into the cabin.
“Zayele,” she hissed, “get away from the window.”
“It’s fine,” I said, and I slid my fingers through the slats.
The tunnels were dark and vacant. Either the jinn were hiding from a few poorly defended boats, or they had been driven inward by a battle. Every battle we’d had with the jinn was at the mouth of a tunnel. They were trying to work their way back onto the surface to take our lands. Their numbers had grown and their little cavern wasn’t big enough anymore. Also, they were driven by the devil himself. They wanted most to rid the earth of humans.
According to my father, the caliph’s army had been able to hold them off, even though the jinn had powerful wishes on their side. The army had positioned itself at the mouth of every cave and tunnel that led to the jinni cavern. So far, the jinn hadn’t been able to make it out, and their primary weapons were fireballs, which scorched more than they burned.
I thought of all this while the bank of the river went back to its layered sandstone and clumps of grass. The guard relaxed, but I wasn’t able to let go of the window. I turned and looked at Rahela, who sat in the corner of the bench, covered in yards and yards of her woven creation.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s the tunnels. And the jinn. I didn’t know—I wasn’t expecting—it was surprising to see them,” she said.
I left the window and sat beside her, patting the colorful layers piled on her knees. “I didn’t realize you were so afraid of jinn.”
She nodded. “It’s not just jinn. It’s the tunnels. They’re like anthills, and when we were going by, I kept thinking of thousands of jinn pouring out of the tunnels there, flooding into the river, and overpowering our boat.”
I chuckled. “That’s not going to happen,” I said. “They’re not going to risk everything just to catch two girls.”
“I know all of this,” she sighed. “But I cannot turn away thoughts that come unbidden. This whole time, I’ve been thinking about jinn. In Zab, we were safe. But in Baghdad, we’ll be closer.”
“But they’ve got wards in the palace, and we don’t have them in Zab,” I countered.
“We don’t need them in Zab. They’re not interested in a bunch of cliffs and sheep! But they want the palace. Everyone knows that.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you’re worried about jinn but don’t care at all about how we were practically thrown at the prince. This box of a boat cabin doesn’t affect you, and neither does the idea of living forever in another one, in the palace.”
“It does affect me,” she said quietly. “But one of us needs to be rational. We aren’t going to slip away from our obligations.”
“Rational,” I huffed. “You’re the one afraid of some dormant jinni tunnels.”
She folded up the weaving and stood with her back to me. “Promise me you’ll keep watch for me whenever my head is obstructed by fear, and I will keep it level enough for the both of us when we arrive,” she said, and when she turned I saw that half of her mouth had slid into a smile.
“I promise,” I said. “But I also promise that if I can find a way for us to get out of here, I’m going to take it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. It’ll be you against the caliphate, but that wouldn’t surprise me.”
We laughed, and she sat down on the bench, knocking her bony shoulder into mine.
THE RELIEF ON Faisal’s face when I came back told me more than anything he could have said. Had he really been worried while I was gone? It wasn’t as if I’d gone in without any training.
“How did it go?” he asked. The only people in the room now were Faisal and Delia. The rest of the Eyes of Iblis had gone, and their absence left the room so empty it echoed.
I shrugged and looked at the Eye of Iblis. The caliph’s throne filled the entire wall, and it appeared larger than the actual one.
“You left the area,” Delia said. Her voice was
“Zayele,” she hissed, “get away from the window.”
“It’s fine,” I said, and I slid my fingers through the slats.
The tunnels were dark and vacant. Either the jinn were hiding from a few poorly defended boats, or they had been driven inward by a battle. Every battle we’d had with the jinn was at the mouth of a tunnel. They were trying to work their way back onto the surface to take our lands. Their numbers had grown and their little cavern wasn’t big enough anymore. Also, they were driven by the devil himself. They wanted most to rid the earth of humans.
According to my father, the caliph’s army had been able to hold them off, even though the jinn had powerful wishes on their side. The army had positioned itself at the mouth of every cave and tunnel that led to the jinni cavern. So far, the jinn hadn’t been able to make it out, and their primary weapons were fireballs, which scorched more than they burned.
I thought of all this while the bank of the river went back to its layered sandstone and clumps of grass. The guard relaxed, but I wasn’t able to let go of the window. I turned and looked at Rahela, who sat in the corner of the bench, covered in yards and yards of her woven creation.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It’s the tunnels. And the jinn. I didn’t know—I wasn’t expecting—it was surprising to see them,” she said.
I left the window and sat beside her, patting the colorful layers piled on her knees. “I didn’t realize you were so afraid of jinn.”
She nodded. “It’s not just jinn. It’s the tunnels. They’re like anthills, and when we were going by, I kept thinking of thousands of jinn pouring out of the tunnels there, flooding into the river, and overpowering our boat.”
I chuckled. “That’s not going to happen,” I said. “They’re not going to risk everything just to catch two girls.”
“I know all of this,” she sighed. “But I cannot turn away thoughts that come unbidden. This whole time, I’ve been thinking about jinn. In Zab, we were safe. But in Baghdad, we’ll be closer.”
“But they’ve got wards in the palace, and we don’t have them in Zab,” I countered.
“We don’t need them in Zab. They’re not interested in a bunch of cliffs and sheep! But they want the palace. Everyone knows that.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you’re worried about jinn but don’t care at all about how we were practically thrown at the prince. This box of a boat cabin doesn’t affect you, and neither does the idea of living forever in another one, in the palace.”
“It does affect me,” she said quietly. “But one of us needs to be rational. We aren’t going to slip away from our obligations.”
“Rational,” I huffed. “You’re the one afraid of some dormant jinni tunnels.”
She folded up the weaving and stood with her back to me. “Promise me you’ll keep watch for me whenever my head is obstructed by fear, and I will keep it level enough for the both of us when we arrive,” she said, and when she turned I saw that half of her mouth had slid into a smile.
“I promise,” I said. “But I also promise that if I can find a way for us to get out of here, I’m going to take it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. It’ll be you against the caliphate, but that wouldn’t surprise me.”
We laughed, and she sat down on the bench, knocking her bony shoulder into mine.
THE RELIEF ON Faisal’s face when I came back told me more than anything he could have said. Had he really been worried while I was gone? It wasn’t as if I’d gone in without any training.
“How did it go?” he asked. The only people in the room now were Faisal and Delia. The rest of the Eyes of Iblis had gone, and their absence left the room so empty it echoed.
I shrugged and looked at the Eye of Iblis. The caliph’s throne filled the entire wall, and it appeared larger than the actual one.
“You left the area,” Delia said. Her voice was
Similar Books
