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WHEN THE KING AND queen of Jinn summoned me to the castle that same day, I was so relieved that my father was still at work and wouldn’t find out, that I forgot to be nervous until I reached the woven white gates. Very few Jinn besides the Guard and those in the upper circles ever had the opportunity to visit the castle.
The guard who met me at the gate led me through the giant front door and inside a receiving room the size of ten apartments put together. A flicker of excitement made me pick up my step as we walked down one of the red-carpeted halls that led deeper inside the castle. Glancing at each new piece of art as we marched down one hall after the next, I lost track of the different portraits, statues, decorative displays of armor, flower arrangements, and lounge furniture we passed.
This was luxury and power.
I bet the royal family never has to worry about someone using them. If anyone tried, they’d regret it.
When we strode into a smaller, but equally grand receiving room, the chandeliers and elaborate décor was overshadowed by the presence of Queen Samaria seated in the center. I recognized her immediately—both her, her husband, and her son all had their own coins in circulation with their faces stamped on them.
My friends and I had always considered Prince Shem incredibly handsome—or at least, his likeness on the coin was. For all we knew, he could be hideous in person. We. The accidental word made me cringe. There was no we anymore. No one I could tell, if I met the prince, whether he was handsome or not.
Clamping my jaw shut to avoid gawking, I bowed low. “Your Majesty,” I murmured, meeting the queen’s eyes. Her pearly white irises were rimmed in deep blue. Her pale Jinni skin was more translucent than most, and she was smaller and more frail than I’d expected.
King Jubal strode into the room from the opposite door, equally recognizable, even if he hadn’t been wearing the enchanted crown that enhanced all his natural Gifts. His presence exuded control—of everyone and everything around him. It was the exact opposite of my life.
I’d never cared much for the politics of the royal family before today. Who would rule after the next fifty-year period bored me. The only thing that piqued my curiosity was the young Jinni prince who was so near my own age.
Until now, when sudden jealousy of their lives—of their power—gripped me. It was unexpected. I wasn’t entirely sure where it came from, but I couldn’t completely shake it.
The king bent to kiss his wife on the cheek and exchanged a smile with her before he noticed me standing there with the guard. “This is the girl who found the daleth, then?” he asked, shuffling through some papers on his desk. His hair was cut short, and he had a neat black beard to match. His energy level was the exact opposite of his wife.
“Yes, your Highness,” I answered, wanting to come across strong and believable. “I can take you to it whenever you need.” Hopefully right now. The sooner they sealed it off, the better.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of time,” the king muttered to his papers, looking up at us finally, eyes glancing over me, then focusing on the guard. “I’ve far too much on my plate dealing with last month’s Khaanevaade attack. I need to focus on making the islands impossible to access.” Turning to me, he said, “I’ve asked my son to take over this particular daleth.”
Queen Samaria nodded with a pleased smile, leaning back in her seat. “It will be good practice for him. An opportunity to prepare for becoming king someday.”
My heart beat a little faster. Was I about to meet the prince of Jinn? Though I’d considered that it could happen today, I hadn’t actually believed it. Phillipa and Miriam would absolutely die if they found out. Once again, the thought of my friends distracted me— specifically where they were right now.
The king was still talking, though with his focus on his desk, I couldn’t tell if he was speaking to me or the guard. “From my understanding, the daleth is in a remote location. Only a few of our own were lost to it, before it was reported.”
“That’s correct, your Highness,” the guard replied.
Nodding to himself, the king stroked his beard for a moment. “I’d say it shouldn’t require more than a half-dozen guards on rotation to keep others from going through.” Turning to his wife, he added, “It’s those poor children I’m concerned about. The parents will have to be notified. Shem will need to set a strict schedule to make sure the daleth is guarded at all times. We don’t want the parents to go in after their children and lose them as well.”
“Shem can handle it,” Queen Samaria said soothingly as she joined him at the desk, placing a hand on his arm. She smiled and added, “You know he’s been itching for a chance to get away from the castle.”
“Yes, well. This might be more than he bargained for,” the king grumbled. “It all depends on if they can find a recent trail from someone traveling. Each hour that passes makes it more unlikely. And by my count, they’ve already been gone for at least three or four.”
Longer, I thought to myself, but didn’t say anything.
“You may go,” King Jubal said without looking at us. “The guard will give you your reward for reporting the daleth.” As he said this, the guard pressed a small coin purse into my hand, turning me by the elbow at the same time.
“Wait.” I pulled away, clearing my throat. I couldn’t go home without knowing if the portal was closed or not. “Could I please speak with the prince? I’m worried that he’ll have trouble finding the daleth.”
King Jubal barely glanced at me, then sighed and nodded in agreement, already turning his back as he waved us out. Under his breath, he muttered to the queen, “If Shem would just choose a wife, we wouldn’t have to deal with constant pursuit...”
Whatever she mumbled back to him was lost to me, as the Jinni Guard bowed, leading me from the room. My cheeks blushed furiously hot.
That was not why I wanted to speak to the prince.
At least, not the only reason.
I needed to be certain they’d seal the daleth immediately. An open portal was dangerous, after all—a human could just as easily stumble on it from their side and enter Jinn. Not to mention young Jinn like us could find it, like Asher had, and cause enormous amounts of trouble. Only a set number of daleths in strategic locations were usually left open.
“Wait here,” the guard said, leaving me in another room decorated with a silver theme, not bothering to bow or say anything else before shutting the door behind him.
