Jinn (The Immortalem Series Book 1) Read online

  When Briar and Mike finally caught up to him, they found him on his knees in a dank, wet, musty basement surrounded by cages, all empty.

  “She was here, right here,” Jinn whispered.

  “Shit.” Briar hit the wall. “We’re too late.”

  “Maybe this is the wrong place,” Mike offered, knowing Jinn’s mind would be taking him down the worst possible path.

  “No, she was here.” The man lifted himself from the ground, turning to his partners with his hand open. In his palm, the crescent moon, his gift to his wife, one she never removed. “They’re gone.” Jinn looked at Mike when no one responded. “Where are they?!” he yelled and grabbed the messenger, the one who brought hope back into his life. He lifted him by the collar away from the ground and slammed him against the wall. “Where are they?” he screamed. “Tell me where she is!”

  “Jinn, man, I don't know. I’m sorry.” Mike didn’t resist—he hung there, waiting for Jinn to come to his senses. If he put up any fight it might have agitated the situation even more.

  “Jinn, stop, please,” Briar pleaded. “Let him go, we have to get out of here. Everyone is gone, not just Nitara, which means they have relocated, and whatever the hell they are planning hasn’t happened yet. If it did, something tells me we would all know about it. Whatever is being planned here, it's big, the kind of scheme that would change the world, not just the lives of a few witches.”

  Briar made sense and as her logic began to outweigh the rollercoaster of emotions that she knew he was experiencing, Jinn relaxed and released his hold on Mike who fell back to the ground. He stepped back from his friend, dropping his gaze down to his hand where the gift he’d made for his wife still rested in his palm. Why isn’t she wearing it? What did they do to her?

  “Look, we will find her,” Mike reassured. “We will, but, Briar is right, we need to go. Just because whoever it is that owns this place isn’t here now, it doesn't mean it isn’t under surveillance or that they won’t be back. We need to move. We need to get out of here.”

  Jinn nodded. “Yeah, okay, let’s go.”

  “We should look around first, see if we can find anything to help us figure this out,” Briar suggested, and though they searched the basement, they came up empty, only finding old rags and chalk. The place had been wiped clean.

  After the search that left them no more informed, they headed for the exit. With only two hours before the sun set, they needed to get as far away from the house as possible. Mike and Briar ran ahead, scoping the area and making sure Cole was still waiting for them.

  “What’s wrong?” Briar had turned back after noticing Jinn’s absence. She found him standing in the foyer, a dark cloth in his hand, and an expression of pure anger on his face that worried her.

  “This symbol, I know it.” He held the cloth out for her to see it. On the dark fabric was a gold symbol—the letter D doubled onto itself and encircled in two gold rings.

  “You do?” She studied the fabric. “Where is it from?”

  “Yes, I’ve seen it before, up close and personal.” His voice grew darker as he spoke.

  “What?” She pulled her eyes from the fabric. “What do you mean up close and personal? Do you know who this belongs to?”

  “I know who has Nitara, and when I get my hands on him, I’m going to kill him.” He snatched the fabric from the fairy.

  Briar nodded. “Well, good. We need to get out of here, Jinn.”

  “Yeah, I’m coming.”

  Briar backed out of the room, once again exiting the house.

  Jinn crumpled the fabric in his hand. He thought of his wife, and of the bastard who had her. With the fire of his rage, the cloth burst into flames. He dropped it to the floor, and as he left he held his hand out to spread more of the flames. As they disappeared into the ground, returning to the hidden tunnels, the home crumbled from within, engulfed by the flames.

  “You gonna tell us what that was about?” Briar questioned Jinn as soon as they had made it a safe distance from the burning house. “Who has Nitara?”

  “Someone from our past,” the djinn mumbled.

  “Your past … care to be a little more specific?” She tried her best to keep her tone calm. She had to approach the issue with a level head or they would get nowhere. “Look, I know this is hard, and if this was a different situation, I wouldn’t pry, but we need to know whatever it is you know. We have to figure out what we’re up against with this.”

