Page 11 of Into the Abyss
“What if she does to you what was done tothe others?” Raphael asked me.
“Iwillbring him back the way he is!And I didn’t do this to the others! I had no hand in this!” Amaliastared at all of us, but when no one responded to her words, shecontinued, “I also can’t do to him what was done to the othersbecause he didn’t call me to him.”
“What does call you to me mean?” Iasked.
“If someone is desperate enough forsomething, the jinn are attracted to them. They can oftenmanipulate those who call them into wishing for something. Oncethat wish is made, the victim is susceptible to the jinn’s powerand pulled into the Abyss.”
There’s that victim word again.
“I have no sway over you and can’t ensnareyou,” she said to me.
“And how do we know you’re telling thetruth?” I asked.
“Iamdifferent from most of thejinn, but I can’t make you believe me. So, we’ll all stay here andget to know each other better while we wait to see if any of thosein the Abyss are strong enough to come back to us.”
Corson didn’t look at all happy with thatidea.
“Has anyone escaped the Abyss before?”Raphael inquired.
“Some did before the jinn were sealed away.I’m not sure if anyone has broken out of the Abyss since the jinnwere freed. I stay out of this aspect of the jinn’s lives.”
She held my gaze while I stared skepticallyat her, Corson snorted derisively, Caim smiled in amusement, andRaphael remained straight-faced. Something about her made me wantto trust her, but only a fool believed a jinni, and I was nofool.
“What do the jinn do with those they have inthe Abyss?” I asked.
“Like you feed on the wraiths, and so do I,the jinn also feed on the life force of those they trap,” she said,“but I suspect you already knew the answer to that.”
I had known the answer, but I was curious tosee if she would admit it to me. “Will there be other jinn in theAbyss?”
“Most likely.”
“And they’ll most likely be feeding on ourfriends.”
She bowed her head, and though it hadn’tbeen a question, she replied, “Yes.”
Corson held Wren closer as I rubbed myforehead. I could well be walking into my death, but Corson wasn’tstable enough to go, and Raphael and Caim were needed here. Plus, Iwasn’t sure Raphael would intervene to help someone in the Abyss ifhe felt he might be interfering with their fate, and I didn’t knowif Caim could be completely trusted.
I was the only option.
“After Amalia and I go, you’ll have togather everyone and move them somewhere they’ll all be together andeasier to protect. You know the place,” I said to Corson.
“I do,” Corson replied.
I refused to say the location or that it wasa cave out loud as I wouldn’t give this jinni any clue about wherethe bodies would be hidden. And I couldn’t stay to help them geteveryone to safety without giving away the location to her. Theywould have to handle this on their own.
“It’s not only the jinn we have to worryabout; they’re all vulnerable toanyenemy now,” I said.
Corson’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t protestmy words.
“We will keep them safe,” Raphael vowed.
Caim inspected his nails, but when he feltthe weight of all our stares, he lifted his head. “What?” heasked.
“Did you hear what I said?” I demanded ofhim.
“Oh, yes, we will keep the others safe,” hesaid distractedly. Then, he tilted his head to study Amalia.“There’s something about you….”
When Amalia stared back at him, her eyeslost their reddish hue to become the color of a sunrise. With astart, I realized her eyes appeared to shift with her emotions, andI found myself questioning what each color revealed about her.
