Smokeless Fire (30 page)

Not at all. In fact, I’m amazed at your ability to rewrite a script on the spot.

Her laughter glittered in his brain like champagne bubbles, making his heart throb. Jai slid his hand over his chest on the place that ached, wanting to contain the feeling somehow.

We used to do this when we were kids
.
She was getting good at using telepathy. As she spoke to him with her mind, she was still engaging in conversation with Charlie. It was difficult to do. Not many could.

Ah years of practice then.

Yeah. It’s nice. Feels like old times.

You know your boy hasn’t had a drink or a smoke in days?
Why was he telling her that? He wasn’t supposed to be encouraging her with Charlie.
Well you can’t encourage her with you so…

I know. At least one good thing has come out of all of this right?

Hearing the melancholy creep into her voice again, Jai hurried to reassure,
Ari, everything will be fine. I promise.

For a moment he didn’t think she’d answer but then…

If you say so then I believe you.

Something in her voice caught him, making his heart pound, and he twisted his neck around to look at her across the room. She gazed back at him, her expression unreadable but serious. Jai gave her a soft nod.

If she believed in him there was no way he was letting her down.

Ari was mentally
berating herself for not being able to spend five minutes without having some kind of interaction with Jai – using her telepathy to talk to him behind Charlie’s back? What was that? She had little time to yell at herself, however, her attention caught by the dark, writhing shadows that suddenly came to life across the living room walls. The atmosphere in the room grew charged and the spot in front of the television screen shimmered.

Jai muttered, “Incoming,” springing up on to his feet and placing himself between Ari and the shimmer.

Orange, reds and yellows burst before them and this time Ari barely felt the heat of the flames as they licked at them before their smokeless dissipation revealed The Red King.  Relief poured through her and she shot to her feet, stumbling to Jai’s side and feeling Charlie behind her, his strong hand on her lower back, giving her silent support.

“Hey guys.” The Red King grinned cheerfully at them. “How’s it going?”

As if sensing her sudden burst of fury, Jai gripped her arm tight, his fingers biting into her skin as he stopped her from launching forward at the Jinn King. She knew it was a smart move on his part but right now she just wanted to tear the red-head to shreds for making her suffer this long.

Jai cleared his throat. “We’ve been waiting. We’re anxious to help Derek.”

The Red King nodded sympathetically. “Of course you are. Sorry about the delay but Azazil doesn’t exactly jump when you say ‘jump’, you know.” His blue eyes found Ari and they winked at her brightly under the dim light. “You been working on your magic?”

Clenching her teeth tight together in an effort to control herself, Ari nodded tightly.

Once again Jai spoke for her, “Ari’s got a handle on telepathy and she’s been conjuring, using her magic for everyday things.”

“Good, good. What about enchantments or using the
Peripatos
or the
Cloak
?”

“No.” Jai shook his head. “I felt that would be too much too soon. She did a few basic enchantments… turning a cushion to ash and locking Charlie in the bathroom but—”

“I knew that was you,” Charlie grunted behind her and Ari had to bite back a nervous laugh.

“And the Seal?” The Red King took a few steps towards them, his eyes narrowed, his whole body pulsing with energy and power. “Have you used your powers as the Seal yet, Ari?”

Finding her voice, Ari replied hoarsely, “I commanded Jai to shut up. It worked.”

Her uncle burst into laughter, slapping a strong hand against Jai’s biceps. “Oh dude, that’s funny.”

And just like that Ari relaxed, sensing her two companions ease beside her. Smiling now at the king, Ari explained, “I didn’t mean it. These two were arguing and I told them to shut up and Jai literally couldn’t talk until I reversed the command.”

Blue eyes sparking like electricity now, her uncle drank her in with amazement. “So it is indeed true. That’s crazy! Well… we better put Derek back together again then huh?”

Her knees almost buckled with relief at that pronouncement and she had to stop herself from throwing her body into The Red King’s arms in gratitude. “Did Azazil tell you who did it?”

And just like that the air around them changed, compressed, as The Red King’s face grew dark. He took a few steps back and shook his head. “He wants to meet you first.”

“What?” all three of them asked and she could feel both Jai and Charlie bristling beside her. Her own pulse had increased in tempo and this sick, wary feeling was toying with her gut.

“Azazil wishes to speak with Ari directly.” Noting their worried eyes and the way Jai surreptitiously began easing his body in front of Ari’s, The Red King’s own eyes narrowed. “Ari isn’t going to get hurt for the love of Shaitans. Azazil’s just curious. And he wants Ari to know that he’s doing what he can to protect her, even if it is just to piss off my brother. So… you meet Azazil and he’ll give you the scoop on the Jinn that hurt Derek.”

“No wa—”

“You gotta be kid—”

“I’ll do it!” Ari raised her voice over Jai and Charlie’s protests. Jai glared at her and Charlie whipped her around to let her know he was glaring too. Shrugging out of his hands, Ari stepped away from her companions. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m doing this. If meeting Azazil will save Derek them I’m doing it.”

Charlie threw his hands up in frustration. “What part of this doesn’t say ‘it’s a trap!’ to you?”

“Hey!” The Red King’s voice thundered around the room. Ari blanched at the danger in the sound and glanced cautiously over at him. For the first time since she’d met him he looked truly annoyed and truly…
scary
. “Are you questioning my word of honor?” His now black eyes bore into Charlie.

“Say no,” Ari whispered.

Charlie crossed his arms over his chest and Ari’s heart fell, recognizing the defensive stance. Before he could say anything, Jai thrust an arm out pushing Charlie back. “No, he’s not. He’s just a kid worried about his friend. But if you say Ari is safe going to Mount Qaf to speak with Azazil then we believe you.”

