by Amy Sumida
“Why all the water?” I asked as we strolled down a wide, stone avenue.
Other jinn nodded to Zimri-dagan and stared at me as we passed by. Fire flashed in their eyes and interest lit their expressions. I grinned at them, but Viper met every look with the blank but deadly stare of a snake, making the jinn turn away abruptly.
“I, of course, understand why a race born of dragon breath would want to have fire around them.” I waved at a brazier set high atop a metal post. “But the water is surprising. At least, this much of it.”
“Fire gave us life, but water gives life to other things we enjoy.” Zimri-dagan paused to stroke a crimson flower, growing off a climbing vine. “The elements do not harm us—very little can hurt a jinn—so why not enjoy them?”
I was about to ask more, but Zimri-dagan led us through the arched doorway of a massive temple. It had the grandest dome atop its central building, more beautiful than any other I'd seen in the city, with curved panels faceted to reflect the sun and a carved, golden flame atop its peak. We stepped across glossy, cerulean tiles into a vast space with stone walls. The ceiling surged up several stories above us, straight to that sparkling dome. The round room had the same circumference of the dome but was partially ringed in arches that led to other areas. Sunlight streamed through the faceted glass above us and fractured into rainbows to speckle the floor like confetti. We stepped forward into the light.
The enclosure held no furniture or artwork, only Jinn and animals. Fascinating people with skin of creamy gold, deep-walnut, cinnabar, driftwood-gray, and all the shades between stared at us with piercing, eyes of jet, emerald, sapphire, and fire. Hair ran the full gamut from palest blond to darkest ebony and although some of the Jinn were as tall as Zimri-dagan, most were a more human size. Big or small, they all had that strange otherness to their features. Around their feet large animals prowled with flames in their eyes; some jackals, hyenas, and a few lions, but mostly there were canines; massive, sleek dogs who stared at us with human intelligence.
All of the people and animals pulled back as we approached, staring at me in fascination. At the center of the gathering, a circular dais rose smoothly from the tiles with a ring of steps around it. On the top of the stone platform stood eight people—three women and five men—and one massive dog. All of the people on the dais wore luxurious, flowing clothing and crowns upon their heads.
“Zimri-dagan,” a woman with a mass of auburn braids wrapped around her spiked crown said in a powerful voice, “you have brought the Dragon Queen at last.”
“I have.” Zimri-dagan escorted us up the few steps to the dais. “Queen Iltani, this is Queen Vervain and her consort, Viper.” He turned to us and introduced everyone on the dais, indicating them each with a wave of his hand. “This is Queen Iltani of the Ifrit, King Sidu of the Marid, Queen Ku-aya of the Jann, King Etum of the Vetala, King Iblis of the Shayteen, King Uselli of the Ghouls, Queen Shiptu of the Sila, King Mezizi of the Qareen, and King Ibi of the Hinn.” The last name was said as he waved to the dog.
Okay, so the dog is a jinn; got it.
The “Ghoul” title threw me a little, especially when combined with King Uselli's grayish-brown skin and piercing black eyes. King Mezizi was also worth a second look, with his sharp features and knowing gray stare. But the one who truly startled me was King Iblis with his reddish-brown skin, eyes full of fire, and a pair of glossy, black horns that curved up from his temples. He was also massive; not tall like Zimri-dagan, but very muscular. He looked like a quarterback from Hell.
“Very nice to meet you all,” I said politely.
Viper just nodded at them.
“And it's a pleasure to meet you, Dragon Queen,” the dark-haired Queen Ku-aya said sweetly. “We are honored to have you in our territory.”
“I'm happy to be here,” I replied as my gaze strayed back to King Iblis.
“Is there something wrong, Queen Vervain?” King Iblis asked with a grin full of sharp teeth.
“I'm sorry, but you remind me of someone,” I explained. “Well, not him exactly, but the image he likes to don now and again.”
“That wouldn't happen to be the Devil, would it?”
“Lucifer Morningstar,” I corrected. “But yes. How did you know?”
“I have a mirror.” Iblis laughed boisterously. “I am the Muslim Devil. Another of my names is Shaitan. Sound familiar?”
“Shaitan,” I murmured. “That sounds an awful lot like Satan.”
He nodded. “Tell Luci I said hi.”
“Tell him yourself,” I countered. “That is if you'll be fighting with us.”
“I will,” he asserted with a grin. “Wouldn't miss it for all of the God Realm.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely and then extended my stare to include the other rulers. “I'm grateful for the offer of your assistance. Honestly, we're in dire need of it.”
“We should have killed the Mesopotamians long ago,” Sidu, the blond King of the Marid said. “But we thought it would be better to let them flounder and die out on their own.”
The dog, King Ibi, growled.
“Now, we see the error of our ways.” Queen Shiptu nodded at King Ibi in agreement.
“There are two of the Mesopotamian Gods who have helped me,” I hurried to say. “I don't want them hurt.”
“They helped you?” King Etum asked skeptically. His lips parted as if he were tasting the air, revealing a set of fangs.
Right. The Vetala were the vampires and Etum was their king. He'd need those fangs for feeding.