  “His name is Daegal, he is a warlock.”

  They continued moving, Cole leading the way, careful of any traps.

  “Daegal, I’ve never heard of him,” Mike offered. He kept well informed of the heavy hitters, the major players, anyone that may have proven a threat to him and his people. The name Jinn mentioned had never come up.

  “He was never one for show, always kept to himself. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is using a different name now. But that symbol, it’s his. I would recognize it anywhere.”

  “Okay, so how do you know him?” Briar kept pace with Jinn. “You said he is from your past, when did you cross paths with someone so terrible?”

  “He is the one who turned us, Nitara and I. He is the one who made us what we are now.”

  “You mean, he turned you into djinns?” Mike stopped walking and looked at his friend. “You weren’t always a djinn?”

  “No, we weren’t. We were made this. Before Daegal attacked, we were witches, farmers. He condemned a local town. At the time we thought he was just there to terrorize the people. A lot of witches had gone rogue at the time, lashed out at the human population. Some were doing it out of fear, others out of hate, and some just for the fun of it, but it became clear his intentions were something different entirely.”

  “Meaning?” The group had proceeded again, following Cole down a path that became tighter as they moved forward.

  “He was looking for a lot more than just being a pain in the ass for the locals. I stepped in, interfered, thought I could help those people. Had I known what I know now, I might not have stepped in at all.” He swallowed the lump of guilt that formed in his throat. “It turned out that his intention was to draw out witches who would be foolish enough to try to help the humans. He preyed on the kind hearted. Anyone who would stand up against an unknown enemy, and take the heat for a village who they barely knew, was someone he wanted. Once I stepped up, defended those people, he left the town alone and came after us. We ran, but didn’t get far before he found us.”

  “Why the hell would he want to make you a djinn?” Mike blurted out. “Hell, how did he have the power to do that? I mean, you’re essentially a demon, right?”

  “Something like that. He used dark magic, and a lot of it.” As far as everyone knew, djinn were demons. They were tricksters who used their magic to turn wishes into punishments. Daegal wanted his own special brand of djinn; he wanted them to grant his wishes without consequence.

  “Clearly he was playing a long game. Think about how many djinns he made, and all this time later, he just now wants to collect and cash in.” Briar was turning over the pieces in her mind. “He had something in the works all that long ago? Do you think he wants you too?”

  “How is he still alive? As far as I knew, witches weren’t immortal,” Mike spouted off more questions. A warlock powerful enough to make magical demons was not something he wanted to mess with. Thoughts of his unborn daughter and the wife he’d left behind came to him. He wanted to provide a better future for them, but he also wanted to be a part of their futures.

  “Well, if he is using dark magic, we can be sure that has something to do with the longevity of his life. There is no telling what type of shit he is into, or what bargains he has made for immortality.” Briar shook her head, wiping sweat from her brow. The sun was lowering and her temperature was rising. It had been too long underneath the ground, and the few moments in the sun were not enough. If she didn’t get home soon, she would get sick.

  “So, we know who our tar
get is, that’s a leg up. Maybe some of my contacts have information on this guy that we can use to our advantage.” As much as he wanted to turn and run, Mike swallowed the bullet. He was already in the thick of it, better to play his part or risk proving what everyone already thought of his people. He chose a side and he had to stick with it.

  “Yes, and I will use our archives. If anyone has come into contact with him, it would have been logged for our records. No way someone this evil could have flown under our radar entirely. Right now, we just have to get home. Sybella can help as well, but she will need you to be there so she can tap into your memory.” Briar’s mind was working a mile a minute, as was Mike’s, who gave Cole a list of directives for who to reach out to once they’d gone.

  “Shit!” Cole, who had remained silent in order to not get any further involved in the mess, stopped in his tracks. “Gloamers!”

  This time it was too late for them to avoid the oncoming threat. Just up ahead the left side of the tunnel exploded and through the opening, with a thundering sound of growls and shrieks of hunger, poured in mutated beings.

