Her quick intuition pleased him. Once again, she'd jumped straight to the heart of the matter, seeing the possibilities.
"Yes, exactly." He found himself smiling slightly at her enthusiasm.
Kieran watched as Mandy's brow furrowed, those forest green eyes narrowing in thought.
"But how is there room for all those different dwellings?" she asked. "Wouldn't they overlap or run into each other?"
Amusement stirred at her practical concern. Humans often struggled with concepts that transcended their physical reality.
"Qaf exists in a mystical dimension," he explained. "The rules of space and distance work differently there. But more importantly..." He paused, considering how to phrase this."There are not nearly as many Djinn as there are humans. Our total population numbers can be counted in the thousands, not millions."
Surprise flickered across her expressive features. "Really? So few?"
"We are immortal," he continued, watching understanding dawn in her eyes. "We do not have the evolutionary drive to reproduce that mortal species do. Consequently, children are quite rare among our people."
Kieran observed the shift in Mandy's expression as sympathy clouded her face.
"That's so sad," she started to say, but he halted her words with a lifted eyebrow.
"Stop. Think about what I just told you."
They came to a halt along the lake path, the afternoon sun casting dappled shadows through the trees overhead. He watched her process his words, those expressive features shifting through various emotions as she considered the implications.
Suddenly, her face lit up with understanding, those green eyes sparkling with delight.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, her warm hand tightening in his. "That means all Djinn children are wanted! Every pregnancy was because a child was wanted, and so every child would be cherished!"
He found himself unexpectedly delighted by her quick insight. Once again, she'd grasped the heart of the matter without needing lengthy explanations. How refreshing to encounter a human who thought beyond surface appearances.
"We are fortunate enough to have a dozen or so children in our village at this time. One is a small girl named Lilah. She's about five years old and learning to control her magic."
Her head tilted, and she frowned in puzzlement. "I thought you said children are rare?"
Kieran shrugged. "Rare is relative, of course, but in a village made up of hundreds, a handful of children is not much."
Kieran caught Mandy's eye roll and her muttered words about "clueless men." His ancient hearing picked up every syllable, though she likely thought otherwise. Perhaps he should be offended, but there was something oddly charming about her candid commentary.
He chose not to comment, instead observing how the afternoon sunlight caught the silver strands in her dark hair. The temporary healing spell continued to hum steadily through their joined hands, requiring barely a whisper of his power to maintain.
"So tell me more about Lilah?" Mandy invited, clearly interested.
His lips quirked with amusement as he recalled the child's latest proclamation. "She's quite shy around strangers, but when she makes up her mind about something..." He shook his head, remembering her fierce determination. "Just last week, she announced to the village council that she intends to become a Wish Bearer."
Her green eyes widened. "At five? That's adorable!"
Kieran couldn't suppress his chuckle, the sound surprising him again. "We had to explain that one must be at least fifty years old before beginning Wish Bearer training. She was most displeased."
Amusement lit Mandy's features. "I suppose to a five-year-old, fifty must seem absolutely ancient." She squeezed his hand gently. "Though I imagine that's quite young by Djinn standards?"
"Indeed. At fifty, most Djinn are just coming out of their adolescence."
Kieran observed the keen interest in Mandy's gaze as she processed this new information about Wish Bearer training. Her intellectual curiosity continued to impress him - she approached each revelation about the Djinn world with genuine fascination.
"That's…" she paused, shaking her head in amused perplexity. "That's so much to take in. That there is training to grant wishes."
"Wish magic is fundamentally different from our innate Djinn abilities. Think of it as... a specialized form of power that requires specific training to master."
He considered how best to explain the complex magical principles. "The vessel itself - in this case, the pendant you wear - contains and channels the Wish magic. We Wish Bearers draw upon that power to grant the specific wishes requested."
