The Binding Stone (The Djinn Series) (20 page)

Achan
will return with his vest. Of this I am sure. But it does not matter. Not
really. What is important is that for once in the past several days, my head is
clear. My purpose sure. It is time to face my real Master.

The Beginning

old
and heavy, the chains surround my neck, cutting off my air supply and slicing
into my skin like a hundred knives. I stumble to my knees, reaching toward
Achan, grasping feebly at his robes. The colors swirl and flash before my eyes,
making it hard to see.

“Put
it in the cage,” Kitra says.

Cephas
yanks on the ends of the chain, and I grab at the front, desperate to put a
finger’s space between the lead and my throat. I am dragged across the floor,
cushions scattering to the sides as I am pulled into a second room.

Enormous
hands lift me, and I am thrust into a cage big enough for several sheep. It
would be impossible to stand, however, as it is only about waist high. Not that
I could stand if there were space. The pain is so horrible that I am barely
conscious.

I
lie on the ground, hands pressed against the bottom of the lead prison. The
chain around my neck slides off, and Cephas pulls it out through the bars. I
raise a shaky head to find a grin of pleasure on his face. His teeth are
rotting stubs of brown and gray. I lean over and vomit.

“Put
the blanket inside before it passes out,” Kitra says. A gray woolen mass is
shoved through the door, and Achan’s face swims into view.

“Lie
on top of it. It will be easier if you aren’t in contact with the lead,” he
says. I nod feebly and climb on top. The pain subsides slightly, and I lick my
lips trying to formulate words.

“Why?”
I croak.

Achan
refuses to look me in the face. Instead he rises, and his place is taken by
Kitra. Her expression alone makes me cower toward the far end of my blanket. I
scoot backward, away from this horrible woman, until my hand slips through the
bars where I touch something cold.

I
swallow, realizing why the house was so filled with the scent of incense. It is
meant to mask the smell of something far more foul. My head turns toward the
source, as though drawn by some unseen force.

The
bodies are chained to the wall. They have been there long enough for the
features to become bloated and gray. One is a man, human I think. Small and
old. His flesh is already decomposing, a dark pool of congealed blood still
staining the floor beneath him. The other’s features are nearly unrecognizable,
broken and marred as she is.

Rhada.

I
recall Taj’s words, “We are all connected.” It was her death that brought such
pain the other night.

I
vomit again, retching to the sound of Kitra’s laughter.

The Command

“
ophie’s
been taken,” I say. There is no sense in sugar coating it. Jered must be told.
He must lift the command and allow me to find her so that I can make things
right.

Jered’s
face grows pale. He sinks to the couch. Gabe strides toward me, his long legs
filling the gap in seconds.

“By
who?” he asks.

“Taj
and Mira. They are using her as bait to lure Jered to their Master.”

“I
suppose you want me to stay here while you swoop in and rescue her?” Jered
asks. I dig my nails into my palm, reminding myself that he has been tampered
with.

“No,”
I say. “We have a better chance of saving her if we go together. But there is
more you must understand.”

“What’s
that?” he asks. It seems my answer has thrown him off balance, so I take my
best shot.

“Achan,
your father, he did something to you when he was ‘teaching’ you magic. He
opened a doorway in your aura. It affects your emotions. You are growing
unstable, and this cannot be fixed without his help.”

“That
sounds nasty,” Gabe says.

“It
is,” I agree. “But we must first take care of Sophie.”

“I
wish I knew if I could trust you.” Jered’s words sting, but he couldn’t look
more miserable. His sandy blond hair is mussed and sticks out in all
directions. Dark circles grow beneath his sunken eyes. Even his aura is flat, a
mixture of varying shades of gray.

“What
does your heart say?” I ask, crossing to face him and kneeling, both hands on
his knees. He looks at me like a lost child. “I trust your heart, Jered.”

He
sinks to the floor before me, cupping my face in his hands. A tear escapes and
flows down my cheek and over his fingers. Butterflies stir in my chest. Again,
it is more than just my body responding to his touch. I do not try to hide my
smile as he leans forward to kiss me.

“Um,
little sister kidnapped by evil sorceress,” Gabe calls.

Jered
pulls away slowly, some of the color flooding back in his aura and his face.

“My
heart tells me to trust you,” he says, eyes locked on mine.

It
is impossible to hold back the sigh of relief. I will not let him down. I will
not fail again.

“I
love you, Leela.”

“You
are feeling stronger and stronger emotions,” I say.

“This
is something I’ve been feeling for a while.”

“I
will not hold you to it.” I stand and help pull him to his feet. I won’t even
pretend to believe it. That would hurt far worse than admitting my own feelings
to myself. At least I can prevent any illusory expectations that he could
possibly feel the same.

“How
do we find them?” Jered asks.

“We
use the app,” I say. “I can trace the source of the magic while it is in use.
But as soon as we turn it on, they can also trace our location.”

“Then
we should do it while we’re moving,” Jered says.

“Of
course!” I say. “That is perfect. But before we do it, you should remove the
command. Allow me to hurt those holding Sophie. Be specific if you like.”

Jered
hesitates. “Leela, I don’t think you should go.”

“What?”
Gabe and I ask in unison.

“You
could be hurt. I’m already in trouble. If I am killed, you will be fr...fr...”

“Free?”
Gabe finishes.

Jered
nods. “I still can’t say it.”

I
look outside at the moon reflecting on the surface of the lake, dancing like
silver flames. Just a few short hours. If only we had time to wait.

“I
want to go, Jered,” I say. “I want to protect you. To save Sophie. Isn’t her
life the most important thing here?”

“It’s
what they are expecting. I’ve been practicing, Leela. I’m getting better at
controlling it,” Jered says, taking hold of my hand.

“It’s
true,” Gabe says, chiming in. “He was, like, flying around the room and zapping
things. Maybe whatever his dad did to him makes his powers stronger?”

“I
don’t think so,” I say, considering this. “More likely he is discovering his
own powers. Achan would not have wanted him stronger. Quite the contrary. But,
Jered, no matter what you can do, you must understand that Kitra is better.
You’ve had days. She’s had centuries.”

“And
there’s the Djinn,” Gabe says.

“Leela,
if she gets ahold of you, the whole world could be at stake, isn’t that right?”
Jered asks.

“Yes,”
I say. “But you don’t understand. You don’t know what she’s capable of.”

“Leela,
I’m sorry.”

“Please–”
I begin, desperate to make him listen.

“Leela,”
Jered says, touching a finger to my lips to silence me. “I command you to fly
with me, and use the app to locate Sophie. Then you will let me go on my own.
You will return here and stay with Gabe.” Tenderly, he wipes away some of the
tears streaming down my face, then kisses my forehead.

“Jer,
I don’t know. You should think this through,” Gabe says.

“Let’s
go, Leela,” Jered says, not taking his eyes off of me.

I
have no choice but to do as he wishes. I sweep us both out the window, opening
my hand to catch Gabe’s phone, which flies obediently into my palm.

Staying with Gabe

he
moment the app is activated, tendrils of light shoot from the screen, wrapping
around both Jered and me. I focus everything I have, and my own power glides
along a beam, through the phone and out into space.