About to pour another cup of the fragrant tea, she caught Jacinth eyeing her sideways with a distinctly mischievous expression.
"What?" she asked cautiously.
Jacinth leaned forward, propping her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her palm. Her dark eyes danced with barely contained mischief as she studied Mandy's face.
"Did you know," Jacinth asked with feigned innocence, "that Djinn have wings?"
Mandy stared at her friend, the teapot frozen as she held it poised over her cup. "We what now?"
Jacinth's musical laughter filled the alcove. As Mandy watched, mesmerized, a pair of magnificent wings unfurled behind Jacinth's shoulders. They shimmered with iridescent colors that reminded Mandy of mother-of-pearl, catching the morning light and fragmenting it into rainbow prisms that danced across the marble walls.
"We... we can fly?" Mandy stammered, her mind reeling at the sight of Jacinth's shimmering wings. The iridescent colors reminded her of abalone shells she'd collected as a child, shifting between pearl and rainbow with each movement.
Kieran held up one elegant hand. "Yes, but only in Qaf." His deep voice carried a note of warning. "There are far too many cameras and satellites in the mortal realm now, as we have seen with the shifters. The risk is simply too great."
Mandy's initial surge of excitement deflated slightly at his words, though she couldn't argue with the logic. In an age where everyone carried phones and security cameras watched every corner, magical beings flying through the sky would be impossible to hide. Still, the thought that she could fly at all, even if only in Qaf, sent a thrill of wonder through her.
She tried to imagine what it would feel like - soaring above those endless golden dunes, watching the magical landscape unfold beneath her wings. Wings. She would have actual wings. The concept seemed simultaneously impossible and perfectly natural, like everything else about this extraordinary morning.
"How do I get wings?" Mandy leaned forward eagerly, her heart thumping with excitement. "I want to fly!"
"I'll teach you!" Jacinth's musical voice chimed at the exact moment Kieran's deep tones declared, "Not yet."
Kieran's silver-blue eyes narrowed as he turned to Jacinth, who dissolved into a fit of giggles, her iridescent wings furling and disappearing as if they had never been.
"First," Kieran's stern voice cut through Jacinth's mirth, "you must learn to control your magic. Your fire." His expression softened slightly as he met Mandy's gaze. "Wings require a level of mastery you have not yet achieved. The blue fire is the foundation of all Djinn magic - it must be second nature before you attempt more complex abilities."
A sigh escaped before Mandy could catch it, though she understood his reasoning. The memory of that small blue flame dancing in her palm, how it had moved with a will of its own, told her there was much to learn. Still, the promise of wings, of flight, beckoned like a shining dream on the horizon.
"You know," Jacinth said casually, "the villagers wanted to throw an enormous feast to welcome you properly."
Caught in the act of taking a drink, tea went down the wrong way as Mandy choked in alarm. The thought of being the center of attention at a huge celebration filled her with instant panic. She coughed, trying to clear her throat while her mind conjured horrifying images of crowds and formal ceremonies.
Jacinth's musical laughter filled the alcove. "Don't worry! I explained that you're what humans call an introvert." She ignored Kieran's disapproving scowl. "I told them you'd be much more comfortable with a quiet welcome."
Relief flooded through Mandy so strongly she sagged in her chair. "Thank you," she managed, still dabbing at the tea she'd spilled. The thought of facing a village full of strangers, all focused on her... She shuddered. "Really, thank you."
A new worry slammed into Mandy with the force of a freight train. She sat bolt upright, her hand clutching the delicate teacup so hard she feared it might shatter.
"Sabrina! Oh god, what about Sabrina? And the hospital - did I just vanish? Are they looking for me?"
The thought of her daughter frantic with worry, calling hospitals and police, made her stomach clench. She set down the teacup before she could drop it, her hands trembling.
Jacinth's warm laugh surprised her. "Mandy, breathe. This is exactly the sort of thing Wish Bearers deal with all the time."
"Your daughter believes you're back home, and doing fine," Kieran said, his deep voice soothing. "The hospital records show that your condition improved dramatically and you were discharged."
"All the paperwork is properly filed," Jacinth added. "The doctors' notes, the transfer orders, everything. Arthur - he's another Djinn, and a good friend - helped arrange it all."
Relief flooded through Mandy, but anxiety still twisted in her chest. "I need to call Sabrina. She'll be worried if she hasn't heard from me in..." She paused, realizing she had no idea how much time had passed. "How long was I asleep?"
"Two days," Jacinth assured her. "Which she'll consider perfectly normal for someone recovering from severe COVID. You can call her whenever you're ready."
Mandy reached for her phone, then realized she didn't have it with her. Her galabiyya didn't even have pockets.
"You'll need to make the call from the human realm," Kieran said, his deep voice gentle. "Cell phones don't function in Qaf - for obvious reasons."
"I can take you whenever you wish," he added. "Though perhaps you'd like to finish your breakfast first?"
