Smokeless Fire (20 page)

Charlie handed them over somberly. “You need help?”

“Not from you.”

A.J. and Staci drove off with Nick towards Ridge Heart hospital, towards the disquieting revelation they’d discover pretty soon. Shivering, Ari wrapped her arms around herself, hating her father and her mother for doing this to the people she cared about. They might not have done this with their own two hands, but indirectly they had caused this. Their actions had put a dangerous being like Ari in amongst good, ordinary folks and she’d drawn evil towards them.

A strong arm came around her shoulders and Ari was folded against Charlie’s warm chest. She breathed him in, clutching a hand to his
Nine Inch Nails
t-shirt. He smelled like lemons and damp soil and fresh musky sweat.  She wanted to curl up inside him and never let go.

“You didn’t do this,” he murmured against her forehead, pressing a soft kiss to her skin. “Don’t do this to yourself.”

“I’m trying,” she whispered.

He rubbed her arm comfortingly. “Try harder. Nobody beats up on my friend Ari. Including my friend Ari.”

She smiled weakly, glad that at least one good thing had come of all this. Every second she was growing closer to getting her old Charlie back.

~13~

Years of Stars I’ve Yet to Know

When Ari and Jai finally returned home that night there was a message from Staci on her answer machine explaining that Nick had lost his memories from the last eighteen months and the doctors couldn’t figure out why. There didn’t seem to be any physical injury and there was no head trauma so they’d decided to keep him in overnight. She said she’d keep Ari updated and then quietly added that A.J. was wondering if they had told them everything that had happened in the parking lot.

“I’m really sorry, Ari,” Staci whispered, as if she didn’t want to be overheard. “But if my dufus boyfriend has his way he’ll get the Sheriff involved. Nothing happened… right?”

Swallowing down the guilt Ari had deleted the message and listened to the one Rachel had left explaining how she had heard what had happened with Nick and was wondering if Ari was alright. Not one to hold a grudge against Rachel for her sporadic brattiness, Ari called her back and they arranged for Rachel to come over to the house in the morning to catch up. All the while, Jai sat on the floor reading
Enchantment
by Orson Scott Card. The only time he shifted was when they heard Derek coming upstairs. Jai changed into the Great Dane in a burst of fire and flame and they waited with bated breath to see if Derek would knock on her door.

He didn’t.

His footsteps echoed on down the hallway to his bedroom and the door closed quietly. When Jai changed back she could feel his eyes on her questioningly, but she didn’t want him to see her hurt or disappointment in Derek so she grabbed up the leather-bound book he had given her, too wired to go directly to bed. Her breathing eased when she heard him rustling back down onto the sleeping bag to read. Suddenly realizing how selfish she’d been acting with Jai (he had to move when she moved, eat when she ate, sleep when she slept) Ari lowered the tome in her hands and let her gaze fall on Jai’s dark head. His hair was cut pretty close, almost military. He suited the severity of the cut but she thought perhaps he’d look younger, softer, with longer hair. Feeling her eyes on him, Jai lifted his eyes up from his book without moving his head.

His mouth quirked up under her unflinching stare. “Something wrong?”

Ari sighed. “I haven’t been the best hostess, have I?”

His eyes glittered under the lamp on her computer desk and the quirk turned into a half-smile that transformed his hard face. She ignored the tiny flutter in her chest somewhere near her heart. “You’re not supposed to be a hostess here. I’m not a guest. I’m a guardian.”

“But if you’re tired and want to sleep I’ll turn off the lights.”

“I’m fine, Ari. Read the book.”

“If you’re sure?”

He shook his head, lowering his gaze again. “Ari, guys aren’t like girls. When we say we’re fine
we
actually mean it.”

Snorting at that, Ari picked the book back up. Opening the pages, she felt a shiver cascade down her spine, the crinkling of the paper seeming obnoxiously loud in the quiet of her bedroom.  She stared down at the first page, her stomach churning. She was afraid of a book. Afraid of discovering more about her—

Say it, Ari.

—kind.

She wasn’t human.

