"That pendant you wear is a Wish Bearer's vessel." His voice held the patient tone of a teacher explaining a simple concept. "It serves as a conduit between the human world and the Djinn realm, allowing the Bearer to be summoned by its holder."
Mandy's fingers flew to the stone, its warmth pulsing steadily against her palm. "A Wish Bearer's vessel?" The words came out barely above a whisper. "You mean... like a genie's lamp?"
"If you insist on using that crude Western analogy." His lips twisted as though he'd tasted something unpleasant. "We prefer the term Djinn."
"We?" Mandy's voice rose an octave. Wait a minute… Djinn… genie. Of course! She knew of the Djinn… magical beings of pre-Islamic Arabian folklore. "Wait… so, this pendant? Are you saying I summoned you by touching this?"
"Indeed." His confirmation fell like ice chips into the quiet room. "Though I suspect it was not your intention."
"I summoned you." Mandy repeated the words slowly, testing their reality. "Me. I summoned you."
"Must you repeat everything I say?" Kieran glowered.
"When nothing makes sense, sometimes saying things out loud helps." Mandy's fingers closed around the pendant protectively, and she glanced down at it. "And right now, nothing about this makes any sense at all."
Kieran's icy gaze narrowed on her. "Now that I have answered your question to your satisfaction, perhaps you might extend me the same courtesy. How did you come by my Wish Bearer vessel?"
"This is yours?"
His exasperated sigh held centuries of patience worn thin. "Of course it's mine. I was the one summoned, was I not? The vessel holds the connection between the Djinn and the summoner."
Mandy flinched at his caustic tone, shrinking back into her recliner. Mozart briefly peeked around the corner from the hallway, his green eyes wide, but apparently decided discretion was the better part of valor and disappeared again.
"A woman gave it to me." Her voice came out smaller than she intended. "In the Emergency Room yesterday. Her name was Jacinth."
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. Kieran went utterly still, the kind of stillness that reminded Mandy of a predator about to strike. Even the silver embroidery on his robes stopped catching the light, as though the threads themselves held their breath.
"Jacinth?" His voice held dangerous undertones, like thunder rumbling just before a devastating storm. "Jacinth gave you my vessel?"
"Yes, at the hospital. I had been there for hours, waiting. She stopped to talk to me awhile, and before she left, she gave it to me."
Kieran pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath in a language Mandy didn't recognize. The ancient words seemed to vibrate through the air, making the room feel suddenly smaller. When Kieran looked at her again, his expression had shifted from anger to resignation. "That explains a lot."
Mandy stared up at the imposing figure before her, trying to make sense of his cryptic response. "What does it explain?"
"Jacinth has been..." Kieran's mouth twisted as if searching for the right word. "Meddling. Again."
"I don't know what you mean about meddling. She seemed concerned about me, even though she didn't know me at all."
"Jacinth is always concerned." His tone carried centuries of exasperation. "It's part of her particular brand of interference."
"Well, meddling or not, she helped me." Mandy defended the woman staunchly. "Somehow just talking to her made everything more bearable while I waited for a doctor to see me."
Kieran's expression softened almost imperceptibly. "Yes, that would be her gift. Jacinth has always had a particular talent for easing others' suffering." He studied Mandy with those unnaturally pale eyes. "Though giving away my vessel was taking things rather far, even for her."
"I tried to refuse it." Mandy's fingers found the pendant again, its steady warmth pulsing against her palm. "It's beautiful, and it must be worth a fortune, even if - well - even if it wasn't hers to give." She frowned, thinking over what she just said. "Did that make sense? Anyway. She insisted that I have it."
"Of course she did." Kieran's sigh seemed to stir the very air in the room. "Jacinth has never been one to take no for an answer, particularly when she believes she's right."
The change in his demeanor caught Mandy off guard. The earlier crackling tension in the room dissipated like morning mist, though his presence still filled her small living room with that strange, supernatural type energy. Her cats must have sensed the shift, too - Mozart crept back into view, though he kept close to the wall, watching Kieran with wide green eyes. He leapt in to Mandy's lap, snuggling down, but keeping an alert gaze on the intruder.
A streak of orange fur burst into the living room as Bach charged in like a furry missile. He launched himself into the air and landed squarely on the arm of her recliner, planting his paws firmly. His usually lazy demeanor had vanished, replaced by an alertness that transformed her gentle giant of a cat into something fierce and protective.
Like a miniature lion facing down a threat to his pride, Bach stood his ground, an unusual growl continuing to rumblethrough his chest. His green eyes locked onto Kieran's icy blue ones, unwavering in their intensity.
Kieran's eyebrows rose slightly, and something which might have been respect flickered across his stern features. His icy blue eyes softened a fraction as he studied the protective feline. "You do seem to have a champion," he said, his deep voice carrying an undertone of amusement Mandy hadn't expected from such an imposing figure.
"It's okay, sweetie. He's not going to hurt us." Mandy tried to soothe her surprisingly protective cat, though she wasn't entirely sure herself if that was true.
