“To think, everyone believed this world would be so much better than what existed before.” He washed his hands so he could prepare the conjured meat that sat on the cutting board on the large island in the middle of the kitchen.
“Greed and thirst for power often blinds people to the truth.”
“You know, you still surprise me with the things you say.” Praia had always been a source for little nuggets of wisdom which Jinn enjoyed. “I wish what you were telling me was a shocking bit of information, but it’s old news.”
“Seems you always know everything, long before I do. I’ll work on that.” The woman spent much of her time, when not training for battle, in the library. Books were her world. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge, soaking up bits of information and storing them in her mind. She loved knowledge more than she loved steak.
The two ate the meal he cooked… yes, cooked. With magic he was able to gain the meat desired, but he used his own two hands to prepare the meal. Jinn tried his best to restrain from using magic too much, because every time he did, it brought trouble to his door. Unwanted attention from people who had no good intentions. They all sought power and thought, if he could be persuaded to join them, he could give them the power they wanted so badly.
He enjoyed Praia when she visited, though lately her visits were less frequent due to the change in the climate of their new world. It was just as it was before that initial exposure. Everyone could all feel it, something big was coming. Because of this, everyone stayed as close to home as possible. Any time she left the fae territories, it was a risk, a gamble on her life. He thanked her for her visits, but each time she departed, he begged her not to take the risk again.
When Praia left, Jinn found himself sitting on the couch, a bottle of beer in one hand, and in the other, the gift Mike forced him to take. The blank white envelope felt like it was burning in the palm of his hand. Curiosity was nothing but the devil in disguise. His spiked interest in the potentially life changing secret hidden within was the true kindling to a fire he’d want to avoid. Though he knew he shouldn’t open it, that the better choice was to burn the message and move on with his life, he couldn’t help himself.
He broke the seal, took a swig of beer, and opened the envelope. The edge of the photo peeked out at him. What game was Mike playing? As he slid the photo out, he read the note written in Mike’s scribble on the back of the photo. ‘It’s time for you to have a new cause.’ When he turned the picture over, his heart stopped. The heat that he felt in his hand raced up his arm and slammed into his chest. It held there for the longest moment before it burst throughout his entire body.
The deep brown of his skin became flushed with red undertones that gave his strong features a demonic look. His hair fell around his face as he inhaled a calming breath before reaching into his pocket for the phone that only held one number stored in the contacts. The line rang twice before the cocky voice, wrapped in a shit eating grin, greeted him with total understanding of why he was calling.
“I see you opened it.” Mike’s voice was slurred; clearly, he hung around the bar a lot longer after Jinn took his exit.
“Is this real?” If Mike was playing games, he’d chosen the wrong subject matter. Jinn couldn’t promise the snake’s life would continue for much longer if he found out that the message he’d given him was anything but the truth.
“Hey, Jinn you know me. Have I ever been the kind of guy who could make something like that up?” He laughed. “I wouldn’t play with that topic anyway, man, I’m not stupid.”
“She’s alive?”
“Yes, Jinn, she is alive. I would never lie to you about something like this.”
“How?”
“I don’t know how she is alive. What I do know, I’ll be happy to share with you, if you agree to at least consider joining me. This is a shitty way to do this, but I had to play the hand I was dealt, you understand.”
“Meet me at the place, one hour.” The angry djinn hung up the phone. Staring at the picture again, he tried to calm the rage. He needed a clear head before he headed off to see Mike. She was alive. All those years he thought she was gone. He was told she had died. All the years he’d lost with her. She was alive. Nitara.
“What is this?” Jinn held up the photo as Mike approached their usual spot, far away from prying eyes. Deep in the wastelands where no one ever dared venture to. Mike, and those like him, were immune to the toxins in the ground and air. Something about the ill magic that created his kind, gave them better ability to process poisons. Though they could survive there, they knew nothing else could. Plants, food, everything no matter how viable, perished within moments of being introduced to the environment. Being there had no effect on Mike, except remind him that they weren’t always monsters.
He was born in the sewers, but his mother and father were human, turned into something else through chemical and magical experiments. Once those projects proved to have horrific results, their test subjects fled to go underground where it was safe for them. They had no choice but to hide after their bodies started to transform. Most of the victims slowly shifted from their human selves to their reptilian mutations. Limbs and hands transformed, tails grew, skin scaled, eyes became slitted and in some cases eyelids became immobile. These changes made it impossible to continue their normal lives.
“It’s exactly what it looks like.” Mike stopped just a few feet from Jinn. The wind kicked up, sending the reddish-brown dirt in the air in a cloud that would burn to breathe in. “I told you, I’m not playing any games here.”
“Nitara, she’s alive? Say it, tell me she is alive.” Jinn needed, the words to cross Mike’s thin lips. His friend was many things, but a good liar wasn’t one of them.
“Yes, she is.” The response was said with a straight face, not the slight uptick of the corner of his lips or the twitch of his right eye. If Nitara was dead, Mike sure as hell didn’t believe it to be the case.
