djinn wars 04 - broken (28 page)

So at least they knew who she was. She’d wondered if they would pay any attention to her at all, or whether she would have to stand off to the side and let Jace do all the negotiating.

“Elders,” she said, imitating Jace as best she could. She had to cut the bow short because the oxygen tank began to slide forward and threatened to smack her in the head if she didn’t stand back up immediately. As she straightened, she could have sworn she saw the redheaded djinn woman’s mouth twitch with suppressed laughter.

If Jace had noticed her amusement, he didn’t give any indication. Since the pleasantries had been dispensed with, he appeared ready to get down to business. “We’re here because of a most pressing matter. Zahrias al-Harith has been taken by a woman of the djinn, Lyanna al-Syan, and — ”

“We know,” said the lead elder. His face was utterly impassive, so Julia couldn’t begin to guess what his opinion on the situation might be.

Jace blinked. “You
know?
”

“Yes. There is very little that escapes our attention, Jasreel, especially if it involves one who has been given a position of responsibility. After the incident this past spring with Khalim al-Usar, we knew we must watch all of you in Santa Fe a little more closely.”

Stepping forward, Julia said, “But if you knew, why didn’t you do anything about it?”

The elder’s eyes seemed to linger on the cannula in her nose, the thin tubing attached to the oxygen tank slung over her shoulder. “My congratulations on your resourcefulness. We did not expect one of your kind to come here, not when the risks were so high.”

“What else could I do?” she responded. “I wasn’t about to sit idly by and let others do the work of getting Zahrias back.”

The elders were all silent then, although Julia had a feeling, judging by the way their eyes flickered toward one another, that they were holding one of those disconcerting subvocal conversations. After a long pause, the redheaded djinn got up from her seat and came forward.

“And why is it so important that you be involved in his rescue?”

The question was asked simply, but Julia guessed the djinn woman already knew the answer. As to why she’d asked it…maybe she wanted Julia to make a formal declaration in front of all of them before they’d offer their aid. Which was fine. At this point, she was far beyond pride.

“Because I love him,” she said. “I’ve probably loved him almost since the moment I first met him, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself. That’s why I’ve come. We’ve already lost too much time together.”

“And does he love you in return?”

Did he? Zahrias had never spoken the words, but in that moment, Julia realized it didn’t matter. The way he had kissed her, held her, looked into her eyes — she knew that he’d fought against the feeling as much as she had, but had finally given up resisting. Sometimes you simply had to accept what the universe decided to send you.

“Yes,” she replied.

“And yet you were not his Chosen,” said one of the other elders, a man who had not spoken before then.

Hearing that painful detail spoken of so calmly made Julia want to flinch. “No,” she said. “But he told me he regretted that he hadn’t done so. And I believed him.” Of course she had believed him — the truth had been all too clear in every painful syllable he’d uttered. The djinn had many powers, but the ability to turn back time wasn’t one of them. All Zahrias could do now was attempt to move forward.

Another one of those thick pauses, one where she could practically feel the mental conversations going back and forth amongst the elders. “Your cause is just,” the lead elder said at last. “But I fear we cannot help you.”

“What?” Julia burst out. She began to take a step forward, but Jace laid a hand on her arm, restraining her. Belatedly, she realized that making any aggressive movements around such powerful beings probably wasn’t the best idea in the world.

“I’m not sure I understand,” Jace said, his voice tight. Right then, Julia realized he was doing everything he could to keep himself from lashing out at them as well.

The twinkle had disappeared from the redheaded djinn’s eyes. Lovely features so still they might have been a mask, she said, “Zahrias al-Harith has a history with this woman, this Lyanna al-Syan, does he not?”

“Yes,” Julia replied, not sure what that had to do with anything. But even as the djinn elder asked the question, Jace had seemed to deflate suddenly, the straight set of his shoulders drooping.

“Oh.”

“What is it?” she demanded. “Am I missing something here?”

Deep green fabric woven with copper threads glinted as the djinn woman lifted her shoulders. “We do not interfere in the personal lives of our people. This is something you will have to work out amongst you.”

Julia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “But you helped us when Aldair kidnapped Jessica Monroe, Jace’s Chosen! How is that not interfering in their personal lives?”

The redheaded djinn ignored Julia’s abrupt tone. In fact, her expression softened, and she went so far as to step down from the dais and lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It was not the same thing. Aldair and Jessica had never been lovers. In addition, he had allied himself with Khalim al-Usar to violate the compact we had all agreed to, that the Chosen should not be harmed in any way. But Lyanna al-Syan has not broken that compact. Has she hurt anyone?”

“Yes,” Julia said at once. “Or at least, a man who was working for Lyanna’s brother killed three people, friends of mine. I would say that was hurting someone.”

The djinn woman lifted her hand from Julia’s shoulder. Her eyes, a deep green flecked with gold, were somber. Tone soft, she asked, “But were they Chosen?”

Of course they weren’t. Brent and Nancy and Eric had been among the Immune, but they were under no djinn’s protection. The realization only made Julia that much angrier. “So I suppose you’re telling me it doesn’t matter that they were killed, since they were just ordinary humans.”

“I am not saying that,” she replied calmly. “But there is no compact protecting the Immune. Any djinn can kill an immune human and not have to worry about the consequences, because there are none.”

“That’s horrible.”

“To you, perhaps. But since Lyanna has broken none of our laws, we cannot prosecute her, or pursue her.”

Julia couldn’t believe she was hearing any of this. Fury burned in her. To risk so much, and for what? Only to be told that it wasn’t their problem, and to run along now? “So you’ll just sit back and let her keep Zahrias as her plaything?”