“Sin, God of the Moon and Ninkasi, Goddess of Beer,” Zimri-dagan reported.
The Kings and Queens exchanged looks then nodded.
“We will spare them for now,” King Sidu announced for the group.
“I'd appreciate that.” I glanced at Viper, and he shrugged. We didn't know what these Jinn were capable of; best to assume they were badass.
“We will send jinn to train your people,” King Sidu went on. “And Zimri-dagan will be your personal guide, Queen Vervain. He will teach you the ways to combat the Mesopotamians.”
“Thank you.”
“But we must come to an understanding first, Queen Vervain.” King Iblis stepped forward and stared into my eyes intensely. “The Tablet of Destinies is our birthright; it belongs to the Jinn, and we will have it back. Do you agree to this condition?”
“I need to use the Tablet to reverse the damage it's done to my star,” I said. “But once I'm healed, it's all yours. Honestly, I want it safe but I don't want it for myself.”
Iblis searched my eyes and then held out his hand. I thought he wanted to shake on our deal so I took it. But Iblis only held my hand and continued to stare at me. I felt a tingle of magic against my palm but nothing too invasive, nothing to make me worry. Viper, however, didn't share my calm.
“Release her!” Viper demanded. “Right now, Devil-Jinn. I taste magic on the air.”
King Iblis blinked and swiveled his stare to Viper. “Stand down, Star God. Your lover is unharmed; I was merely judging her words.” He let go of my hand and nodded to me. “You speak true, Dragon Queen. We accept your alliance.”
“We will send our warriors with you today so you may start training immediately,” King Uselli said. “Normally, we would celebrate such an alliance with feasting, but there is no time. So, instead, I offer you a kiss. Peace be between us but death to our enemies.”
Uselli leaned forward and kissed my cheek. All of the Jinn rulers followed his lead, approaching me one by one and alternating their kisses to either side of my face. Even King Ibi,—the sleek, black dog—stepped up to me and lifted his head. I leaned down—not much, he was an enormous animal—and he nuzzled my cheek. Last came Queen Iltani. She pressed her lips directly against mine and then pulled away slowly. I blinked at her in surprise.
“Go in peace, Dragon Queen,” Iltani said. “There will be little of it to enjoy before war consumes us.”
“Peace be with you as well.” I nodde
d to her and then to the rest of the Jinn Royals. “With all of you.”
It sounded cheesy, but it fit with their flowery speech, and they seemed to approve. All of the Kings and Queens bowed to me, even the dog king. I bowed back then Zimri-dagan escorted me off the dais with Viper taking up the rear. The Jinn parted and bowed as we passed through the gathering. I smiled and nodded at them like a prom queen on a float until we were out of the temple. Then I turned sharply to Zimri-dagan.
“Ghouls?” I whispered to him. “Ghouls are Jinn?”
“Yes,” he confirmed. “The Ghoul Jinn are the most fearsome of our people, even more than the Shayteen. Ghouls will consume their enemies as they fight.”
“So, they're similar to the human myths of Ghouls?” I asked.
“Only the part where they consume flesh,” Zimri-dagan protested. “They are not the risen-dead, but they will eat the dead.”
I made a face.
“They prefer living flesh,” he offered as if it made it better.
“Well, of course,” I said sarcastically. “Oh, and the animals? “They're all jinn, I assume.”
“The Hinn prefer to take animal shape,” Zimri-dagan explained. “It's their way.”
I glanced at Viper; he'd been staring at me with a goofy expression ever since we'd left the temple. Even through the talk of eating corpses he hadn't wavered.
“What's with the staring?” I asked him.
“You kissed a girl.” Viper grinned like a teenager.
Chapter Twenty
We traced to Pride Palace with a group of twenty Jinn warriors in addition to Zimri-dagan. My husbands were waiting anxiously in front of the tracing room with the Moirai, Teharon, Artemis, and Torrent.
“See? They're fine. I told you there was nothing to worry about,” Clotho declared as we stepped out into the entry hall.
Then the Jinn followed, and everyone went tense.
“It's okay!” Viper held his hands up to ward off my husbands. “They're allies. They're here to help train us.”
“Train us?” Odin looked over the Jinn critically.
“Why are you dressed like Aladdin?” Re lifted an eyebrow at Viper as he swept by to pull me into a hug. “Are you all right, La-la?”
“I'm fine,” I assured him. “I'm a little surprised that you didn't follow me and have Torrent”—I caught myself before I betrayed Torrent's secret to the Jinn—“go into the Internet.”
“We told them not to. We felt the strength of this one's honor.” Lachesis nodded toward Zimri-dagan. “You were safe with him.”
“And I was with her,” Viper added with a look at the other men. “Right? That was a reason to not worry.”
“Sure.” Odin smacked Viper's shoulder as the rest of the men rolled their eyes. “Now, maybe someone could introduce us properly?”
“I haven't been introduced to these men yet either,” I admitted with a wave toward the Jinn warriors. “But this is Zimri-dagan of the Jinn.”
“Jinn!” Clotho clapped her hands and jumped excitedly. “Did you hear that, Sisters? The Jinn have shown themselves at last.”
