Master of None Read online

  A good fifteen minutes passed bounty-hunter-free. Ian looked a few shades better, and I could almost see the edges of the world again. I glanced behind us, didn’t spot any movement. Then again, my vision wasn’t exactly a hundred percent.

  “Ian,” I said softly. “Is he still close?”

  Ian blinked and tossed a look over his shoulder. “I do not see anyone.”

  “Good. Maybe he gave up.” Doubtful. Still, I managed to drop my guard a bit. “Soon as we hit civilization, we’ll grab a ride.”

  “Wonderful. While we are stealing cars, perhaps we should rob a bank as well.”

  “Shut up. You can’t fly, you don’t have enough juice to disguise the van, and we can’t walk clear of the danger zone.”

  Our path had drifted closer to the narrow access road leading out of the travel center. In the distance ahead, a series of squarish blobs suggested a commercial district. Perfect.

  Something hummed nearby. Tires on pavement. I twisted around, squinted back, and saw a vehicle I couldn’t identify bearing down on us. Instinct suggested this was Quaid.

  The shot fired from the front window confirmed my hunch.

  “Move!” I grabbed Ian and pulled him along, full speed away from the road. The scruff of trees thinned and stopped altogether, and soon we were pounding over the soggy ground of a pseudo-swamp. Dead bushes bleached to skeletal sticks thrust from the ground at irregular intervals. I didn’t bother avoiding them. Cold muck splashed my jeans, and the occasional hard step sprayed droplets in my face, adding to the already delightful blend of dried tears and snot. The stench threatened to close my throat permanently.

  I kept half an ear out for the sound of Quaid crashing through behind us. Didn’t hear him, but my own heart pounded loud enough to drown a rock concert.

  Eventually, I lost forward momentum when Ian came to a dead halt. I jerked the arm I still held and damned near went facedown in the mud.

  “Stop, thief,” Ian whispered. “Be silent. Even if he catches up to us, he cannot see us.”

  I stared at my hand, his arm. The invisibility sheen surrounded us, as it had back at Trevor’s. “Thought you didn’t have any power left,” I whispered back.

  “I do not. You are doing this.”

  “Holy—” I clamped my mouth shut, afraid I’d break whatever I was doing if I kept yapping. Slowly, I turned my head back in the direction of the road. A figure I assumed to be Quaid was moving away. He’d almost reached the trees and his car beyond them.

  I watched until the car disappeared from sight and let go of Ian. “Damn. Wish I knew how that worked. It’d be a hell of a lot handier if I could control it.”

  “No doubt it would assist you with your work,” Ian said. This time, he didn’t sound quite so pissed.

  I smirked and took in the drying filth that coated me from the waist down. “I don’t suppose you could conjure up a shower?”

  “No.”

  “Didn’t think so. Let’s get out of here.”

  Despite my hatred of flying, I probably wouldn’t have minded levitating a little. Walking back through the swamp sucked worse than running.

  SMALL TOWNS NEVER CEASED TO AMAZE ME. OUT OF THE FOUR cars parked behind a little diner down the road from the hotel, three were unlocked. I decided on the newer Acura sedan, because it looked just expensive enough to carry theft insurance, and lured Ian into the passenger seat with a promise to make sure the owner got it back after we’d escaped with our lives.

  How I’d keep that promise, I had no idea. I only hoped we’d survive long enough to figure it out.

  I opened the driver’s door and shoved the seat all the way back. “Do me a favor,” I said, rummaging through pockets for the butterfly. “Tell me if anybody comes out of there. This shouldn’t take long.”

  Ian stared down at me. “What are you doing?”

  “Baking a cake.” I found the blade and pried the cover off the steering column. “What’s it look like? I’m getting the damned car started.”

  “Must you break it to get it started?”

  “Will you just shut up and play lookout? We’re not gonna get very far if we get arrested.”

  “Fine.”

  Under the weight of Ian’s we-do-not-approve vibe, I stripped and twisted the red wires together, then exposed the ignition wire and sparked it. The engine revved and stopped twice before it finally caught. I climbed in and pumped the gas a few times, glanced at Ian. “Seatbelt,” I said.

