Lorcan's Fireside Story Time

The Merchant And The Jinn

Author's Note: I'm posting these stories to whet readers' appetites for Lorcan: Dragonquest, which I will post when I've got more of an audience to share it with. Their purpose is to introduce you to the world in which he moves and the people he meets while on the quest.

Lorcan's world is set in medieval times but the storytelling dips into earlier eras depending on what mood the storytellers are in. Since Lorcan and Cokelli are traveling with a merchant's caravan, the storytellers come from different countries and their cultures vary. As a result, the narrative style will change from time to time.

Beso, the caravan leader, is from Zanjifrah, a country known for myth, magic, its rich culture, and its traveling merchants. This story is told while the caravan is traveling through Antica and Beso is speaking in Antican because most of the other travelers at this point are Antican. In the novel, his grasp of that language isn't very strong so his grammar is pretty bad, but I've corrected it for him here.

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Firelight flickered on the faces of Beso Buzzo and the merchants, who sat in a circle clutching mugs of ale. Replete with their evening meal, they relaxed, chatting until the subject turned to Jinn.

"What are Jinn?" asked Lorcan. "You tell us that we should not just them, but why?"

"They will grant your wishes if they are so inclined, replied Beso, "but never in the way you expect.

"A long time ago, in the land of Aljanubi, there was a man who had a beautiful wife and a little daughter, but no sons. A merchant like me. For seven years, they visited every temple and called on every Patron, but no son came. The man loved his wife and little girl but in his heart, he wanted a son. He traveled far and wide, looking for someone to help. One day he was in a great city, Hakana. He went to find an inn to stay in and on the way an old woman called to him, 'Give me what you can, and you will be blessed.'

"The man was tired and hungry and wanted to go straight to the inn. 

"The woman called out, 'Give me what you can, and you will be blessed with as much as you give.'

"The man only wanted a meal and a bed then, so he kept walking. 

"'Give me what you have, and you shall receive what you want,' the old woman said to him.

"'Can you give me a son?'" the man asked.

"'I am too old,' the woman replied, 'but there is a Jinn you can ask for help. Beware, for his blessing is like a peach: inside is the seed, it is sweet at first, then bitter.'

"The man gave her some money and she led him out of the city to a great big pile of rocks. 

"They walked around the pile until they saw a dip that led into a hole underneath. 

"The old woman said, 'Go into the hole. Inside is a Jinn but beware, for his blessing is sweet, but with a bitter seed inside.'

"The man went into the hole and inside was a light, but not like lamplight. It was a strange light with pretty colours. He went deeper inside and looked around the cave until he saw three standing stones. Each stone had something on. The one on the left had a cup made of horn. The stone on the right had a vial with green liquid in it, and the one in the middle had a silver spoon. The man did not know what to do, so he waited for a while. When nothing happened, he took the cup, the spoon, and the vial, then left the cave.

"When he returned to the city, he saw the old woman and told her what he took from the cave. She said, 'Give your wife the cup when you get home. Put a drop of the green liquid in, add water, and stir it with the spoon. Then she must drink it. Then she will bear you a son.'

"The man finished his business in the city and returned home to his wife. He gave her the cup, put in all of the liquid, and stirred it with water. 

"Then she drank it.

"A few months later, she told him there was a baby in her belly and they were happy. Then her belly grew. And grew. And grew. Soon it was so big she could not get out of bed. Still, it was not time to give birth, and still, her belly grew. Finally, the day came. It was time for the baby to be born. First came one, then another, then another, then another. At last, a hundred babies were born, then the wife died. Every baby was a boy."

The other merchants nodded sagely.

"Be careful what you wish for," said Beso. "And never trust a Jinn."