rome was enough to divert his attention, but it wouldn’t be long before he tried to call on Sidaffri. That was going to be a bit of a surprise that I’d almost be sorry to miss.
Together, Kai and I answered the remaining questions about the Chanson. Matteo suggested they vote on contacting the Alliance. The vote to make the call and start negotiations was unanimous.
They thanked me for figuring out the danger they were in, but they were understandably disappointed that they had bigger problems than a pyromaniac jinn. “I’m sure you have a lot to discuss privately. We can show ourselves out, and you can reach me through Majeedah if you need any further assistance.” Since nobody mentioned the other relic, I figured they would handle the current crisis before moving on to the broken magic and the many relics that were still somewhere in Rome.
I walked out of the room with Kai just as the call to the United Coven and Alliance connected over the speakerphone in the center of the conference room table.
“Chairman Mariani, how may I be of assistance to you?” Kingston Pon asked. I closed the doors to the conference room behind us and glanced down at the marble floor. Kai stopped next to me and stared at the white marble.
“Why are we fascinated by the lobby?”
“We’re not. I’m just thinking about something I saw the other day.” I said, wrapping my arm around his waist. “I can’t put it together, but that’s somehow important.”
“Maybe after we get some food and rest,” Kai said, placing his hands on my shoulders and walking me down the stairs.
“No. We need to finish the jinn situation then get out of here until negotiations are done. When everyone is occupied with other things, we’ll come back and take care of the other problem.” I wanted to get Sidaffri and Idral home and work out a few things that still bothered me.
We walked back to the tunnel and heard Idral and Sidaffri talking in hushed whispers. Kai grabbed my arm, and we eavesdropped for a minute.
“I can’t do it,” Idral said.
“You can. You came this far, Idral. There’s a whole world out there with enough room to spread your wings.”
“I don’t even know if I can fly, Sidaffri. It’s been so long, and the thought of being out in the open...the whole thing is impossible.” His voice trailed off into a heavy sigh.
Kai looked at me and shook his head in disbelief. “Of all the griffins in the world, you picked an agoraphobic one who can’t fly?”
Nothing was going right on this job! “I. Can’t. Even.” I said, bouncing my forehead against his chest.
Kai pulled me against him, and I could feel his laughter. “I’ll take care of our new employee. After all, as the personnel director, I am in charge of his relocation. She’s yours, though. Congratulations, it’s a twin!”
I pulled my head back. “What are you planning to do with Idral?”
“You worry about your problem, and I’ll worry about mine. Strangely, I think I have the easier part.”
We made a loud approach, so neither Sidaffri nor Idral thought we were eavesdropping. I moved the bag they were watching for me with the toe of my boot and crouched down to loosen the ties. We all peered inside.
“Why are there two?” Idral asked.
“That’s an excellent question. Sidaffri? Who’s your neighbor?”
She shook her head, bewildered. She extended her hand, and her pointed white nails were gone, but her short bare ones were immaculately manicured. She wasn’t trying to imitate me completely because my nails looked like Ka’Tehm had trimmed them with his teeth.
Sidaffri’s hand hovered over one lamp. “This lamp is mine.” She whispered, reaching out and stroking the garnet jewel that was inset in the top of the lamp. I lifted the bronze lamp out of the box with some difficulty because about thirty iron rings of various shapes and sizes were looped around the handle.
I raised my eyes to hers. “You served all these people?”
She nodded, fingering the rings with a sort of reverence. “Not all of the families were bad.”
“How could that be?” I asked, thinking the jinn had a serious case of Stockholm Syndrome.
“Some were generous and kind. A few only wanted someone to talk to, someone who wouldn’t judge their actions. They never used my power without my consent.”
“And Chairman Mariani?” I asked because curiosity got the best of me.
“He has been decent, but I have served his family for generations, and not all of his people were so protective of me.”
I looked again at the rings. “So which ring is his?”
Sidaffri’s hazel eyes were sad. “Each ring indicates one family. When the last of the line dies out, my lamp passes to a new family. Some didn’t know the custom, but most did. His ring is the one on top.”
I looked at the iron ring and examined it. It was securely welded onto the lamp. “I don’t suppose you packed a blow torch?” I asked Kai.
He shook his head. “You don’t need one because it’s magic.”
I lifted my shoulder, unconvinced. “So I break that, and then what?”
“To be safe, you should place your own ring on my lamp. In case my lamp is lost again.”
Idral puffed out his chest. “I will guard it.”
“I know you will,” Sidaffri said, patting his shoulder, “but until we’re out of here, it is safer to have me bound.”
Kai pulled a thin band of iron from his pocket and handed it to me.
Gripping the polestar in my hand, I channeled the sickly energy and ran it through the stone until the magic buzzed through my channels with a refreshing briskness. I grabbed the iron ring that belonged to the Chairman and snapped it open with a burst of red hot magic. I dropped the smoking ring onto the floor and wrapped the thin band of iron around the handle, soldering it in place with another burst that left me feeling woozy.
Sidaffri sighed contentedly.
“So you’ve been in Rome since when?” I asked to break the uncomfortable silence that followed my willful enslavement of a jinn.