Without meaning to her eyes drifted over to Jai again. He wasn’t human either. But he seemed human. He seemed… like one of the good guys. Of course, she couldn’t know that for sure, but she felt it somehow.

Her fingers trembled as she traced the bold black script on the page in her lap.

Jinn: A History

By

Anonymous

Ari wondered who Anonymous was and why he/she felt the need to be anonymous. That seemed a little
ominous
to her. Maybe people weren’t supposed to write down stuff about the Jinn. Maybe the book was taboo. Shrugging off her unease, Ari turned the pages and began to read. The first few chapters were about the different kinds of Jinn, the most powerful ones, the more common ones. Her eyes trailed over one of the lists and she wondered if she’d ever be able to remember this stuff.

Jinn
: This term is a collective one, used to describe individual Jinn and tribes of Fire Spirits. Jinn in their varied forms, like man, carry good souls within them or evil souls.

Hierarchy of the Jinn:

Azazil  (also known as Iblis) :
Sultan of the Jinn, Azazil is the first and most powerful of his children. He was born out of Chaos but legend tells us he has also fought on the side of good. As such, Azazil’s mercurial nature lends itself to good and evil.

The Seven Kings of Jinn:
Azazil’s seven sons. Each king reigns supreme over one day in the mortal week. They have jurisdiction over their allocated day and can interfere in the lives of Importants (see page 112 paragraph 2). In descending order:

The Gilder King – Ruler of Sunday (neutral in the War of the Flames [see page 245])

The Glass King – Ruler of Monday (subject to Azazil in the War of the Flames [as above])

The Red King – Ruler of Tuesday (subject to Azazil in the War of the Flames)

The Gleaming King – Ruler of Wednesday (subject to The White King in the War of the Flames)

The White King – Ruler of Thursday (inciter of the War of the Flames [see page 243-245 onwards])

The Shadow King – Ruler of Friday (subject to The White King in the War of the Flames)

The Lucky King – Ruler of Saturday (neutral in the War of the Flames)

Intrigued by the so-called ‘War of the Flames’ Ari wanted to skip through all the other stuff to page 243 to learn what it was and why The White King –
her father
– had incited it. But if there was one thing Ari knew when studying for her SATs it was to never skip the boring parts because that’s usually what came up in the exam. She drew her knees up to her chest, the book balancing on them, and she narrowed her eyes over the top of it to study Jai.

He wasn’t going to quiz her on this was he?

“Keep reading,” he murmured turning his page.

Her mouth fell open in amazement. How did he do that? Flushing at having been caught staring, Ari sunk deeper into her pillows to hide behind her knees and bury her head in the book.

It is argued whether the next in the order of hierarchy should come before the Seven Kings of Jinn for none truly understand the extent of his power…

Asmodeus
: Often referred to as Prince Asmodeus, he is Azazil’s 1
^st
Lieutenant and the very first of the race of Marids (see page 87 para 4). Terrifyingly powerful and born of the evil Jinn, Asmodeus is loyal to Azazil – it is unknown why he is loyal to the Sultan, but his loyalty is absolute.

The lesser royal Jinn that followed weren’t nearly so interesting as this Prince Asmodeus guy but Ari read on, her eyes glazing over every now and then until she snapped herself to attention at a list of the most common Jinn.

Marid: 
Always evil, the Marid have extraordinary power and are known to live as long as 2500 years, although Asmodeus is far older (his true age remains unknown, although some postulate he is almost as old as Azazil).

Ifrit
: Like all Jinn, the Ifrit are telepathic and can converse with other Jinn this way. Like most Jinn the Ifrit can shapeshift, possess, shield themselves with invisibility by stepping into the Cloak, conjure with magic and enchantments, and place curses upon lesser beings
—
although their magic is not as powerful as the Marid’s. However, each individual Ifrit has one gift specific to them that can even overshadow the power of the Marid. The soul of the Ifrit is more ambiguous than the Marid. Although some are evil, some have been known to be good.

