The Stolen Kingdom: An Aladdin Retelling (The Stolen Kingdom Series Book 1)

by Bethany Atazadeh

  “Like a sand glass?” Bosh’s voice was hopeful.

  “Or a pocket watch,” Ryo added. “Or a sundial...”

  I hid my relief with a laugh. “Exactly like that.”

  “Timepieces,” Kadin mused. He was watching me too closely. His expression hadn’t changed. “That narrows it down, but there will no doubt still be a variety of options. How would we know when a Jinni might bid?”

  “I’ll know,” I declared. In truth, I had no idea, but I needed them to take me with, or all of this would be for nothing. “Up until now, you’ve been guessing. But if you take me with you, I guarantee you I’ll find you a Jinni.”

  I met each of their gazes, letting confidence ooze out of me, and heard each of them begin to believe it.

  I only hoped I was right.

  Kadin studied me. His men watched both of us. “Alright,” he said, even as he thought it. “You’re in.”

  I grinned. I couldn’t help it.

  For a long second, Kadin didn’t look away. You’re going to break my heart, aren’t you? He stood to pour himself another cup of tea, not showing even a hint of the thought on his face, making me feel like I’d imagined it.

  Worried my face was turning red, I glanced around the room and said the first thing that came to my mind, “Let’s find a Jinni!”

  They cheered, raising glasses in agreement.

  Kadin sat back down as they settled. I half-expected him to address the thought he’d had, since he’d been so direct up til now, but he turned the conversation to planning so fast it felt like being twirled one too many times. “The next auction is tomorrow,” he began. “Which means we’ll need to finalize the details tonight.”

  He described what they knew of the next day’s auction. Naveed caught me staring at the teapot and poured me another cup. I smiled my thanks, only half-listening to Kadin until he said, “We’ll use Arie as bait.” I almost choked.

  “Because she’s so pretty?” Bosh asked. Normally men kept those thoughts private. But he was utterly serious.

  “Because she’s a so-called Jinni-hunter,” Kadin smirked as he gave me the title. I guess, in a way, that’s exactly what I was.

  “The real bait is the artifact, though, right?” I spoke up.

  “I suppose you’re right.” Kadin smiled. Only when his thoughts proved in line with his words did I smile back.

  Their excitement was contagious. They plotted all through the afternoon and into the evening, with a few card games mixed in. When the heat of the day cooled, we moved up to the roof. Sitting in the night breeze, full of good food, I lounged in a chair and watched the sun set over the ocean, almost happy. Except when I thought of my father.

  The men had stopped worrying about me unless I asked questions, so I’d grown quiet, content to listen. Mostly, they forgot to think of me altogether, except for Bosh.

  I think I’m in love, the thought floated to me out of nowhere. I avoided his gaze, though I didn’t think he knew he was staring. I’ve found the girl I want to marry. I wonder if she’d dance with me at Summer’s Eve...

  “Bosh, focus,” Kadin chastised him when he caught the young man gawking. Bosh turned away, probably thinking about his embarrassment now. I sighed softly, and Kadin frowned. He didn’t miss a thing. I’d need to be careful of that.

  I leaned my head against the chair, letting my eyes slide shut. But they flew open seconds later as Kadin thought, She’s tired.

  “Come with me.” He stood, leading me back inside and downstairs. “I’ll show you to your room.”

  I followed him down the hall, trailing a finger along the brightly colored walls, watching paint peel off under my touch. Their clothes spoke of wealth, but this dwelling was falling apart, and the furniture was sparse. “How long did you say you’ve been here?” I asked Kadin as we stepped into the bedroom at the far end.

  “I didn’t,” was all he said in response. Definitely not long then. I was bursting with questions, but I decided to wait. I could pick up more by being invisible than by asking him anything.

  Kadin busied himself picking up someone’s pack, stuffing clothes and miscellaneous items lying around the room inside. “This will be your room while you’re working for us.”

  “Working with you,” I corrected him.

