djinn wars 04 - broken (26 page)

That did sound a lot simpler. She shifted in her chair, glancing over at Jace. “How much time do you think it would take?”

His expression was troubled. “Honestly? I have no idea. Landmarks on the djinn plane aren’t fixed the way they are here. I don’t know this Lyanna al-Syan or her brother, but even if I did, there’s no guarantee that I could find where they live. Things…drift.”

Julia had a hard time wrapping her brain around that concept. Either things were where they were supposed to be, or they weren’t. “How in the world do you connect with each other?”

“With our thoughts, our desires. That is to say, I can’t find Lyanna because I’ve never met her. But because I have met Zahrias, and because he’s my cousin, I should be able locate him once I’m on the djinn plane.”

“I hope you two aren’t considering a frontal assault or something,” Jessica said, worry clear in her dark eyes. “I mean, it sounds like Lyanna has a bunch of people working for her. One djinn and a mortal woman equipped with an oxygen tank probably won’t be enough to do much.”

Some men might have argued that they could handle it just fine, but Jace wasn’t most men. He knew his own strengths and weaknesses. “True,” he said. “Which is why I believe we should seek out the elders and bring this matter to their attention. They will not be happy that Lyanna al-Syan has stolen Zahrias away from here, especially when they appointed him to be the guardian of this community. Lyanna has interfered with their wishes, which will not sit well with them.”

Hearing this, Julia could feel herself relax slightly. She recalled how the elders had intervened to get Jessica away from Jace’s scheming half-brother Aldair, so she knew they could be sympathetic. Actually, not so much sympathetic as concerned with protocols, with making sure that the unruly djinn population didn’t wander too far outside the lines.

Lyanna had definitely wandered outside the lines here, so Julia could only hope the elders would give her the smackdown she so richly deserved.

“So…how do we find them?” she asked. “Wasn’t it difficult for the djinn who were trying to track them down last time?”

“Nizar and Alif? Yes, because they’d had no contact with the elders prior to that time. They had to ask for help from others they knew, and trace their way to the elders in that manner. But I’ve met them, spoken with them. Therefore, we have a connection already.”

Hope. It began to flicker to life within Julia. This could all work out in the end. Yes, the thought of going to the djinn plane frightened her, but what frightened her even more was facing a future that did not include Zahrias. Strange how one kiss could tell her so much. She needed him. Craved him, really. Now she wanted to kick herself for giving in to her anger, for not working harder to see his side of things. It couldn’t have been easy to reach out and attempt to make a connection with another mortal woman, not when things had gone so terribly wrong between him and Evangeline.

“That sounds great, Jace,” Julia said, hands flat on her knees as she regarded the rest of the group. “So let’s see about getting those oxygen canisters from St. Vincent’s.”

No one had come to disturb him for some time. Zahrias paced the confines of the suite where Lyanna had him locked up, restless as a caged lion. Even though he’d known it was no use, he had laid his hands on the door latch, willing it to melt away into nothingness. But the iron had remained stubbornly solid, seeming to mock him. So, too, the latticework that covered the windows. He would not be getting out that way.

Indeed, the whole place seemed so carefully constructed to keep him in that he wondered how long Lyanna had been planning all this. It seemed Julia had been the catalyst that caused his tormentor to finally take action, but perhaps Lyanna had been plotting for some time before Julia even came on the scene.

Thoughts of Qadim also tormented him. Perhaps he had Julia in his power at this very moment, was attempting to seduce her into being with him in exchange for giving Zahrias his freedom. No, that didn’t sound right. Not that Qadim wasn’t capable of such a thing, but more that the other djinn must know Zahrias would be after his blood the very second he was released.

But maybe she had managed to get away. If she could only reach Santa Fe, then she would be surrounded by other djinn, and Qadim would find it much more difficult to get his hands on her. Except there was the matter of the spy….