“Yes, we heard,” Atropos said dryly.
“Huh,” Odin squished up his face. “I thought the Jinn were a myth.”
“You sound like your wife.” Zimri-dagan shook his head. “I assumed that you, Allfather, out of all of Vervain's husbands, would know about the Jinn.”
“I do know about you, but you disappeared so quickly that only myths remained,” Odin protested. “And you weren't from Atlantis. If you were, I would have known.”
“No, we were born after the Fall,” Zimri-dagan confirmed. “The Fey befriended us and helped us to create our territory in the God Realm. After our mother's death, we retreated there. But we do come to Earth often to visit our people.”
“We just do so invisibly,” one of the warriors added with a wink at Clotho.
Clotho giggled. “You sneaky Jinn.”
“And you think you can teach us combat skills that we don't already know?” Wolf asked with a cocked head and a cocky attitude.
“It's not that you don't know how to fight,” Zimri-dagan said diplomatically. “Only that you don't know how to fight Mesopotamians. You see, there's a reason they fear Dragons. The Mesopotamians' greatest weakness is fire.”
Arach started to chuckle. “Oh, I'm going to enjoy this.”
“Um, not to call you a liar,” I interrupted hesitantly, “but Marduk is immune to fire. I've seen him hold lightning in his hand.”
“Marduk is the exception,” Zimri-dagan amended. “As the God of Light, he was given that immunity by the humans. It's why the Mesopotamians needed him to be their champion, and why Marduk got away with making such demands of them.”
“So, what's Marduk's weakness?” I asked eagerly.
“There's only one that we know of.” Zimri-dagan grimaced. “The same weakness that most gods have.”
“I have to take his head,” I concluded grimly.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Our other allies sent teams to Pride Palace to train with the Jinn and then take those skills back to the rest of their armies. The Intare trained beside Froekn, Egyptians, Demons, and Greeks. The only ones who we didn't bother to train were my fire fairies. It turns out that the quickest way to kill a Mesopotamian is to burn a hole straight through their heart. And that just happens to be the way Fire Faeries are trained to kill.
Some of the gods had fire abilities—we had a few sun gods who could harness the heat and creator gods who could manifest flames—but most didn't possess the skill. So, they had to be taught to use what they did have. Gods who could manipulate energy or move things with their magic could simply direct fire that they'd carry with them. Those who couldn't do that would have to carry flaming weapons; swords, spears, and arrows that could pierce Mesopotamian hearts. That being said, once the gods discovered that flaming weapons were up for grabs, all of them wanted one; whether they needed it or not.
That's where the Fire Fey came in. Arach went back to Faerie and set our people to the task of forging weapons for our allies; weapons that could be set aflame with a single word. For the time being, our troops would train with wooden practice weapons, working through maneuvers under the guidance of the Jinn. The Jinn weren't just teaching them where to strike and what to strike with but also how to fight alongside the Jinn Tribes. There were signs that the Jinn would give, even when invisible, so we, their allies, would know when one was about to attack. Jinn are invincible when in their spirit forms but once solid, they can be killed so a lot of their tactics revolved around invisibility. Our soldiers needed to know how to stay out of their way.
My target would be Marduk. He would be gunning for me, and I had to prepare for that. My love magic was gone along with my witch power of reclaiming magic from Gods, my star was broken, and even if I could shift into my dragon form, Marduk was immune to fire. So, I'd have to rely on my sword. I'd carry one of the flaming swords the Fey were crafting, but I wouldn't be trying to impale Marduk's heart with it. I'd use it to behead him.
If I could shine up my rusty sword skills, that is.
I slashed and parried Zimri-dagan's relentless attack. We both wore padded tunics and leather armor, though they were probably unnecessary. Any injury we took should heal rapidly, but I wasn't sure how quickly that would be, what with the state of me. So, I was armored up. I think Zimri-dagan put his on just to make me feel better.
Around us stood some of my men, silently watching the exchange with arms folded over their broad chests. Those of them who had seen me fight with a sword before hadn't seen it in years. I'd stopped using my kodachi and Wolverine blades back when my dragon was released and I discovered the weapons I came equipped with. I had expected to fail horribly, at least in the beginning, but the movements of wielding a blade were similar to those of using claws. I sank into the dance of death with an ease that surprised me.
Zimri-dagan spun on his toes, one knee lifting gracefully as he swung his
wooden practice sword toward my throat. I crouched, his strike whistling above me while I punched him in the gut with my hilt. Our audience made rumbles of approval as my teacher bent into the blow, stumbling back. But Zimri-dagan caught himself on a heel and leapt, kicking my sword out of my hands. In the same movement, he backhanded me, sending me flying in the opposite direction of my weapon.
I grinned and rolled as I landed, tumbling toward my sword. Zimri-dagan was there already, his foot set on the blade. I kept rolling, taking him down and freeing my sword. Just as I grabbed it, Zimri-dagan swung, and I had to fling myself backward to block it. On my back in the sand, I parried another blow before rolling once more, getting enough distance to gain my feet without hindrance. As soon as I stood, I came rushing back at the Jinn. He blocked my first blow but my second smacked into his chest.