  No reaction. He finished filling the pack as I moved toward the rickety bed, eyeing the blankets. This isn’t the time to be picky. After two days of barely eating or sleeping, the warm food in my belly had me swaying on my feet. Wait... “Is this your room?”

  “No,” Kadin said. “It’s your room.” Which I took to mean yes, it had been. He carried his pack toward the door. “Rest. There’ll be time to plan more tomorrow.” I nodded and he closed the door. Why did I trust him? His thoughts were comforting, but some men were just better at hiding their feelings and plans...

  I shrugged as I dropped onto the shaky bed. I’d be more careful when I woke up. Now I needed to listen to my body, which was begging for rest. Curling up, I barely even noticed the rough blankets and lumps in the mattress as I drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter 11

  Arie

  A HANDHELD MIRROR. A set of silver spoons. A lavish settee.

  I stood in the middle of the town square in a crowd of people watching the auction. Each item the auctioneer’s lackeys held up passed slower than a seven-course dinner. Or at least that’s what it felt like. He yelled over the crowd, speaking so fast I struggled to follow, pointing here and there at bids only he seemed to see. I sighed, fanning myself with a large leaf I’d found. It felt like I was being gradually cooked by the sun. A dozen men stood guarding the prizes of the day, and the crowd pressed in closer, making us a mess of sweaty bodies pressed together.

  Not a single timepiece so far. At least none that I was aware of. I’d accidentally bid on the first piece of the morning when I’d brushed my hair from my face, so now I kept my hands carefully below my neck to avoid the same mistake. The tension building in my muscles mixed with the anxiety and overwhelming number of thoughts in such a confined space, was forming what promised to be a spectacularly awful headache.

  I glanced around the square yet again. Standing in the midst of a crowd of people, I searched for any sign of a Jinni, but of course, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking for. Neither were any of the men in the crew, though they were spread out across the square nonetheless, eyes peeled for a sighting. Pale skin and blue eyes. Such small things would be so easy to miss in this mass of sweaty people.

  I watched the men circulate through the crowd. Kadin kept a close eye on me. He was trusting me to bid for their little group today, so he needed to calm down and give me some space. Between him, his men, and the hum of so many in the crowd, I could hardly think straight, much less make out his thoughts, but from his expression, he clearly wasn’t convinced I would come through today. I made a face at him. He only raised his brows at me and hid a smile in response.

  The heat of the sun made me so tired, I almost missed the next item when the auctioneer held it up. It was small, no more than the size of my palm, and rose slightly taller than it was wide. Beautiful gold metal designs framed the thin base and stem, billowing out into a round bulb the size of both my fists put together. Thick green glass with a perfectly shaped opening at the top. It would glow a mellow, warm green light when lit.

  An oil lamp.

  My instincts responded to the lamp. Oil lamps only stayed lit if they had oil. If you filled them to different markers, you would get different amounts of time before it burnt out. Which meant that in a way, it marked time.

  I bid on it impulsively, raising my palm leaf high. Kadin frowned at me, looking like he might break his cover and come over to rebuke me in person. But I simply raised a brow at him, as if to say, think about it.

  His frown softened, turning puzzled. I continued to bid, even as the amount rose higher and higher. I may have been sheltered in our castle, but even I knew when the price grew steep.

  It made sense,
considering the lamp’s base was made of gold and the delicately blown glass looked detailed and ornate, making it very valuable indeed.

  Even though I couldn’t see most of the group while I focused on our lamp, their combined thoughts hoping I was making the right decision felt oppressive.

  The auctioneer’s words flew by, as people kept bidding. “This beautiful item is going fast, if you don’t bid now you’ll lose it, bid now, do I have a bid? You there, sir? Ma’am?”

  I bit my lip, confused, had I lost it? I raised my leaf high again.

  “Young lady, you already have the highest bid. Do I have anyone who dares to risk the young lady’s ire and take it off her hands? Bid now, or forever go without...” I blushed as he continued to rally the crowd.

  Listening closer, I paid more attention to the latest bidder, beginning to worry the cost was growing too extreme. Kadin hadn’t given me permission to bid this high. His frown deepened, but he didn’t try to stop me.