“How?” Magic kept Jinn off the ground, a pocket of clean air around himself keeping his body safe from the toxins in the air. He wasn’t sure what the environment would do to him, and he wasn’t eager to test out the theory. “I asked about her, every damn person I cam in contact with, hundreds if not thousands over the years. They all said she died. How could she possibly be alive?”
“That is what everyone was made to believe. Hell, it wasn’t just her. As far as the world knew, there were only a couple of djinn left. According to my sources, there are more kept where she is. Tell me something … how many have you stumbled across during your time back? We all know the stories of our pasts are often twisted to better fit the message needed. Everyone knew that once you returned, you would come looking for her. While you were gone, her vessel fell into the wrong hands, and whoever had the damned thing wanted to make sure you couldn’t find her. After a while she fell off the map completely. I don’t think much effort was ever put into trying to find her, but when I saw the picture, I recognized the charm around her neck and knew she was your girl.”
The crescent moon was Nitara’s favorite. Whenever it touched the sky, she would sit for hours staring at it. Those moments were the best part of his day, watching the way she lit up as she bathed in the moonlight. He wanted to experience that every day, so he carved the moon out of a small piece of stone. The charm hung around her neck on a thin piece of leather. He noticed his gift to her in the photo but told himself that it was someone else’s. Someone playing a game.
“Who?”
“Jinn—”
“Who has her, Mike?” he yelled. “Why else would you give me this? Why else would you tell me now?”
“To wake you up! You think you can just sleep through the shit that’s happening here? Like what’s going on around here doesn’t affect you, and you aren’t a part of this world? There’s no deny it, not anymore. Like it or not, you’re a part of all of this.”
“You knew, all this time and you said nothing! We’re supposed to be friends, but instead of si
mply coming to me with the information you found out, you decide that the best way to tell me that my wife is alive is through blackmail. What the hell do you want from me?”
“That’s not what this is. I heard rumors, whispers of her life. I had to be sure, to find out for myself before I brought this to you. What good would it have been to tell you before I took the time to verify the facts? Like I said, us outcasts, we hear things. There was no way I could bring this to you without proof, knowing what you would do.” He looked Jinn square in the eyes; both of them well aware that if he lied the snake’s head would already have been removed from his torso. Jinn had a temper, and nothing sent him over the edge like the loss of Nitara. “Look, join us, help us and we can help you get her back.”
“There it is! Right there!” Jinn yelled. “I knew it, you are just like everyone else. This shit,” he held up the photo, “this is your bottle, something for you to hold over my head so I can grant you a wish.”
“Jinn, it’s not like that.”
“Yeah, right, Mike. Sure.” He turned away from the man and headed off toward his bike, which waited completely covered to avoid any damage from the wastelands where they met.
“Where are you going?” Mike called out behind the djinn.
“I got some people to talk to, and if you know what’s best for you, you won’t follow me.”
“Jinn!” Mike started to run after him but slid to a stop, nearly falling, when Jinn turned on him. He held his hand out and called flames that lifted from the ground. A toxic green touched the edges, the effects of the chemical in the earth. “Don’t do this man!” Trapped by the flames all he could so was shout until Jinn was too far out of range to hear him.
The city of Vilar was one of the most beautiful that existed in the new world. Surrounded by lands devastated by war, the home of the fairies presented a beauty to the world that seemed alien. The fairies used their magic to retain the life of their home through the war. None of the toxic flames that scorched the surrounding lands were able to get through their shields.
Gone were the iron structures made by men, the buildings that scraped the sky had been torn down. Every building grew from the ground, having its own pulse as life still coursed through the limbs of trees and magically reinforced vines that were woven together to craft structures of strength. Along the length of the vines, flowers of various colors giving each of the structures a unique floral aroma.
It wasn't just the buildings, or the few skyscrapers that stood tall and proud. What held the most impact was the minor things, the plants and flowers lining every path and the wildlife that roamed the streets and lived in perfect harmony with the fairies. This was the vision imagined for the world after the humans lost control. Only, Vilar was an anomaly in the new world order. Not every territory was this beautiful. Not all people had it so good. A family of langur monkeys swung above him as his bike rolled along that pathway, the engine disturbing the tranquil atmosphere as he passed.
While Vilar was a breathtaking sight, it was also designed to become immediately impenetrable. Within a matter of moments, the welcoming city would be closed off to the world. The vines that lay at the border walls would shoot up into the sky creating a dome that would seal off the city. The flowers, which add beauty to the structure would turn venomous shooting out poisonous projects powerful enough to take down a giant.
“Are you sure you want to go there?” Praia asked, joining him after he’d parked his bike. They walked down the street headed to Vilar, the epicenter of the fairies’ territory. Jinn had asked her to meet him, so he could give her an update on everything that was happening. She knew from experience a meeting request meant he needed to vent before doing something really stupid. Never one to say no to the man who conjured her steaks, she agreed. “Nothing good can come of this.”
“If they have the information I need, then yeah, I’m sure.” As usual, every person they passed looked at them with questioning gazes. It was no secret that Praia was friends with Jinn, but the two of them weren’t often seen together in public. Hell, it wasn’t often that Praia was seen amongst the fairies at all, and Jinn … well, he was nothing more than an apparition.