There was a tense moment as they all waited to see if Charlie would disagree with Jai. However, he must have remembered that he was owner of a modicum of intelligence for, to Ari’s everlasting relief, he remained silent.

“Good.” The Red King skewered them all with another severe look. In that moment Ari knew he was silently telling them that although he might be a nice, easy-going guy, he was also a guy who could kill them in a snap of his fingers. Drawing the moment out, his demeanor slowly transformed from scary to cheerful again, which was in itself sinister. Ari shivered when his blue eyes alighted on her again. “When I ask you to repeat these words I need you to truly mean them. No being enters Mount Qaf under duress.”

“Got it,” Ari agreed.

“OK. Repeat after me: I, Ari Johnson, wish to request an audience with Azazil, Master and Sultan of the Jinn.”

Feeling stupid, like some lost cast member of
The Wizard of the OZ
, Ari blushed but repeated the words, infusing meaning and belief behind them, “I, Ari Johnson, wish to request an audience with Azazil, Master and Sultan of the Jinn.”

Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth pins and needles started in the tips of Ari’s fingers.
Oh crap, not this again.
Ignoring the uncomfortable pain that began as a tingle and turned into a nip, Ari lifted her eyes from her slowly disappearing limbs to Charlie and Jai’s faces. “I’ll be OK. I’ll be back soo—”

An exhausting blackness dripped into her eyes like thick paint and the accompanying sickly fumes and Ari gave into the overwhelming sensation, letting her body relax and float away into the ether.

Her cheek was
smooshed up against something hard and smooth. Not just her cheek but her whole body. Her chest ached, flattened against the hard surface and Ari groaned, shifting her torso at an angle to relieve the pressure. Just that slight movement felt exhausting. And familiar.

Reality swamped over Ari as the dam broke, the memory of The Red King in her living room unfurling fear in her heart. She was terrified to open her eyes.

“I haven’t got all day, Seal.”

That voice.

Horror pried her eyes open and she jerked up from her prone position on the floor at the warped reflection of herself in the glass tiles. The White King? Pushing herself up with more strength than she thought she’d have, Ari glanced around, her eyes almost crossing over at the warring, clashing reflections that collided with one another in the monstrosity of the glass room she found herself in. Focusing, Ari fought her way through the confusion, her eyes zooming in on the huge figure before her. Not The White King.

Thank the ever loving gods.

“Will you not stand before your Master, Seal?”

This was… Ari’s gaze started at his huge bare feet, travelling up the long legs clad in black hand-sewn leather, to the bare chest inked with tattoos of ancient script, to the billowing blue silk robes and the startling face upon a thick neck. Like The Red King Azazil’s head was unshaven, his long silver-white hair loose and flowing around his shoulders. His skin was a dark contrast to the pure brilliance of his hair, as were the deep black abysses that qualified as eyes. Those eyes were narrowed on her between a strong nose and a hard mouth.

He was huge.

Standing next to a black marble throne that must have stood at least ten feet tall, Azazil was an awe-inspiring and intimidating figure. The Jinn was at least seven feet tall, the largest she had yet to meet.

She guessed it made sense that the daddy of them all was the biggest of them all.

Coming to her senses, Ari struggled to her feet, her sneakers squeaking on the glass floor, making her wince. When she glanced up at Azazil for a reaction he merely frowned and the next thing Ari felt was glass against her bare feet. She blinked, stupefied, down at her tan toes and chipped nail polish.

He’d taken her sneakers.

Shoving down her indignation at that, Ari drew her head back up. How was she supposed to address this guy?

As if reading her mind, Azazil stuck out a hand and she noted that every finger was bejeweled. Guy likes his accessories huh? “You may kiss my hand, Seal.”

Seal?
That was a creepy-ass nickname.

Gulping down her trembling nerves, Ari took a few tentative steps forward, placing her feet carefully one in front of the other as she headed up the dais. She didn’t know why but she kept expecting something to jump out at her and attack her. Despite her resolve to be cool, when Ari reached out a hand to clasp his, her fingers shook like she was on her first ever date. Her hand looked tiny gripping onto his, the heat of him no longer affecting her like it once would have before she’d tapped into her own powers. The butterflies in her stomach raged a war as she pressed her lips to his knuckles, darting back so quickly she nearly fell down the stairs. Glancing up at him, petrified at his reaction, Ari was surprised to see humor glittering in the black depths of his gaze. Unlike his son, The White King, Azazil’s features were warm with emotion. Oh, Ari had no doubt he was terrifying when enraged, and cruel and spiteful when he wanted to be (she’d read the book Jai had given her cover to cover after all), but she also could see that he had the ability to feel. The White King, for some inexplicable reason, didn’t have that. He was the darkest, soulless being she had ever met.

Trembling at the bottom of the dais, Ari waited for Azazil to speak.

“You are quite lovely.” Azazil smiled and Ari felt the warmth of that smile seep through her, her muscles loosening and relaxing. “But then if I remember correctly so is Sala.”

Like always the mention of her mother felt like the crack of a slap across Ari’s face. The warmth dissipated and she grew tense again.

Sensing it, Azazil waved his hand dismissively. “But that is not why you have come. You wish to save your human father?”

“Yes... Your Highness.”

He nodded. “A noble quest. One that…” as he trailed off, his eyes flicking over her shoulders, Ari felt the atmosphere within the humungous room shift and change, like the cap on a bottle of soda twisting, trapping all the gas inside. Ari felt choked by the sensation. Inexplicable fear exploded through her and she whirled around, her eyes fighting through the sparkling reflections to the end of the room. She strained her eyes, noting the Jinn servants in white all staring towards the massive thirty feet double doors at the end of the hall. “Have you mastered the art of the
Cloak
, Seal?”