“Regretfully, yes.” The djinn woman hesitated, and then she smiled. “But fear not. Even as a captive, I believe Zahrias al-Harith is not entirely without resources.”

He had to wonder how much of her family’s wealth Lyanna had squandered to build such a place. Dining halls and libraries and galleries and bedrooms and bath chambers — all to support one person? Surely she spent her time in only a tenth of all this space, if even that much.

But of course he did not show his disapproval. No, he smiled at the appropriate intervals, and uttered false words of praise, and made sure she could not detect a note of censure in his voice.

Now she had led him out into a garden of sorts, carefully shielded from the harsh environment outside the palace walls by an enormous pergola covered in thick vines. He did not recognize the plant, but knew it must be something that thrived in hostile conditions, for in general, the flora of Earth did not do well here. Under the protection of that vine, however, more flowers and vines and bushes grew, bringing an incongruous touch of green to a place that did not generally see such abundance.

“It is very beautiful,” he told her, the first true word of praise he had spoken all afternoon. Truly, it did refresh his soul somewhat to be in a place that reminded him of the world he’d been taken from.

“I thought you would like it,” Lyanna replied. She stepped a few paces away from him to run a fingertip over the velvety petals of a blood-red rose that grew nearby.

“And yet….” he began, then stopped himself.

“And yet what?”

“You could have all this down in the mortal plane as well,” he said. “Our people have begun to settle there in earnest, have they not?”

Her scarlet-tinted lips pushed together. “You sound like Qadim.”

Zahrias hadn’t expected that comment. “I do?”

“Yes. He thinks I am foolish for expending so much energy on this house. In fact, he believes I will be punished for bringing you here in such a fashion. Silly, is it not? The elders do not stoop to involve themselves in lover’s quarrels.”

No, they did not. Zahrias realized he should have thought of such a thing earlier. They would not intercede in what they viewed as a personal matter. That was something for his and Lyanna’s families to take up, if they wished. But his mother had taken the draught of the dark sleep years and years ago, and his father was most likely far too concerned with his latest conquest, whoever she might be, to care overmuch about what happened to his son. Dani would do what he could, given the opportunity, but he had a newborn child to worry about. Zahrias was slightly encouraged that Qadim had washed his hands of his sister and her plots, but that disapproval most likely would not extend to offering any sort of assistance. He feared he was very much alone in this.

“That is true,” he said, taking care to keep his tone light. “On the other hand, I have heard that the elders have subtle ways of making their displeasure known, even if they cannot take direct action.”

“They do not worry me.” Lyanna gave a negligent lift of her shoulders and turned back toward him, eyebrows raised in apparent disdain. “Qadim believes I will get the scraps from the table when it comes time for me to claim my own demesne on Earth, but he doesn’t understand one very important fact.”

“Which is?”

“I care nothing for living on the mortal plane. What could I have there that I do not already have here? And besides, the face of that world is still covered with the mortals’ ugly cities and roads and all manner of things I would prefer not to look at. So I think it is far better to stay here.”

“Even if everyone else should leave?”

Her expression turned sly. “Ah, but they won’t
all
leave, will they?” She came closer and laid her hand on his forearm. Zahrias made sure he didn’t react, but only gazed down into her face with a mildly curious expression. He couldn’t allow her to see how violently he wished to tear his arm from her grasp. “You will be here with me, Zahrias. And if I have you, then I certainly have no need of anyone else.”

In that moment, he could only wonder what he had done so very wrong, to be tormented by her like this. But he could not waste any of his energies in shouting recriminations at the universe. He must remain focused, no matter what.

Because what he saw now, as he fixed a false smile on his lips, was that the vine-covered pergola did not quite touch the top of the wall which enclosed the garden. A tight fit, for a man of his size, but he thought he might be able to squeeze through, if given the opportunity. That would be the real trick, for he rather doubted Lyanna would allow him to come here alone, and of course he could not slip away from his suite, not when every door was locked against him and
ni-khar
blocked his powers at every turn.

Still, realizing that her house was not quite the impregnable fortress he’d feared it might be gave him some hope. He would find a way, even if….

Even if he had to do the worst. Never in his life had he raised his hand against a woman, but he doubted anyone would argue that Lyanna had brought that violence upon herself, if matters should come to such a pass.

Only as a last resort,
he told himself.
And only if there is truly no other way.

Tone light, he said, “No one else at all? What about the men who work as your guards, or the
jann
who bring your meals and make sure everything is tidy?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Oh, the
jann
— they cannot really be counted as people. And as for the guards, well, once I am sure of you, I will have no need of them, will I?”

In her mind, perhaps not. Zahrias wondered if he should force himself to do the unthinkable, to lie down with her so she might be gulled into believing he had succumbed to her charms. Perhaps then she would dispense with the
ni-khar
wards, and the djinn who watched the doorways.

But then he saw Julia’s face in his mind, those blue-gray eyes of his looking at him with a sort of terrible need, the kind one didn’t want to admit even to oneself, and he knew he could never do such a thing. He and Julia had made no true compact, had not spoken any true words of love to one another, and yet being intimate with Lyanna felt like the very worst sort of betrayal. He would have to come up with a different plan.

“No, I suppose you would not need them any longer,” he told her, infusing a certain warmth into the words in the hope that she would read into them a kindling desire on his own part. It might not require all that much to push her into relaxing her guard — a smile here, a touch on the hand there. She so believed in the myth of her own desirability that it shouldn’t be too much work at all to make her think he had succumbed to her charms and had forgotten all about the mortal woman he once loved.

Or so he hoped. Because he knew he would not be able to endure much more of this.

Chapter Fifteen