Page 99 of Into the Abyss
“We cannot go against our kind,” thebeautiful woman who’d spoken to me stonily replied to him.
“Your kind?” I inquired.
“Rislen is a jinni,” Corson said.
“Jinni,” I snarled.
Before I could control them, my five-inchlong talons sprouted from the backs of my hands. They’d grown overthe past couple of months, but they still weren’t as long asCorson’s, and they may never be. They were lethal though, and I’dseen enough of the jinn to know I’d happily slice and dicethem.
“Easy,” Corson murmured and rubbed hisfingers over the back of one of my hands. “Rislen is Faulted, asare the jinn standing with her. We came here in the hopes ofgetting their help.”
“And we’re not leaving until we do,” Hawkstated.
Overhead, some of the calamut leaves stirredwhen a shadow soared above them. Tipping my head back, I watched asRaphael swooped over the trees before disappearing. Caim must be upthere somewhere keeping watch with him too.
“Faulted?” Lowering my head, I focused onthe others again. The word niggled at the back of my mind, beggingme to recall something.
“There are some jinn who are more Fae-aultedthan the rest. It’s a complicated story, but—”
“I know it!” I cried, cutting off Corson assome of the pieces locked into place. “Magnus told me about theFaulted!”
“You saw Magnus?” Corson demanded.
Did I? I must have seen him if I’d saidthat, but where and how… Then the fog dispersed and memories flowedforth.
“Yes, the jinn brought him up and imprisonedhim in the cell next to mine. He told me everything that’s beengoing on and about Amalia, his Chosen.”
“His what now?” Vargas blurted.
“His Chosen,” I said. “Put me down.” Iflattened my palm against Corson’s chest. I didn’t want out of hisarms, but I had to stand. When he set me on my feet, he kept hisarm around my waist. “You didn’t know he’d claimed her?”
“No,” Erin answered. “The last time we sawthem, there was no indication of anything like that.”
“He was pretty protective of her when I sawthem in the Abyss, but I saw no marks on either of them,” Hawksaid.
“Where is Amalia?” Rislen interjected, hercomposure slipping as she pinned me with a harsh stare.
“I don’t know.” I quickly informed themabout everything I went through, what Magnus had told me, and howhe’d freed us. “I never saw Amalia. The horsemen and other jinnkept her with them. They’ll know something is wrong now that Magnusdestroyed the symbol, and they’re going to hunt for him.”
“They’ll use Amalia against him, Rislen,”Corson said in the tone I recognized as his “don’t fuck with me”voice.
“Our brethren allowedmorethan onehorseman into the Abyss,” Rislen murmured. “Why would they do sucha thing?”
“They shouldn’t have allowedanyofthe horsemen in there,” another jinni whispered to her, and Rislenbowed her head.
“They let them in because they’re angryabout being locked away,” another jinni said, “and they have aright to that anger. We all do.”
“You do,” Corson agreed, “but does the wholeworld have to be demolished for them to sate that anger? And whatif the horsemen and fallen angels aren’t satisfied with gettingvengeance on Kobal and the rest of us; what if they seek moreafterward? Maybe your fellow jinn will want to call it quits ifKobal is destroyed, but do you think Astaroth and the horsemen willlet them? And what will they do when a new varcolac rises toreplace Kobal? Will they blame that varcolac too? This is anever-ending cycle, Rislen.”
Rislen kept her head down, but a muscle inher cheek twitched.
“You know how twisted the angels andhorsemen are. They won’t be satisfied with anything less thancomplete annihilation,” Corson pressed. “Maybe they’ll maintainenough control to leave some humans alive, and not destroythemselves in the process of getting their revenge, but maybe theywon’t. That will besomany more lives lost, Rislen, andmany of them will beinnocentlives.
“Think of all the suffering that will becreated in this world. With your Faulted status, you willallfeel it because not even the calamuts can shelter youfrom that much anguish. Not to mention, Amalia. Can you imaginewhat the horsemen will do to her? Are you going to let thathappen?”
I thought he might be getting through to herwhen Rislen’s eyes flicked toward him, but then she becameexpressionless again.
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