“She was in my harem. She was my servant.”
“Yes, wel, let’s just say she wasn’t satisfied.”
Narrowing his eyes, White cocked his head. “How did you do it?”
“It took both myself and Glass to penetrate your palace without your knowledge. We found a an Ifrit with a similar energy to Sala’s. We freed Sala with our
combined power and she let us take a tiny piece of her essence. We plugged the bottle with the essence so that when you freed the girl – the nobody – Sala’s essence would return to her.”
Ari gaped in disbelief. Her mother was free. She was out there somewhere. And Red had freed her. And hadn’t told her. What the hel was going on?
“I wil find her,” White assured them. “I wil kil her.” And then he flicked a glance at Ari and Jai. “I wil not retaliate against your attack, Ginnaye, since I was wrong in attacking Ari. But I wil not let another slight like that go again. Do you understand?”
“You’l never find, Sala,” Red whispered as if White hadn’t said anything. “You’l never find her. I won’t let that happen.”
Something flickered in White’s eyes and then he smiled, a congenial flash of teeth that sent shivers of unease rippling down Ari’s spine. “Ari, did you know that Red is the one who sent the Marid to Charlie? He’s the reason Charlie is a sorcerer.”
With that, White stepped back into the Peripatos, leaving stunned silence in his wake.
Ari felt Jai’s eyes on her face, felt her throat close up at White’s announcement. She gaped at Red, at her uncle whom she had come to trust and she shook her head, pleading silently. “Tel me he’s lying.” He could not have betrayed her like that. He could not have plotted to destroy her best friend’s life.
Her uncle’s features smoothed into a blank expression but she thought she detected a flicker of emotion in them before he got a handle on it. What was it this time?
Shock that he had been discovered for his treachery?
“Tel me he’s lying!” Ari cried, her uncle’s silence triggering the dark fist in her chest. It flexed its fingers and began to uncoil. Her blood was boiling and… whispers, wicked whispers snaked through her veins and crawled up towards her ears. Whispers of destruction. Of command.
“He’s not,” Red finaly answered and then he looked at Jack. To Ari’s utter bewilderment, Jack frowned.
“You are sure?” Jack asked.
“She knows too much already.”
“Father wil be displeased.”
“Then he wil be displeased.”
“What…?” Jai whispered, as confused as Ari. But with Ari’s confusion was the growing darkness within her, darkness only abated by the strength of Ari’s own
curiosity.
The air around Jack shimmered. His rugged face bloated and then sunk inwards, before bulging outwards again, and then snapping back in with horrible popping noises that made Ari steady herself against Jai. Jack’s dark hair began to grow at an alarming rate, the color shifting, until a mane of glorious bright blue hair hung down to his waist. His shoulders widened, his body stretched a few inches taler, and his check shirt and jeans disappeared to be replaced by a leather vest and trousers.
Thick wrists were encased in leather cuffs, biker boots replaced hiking boots. And Jack’s face… it was gone. Replaced by masculine beauty so breathtaking Ari could only gape in awe.
“Ari…” Red appeared lost for words. “This is my brother and your uncle… The Glass King.”
“What the hel?” Charlie’s voice ripped through the room and they al turned to see Charlie, Falon and Trey standing in the doorway, gaping in confusion. Michael stood in front of them as if he’d come to help fight The White King. He probably had, no matter how useless the effort would have been. The Guild were amazingly respectful of their leader because he was a true half-blood Jinn, and very strong for a Guild Hunter; stil not strong enough to defeat a Jinn King.
“Charlie?” Ari whispered hoarsely, her body trembling now as the Seal’s whispers grew louder in her ears. “Is it true? Did Red send the Marid to grant your wish?”
Eyes wide, Charlie glanced over at Red first before answering her and that just pissed the Seal off even more. “Yeah,” he told her softly.
Darkness clogged Ari’s insides and she felt like cowering into herself and slamming her hands over her ears to stop the whispering. But the Seal’s hands and arms and legs were pushing into hers and forcing her to stand strong.
“Ari,” Red continued. “I replaced Jack with Glass to monitor Charlie, to educate him so that he would have a fighting chance, but also to help him find the Labartu.”
“I’m thankful to him, Ari,” Charlie admitted.