  He fastened it with slow deliberation. “It seems superfluous to follow traffic laws when you are stealing a vehicle.”

  “Yeah, well, safety first.” I adjusted the seat and buckled my own. “Let’s roll.”

  We made it onto the road without incident. I headed for the Thruway but changed my mind halfway there. Easier for cops to spot a stolen vehicle on an open highway—and my luck dictated that if we got pulled over, the jake would be on Trevor’s payroll. Instead, I hit Route 31 and swung east, hoping for a bright idea about where the hell to end up.

  Wherever it was, it couldn’t be far. With zero sleep in forty-eight hours and my stint in Trevor’s basement, not to mention pepper spray, stimulating romps through woods and swamps, and a handful of Ian-induced adrenalin spikes, I’d passed empty six crises ago.

  I glanced at Ian. His color had more or less returned, and he looked as normal as I supposed a djinn in a human suit could. “Hey. You know how to drive?”

  Ian frowned. “Why?”

  “Because I can’t see too well, and I’m beat. Any minute, I’m going to start weaving all over the road, and we’ll attract unwanted attention, if I don’t ram us into something first.”

  “Oh. Perhaps we should find a place to rest, then.”

  “So you can’t drive?”

  “No.”

  “Great.” I leaned over and switched the AC on full blast. Frigid air poured from the vents as if it was being piped straight from Alaska. “I need coffee or something. Tell me if you see a Dunkin’ Donuts.”

  “A what?”

  “Never mind.” I slowed and stopped for a red light, using the opportunity to scope the vehicles around us. Had to watch for tails. A green car and a white truck idled on the opposite side. Behind us, a rust-scarred Escort rolled to a stop ten feet back with a prolonged squeal. Bad brakes. I sympathized with the condition—must’ve replaced my pads three times in less than a year. Older Escorts ate brakes like candy.

  The light turned. I went straight, and the Escort waited to hang a looey. We weren’t being followed. Yet.

  Ian crossed his arms and rubbed them. “This is freezing. How can you tolerate being so cold?”

  “I have to stay awake somehow.” I took another glance around. No tails. I didn’t dare relax, though. “Once we’ve put some miles behind us, we’re going to have to stop somewhere.”

  “We must keep moving.”

  “I need sleep.”

  Ian sighed. “Fine. Perhaps another motel?”

  “No. Too risky. I’ll find a place to pull off the road for a while and crash in here.” A few more miles, and we’d hit Elbridge. I’d been through there once after a job in Syracuse and hidden in a huge public park for a while to let the heat die down. I could make it that far. Probably. After that, we’d have to make some decisions. Couldn’t keep running forever.

  “So. How long do we have until the Morai conquer the world and enslave humanity?”

  Ian stared at me like he was trying to decide if I was serious. “At the moment, that is not possible,” he said. “I have ensured that they cannot return to the djinn realm.”

  “Yeah, you said that before. How does it become possible? I’m guessing there’s a chance somewhere.”

  He looked away. “It will be possible when there is no Dehbei blood remaining in this realm.”

  “Why?” I stifled a yawn. “Is your clan the only one who can do that thing with mirrors?”

  “No. Blood magic is a shared strength among all the djinn, because it is direct
in nature.” His features went blank. “When we were first banished here, we sought a way to contain the Morai. Under Kemosiri’s terms, we could not return until every Morai had been destroyed. The twelve of us created a barrier between the realms through which no Morai could pass.”

  “That sounds . . . complicated.”

  He nodded. “The theory resembles that of your human DNA. The spell refuses Morai blood and is kept functioning with Dehbei blood. It took all of us together to generate the enchantment, but the existence of any living Dehbei ensures that the barrier will not fall.”

  I thought I understood. I’d seen enough forensic cop shows to grasp the basics. “So they can’t get back unless all of you die,” I said. “Where’s the rest of your clan?”

  He flinched. And didn’t answer me.

  “Ian?”

  His eyes closed. “Dead.”

  He whispered the word, but it felt as if he’d backhanded me with it. “All of them?” I croaked.