  Then, just as I was about to back out, I felt it.

  A sense I’d only ever felt around one other person: King Amir. I’d assumed it was just because the king made me uncomfortable. It was always so small and insignificant, less noticeable than goosebumps, almost like a breeze. This time it was magnified one-hundred-fold, yet the breeze didn’t touch the leaf in my hand or the clothing around me.

  I lifted my hand to stay in the running and raised up onto my tiptoes to see who might bid next. The internal breeze didn’t have any sense of direction and I worried it was my imagination, until I saw a pale hand rise in the crowd, adding his bid to the rest. I glanced over at Kadin. Worry lines creased his brow, but he nodded for me to continue. So, I did.

  It rose even higher. Between the crew’s lavish clothing and their humble living space, I couldn’t honestly predict what they had to spend, but one by one, the other bidders backed out, until between the auctioneer’s calls, the only hands that rose were mine and a Jinni’s.

  I waved my makeshift fan in the air once more, bidding slightly higher, wondering if even my crown cost this much. Could they afford such a ridiculous sum?

  When the auctioneer urged the crowd to beat my latest bid, there was only stillness. Was the Jinni still there? Had he given up? The auctioneer proclaimed the final price, naming me the winner.

  The lamp was mine.

  As the auctioneer moved to the next item, I wove through the crowd and stepped to the side where the employee wrote down my information and I signed a promise of purchase note. We had until the end of the week to pick it up and pay for it.

  Now what?

  I heard his thought as if it were a shout amongst whispers: Why does she want my lamp? It was so crystal clear that it felt as if he’d spoken to me from mere inches away. I whirled around, looking over both my shoulders, expecting to find him right there behind me. But I was alone.

  It was definitely a Jinni.

  Goosebumps broke out along my skin as I scanned the crowd, searching for him. I’d never heard a Jinni’s thoughts before, but now I knew without a sliver of doubt. We’d found him.

  Hello, Daughter of the Jinn, he spoke directly to my thoughts again, and this time he added a direction to it, making it come from my left, in a way no one had ever done before. How did he know I had Jinni-blood? Could he sense me the way I sensed him? Panic flooded my senses, and despite the sweltering heat, I felt ice-cold. Did that mean he knew of my Gift too? I waited for those surrounding us to turn and stare at me in horror, until a more rational part of me reminded myself that he hadn’t spoken aloud. No one else had heard it. When I turned toward the ‘sound,’ I found him immediately. Staring at me.

  Tall and thin, he stood still amongst the sea of people, hands in his jacket pockets. He had a hook nose, clear, sky-blue eyes beneath dark black brows, and this pale, almost-translucent skin so clear his veins showed beneath, giving his pale skin the slightest hint of blue. His tall forehead spoke of intelligence and his long black hair, almost to his shoulders, was swept back. His stance was casual. Un-hurried. He allowed me to take it all in, with eyes wide and my mouth open, before he continued his internal conversation with me, I wish to buy your lamp.

  I didn’t know whether to think my response back to him or speak it out loud. In my indecision, I simply stood there, planted in place.

  Kadin approached me from the side, while we still stood staring. “Well?” he asked. “Did it–”

  “Kadin!” I interrupted him. “Did you get what you wanted? I got what I wanted, so I’m happy.” It sounded like I was a rambling fool.

  As smart as he was, Kadin somehow didn’t catch on. “Are you okay? Did you spend all that coin just because you thought it was pretty?”

  Without warning, the Jinni stood next to us, joining our conversation. “I don’t mean to intrude.” Kadin jumped as if he hadn’t seen him until he spoke. I smirked ever so slightly. Now he caught on. There was no mistaking a Jinni now that I’d seen one. “I would like to speak to the lady regarding her latest purchase.”

  “Of course,” I agreed.

  When he turned to Kadin, patiently waiting for him to depart, my smirk turned into a full-on grin. I wiggled my fingers at him as he turned to go.

