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The genie laughed, deep and hearty, and the sound lightened my mind. “My mother used to say curiosity always led meastray.”
“So did mine.” I smiled, remembering driving my mother batty when I disappeared all the time to exploreUtaara.
By the time I was five, I’d memorized the entire map of Utaara. I knew every nook of the slums’ alleys. I’d snuck into the palace seven times and pinched countless fruit from the gardens. In the last four years, I’d visited four of the seven realms of Haven. Terra, for Ali’s herbs from my friend Scarlet. The Darkwoods, to trade with the merchants. One time, I had trekked to the mountains in White Peaks, but it was too cold for my blood, and I never went back. But the one place I kept returning to was Wildfire by the beach. A few times, I’d taken Ali when he was well. We’d swum, caught fish, and ate enough bananas and mangoes to make us sick. Every time, we’d hoped to see the merfolk who lived underwater in Tritonia, but we were never luckyenough.
My heart craved adventure and endless possibility. But my circumstances with Ali and our finances didn’t often permit travel. In Dahvi, I sensed a kindred yearning forjourneying.
“Terra is sublime,” I began, finally answering his question. “Covered in thick forests, streams, and brimming with every herb imaginable. That’s why my friend lives there.” I tucked my head. “That probably doesn’t compare to what you’veseen.”
“I have seen many lands.” His voice held a rueful quality. “One of pure darkness and terrible beasts. Wastelands of ice. A land so barren and dead that the people livedunderground.”
My mind soared at those new possibilities. Perhaps once everything was dealt with, I could take the genies and Ali exploring aroundHaven.
“What’s it like in your world?” I asked as the carpet bumped on a pocket of air, and I gripped Dahvi’sleg.
“Tribe Marid, where I come from, is a paradise.” He used his hands to express himself, and I watched their fluidic movement entranced. “Water and rock pools, tropical vegetation, homes beneath the water, and camps aboveland.”
It sounded like heaven, and I longed to visit there. “Can a human travelthere?”
“No.” He ran a hand down my arms, and my skin sparked with blue-genie magic. “Only those touched by the gods’ magic, those bearing the mark, may cross the barrier between our worlds andsurvive.”
Oh. Well, that sucked then. Wasn’t fair that genies could live and visit our world, and we were not permitted to entertheirs.
I left a hand on his thigh, and it sizzled from the heat raging between us. “Are Zand and Kaza yourbrothers?”
“No,” replied the genie. “But we are familynow.”
That made sense. Kaza had said the genies were considered traitors to their kind and banished from their home world. So they only had each other now. My heart squeezed forthem.
“What is Zand’s and Kaza’s homelike?”
“Zand’s hometown is full of fire,” said Dahvi, his hand panning the expanse of sky. “Volcanoes, fiery pits, lava, heat-tolerantplants.”
Wow.I tried to picture that. The place sounded pretty chaotic. Perhaps it was best humans couldn’t visit. What if a ball of lava exploded on theirhead?
“Kaza’s land…well.” Dahvi laughed. “It hovers in the clouds. Everything is light and airy, and everyonefarts.”
We both laughed at that. Correction—I snorted. Gods. Ishrugged.
Dahvi gently squeezed my shoulders, easing the tension. “Will you get some herbs for your brother in Terra,too?”
Whoa! Way to ruin the perfectmoment.
I cleared my dry throat. “Ali needs dragon’s thistle oil, one of the strongest herbs in the land, but it is so expensive, not even my friend Scarlet can get her hands on it without paymentupfront.”
Dahvi stroked my arms. “Your brother is a kind soul. I will miss our chats when Ileave.”
The way he said it made it sound as if the situation between us was strictly a business deal. As if I was nothing more than a customer he was bound to serve. My chest tightened withconfusion.
When I’d released the genies from the lamp, I’d felt a tug on my heart, a connection, as if the genies and I were linked somehow. Gods. I was so stupid. I’d misread everything. Dahvi was just touchy-feely. He liked to give people massages and hugs. No way was he interested in me. Not after I lay with hisbrother.
My throat stiffened. This was why I never got close to anyone. I never wanted to get hurt again. Other than Ali, I’d never let anyone but Scarlet get close to me. That way, no one could throw us away like our mother had. Yet, the genies did something to me. Cracks had appeared in the walls I’d built around my heart when I met them. Every interaction with them caused more of my barriers to crumble. Pretty soon, there’d be nothing to hide behind. The thought of being left exposed terrified me. And although I’d only known the genies a short time, it felt as if I’d known them a lifetime, and my heart stabbed at the thought of saying goodbye. Even if Dahvi didn’t feel the sameway.
I took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m very lucky to have found you.” My voice cracked a little. “To spend time with you and to get to know you. To me, that is the greatesttreasure.”
A comfortable silence swallowed us. I liked that we didn’t need to speak to enjoy each other’s company. That he didn’t demand I keep him entertained. That he kept me tight in his embrace. I shoved aside how my future would turn out and stared into the distance at the glorious blue skies, the bright sun beating down on me, and the desert landscape over which weflew.
Some time later, the sun commenced its descent below the horizon. The first star of the evening speckled the darkening canopy above. Shadows stretched across the woods we crossed. Soon, we’d reach Scarlet’s shop. But for now, we had guards to dump in the forest of TheDen.
