A Hero of Realms(26)

I was taken aback. After all Aisha’s jealousy and possessiveness over me with River, I’d expected her to treat every female I happened to stand within a few feet of the same way.

Now she was recommending that we bring a second female into our fold—and a vampire, at that.

“How exactly?” I asked.

“I’m not sure,” the jinni replied. “We still don’t know what this journey holds for us, but I just have a feeling—call it an instinct—that we might be better off bringing her.”

I looked back at Julie, still unconvinced. “Look,” I said to the vampire, “you don’t need to do this, and you will regret this decision. I’m grateful for the help you offered me so far, and that has been more than enough to set me on my way. It seems to me like your main reason for wanting to join us is that you have nothing else to do.”

Julie looked slightly offended. “It’s true that I’m on the run with nowhere to go… but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t think it’s right that you go through this so alone. I’ve been in the supernatural world for a long time. I’m sure I have some knowledge or could offer some assistance that could help you along the way.”

Aisha touched my forearm. “This girl is offering to come, Ben. I suggest you just let her. She seems to be quite aware of the risks… But whatever you decide, hurry up. Arron is waiting for us.”

I’d been going to refuse Julie outright before Aisha butted in and recommended that I let her come. Now, I felt conflicted. It didn’t seem wise to ignore the jinni’s words—especially when it appeared that she had no hidden motive and was simply giving advice on what she thought was best. That was rare behavior from what I had observed of Aisha since I’d met her.

I looked reluctantly back at the vampire. She might get cold feet soon enough anyway—I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened directly after our meeting with Arron, who, considering my luck, would probably deliver some more grim news.

I also had a thought at the back of my mind that perhaps, just perhaps, stumbling across Julie was meant to happen. Perhaps Julie really could be of use to us at some point during this uncharted journey.

The vampire was right that I needed all the help I could get. Though I still wasn’t sold, I found myself agreeing. “Okay. You can come with us. But you do realize it means leaving behind this boat? So you’d really better be sure about this decision.”

Julie eyed the boat, then clutched her shoulder bag closer to her. She nodded, swallowing hard. “I’d like to come with you. It feels like the right thing to do… And I guess I will still have the option to pull out. I might lose this boat, but perhaps Aisha could drop me off somewhere…”

“All right, enough talk,” Aisha said briskly. “She’s made up her mind. Let’s go to Arron.” The jinni clutched my arm and then reached for Julie’s before all three of us vanished in a veil of mist.





Chapter 16: Ben





Aisha made us reappear on an islet populated by small fruit trees and wild bushes. Now that we were away from the covering of the boat, I expected the blinding sun to begin digging into my skin as we stood out in the open, but Aisha had already taken care of that for us. The top of a wide parasol hung midair above our heads, keeping the worst of the sun away. There were definitely perks to traveling with a jinni.

I looked around the bumpy landscape, then frowned. “So… where is Arron?”

Aisha beckoned for the two of us to follow her as she moved forward. She led us across the islet, through thickets of bushes, and as we neared a small tree, I spotted a figure that could only have been Arron. Sitting on the ground, his back turned, he appeared to be tied to the tree. He must’ve heard the crunching of twigs beneath our feet as we approached. He craned his neck around to reveal his sharp beaked face. His gray eyes widened as he stared up at me.

I looked him over with silent contempt. This was the man who had kept me captive as a newborn. I of course had no memories of him from my visit to Aviary. I only knew what he looked like from the vision the jinn had given me. Arron looked a lot more bedraggled now than he had then. His hair was thinner and practically white. His face looked lined and worn. And as he sat there—tied to the tree by some kind of invisible rope—I realized that he had lost an entire arm and wing. This must’ve been the injury he’d incurred during the battle with the Elders. He was lucky to even be alive after that war.

“Ben,” Aisha said, “meet Arron. I have already explained to him why we are here, and why I kidnapped him from Aviary.”