Twisting my fingers together, I tried to reassure myself. All of our traveling trails were far too old to be discovered. There’d be no trace of us at this point. If they thought to quickly find some young Jinn making trouble in the human town and return them to their parents by nightfall, they’d be sorely disappointed.
I remembered the coin purse in my hand that the king had given me and opened it. It held enough coin to buy two enchanted lamps, nearly three! Or enough to leave here and start a brand new life somewhere else. I tucked the little purse into my pocket to consider later, when I wasn’t quite so overwhelmed.
While I waited, I explored the details of the room, which, although smaller, was as lovely as the previous one. The windows stretched from the floor to the ceiling, which was twice my height, and all five of them were framed with silver curtains. The furniture was soft enough to sink into, making me groan with pleasure as I sat down and leaned into it. I could happily stay here forever.
The thought put a dampener on my mood. It made me resent the two little jars back home, as well as my father, who was due for another one of his episodes any day now.
Could I find a way to stay here?
I sighed at the wishful thinking and closed my eyes.
A gentle hand on my shoulder startled me awake.
I lurched upright and almost knocked heads with the young Jinni who’d roused me.
Blushing fiercely, I apologized and lowered my gaze as I stood, barely allowing myself a glimpse of him. His black hair grew long enough to hang in his eyes slightly with wild waves that somehow fit him, a strong jaw, pale blue eyes, and a lopsided grin like we shared a secret. The young Jinni prince was every bit as handsome as the likenesses I’d seen, but much less formal. He wore a simple woven crown of white-gold on his head. And he had a dimple in one cheek when he smiled.
Bowing low, I said again, “My apologies, Prince Shem.”
He laughed lightly. “I hesitated to wake you. Perhaps we should start off our daleth hunt with a nap?”
At first, I thought he was mocking me, but his smile was genuine and open.
When I stood there, lips parted and staring at him, not knowing how to respond, he just smiled wider. “I’m only teasing. What’s your name?”
“Bel,” I said, then corrected myself. “Jezebel, actually.”
He bowed, which was completely unnecessary for the prince of all of Jinn to do, and had me blushing all over again. “A pleasure to meet you, Jezebel.” Lifting his elbow out to me, he added, “Would you accompany me on a countryside walk to this daleth of yours? I’d love to take a closer look at it.”
My mouth twitched in a small smile, and I took his arm.
***
WHAT I DID NOT EXPECT, however, was for the prince to lead me through the daleth to the human side once we arrived.
“Spread out,” he told the four Jinni Guard members who attended us—one of whom was Eliezer. They’d followed us through, wearing their full armor, while the prince wore just a breastplate—a silver and gem studded breastplate, more decorative than useful. “See if you can track down any evidence of Gifts being used or a trail that might show us where they’ve run off to.”
I waited until the guards obeyed his orders before I cleared my throat and asked, “Do you think they’ll find anything?” My arm still rested in his, and I couldn’t tell if my racing heartbeat was from that or the small chance that these Jinn might somehow be able to sense that I’d been here too. If they could, my entire story would be ruined.
He turned those incredibly pale blue eyes on me, the color of the sky on a cloudless day. Quirking one side of his mouth up at my question, he humored me. “They’ve been trained to use their Gifts to sift through the human town, as well as the surrounding area, without raising any suspicions or drawing any attention to themselves. The humans won’t even notice their presence. They’ll search for any unusual activity.”
“Like Simon traveling in broad daylight?” I muttered. At the prince’s glance, I added, “That’s exactly something he would do.” For good measure, I scrunched up my forehead in concern, staring out toward the town, which was visible over the hill. “I hope they find something.”
“Don’t worry,” Prince Shem patted my hand, probably trying to be comforting. “I won’t let them leave a human unturned. We’ll continue the search, both here, as well as in Jinn, until all possibilities have been exhausted. Though I doubt it will take that long. Their parents will be notified within the hour, but my hope is that we’ll deliver their children back to them by the end of the day.”
I tried to smile through my frustration, pulling away. Gritting my teeth, I shaded my eyes from the sun, hiding the emotions that must be flickering across my face. I just pulled away from the prince. What’s wrong with me?
“I’ve never been in the human world before,” I said, trying to pretend nothing was wrong. Since the guards were gone, I lied through my teeth. “Is it dangerous?”
“Not at all,” the prince said, voice lifting in excitement as he gave me one of his charming, dimpled smiles. He held out his hand again. “How about I show you some of the sights in the human world, since we’re already here?”
His father was right, I thought. He’s itching to explore. For the briefest moment, I forgot my anxiety. Hand hovering over his, I hesitated. “What kind of sights?”
“Nothing as beautiful as back home, obviously.” He waved his free hand, still holding the other out to me. “But there are creatures you’ve never heard of before, mountains that rise almost to Jinn, and if that isn’t enough to entice you, I could always take you to see the ocean.”
I gasped. “We wouldn’t go in the ocean, would we?”
“Maybe just a toe?” he teased, but I could see that he wasn’t serious. “My parents would kill me. The truce with the Mere has been in place since my grandmother’s reign. Don’t worry, I’m not about to jeopardize that.” He wiggled the fingers of his outstretched hand playfully. “Just do me a favor and promise not to tell the guards where we’ve gone.”
This prince wasn’t half as high and mighty as Asher and the others could be. I grinned and took his hand. “You have my word.”