Page 140 of Of Stars and Lightning
As if time itself froze, the flames stopped their flaying, and the crackling ceased. Dust suspended in the air, and Sol looked down to find Phil frozen in fear against her, his eyes tightly shut, and tears staining his cheeks.
Gently, Sol peeled away from him. “What the??—”
“I will admit, you’ve needed more interventions than anticipated, Queen of Wielders.”
Sol jumped at the melodious voice resonating from everywhere, yet nowhere, all at once. She glanced up, then looked around, until, at the end of the crumbling street, a figure floated forward.
Its silhouette grew and neared. “In your defense, though, your mother needed even more, and she was supposed to be well-versed in these things.”
“Who are you—what is this?” Sol narrowed her eyes. “Don’t come any closer!”
An unearthly laugh resonated, spilling like honey. “I was going to send Morna again, but I was closer and figured it would be a good time for us to meet.”
Sol swallowed and clenched her jaw in between bouts of nausea.
“Who are you?”
The Jinn smiled. “Mavka. My name is Mavka.”
Forty Three
THE MOTHER OF JINN
MAVKA MOVED LIKEa soft current.She floated toward Sol, who was torn between running, yelling, or attempting to fight. She held Phil close, who was still frozen in a snapshot of terror, against her chest.
The Mind Slayer was beautiful. Beautiful in the kind of way the sun was—uncomfortable if looked at for too long. Her skin was a flawless baby blue, nothing like the other Jinn whose waxy pelts rotted from their bones. Strands of jet-black locks tumbled down her back to her waist in thick tendrils, and she wore a loose cloth over her torso and hips in what seemed like a feeble attempt at modesty.
“I quite dislike human fashion,” Mavka remarked, crossing past Sol into the tumbling apothecary. “Too many layers.”
Typically, Sol was able to formulate plans rather quickly. But this time, she remained where she was, utterly confused. Around her, the space remained suspended as Mavka emerged.
“Your lover and the little Air Caller’s brother are safe in there. For now.” A smile, a degree too reminiscent of the Lower Jinn, pulled at the creature’s thin, navy-blue lips. “I can maybe keep time frozen for another minute and a half before your planet bursts with the dimensional magic.” She picked at her taloned nails. “I would hurry in there if I were you.”
“Who are you?” Sol’s voice was shaky and brittle, unable to hide the fear. “Why—how?”
“You’re asking all the wrong questions,Queen of Wielders.”
“Why help me?”
The creature named Mavka frowned. “I have a contractual duty to you Yarrows. Your mother might have broken our agreement, but I never did.”
“You knew my mother?”
“Again, wrong question.”
Sol shivered as she stood, careful to place Phil in a safe position. “Are you Jinn?”
Sol had a sense that was also a wrong question, but Mavka shrugged, “I am the mother of Jinn.” She looked up at the sun, bare and daunting overhead. “Fifty seconds, Queen of Wielders.”
“Why here?” Sol squared her shoulders. Queen. Think like a Queen. “Why invade Erriadin?”
The creature’s laugh reverberated through Sol’s very bones. “Oh, no dear. I hate it here. Unfortunately, some of my children disagree with me—as most children do.”
The ground beneath them shook, vibrating and sending pebbles jumping around. She had no time to be curious.
“We will meet again, Yarrow Queen.” Mavka kicked aside stray rubble and strode back the way she came. “Maybe you’ll figure out the right questions by then.”
The buildings had begun to quake, and the flames seemed to wink back to life. Before Sol could think twice, she darted into the apothecary.
