Beyond the Glow

Chapter 25

The rest of the trek to my room went by uneventfully, other than the occasional question about what Tran thought he was doing carting a girl who was believed to be dead around the castle.

I give the news a day at the very least to get to town that you're in a coma.

As fast as the gossip around here travels, I don't doubt you.

I am put into my bed and the servants exit without incident, leaving Tran behind with me. "So, she's already throwing a ball?" I say with a smirk, sitting up. Tran was on the other side of the room, leaning against the wall. His relaxed expression faded into a grimace into my words.

"She, has her own way of grief..." He tried, but it sounded false to even my ears.

"Ah yes, if my childs future husband or wife died in a tragic accident, I would also be so devastated I would throw all ball and invite all of the eligible men and women I could find to attend." I roll my eyes.

Tran sighed, sliding a hand down his face. "I am finding this conversation to be trying, I'm going to go make sure that woman keeps her mouth shut about all of this." He shot me a glare, "You will stay here and pretend to be dead, like you were last night."

Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Oh course I will, whatever told you otherwise?"

Tran's eyes narrowed, and he pointed to me, "Stay there. Otherwise you might be back in that little spot in the dungeon we talked about earlier." He proceeded to open the door a crack, and slip out.

We aren't really going to stay here, are we?

Leila, I don't plan on being thrown in the dungeon until the boredom is too much to bear. Until that point, I have you.

No you don't. I have better things to do then sit and listen to you all day.

Yeah, I bet you do. But you don't really have a choice in the matter. If I want to talk, then we talk. I bet you regret that little bracelet now, don't you.

It was a life and death situation! And while we're talking about those, how bout you tell me just where you hid your lamp. You do know what happens to a genie without their lamp right?

I gulp, to be honest, my parents never covered that particular tidbt of knowledge. Sure they told me to Never, ever, under any circumstances, take it off. But they never said why. I just assumed I would lose the ability to control the magic; at the very least, I would become a normal person.

You don't, do you?

Yes I do! I bluff, not wanting to sound like an idiot, I'm the last genie alive, of course I know this! I won't let some girl with a little magic act more superior than me!

Liar.

I'm not!

Then tell me what happens. I know already, but lets see what you know about this.

How do you know so much about genies? I ask, trying to buy myself some time to bluff an answer. Tentatively I reach out, thinking maybe I can skim her thoughts, and maybe find the answer she thought was right, not unlike what I did with Amita.

Her head is filled with images, of a life of constantly moving, never staying in one place too long, not stopping for anything. Not too unlike my own life, but we at least stayed for a few months. Leila and two other figures rode horses, and as I watched, I saw them living on the road and always staying away from the capital. Then one picture in particular caught my attention. A picture of me.