Shaitan:
Children and servants of the Sultan, the Shaitan have never been known to be anything but evil and are loyal only to those strong enough to call themselves their Master.

Ari read on, discovering the names of some pretty disgusting creatures, along with the Nisnas she had encountered and the Labartu that had killed Charlie’s little brother. The majority of the information concentrated on the bad Jinn and Ari was left with a sick feeling in her stomach as the information planted itself firmly in her brain. It was weird. She had never wanted to know about her heritage but as she read on it became impossible to put the book down. Now that she knew what was out there, she had to know what else was out there. She had to arm herself in some way against the force of the Jinn. She was fascinated to learn that there existed half-breed Jinn — half-human, half-Jinn — that the Jinn called Hybrids. There were two kinds: Sorcerers and The Guild. According to Ari’s findings, Sorcerers were rare because most Hybrids had no idea about the Jinn and therefore didn’t connect with their magical abilities. The rare few who did were usually unable to handle the strength of the power without it turning their minds. They utilized talismans, seals and inscriptions to channel their magic. Theirs was considered ‘illicit’ magic for they often used it for their own means and to enslave Jinn. On the other end of the spectrum was The Guild, tribes of Hybrids who grew up learning ‘licit’ magic to hunt down Sorcerers and prevent any harm to humans from them or evil Jinn. They technically got away with killing Sorcerers because they were half-human but if a member of The Guild killed Jinn, rather than merely disarming them, they were called to Mount Qaf to face trial in the Jinn Courts.  Wincing at how unfair that was, Ari moved on, surprised to discover that The Guild was created centuries ago by The Gilder King. Apparently he was known among the Jinn as the most benevolent of his brothers. It made Ari feel easier about The Red King; maybe he wasn’t so bad after all too? Maybe, she really could trust him? She felt like she could trust Jai anyway.

Skimming through, Ari finally stumbled upon the history pages. What was written was only what ‘Anonymous’ considered the most important of Jinn history. She read about stuff The White King had already told her: that for centuries he and his brothers meddled in the lives of Importants, shaping destinies, building empires, destroying cities. Soaking it up, Ari turned the page to a new chapter and felt her heart pick up for no good reason at all.

Chapter Four: The Seal of Solomon

Religious scripts called him a Prophet, the son of David, but here he is known simply as King Solomon, enslaver of Jinn and master of the Seal of Solomon. Stories differ as to who bestowed the Seal of Solomon upon this Important but what is known is that it was a god. Placing into Solomon’s hand a ring of brass and iron, this god offered the mortal king the greatest of power. With the brass part Solomon could stamp his written commands to the good Jinn and with the iron part, he stamped his commands to the evil Jinn. With this unlimited power, King Solomon enslaved many Jinn, using them to build his great temples and provide him with whatever he wished. Over the years, out of pride and greed, he began to abuse his power, and Azazil the Great Sultan grew uneasy for the first time. Enlisting Asmodeus to determine the true power of the Seal, Asmodeus was astonished to discover that with the Seal upon his finger, Solomon could feel his presence spying upon him even when hidden within the Cloak. Demanding he reveal himself, Asmodeus was bound before King Solomon and trapped within a bottle as punishment for his attempted treachery. Unknown to any of us, the being who had bestowed the ring upon Solomon grew furious with his subject for treating the Jinn so carelessly. He stripped Solomon of his crown and the Seal and sent him out into the desert to die. To prevent unrest among the people He freed Asmodeus from the bottle and in exchange for the Seal of Solomon, Asmodeus shifted to appear as the mortal king and reign in his stead until his death. When his time as Solomon was over it is said Asmodeus returned to the Jinn Realm of Mount Qaf where he offered his master the Seal. Azazil attempted to destroy the ring but discovered it was indestructible. Confident in his own mastery over his people – for Azazil needed no ring to be obeyed – he offered the ring to Asmodeus, commanding he protect it with his life and never use it against the Jinn. Asmodeus is said to be evil but he is also honorable to his word. For centuries he has guarded the ring, wearing it in confidence on a strip of leather tied around his neck, daring lesser Jinn to steal it from him.