  “Yes.” His lips barely moved. “In our realm, killing one another is no simple task. Here it requires only possession of the correct tether. None of my clan had ventured to your realm, even before the Council banned travel between them, so we failed to lend this condition sufficient importance. The Morai did not.” He swallowed hard. “In addition, they had learned to use humans to amplify blood magic. They had been here longer and were far more powerful. One by one, they destroyed us. And now, I am the last of the Dehbei.”

  All of the breath left me at once, and I almost crashed the damned car. I couldn’t come up with a thing to say. Sympathy had never been my strong suit, and I didn’t think Sorry about your clan’s impending extinction would be appropriate . Jesus. If I was him, I’d have probably committed suicide three or four centuries ago.

  Finally, I decided I had to say something. “How did you survive?”

  He gave a bitter laugh. “I learned to use blood magic as well, though I did not stoop to the level of the Morai and force humans to drink my blood. Instead, I produced offspring with humans. Descendants who would carry my blood and allow me to amplify my power without the need to harm or enslave them.”

  I would’ve been pissed that he’d fathered a bunch of kids just to use them for magic, but he obviously hadn’t had a choice there. “Why didn’t the Morai do that? Make descendants, I mean.”

  “They cannot. The spell that binds us to our tethers also renders our fertility dormant. Only the stronger Bahari can undo this dormancy. Akila has done this for me.” He looked down. “I had intended only to survive, but I soon realized there was another benefit to having descendants. They contain Dehbei blood. And should I be destroyed, the barrier will stand as long as my descendants remain.”

  A shiver crawled up my spine. Reluctantly, I said, “How many do you have?”

  “Initially, I went too far,” he said softly. “I had lost my entire clan, and my bloodlust for revenge drove me to crave power. As much as possible. I impregnated dozens of human women, as I mentioned before. For a time, it seemed I would succeed. No Morai could stand against me, and I alone reduced their numbers by half. They learned to hide from me rather than seek to destroy me directly. Eventually, they discovered what I had done and began to hunt down and kill my descendants.”

  “Hold on,” I said. “I thought the djinn couldn’t kill humans.”

  “It is possible under certain extreme conditions and then only when in animal form. But the Morai had no need to create these conditions. They simply used humans, who have no difficulty killing one another. Just as Trevor is being used in their attempt to destroy you.”

  As chilling as his explanation was, he still hadn’t answered my question. “How many are left, Ian? How close are these bastards to overthrowing both of our worlds?”

  I guessed the answer before he gave it. “You and your son are the last.”

  “Of course we are.” My hands squeezed the wheel hard. Damn it, I never wanted this. I was just a two-bit thief. Saving the world wasn’t on my to-do list. But I’d have to go through with it if I didn’t want to die or get the son I’d just found out I had killed in the process.

  My fantastic luck never let up.

  After several moments of silence, Ian spoke without prompting. “They will be safe.”

  “Huh?” I knew he’d spoken English, but I must have missed something. Maybe I’d fallen asleep for a few seconds. Not a good sign. “What’ll be safe?”

  “Your woman, your son. Akila will protect them from the Council.”

  I nodded, my throat tight. Somehow I got the feeling that there was no one to protect Akila. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

  “I know.” He clasped one hand over the other and rubbed his right thumb against the base of his left index finger, the motion absent and reflexive. A glowing band of golden light appeared. It shone brightly for a moment, then faded away. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew right away what the band meant.

  At least the djinn didn’t have to worry about losing their wedding rings.

  “When two djinn are bonded, it is for life,” Ian said. “I am not certain whether human bonds embrace the same vows, but it is obvious you love this woman. Hold to the knowledge that you will be reunited.” He turned to the window. “Distance can be overcome. Death cannot.”

  For the first time, I considered how hard this must be on Ian. They’d banished him for trying to save them, and he’d been separated from his wife for centuries. She’d obviously waited for him all this time. It had to be torture, never to touch each other, communicating with blood through cold mirrors or whatever else passed for a reflective surface . . .

