Page 25 of Bewitched By the Djinn
“Some djinn have been rumored to live five hundred years.”
My jaw drops. “Five hundred years?”
“Our magic shields us from common illness. And we have healers for injury, sometimes even death if caught quickly enough. But war, assassination, misuse of power... none of us are invincible.” His gaze drops to his hands, his lips turning down.
Without thought, I reach over and put a hand on his tense shoulder. “Your parents?”
His fingers tighten around a spoon. “Yes. Helen and I were raised by our uncle after our parents—” He stops himself, his hand lifting to the ring hidden under his shirt.
Did the ring belong to one of his parents? He touches it almost every time his parents are mentioned. Well. Now I’m an asshole.
“I didn’t quite realize how useless I have been with my meetings and attempts at overseeing menial matters in my kingdom. Helen is the one expected to lead. I am merely the spare. Our uncle keeps me sheltered, away from realresponsibility. I know little about this land, and the truth is that I barely know my own.”
I soften. “It’s okay. You can’t change the past, but you can move forward and do better.”
He blinks, like the idea has never occurred to him.
“Growth and all that.” I shrug. “The rough bits shape us. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, etcetera.”
He stares at me.
I clear my throat. “So, why is magic so muted here, in the mortal world?”
“No one knows for sure. Some believe the two realms were once one and magic bled freely for all. Some say the gods severed the realms to protect both sides from each other. Others say your world chose progress over power, and ours, the reverse.”
“Hmm.” I wish I could get my hands on an Aetherian history book, to compare to our histories.
I turn away to put a plate in the cupboard, only to turn back and catch him staring. The moment our eyes meet, he looks down, hands submerged in the sudsy water, unmoving.
“Are you done yet?” I nudge him aside. “Here, let me do that.”
A few minutes later, we finish putting away the dishes and head back to the office.
Bennet perches on the chair near the fireplace, probably avoiding the uncomfortable couch that was his bed last night.
“Okay.” I grab the lamp and turn it over in my hands. “I may be able to use this to find her.”
His posture straightens. “How?”
I take a steadying breath and shut my eyes, reaching for my magic. I can stretch over the surface of the lamp, seek any remnants of its prior handler.
I frown. Or maybe not.
There’s nothing there. Is my magic . . . gone?
No. Not possible. My magic is a part of me, like my leg. It can’t run off without me noticing. I take another breath and try again.
I can’t get to it. It’s like grasping for smoke. It’s there, I can almost make out the shape of it, but I can’t seize it like I normally do.
Bennet’s voice gets louder as he shifts closer. “What are you doing?” His voice is strained.
I ignore him, grinding my teeth and trying one more time.
“Cassie.”
His tone makes me groan in frustration. “Apparently, I’m doing nothing because it’s not working. It worked yesterday. This can’t be happening.”
Panic curls at the edges of my mind. My ability to sense objects, to track them, that’s my job. My livelihood. And now, all of a sudden, it’s just gone?