He knew if he kept tormenting himself in such a way, he truly would go mad. Very well. He needed to look at the problem logically. He could not get out of here using his powers, for Lyanna had made sure he could not access them. So, then, it seemed he must somehow go through her. He must devise a way to make her think that he was succumbing to her charms. Perhaps then she would let down her guard. All he needed was a chance to escape this palace, because once he was away from the nullifying effects of the
ni-khar
, then he would be able to use his powers to return to the mortal world.

There was always the possibility that she might try to fetch him back, but he could rally his own people to protect him. Assuming that the spy wouldn’t attempt to compromise his safety. Once he got away, discovering the identity of the person who had passed his or her information along to Lyanna would be of the utmost importance. In the meantime….

The suite had quite a luxurious bath chamber. Zahrias went in and shut the door, then ran the water to fill the tub. The water came out of the taps already hot; it had always been like that in every place he had ever lived. Djinn magic powered this plane, performing many of the small miracles that mortals had to sweat and strain to accomplish. For all that, he would not willingly live here again. No djinn would, given the chance to live among Earth’s beauties. That, of course, was the entire reason for the Heat and all the destruction it had caused.

He lowered himself into the water. A human would have found it too hot, but Zahrias welcomed that heat as it surrounded all his limbs, beginning to soak away some of the tension in his back and neck muscles. Not all, of course; he could only relax so much. But in order to beat Lyanna on her home territory, he knew he had to restore as much of his strength and energy as he could, and that meant taking what refreshment he would allow himself.

But not too much. He did not think even Lyanna was so bold as to intrude on his bath — some things were considered sacrosanct among his people — but he would not allow her that opportunity. Once he knew he was clean, and much of the stiffness from his capture had soaked its way from his weary muscles, he rose and dried himself off.

A mirror framed with ornate inlay work in chips of semiprecious stones and mother-of-pearl hung on one wall. Zahrias gave his reflection a quick inspection, but he didn’t see any obvious signs of the strain of the past few days. Perhaps his eyes were a bit more shadowed. Certainly the set of his mouth was more than grim. He would have to work on that if he intended to give Lyanna the impression that he had suffered a change of heart.

No sooner had he drawn on a fresh set of clothing than he heard raised voices from the corridor outside. Lyanna, and the deeper rumble of her brother’s responses. The sound of Qadim’s voice brought a rush of relief, for if he was here, then he couldn’t be with Julia. So she had managed to escape him somehow.

Why they were having an argument right outside his door, Zahrias couldn’t be certain, except perhaps that was where Qadim had finally caught up with his sister.

“…just because you were unlucky in your own pursuit doesn’t mean that you must take out your frustrations on me!”

“This has nothing to do with Julia Innes,” Qadim responded. He sounded angry, but in a tight, controlled way, quite unlike himself. “Or perhaps it does, in a way. Because she did teach me a valuable lesson. Wanting someone isn’t enough to make them love you, Lyanna. And you risk yourself — and me as well, for I was foolish enough to assist you in this enterprise — if you do not let Zahrias go.”

Lyanna made a scoffing noise. “I had no idea you were such a coward, brother. Please, wash your hands of this if you must, but I will see it through to the end. You know I am not one to abandon a plan, once I have set upon a course of action.”

“No, and that is what I fear the most. Things are changing for us — more and more of our people are abandoning this world for the one we fought so hard to acquire. The elders are allowing them a good deal of leeway when it comes to deciding where to settle. Do you want to anger them to the point where our new homes on Earth are in some forsaken location that no one else wants?”

“Why would I want to go at all?” Lyanna flared. “This place suits me very well.”

“It may not, if you find yourself alone here once everyone else has removed themselves to the mortal world.” A pause then, as if Qadim was searching for words and realizing that anything he said would only anger his sister further. “We are blood, Lyanna, and therefore I went along with your schemes. I did not care at all for how Zahrias al-Harith treated you, and so helping you to get your revenge on him seemed a good idea at the time. Now, however, I realize the stakes are far too high. Whatever you do next, you will do it without my assistance.”

Listening to all this, Zahrias burned to know what precisely had passed between Qadim and Julia. It did seem that she had made an impression. Truly, he had not thought Qadim would ever suffer such a change of heart as to turn his back on his sister. But it did appear that he was reevaluating his role in Lyanna’s plans.