  The symbol. I knew I’d seen it before, and I suspected figuring out where would help. The recollection lurked somewhere in the fog just outside my sleep-deprived brain: crescent, dot, squiggle. Not drawn in blood but . . . carved? Maybe I’d seen it in a museum somewhere, though that didn’t seem likely. I’d never been culturally inclined.

  But I knew someone who was.

  At once I remembered exactly where and how I’d seen the thing: Fremont. Lark, the mythology-obsessed hookup I’d damn near killed. His place was practically a museum anyway, so I hadn’t given a second thought to the stone tablet he’d covered up fast when he noticed me looking. Twelve squares, bearing what looked to me like Hieroglyphs for Dummies. One had been Ian’s symbol.

  Twelve squares, for twelve Dehbei. Lark knew about the djinn.

  He also hated my guts. I hoped being able to introduce him to a real live djinn would soften him up a little . . . at least enough to prevent him from killing me on the spot.

  I grinned despite my exhaustion. When Ian gave me a look that suggested I’d lost my last few marbles, I said, “Ever been to Fremont?”

  CHAPTER 18

  Sycamore Point boasted acres of trails and paths—plenty of room to ensure a little privacy. I drove to a deserted spot near the back of the place, pulled the Acura offroad, and parked behind a massive evergreen. When I announced my intention to pass out, Ian didn’t protest. In fact, he offered to keep watch while I slept in the backseat.

  Somehow I wasn’t surprised to wake two hours later and find him gone.

  I hauled myself out and panned the area. Saw nothing but nature. Fantastic. I resolved to have a little talk with Ian about wandering off and leaving me asleep and defenseless against thugs, cops, and bounty hunters. Soon as I found him.

  Sudden thirst drove me in the direction of water sounds. Maybe a little rehydration would clear my muzzy head. Still, two hours of sleep had done wonders for my attention span.

  Now I could really concentrate on what deep shit we were in.

  I spotted the source of the rushing sound through a clump of trees. A small brook ran through the grounds, complete with wooden footbridge and a few benches along the opposite bank. As I neared the bridge, another sound came in under the water’s whisper. Foreign words, spoken low and fast. I stayed out of sight and looked for the source, though I suspected I knew.
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br />   The brook curved away from a reflecting pond several yards to my left. Ian lay on his stomach at the edge of the pond, staring into the surface like a cat mesmerized by fish. One hand trailed in the water. He said something, paused, shook his head.

  I crept closer, until I could see the pond’s surface and Akila’s face just beneath it. She looked like someone had just shot her puppy.

  Alarms shrilled through my head. I dropped caution and closed the distance in microseconds. “What happened?”

  Ian stiffened as if my voice was a knife in his gut. “Must you creep up on me like that?”

  “I’m a thief, remember? Stealth, surprise, all that shit.” I sat next to him with a frown. “You know, you’re a lousy lookout. I think you and I have different definitions of standing watch. To me, it means sticking around to make sure the bad guys don’t kill me in my sleep.”

  “You were in no danger.”

  “Yeah. Sure.” I glanced at Akila’s reflection again. She’d tried to smile, but it was an empty funeral expression. A sorry-your-life-is-over kind of curve. Jazz , I thought immediately. “Tell me what’s going on. Please.”

  “Nothing.”

  “Gahiji-an . . .” Akila whispered.

  “Nothing,” Ian repeated firmly. “I wanted to ensure that your woman and son were safe. They are. Now give me a few moments’ privacy.”

  “Gahiji-an, you should tell him.”

  “It is not his concern.” Ian closed his eyes. “Leave us, thief. I will join you in a moment.”

  I didn’t budge. “Not until you spill. I thought we talked about this. We’re in this together, remember?”

  “How could I forget?” he said under his breath.

  When he didn’t elaborate further, Akila spoke in tight tones. “The Council has agreed to shelter them temporarily. However, they are—”

  “Akila!”

  “He must know.” A flush colored her skin. “They have realized that the child carries Gahiji-an’s blood. They seek the one who broke his dormancy and allowed him to create descendants in the human realm, as it is forbidden. Further, my father has entered a motion to extend Gahiji-an’s banishment permanently. The Council debates this now.”