  “Run!” Mike yelled as the creatures stormed the tunnel headed for them. The four retreated, backing up into a large, hollowed-out zone, previously inhabited by more of Cole’s people, but once Daegal moved in, they evacuated the area. His evil was the type to poison everything around it.

  “This isn’t right!” Cole shouted as he pressed his back up against the wall. “It's like they are acting on command, like they were sent here for us.”

  “This isn’t normal?” Jinn questioned.

  “No, I’ve never seen more than a few of them together at a time. That has to be just about every damn one of those things that are down here!”

  “Well, I guess we know who created them!” Jinn placed his hand on the entrance to the tunnel. The mutated creatures were closing in on them. “Get back!” he yelled, and then slammed his fist into the carved entrance. The opening collapsed, sealing their predators outside, but this left them trapped. On the other side they could hear frantic digging—the gloamers were trying to get through. “Well, that buys us a little time.”

  “This isn’t right, they are different now,” Cole continued his panicked assessment of the monsters’ behavior.

  “What do you mean?” Briar prepared herself, centering the remaining power she’d drawn from the sun.

  “Usually they would just turn away, give up, and go find another meal option. They aren’t stopping.”

  “Meal option?” Mike spat. “What the hell do you mean?”

  “Yeah, they aren’t just murderers, they are hunting for food. The damn things never stop. Usually they find animals, some that we hunt and leave for them.”

  “You feed them?” Mike turned on his friend, disgust with his revelation evident on his face.

  “It's either feed them or get eaten.”

  “Oh hell no! I am not going to be a part of some freak’s dinner plans!” Briar screamed at the wall that stood as barrier between them and the things that planned to have them as a meal.

  “What are we gonna do?” Cole muttered, his fear stunk as much as the sweat that poured from his chubby brow.

  “We’re going to fight. Get ready, they are almost through.” Mike stepped forward, then turned to Cole. “Get back, stay low.” Cole was great at many things, but fighting wasn’t one of them. If he stayed out of the way it would mean less of a distraction.

  “Mike,” Briar stepped forward, “you know how to kill these things?”

  “No, but in my experience, removing the head is always a surefire way. Hope you got enough charge from the sun while we were up there.”

  Briar held up her hands, and two long blades of light appeared. “I got plenty.”

  Jinn remained where he was, focusing on the sound of the monsters trying to get through. As he stared ahead, he steadied his breathing, blocking out all sound, all senses focused on the goal: kill as many of those bastards as he could. They were almost through—the temporary blockage began to crumble, lifting more dust into the air. He took one deep breath as the last of the barrier fell away.

  The gloamers poured through, making quick way to Briar and Mike, who lunged forward and engaged in physical combat. Mike shifted his form; instead of taking on that of his favorite, the anaconda, he became a large, mutated crocodile. His limbs were longer than that of a standard croc, and that gave him the agility he needed to quickly move between the monsters. His powerful jaw snapped repeatedly, breaking bones and ripping flesh. The creatures screamed in pain as his teeth cut through them, while his tail whipped around with precision, knocking them down.

  Briar kept in toe, doing exactly what Mike suggested and removing their heads. Her blades sliced through necks, torsos, limbs, anything they came in contact with, sending the orange blood splattering around her. Each shriek of pain fueled her to continue, each mutant death was a step closer to her own survival. She kept an eye on Mike, afraid one would catch him off guard, but every time she checked for him, she found large teeth cutting through tendons, ripping heads from bodies, and leaving disfigured forms littered in his wake.

