The Glittering Gems

The astral plane inside his imperial topaz reminded him of space. Darkness interspersed with dusty clouds of brilliant colors. Beautiful, perhaps, but the sight got old after a few decades, let alone centuries. However, was a good space for introspection. And he had a lot of introspecting to do. Too much, it turned out, since his mind only ran around in circles, caught on half-formed plans and old rumors. He eventually floated in the air cross-legged, forcing his mind to calm as he emptied it of everything.

With Ali now in bed and the other two resting in their gems, Tavor came out into the dark apartment. It was still the colorful cave, but Ali’s bedroom door was normal, since he never touched her space. He placed one trembling hand on the door, envisioning her inside.

When Rajan had appeared in their lives, he’d passed it off as a fluke. Something must have gone wrong with the transfer ceremony, or Rajan’s master had made a foolish mistake. But you couldn’t lose a genie under contract due to a fluke or a mistake. These weren’t coincidences. These were Ali. The rumored second subrace of humans must exist.

He rested his head on her door, closing his eyes as he murmured, “Genie whisperer.”

He didn’t know what they were capable of, having always chalked the rumors up to desperate genies dreaming of escape from their enslavement. Yet here he’d been dropped into the lap of one. The rumors spoke of many things. Increased power. New abilities. Freedom.

No, he did not know what Ali could do. But he intended to find out.