Page 29 of Bewitched By the Djinn
He rubs his chin. The bristles are longer than yesterday. I should find him a razor, but the stubble suits him. Gives him a roguish look. If we kissed, the stubble would brush the delicate skin of my face and—okay, definitely investing in a razor.
“This town is similar to ones in Aetheria, but Aetheria is less noisy and crowded. Not as large. We have more nature, forests, mountains, rivers.” He waves a hand. “And there are no cell phones.” He tilts his head at a passing car. “No growling metal beasts roaming the streets.”
I smirk. “We call those cars.”
“And there are no poles with strings hanging between them.” He squints up at a power line. “All this technology is a magic killer. With all this machinery, no wonder it’s harder to find magic here, to draw from the land with all this artifice in the way. I am not sure your cell phone would work in my world.”
“How do people get around in Aetheria?” I ask.
He stretches his long legs out in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. “They walk, mostly. Some people can move short distances with their magic, depending on their powers and strength. We also have horses.”
I tilt my head toward him. “Do a lot of people have magic in Aetheria?”
He shifts on the concrete step. “Yes, but most have minor abilities of little significance.”
Okay, Judgy McJudgerson.I cross my arms. “What’s considered ‘little significance’?”
“Like what you do, locating objects.”
I grimace. “Ouch.”
He frowns. “Did that cause you pain?”
“Only to my ego.”
His expression shifts, like he’s struggling to understand why that would bother me. “I didn’t mean to imply?—”
“It’s fine,Your Highness.”
He presses his lips together, then continues, “People can manipulate time to a small extent, seconds into the past or future, manifest small objects, heal minor wounds, things like that.”
“And you can do all that, plus travel through dimensions and curse people into lamps?”
One broad shoulder lifts in a half shrug. “Some of it. I’m not a healer. Healers use water magic, and my affinity is more for earth and fire. I can open portals to other realms, and wield fire as a weapon.”
“And Helen?”
“She’s stronger than I am,” he says without bitterness. “She is more attuned to fire than I am. She can summon greater force, hold power longer, and shape it with more precision.”
I tuck my phone into my pocket. My magic may be on the fritz, and I definitely don’t have the technical know-how to hack into any security feeds, but thereisanother option. If Helen’s as powerful as Bennet claims, she should be leaving behind a magical footprint, a signature that can be tracked by someone with the right abilities.
I push myself to my feet, wiping my hands on my jeans. “Come on.”
Bennet follows as I start down the street, weaving through the throngs of tourists. A street performer plays jazz on the corner, the warm brass notes rolling over the sound of distant chatter.
“Where are we going?” he asks.
“There are people who can track power shifts. If your sister has been using a lot of magic, they might be able to pick up her trail.”
“Like you do?”
“Sort of. I don’t track magic specifically, I track objects and people. I can sense things in my immediate surroundings, that sort of thing.”
He catches the hesitation in my voice. “Are there people you cannot track?”
“Only my parents.”
“Why—?”