“What exactly are you willing to give them in return? These aren’t the same fairies you may remember; they’ve changed. You know that. Anything you request from them, they are going to want a trade. They’re going to want to bargain with you. You gotta think about that, Jinn.” The petite fae struggled to keep up with his long strides but managed not to fall behind.
“Yes, I’m well aware. I also know that they lied to me. In exchange for my help they were supposed to provide validation of what happened to Nitara. They were the ones who told me she died.” He marched on as he spoke, his temper rising. “They were the ones who fed me false information! All these years, she has been out there, and I haven’t been looking for her. She is trapped somewhere, and I just allowed it! I held up my end of the bargain, it's time that they did.”
“I’m just saying, you may want to rethink things, sleep on it for a bit.” Praia skidded to a halt as Jinn spun on her. They stood statue still, on full display for the fairies to gawk at.
“Look, Praia, I didn’t tell you about this so that you would feel obligated to come with me. I get it if you don’t want to do this, but I need you to understand that I have to go in there. You can’t expect me to turn away from this. All this time, I thought she was dead. Now I find out that was all a lie? Or was it? Hell, I don’t even know if this photo is real.” He took the picture from his pocket and held it up. “I need to do this. I have to find out, regardless of what fucked up fox trap I may be walking into right now. I have to know the truth.”
“Nitara, she meant that much to you?” Yeah, she knew about Nitara, but Jinn had never spoken to her in depth about his love for the woman, or how much he would put on the line to save her. Jinn would walk through fire for his wife, and for the first time he was really allowing the world to see what his love for her meant.
He turned back toward the path that led to the city’s center, pulled his hair up into a loose bun, and took a deep breath. How could he put what he felt into words so the fae, who was still in many senses still a young girl, could understand? His gaze swept over his shoulder to the tiny woman expectantly awaiting his explanation, the thoughts tumbling from his lips as best as he could phrase them. “She meant more to me than the earth, the sky, and the endless universe beyond. She was my world. The very air in lungs that refused to expand without her. Every fiber of my being is hers to command. If there is any chance that I can feel her life beside me, fueling my own once more, there is no way I could give up on that.”
“Wow, Jinn. I had no idea.” She smiled at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “Damn. I hope someone cares about me as much as you do for her. You know that I’ll help in any way I can.”
“As long as I keep you fed with steak.” He smiled and winked at his friend. He knew that she would support him, no matter how insane the cause. She always had.
“See, we have an understanding!” Her laughter trailed behind her as she hurried to keep up with him.
“Wake up, sleepy head.” Her voice was a melody he hoped to wake up to every morning for the rest of his life.
“Nitty.” He spoke the nickname through the blanket of sleep that held his voice hostage. “Why are you up so early?”
“Up with the sun, you know same as every other day.” As much as she loved the moon, his wife couldn’t bear to miss the sunrise. He wondered how she ever got any sleep.
“Ah, yes, the sunrise. How was it today?” He stretched his limbs, not wanting to sit up yet.
“It was beautiful, as always.” Finally, she stepped into view, holding the carved stone between her fingertips. She played with the thing all the time, and to see her twist the delicate charm between her fingertips brought him joy. Their home was small, but it was theirs. He’d worked hard, with Nitara right by his side, to build a quiet life for the two of them. Not far f
rom the village where they were raised, they operated their farm. The home, the sheds, and the shelter for the animals were all put together by their hands. Things were working out great for the newly married couple. The cows were good to them that year, producing enough milk to sell to several nearby towns.
“I should say the same about the sight before me now.” He held his hand out to her, beckoning her to come near.
“You flatter me.” Like a magnet, she was drawn to him, her hand reaching out to him. As soon as their fingers touched, he pulled her to the bed and kissed her lips.
“I speak nothing but the truth to you. These lips could never part to deliver a lie to your ears.” His full lips brushed against her ear, causing her small laugh to fill the room.
“I love you, Jinn.” Her fingertips brushed his jaw, eyes peering into his as she drank in the love.
“Nitara, you will have my heart for as long as the sun rises to kiss the sky, and for an eternity after it fades.”
“Jinn, what are you doing here?” The head of the fairy guard approached, the heels of her steel-toed boots knocking against the marble floor. She led her command with strength, and those who followed her, trusted in her entirely. She was second only to one, the queen.
“Good to see you too, Briar.” Getting to the lobby of the crown of Vilar was easy enough, but if he wanted to go further, he would need permission. Unaligned or not, there were certain protocols in place that had to be considered.
As she crossed the open space, four others joined her, their facial expressions ranging in levels of excitement, from completely bored to nearly uncontrollable glee. That was the way of fairies—they all had their affinities, which gave them varied strengths and powers. Those connections also affected their personality. In most cases you could tell exactly what their affinity was with a glance.
“Last time we saw each other, you said you’d never return here. Swore on it, in fact.” She nodded and wagged a finger at him as she recollected the last time they spoke. “So, I assume something extreme has happened to bring you here now.”
Djinn Rebellion Boxset (Books 1 -30: A Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Page 3