She smiled. “Rome and other places. When the one who possessed my lamp moved, I was taken along. Most times.”
I looked at Kai, and something flickered in his eyes before he looked away. “That’s why it’s terrifying. You’ve never been your own person.” He said.
Sidaffri shook her head and looked ashamed. “I haven’t been in a very long time.”
Kai gave her a sad smile. “You’ll both learn how to do it. Until you’re more comfortable with your independence, you’ll have our friends and us. We won’t break the binding until you’re ready.”
I wasn’t so sure I liked that idea, but Sidaffri brightened. Idral looked more miserable. Kai put his hand on the griffin’s shoulder. “You have a brand new position if you’re still interested. You could start by guarding these two lamps.”
“I can’t.” The griffin said.
“You can. We’ll figure it out.” Kai said, brushing his hand through the feathers on Idral’s head. “We need someone with your talent, so I’ll do whatever it takes, even if that means holding your talons while you jump off a tall building.”
I swung my head around to gape at him, but Kai’s laughter made me shake my head. For a minute there, I didn’t know he was kidding.
Sidaffri stepped closer to me and slipped her hand under the shoulder of her top, stretching the fabric toward me. Kai stepped to my side and lifted my wrist, placing an iron pin in my palm.
“No,” I said, waving the pin away.
“You have to, Ari,” Sidaffri said, smiling gently. “If I’m not bound to you, someone else can bind me and make me your enemy. Until we are far away from here, I can hear the summons of everyone c
alling a jinn. It’s only a matter of time before one of them offers me something I can’t refuse or tricks me.”
I looked at Kai, and he nodded. “She’s right. This isn’t done yet, and she’s safer if she’s not loose.” He pressed the pin into my hand. “You have to do this.”
“This is only temporary,” I said to Sidaffri, who smiled at me with an expression that was both nervous and excited.
I slipped the iron pin through the fabric and felt cords of hot magic flair between me and the jinn. I staggered a little, and the ball of magic Kai had secretly stored inside me rumbled.
Sidaffri’s eyes widened, and she stared at my stomach. “What is that magic?” She breathed. She trembled, and flames danced in her eyes. The ball of magic in my stomach flared to life, and I backed up a step. I clamped down on the flood of power with the same iron will that Sidaffri used to keep herself rooted to the ground.
“Don’t touch that,” Kai growled at Sidaffri. “Tell her not to ever, ever touch that.” I swung my eyes to him, but I didn’t like the look on his face at all. “Arienne! Command her. Now.” Kai said with a hint of his former authority wrapped in layers of panic.
“Don’t ever, ever touch that Sidaffri,” I said, trying to sound commanding.
Her hazel eyes lifted to mine, and she slid her gaze to Idral with a panicked look.
The griffin stepped closer. “You must say: As your master, I forbid you to ever access magic which is mine.” He said urgently.
My eyes flew to Kai, but he was looking at Sidaffri like he was ready to kill her with his bare hands if he had to. Her hazel eyes blazed with golden flames, and she trembled.
I repeated the words in my best teacher’s voice, amending the last part to “magic which is mine or which has been shared with me.” There was a moment of silence. The ball of magic seemed to go dormant again, and the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees. Sidaffri nodded, and her expression relaxed. We all exhaled the breath we were holding.
“It would have been nice if I’d seen that coming,” I said, my voice pitched very high.
“Me, too,” Sidaffri said, sagging with relief. “It’s fine now.” she blinked and trembled.
Kai wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into a tight hug. I could feel his pounding heart start to slow, but his embrace remained tight. After a few minutes, he began to relax. “My planning isn’t as great as I’ve led you to believe.” He whispered.
“Obviously,” I said, nuzzling the side of his neck. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” He nodded.
All at once, our gazes turned to the other lamp that still peaked out from the bag. “What are we supposed to do with that?”
“Did you rub it?” Sidaffri asked in a panicked tone.
“No. I picked it up and put it in there.” Everyone looked at the lamp, and then they all looked at me. “I didn’t rub it!”
Idral walked over and plucked the lamp in his talon. “We must put it somewhere it will not be found.” His golden eyes scanned our surroundings.
“But the jinn will still be bound,” Sidaffri said.
She had a point. If we hid the lamp, the jinn would be bound until someone came along and enslaved him or her.
“For heaven’s sake!” I said, putting my hands on my hips. “We can’t just hide it someplace and hope nobody finds it. The jinn’s enslaved, and that’s not right.”
I followed the direction of Kai’s glance and my own eyes landed on the pin in Sidaffri’s shirt - the pin that I’d placed there to bind her. “You know that’s different.” I said.
“Yes.” Sidaffri agreed, standing next to me with her hands on her hips. “This is different.”
“Command her again, Arienne. Just to be on the safe side.” Kai said.
I repeated the command and Sidaffri acknowledged it once more. Understanding flickered in her eyes when she looked at Kai again. “You were…” She blinked and dropped her gaze from Kai’s. “The command was bound the first time, but I understand your concern. My promise is binding for eternity, even if I am not bound to her. I will not lie to Ari.”