  Cole ducked farther into the back of the space, finding a small nook to crawl into. The gloamers were starting to get past Mike and Briar, and yet not one had approached Jinn, as if he wasn’t in the room. They flooded the area, parting as they ran around Jinn, unquestioning the action. Jinn watched as the pair worked together as they continued to cut down their enemy. He held off with intention, knowing that allowing them to fight, side by side, was pertinent. If their kind was ever to come to an agreement, knowing that they could trust one another on the battlefield was key. It wasn’t until the creatures made it deeper into the space, nearly surrounding the two fighters, that he decided to step in. Two steps and a leap planted him in the center of the fight. The anger that burned through him, the rage he had been suppressing for nearly a week was released in a storm of heated action. He snapped necks with one hand, broke limbs and ripped hearts from their chest. More and more came and still he fought, enjoying the physical nature of the act. Magic was easy, but taking them on, hand to hand, it gave him joy, pleasure.

  “Jinn!” Briar was down, on her back, her swords the only thing protecting her neck from the teeth of the thing on top of her. Mike was also cornered, hideous creatures coming at him from all sides. Jinn followed her line of sight and realized quickly that his time of enjoyment had to come to an end, or one of their lives would.

  “Stay down!” he yelled, giving his friends only a moment of notice before lifting his hand up and releasing a stream of blue flames which ripped out into the space. The blade of fire sliced through and burned everything it touched. He controlled the flame, making sure not to hurt those who were on his side. He lifted his other hand, aiming for the point of the gloamers’ entry, and shot an identical stream of fire through the opening. Anything that was trying to get in was burned, flesh melted away as they continued to try to enter regardless of their unavoidable deaths. The blaze sustained until there were no more cries of agony. He called the fire back, eliminating any evidence of the flame, besides the charred and melted bodies covering the floor.

  “Damn.” Mike got to his feet, no longer in his reptilian form.

  “Um …” Briar averted her eyes from Mike’s nude body. “Wanna cover up?”

  “A little help here?” he asked of Jinn. With a wave of a hand, Mike was fully clothed again. “Thanks. Jeans are a little snug, though,” he joked.

  “How’s this?” Jinn lifted his hand and Mike screamed.

  “Hey, I was only joking!” The fabric around his crotch loosened again and he sighed with the relief. “Damn, I’d like to have a chance at a son, you know.”

  “Are you okay, Jinn?” Briar laid her hand on his shoulder, but he flinched away from her touch.

  “I’m fine. Let's go.” In a moment, he’d gone from humor to anger. Reality reached him as the stench of burned flesh and the rot of mutated blood filled hi
s nostrils.

  Traveling back to the exit was a silent, tension filled trek. Again they stopped to rest up; this time Jinn went straight to sleep, no gifts of fresh food for the locals. Mike and Briar gave him space, time to process his thoughts, and when Cole questioned about food, Mike warned him that it was a bad idea. His people wouldn’t be getting another magical feast. They’d come in hopes of rescuing his wife and were leaving empty handed.

  “Thanks again, Cole.” Mike hugged his old friend. They stood at the exit point, smells of the ocean a great relief from the stale stench of the underground.

  “Any time. Thanks for keeping me from getting my ass chomped back there.” Cole shook his head. “Hell, hopefully that entire ordeal eradicated the gloamer population for us.”

  “Anytime, man, you know I need you intact!” Mike smiled. “If you need anything, Cole, let me know.”

  “Yeah, I will.” The round man smiled at Briar and nodded at Jinn.

  Both returned his silent farewells before he disappeared beneath the ground again.

  “Shall we get going?” Mike turned to Jinn who again nodded. The three grabbed hold of each other and disappeared in a swirl of blue magic.

  When the smoke cleared, they were standing inside of Jinn’s garage, next to his black beauty. He ran his hand across the side of the bike, inspecting it. Of course, it hadn’t been touched—if it weren’t by his hands, the bike never moved.

  “As far as Praia knows, we got in and out clean. No mention of the gloamers, or any of that shit,” Jinn instructed.

  “My lips are sealed,” Mike responded, just happy to hear the voice of the man who’d been silent for far too long.

  “Same here.” Briar wanted to forget the damn things anyway. If Praia found out about them she would ask a million and one questions, which would make squashing the memory all but impossible.