  “Very good,” the Jinni said, facing me. He held a cane. He seemed too young for a cane, only a half-dozen or so years older than myself. Was he older than he appeared? Some legends said the Jinn lived forever. His eyes did seem ancient. Then again, he held the cane more like a weapon than something he needed for support. “How much for the lamp? I can pay you double what you’ve purchased it for.”

  “If you can pay double, then why didn’t you keep bidding?” Kadin called from a few feet away. His eyes narrowed as he scowled.

  “I prefer not to draw unwanted attention to myself,” he replied, turning to Kadin with one raised brow, waiting. Kadin’s scowl deepened, but he took the hint and moved back until he was out of hearing distance.

  “I don’t believe I caught your name,” I said, curtseying and giving him my most charming smile that usually gave me a thought or two. “I’m Arie.”

  The silence from his mind felt almost intentional. I had no way of knowing for sure, but my instincts had me wondering if he was capable of hiding his thoughts? Who knew what the Jinn were capable of? Maybe he could hear all my thoughts right now.

  He sighed. “Gideon.”

  It fit him. “Nice to meet you, Gideon.”

  He nodded at my effort to start with pleasantries, but only said, “I’m waiting expectantly for your answer.”

  I knew for sure Kadin wanted a chance to speak to him, which was the next step in his plan. The next step in mine had been different. I’d wanted to ask him to describe this so-called “Severance.” I’d wanted to know if he would sever my Gift. And I’d wanted to ask if he would also sever King Amir’s. Then the king would never have the upper-hand in Hodafez again.

  But on the spot like this, the enormity of my request hit me and I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I needed more time to think it through and form the right words. To get to know this Jinni a bit better first. After all, a Severance was a lot to trust a stranger with. Especially a Jinni. “Maybe we could meet somewhere quieter and discuss it?”

  Gideon sighed again, long and drawn out. Would he agree?

  The Jinni culture was full of rules that they strictly adhered to. A code of honor. A true Jinni would never steal, no matter how easy it might be for him. At least, that’s what we’d been taught in stories growing up. Now was the moment of truth.

  “So be it,” Gideon finally replied. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he asked, “Where would you like to meet?”

  Chapter 12

  Kadin

  THIS IS FOR YOU, little brother, I thought, watching Arie speak with the Jinni.

  My plan had worked. Finally. After months of searching for a Jinni, this strange girl had shown up and we’d found one at the very next auction. I’d never admit it, but I hadn’t been sure it was possible. A small part
of me had wondered if the Jinni were just a myth like everyone thought back home. But now, this tall, soft-spoken, formidable member of their race stood in front of me, in the flesh.

  And he’d just shoo-ed me away.

  I ground my teeth, waiting from an appropriate distance, until Arie beckoned me to rejoin them. I hurried to do so. My men all watched anxiously from their concealed positions within the crowd.

  “The lady wishes to speak somewhere private.” The Jinni skipped small talk in a strange mixture of bluntness combined with impeccable manners. “Lead on.”

  “Right this way.” I made an effort to hide my reaction, but I felt elated. The hard part was over. The Jinni weren’t nearly as terrifying in person as the stories made them out to be. He’d even called Arie, our girl in rags, a lady.

  “His name is Gideon,” Arie said in a hushed whisper as she brushed past me. My skin tingled where we’d touched, but I didn’t reply. She was already five paces ahead on the road. I gestured for this “Gideon” to go ahead of me, and waited until he turned his back before I signaled my men to follow.

  We stepped into a small clearing just two blocks down on the outskirts of town, where no one would overhear our conversation. My men were careful to stay out of sight, peering out from buildings and trees. No telling if the Jinni might spook easily. I snapped off a piece of long grass from the side of the road, chewing on it out of habit.

  “Now,” Gideon faced me, placing his hands atop his cane. His quiet voice carried in the little clearing and he stared at me with those sharp blue eyes as if he saw more than I would like. “About my lamp.”

  “You mean our lamp,” Arie corrected him, crossing her arms. I had to give her credit for her gumption.

  “We’re willing to part with it,” I amended her statement smoothly. “For a price.”