“We’ll make sure of that before we go any further.” Kai’s tone was casual, but I didn’t miss the caution in his voice.
I looked at Sidaffri. She now had knowledge that was dangerous to both Kai and me. “As your master, I also command you to never speak of what you know about us to anyone. You are forbidden to give any information that could hurt us. To anyone. No matter what. Do you understand what I’m saying, Sidaffri?” I swung my eyes to Idral. “Is there anything I missed?”
He shook his head and puffed out his cheeks, Kai sighed with relief, and Sidaffri nodded solemnly. “I give you my eternal bond to keep all secrets which could bring you or those you care about harm, Master.”
That term didn’t sit well with me, “I also forbid you to ever call me that.” Sidaffri beamed. There was something else that was bothering me. “Since I felt our agreement take hold, would the previous person have felt your allegiance change?”
“It is possible, but my binding with you is stronger than any I have felt in a long time. It would not be as noticeable if your power weren’t different.” She looked perplexed, but Kai’s gaze lit with a familiar curiosity.
“Okay, then I think I have somewhat of a plan to deal with that other lamp.”
I finished speaking and everyone began poking holes in my idea. I didn’t take it personally. Together we laid out a pretty solid blueprint for getting the jinn free but Idral’s gaze kept flicking toward the bag with the lamp.
“What is it?” Kai asked the griffin.
“What if that lamp belongs to Shabe? He is a dishonest jinn who works for those who stand against La Gilda Maghi and The Organization. It would not be wise to risk his treachery.”
I nodded. “We can keep thinking about it because we have a little time before it gets too hairy.”
Idral looked offended. “You do not find bountiful hair beautiful?”
“She’s not talking about you, Idral. You’re magnificent.” Kai reassured the griffin. “Hairy also means challenging where we come from.”
“I see. Being magnificent can be quite challenging.” He purred.
“Oh, now you’re being modest.” Kai rolled his eyes.
“Modesty is also hairy.” Idral squared his furry shoulders and rustled his wings.
“Easy, big guy. It’ll take you days to get the dirt out of your feathers if you keep brushing them against this cave. We need those things to be clean and aerodynamic.”
Idral turned his beak and preened his feathers. “I will pay particular attention to my wings. I will not embarrass The Organization by being untidy while we find a suitable place for me to guard your treasure in Rome.”
I looked at Kai who shook his head. It looked like we weren’t going to need that large shed after all.
We left Sidaffri and Idral in the tunnels while we headed back to the street to hail a taxi. We didn’t give it a thought when we’d stepped onto the street near the Guild’s headquarters to hail the cab, but that’s when we noticed the smoke pouring out of the top floor of the building.
Kai turned to me and burst out laughing. “That should keep them occupied for a little while.”
I gaped at the building, realizing that Mariani’s spell on the door had probably ignited the fire when I’d broken into his office.
The taxi slid to a stop and Kai shoved me in gently, still laughing. We headed back to our hotel room with the bag and the two lamps but had to change taxis twice and make a run for it once in order to lose the five people who tailed us from outside the building.
“Why are there more?” I asked when we were finally inside our room with the door locked and bolted.
“Maybe because they’re looking for the pyromaniac who set their headquarters on fire?”
“That wasn’t my fault.” I had already explained it was Mariani’s spell that caused the blaze.
“Maybe one or two of the families are intere
sted in the dashing rebel who suggested overthrowing the ruling class while extolling the very, very limited virtues of the United Coven and Alliance.”
Kai lifted my arm and looked at the pink line that ran down my forearm. He picked a bit of herb off and ran his finger over the wound. “How’d you get this one?”
I explained about the box and ended with, “And what was in that potion? Liquid fire?”
He laughed. “You’re the one who sparked it. Did you accidentally use fire magic more than once?”
I scrunched up my face. Did I? I turned my laptop on and headed for the shower. “Are we heading home tomorrow?” I called out. I turned to hear his response, but Kai was right behind me.
“We have one more night to practice your lessons while we’re in this magical desert. Fair warning: I’m planning on getting a late start tomorrow.” He reached behind me and turned on the shower.
The knocking on the door across the hall from our room woke me up, but I burrowed deeper into the covers, and Kai wrapped his arm around me. There was a muffled call of ‘Room Service’ in Italian and English, and some quiet conversation outside our room before blissful silence returned.
The polestar glimmered from the nightstand, sending a rainbow of sparkles around the dim room. Kai nibbled my shoulder. “I really like Rome.” He whispered.
“It’s too bad we don’t live here.”
“We need the acreage we have back in Massachusetts since we’re in a hiring frenzy. Besides, there’s no place like home, even if we do live in a barn.” His voice was soft.
“Are you magical?” I asked.
“You seem to think so.”
I sucked my teeth, and Kai flicked his hand out toward the polestar. Nothing happened. “I’m completely non-magically magical.” He sighed.
“How are we going to get the new employees home?”
“If they’re insured against fire damage, maybe the Alliance will let you borrow one of their planes since you’re their top recruiter.”
I shook my head. “I suck at leading the resistance.” I ignored his other comment completely.
Resistant Magic (Relic Hunter Book 5) Page 26