“Go then!” she cried out. “You are a coward, to think of your own skin rather than remaining committed to the path you chose not so long ago. But I would not wish to have a coward’s assistance anyway.”

Another silence. In fact, it lasted so long that Zahrias wondered if Qadim had stalked away the moment Lyanna called him a coward. But then he spoke again, his voice heavy.

“If I thought it would do any good, I would beg you to reconsider. Unfortunately, I know you too well to expect such a thing. All I can say is that you should not expect my protection, when all this comes tumbling down on your head.”

“I wouldn’t expect it, nor would I ask for it,” she snapped.

“As I thought. Fare you well, sister.”

Quiet descended once again, but this time Zahrias knew Qadim must have finally left. For himself, he hurried back into the bath chamber, then picked up one of the towels he’d discarded. As the door to his suite opened and Lyanna entered, he came back into the main room, blotting his still-damp hair.

Her expression was tight with anger, but it relaxed somewhat when she saw that he must have been in the bath during her quarrel with her brother. “Feeling better?” she asked, tone pleasant, as if she hadn’t been threatening him the last time they had seen one another.

“Much,” he replied. Recalling his resolution to ingratiate himself with her, he went on, “I fear I must apologize for what I said earlier — ”

“Oh, that,” she cut in, making a dismissive wave with one hand. “I know you were wearied, and perhaps not thinking clearly. But you look far more refreshed now.”

“I am. Thank you.” Even that simple courtesy was difficult for him to force past his lips. But he knew he must. Lyanna must think he was softening toward her, or he would remain a prisoner here.

She smiled then. “I am glad to hear it. Perhaps you would like to see more of the house? I cannot imagine that you would wish to remain in this room indefinitely, and there is far more than merely the audience hall and the dining chamber.”

No, that was for certain. “I would very much like to see it,” he told her. Perhaps by giving him a tour, she would also inadvertently provide him with the information he required to make his escape.

Upon hearing those words, she extended an arm toward him. He forced himself to step toward her and take it, even though he wanted to recoil at the touch of her flesh against his. Luckily, she seemed to notice nothing of his revulsion, and continued to smile as she opened the door and led him out into the corridor.

Good. Her blindness might be the only thing that would aid him in freeing himself from her forever.

Because taking the truck back into town might be too conspicuous, the collective decision was made that Jace would blink Julia into the hospital with him, and then the two of them could select the proper oxygen tank for her journey into the djinn world.

“Obviously, the bigger it is, the longer it will last,” Miles had said. “That means it’ll be heavier, but you should be able to manage it. You’re not dealing with health issues the way someone who used to require one of those tanks would be.”

True enough. Right then, she was already feeling tired, but the thought that she’d soon be going to find Zahrias had given her enough energy to know she’d be fine with hauling a tank around.

As to the risk of running into anyone at the hospital, they’d decided that was fairly low. Lauren and the baby — still unnamed, according to Jace — had gone home the day before, so no one should be around. When your community consisted of djinn and the mortals they’d blessed with perfect health and long life, you didn’t have much need of a hospital.

Jace popped them into the Pulmonary and Critical Care ward. As they’d predicted, the place was silent and still.

Dark, too. Julia began to wish she’d brought a flashlight, but then Jace waved a hand, and the overhead fluorescent lamps turned on.

“Well, that’s handy,” she said.

“I suppose so. We’ll just have to hope that no one notices.”

“Would they? I mean, do people really come by the hospital all that much?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” he replied. “But that doesn’t mean we should be careless, either.” He turned away from her, scanning the signage next to the doors. “Over here.”

She headed over to the place he’d indicated, which turned out to be a supply room stocked with what looked like a dizzying variety of cylinders in all sorts of sizes. Jace appeared somewhat surprised by the collection.

“High altitude,” she explained. “If you already have health issues, that can make it a lot harder to breathe. So they probably stocked more oxygen here than they would have in hospitals closer to sea level.”