My heart dropped to my toes.

Dahvi grabbed my hand, and we ran down the center of the market, away from the vizier’s guards. A kid carrying a tray of meat got in our way. I skipped left, accidentally bumping into a woman reorganizing her stall. She stumbled and her basketful of dates crashed to the ground.

“Sorry,” I shouted.

Sand crunched under our feet. It still hurt to put pressure on my ankle, but I couldn’t get caught as I had the other night in the Sultan’s cave. We needed to hide and fast.

Unable to keep up with Dahvi, I slowed my pace to a limp. My nerves were stretched. I glanced over my shoulder as two guards shoved people out of the way, cutting a straight line for us.

Shish kebab.

I overturned a stall of pastries and a rack of clothing. Merchants shouted curses at me. I heard the guards grind to a halt. The table scraped against the ground, and they were back on our trail.

Dahvi stopped to yank the cloth off a tent and let it fall on the guards. They shouted and scratched to get free.

Up ahead, a man played a flute, charming three cobras in a basket.

As we passed him, the genie kicked the receptacle over, and snakes spilled all over the ground. They reared up, flaring and hissing. Everybody screamed as the place descended into chaos.

Sorry. But we needed something to slow down the guards.

If only the genie had his powers, we’d be out of the mess in a puff of smoke, and no one would get hurt.

“Which way?” said Dahvi as we arrived at an intersection at the end of the market.

I chanced a look over my shoulder. The guard who had apprehended me in the cave jump over the snakes and continue his pursuit.

Crap.

My pulse thundered in my veins. “This way.”

We ducked down the next lane to our right.

The genie and I took another right and then a left into the back alleys. I scanned the buildings surrounding us for a way out of this mess. Clothes air-dried on wire stretching between the buildings. Potted plants lined windowsills, their leaves stretching out toward the sunlight. A metal grille crawled up the wall of one of the buildings.

Perfect.

“Quick, up there.” I climbed the grille, scaling the sandstone wall, passing one level of the two-story apartments in a matter of seconds.

“Hey!” shouted the guard as he entered the alley. “Get back here.”

Nothing was stopping me from getting to the top.

“Hurry, Master,” Dahvi said.

“Can’t move any faster with my ankle,” I said.

The genie’s hand cupped my bottom and pushed me up, giving me the boost I needed.

“Gods!” I said, surprised yet aroused by the position of his hand.

Once I reached the top, I flung my leg over the edge and pulled myself up.

“Here.” I offered Dahvi a hand to help him.

Dahvi took my hand, climbed up, and I lead him across four mica rooftops toward the west. Sure, they were dilapidated and old, but I’d been up here plenty of times to star gaze and knew they’d take my weight.

“The guard is not far behind us,” he puffed, out of breath from the climb.

My breaths came fast and heavy. Not because of the activity; I was used to sprinting and climbing things. But the adrenaline spiking in my blood was sending my system into overdrive.

“There’s a plank over there, where we can cross to the next building.” I pointed to the north. “Once we’re over, we’ll take down the board so he’s trapped.”

From up there, we could see out across the city. Palm trees along the river swayed in the breeze. Water spurted from the fountain in the city’s heart. Golden domes and tiled mosaics, geometric patterns dotting the landscape. The wild desert beyond gleamed a rich orange.

“Spectacular view,” commented Dahvi as he lifted me over a parapet. “Reminds me of home.”

“Yes,” I replied, fighting the giddiness from his touch…or was it the pain in my ankle? I wasn’t sure which. “One we don’t have time to enjoy right now.”

I heard the grunts of the guard from fifty feet behind us. I assumed he was trying to climb the grille. A fat, old, lazy lump like him might take a while to get to the top.

Dahvi stormed across another roof, dragging me with him as my limp worsened by the moment. Thank the gods, most of the apartment buildings were joined or very close together, otherwise, there’d be nowhere to run. That said, in about another twenty or so rooftops, we’d have to cross the plank to the next block of apartments. From there, we’d have to return to street level, cross the sultan’s road, then it was a clear path along the river leading to Terra.

By the time we’d reached the eleventh roof, I glanced over my shoulder.

“Gods,” I spat. “The guard’s here.”

Crap. Crap. Crap. He was faster than I had anticipated for an old guy. Fear thumped in my chest so hard I thought my heart might burst through my ribcage.

The pain in my ankle scaled up three notches as I pushed into a run. I wanted to stop to rest for a few moments but couldn’t. Tightness settled across my ribcage as I contemplated the agony of climbing down the next building.

“Master, your ankle,” said Dahvi. “Let me carry you.”

“No, I’ll be okay.” I waved him away.

I glanced over my shoulder again, and my breath hiccupped.

The guard was catching up and fast. His eyes blazed with hatred and the promise of death—retribution for all the torture he’d probably received from the vizier as a result of my escape.

Something caught my foot, and I tripped, rolling along the mica, scraping my legs and hands. Pain flared on my grazed knees. A whimper flew out my mouth at the sight of my blood.

“Are you all right?” Dahvi scooped me into his arms as if I weighed nothing.

Something about being curled in his grasp felt familiar. Protected. Safe. But how could I enjoy it with the guard gaining on us?

Terror coursed in my veins as he drew his sword. Metal grating against the scabbard turned my blood to ice.

“Shish kebab,” I whispered under my breath.

Dahvi skidded to a halt as he reached the end of the last roof. “The plank’s not here.”

“What?” My words came out strangled and hoarse.

When he set me back on my feet, I missed his touch at once. I inched closer to the edge, hardly able to bare the weight or the pain in my ankle. One peek over the side revealed what used to be the plank, now nothing but broken shards of wood on the cobbled ground below. Crap. Now we were left with no other option but to climb down the building. Since I could barely stand that was not going to be easy.

“There’s not enough time for us both to climb down,” said the genie. “You go first. Leave the guard to me.”

My head exploded with dizzying fear. Did a genie even know how to fight? Who would need to know how to defend themselves with brawn when they had magic? Fear scratched along my spine.

“But he’ll kill you,” I protested.

“Leave them to me,” Dahvi growled. One snap of his fingers set blue fire crackling on his thumb, but the flame went out quickly.

“No, you can’t use your magic.” Heat coursed through me the second I touched his arm. “You must save it.”

“Go.” He pushed me away then tried again and again with the same results.

Damn. His magic was still weak.

Behind him, the guard raised his sword over his head.

Terror ricocheted in my skull as I started for the ladder on the wall. “Behind you.”

Fire exploded next to us. Pale-blue smoke fanned outward. Something hissed inside the flames.

My pulse jumped into hyper mode as the source slithered out.

Oh crap. The genie had brought the cobras onto the roof. Six of them!

Startled, I almost lost my balance, but Dahvi caught me. It felt incredible to be close to him again. Even just for a fleeting moment.

“What are we going to do?” My voice scaled three octaves.

The guard came to a standstill. I couldn’t blame him. If I were him, I’d let the snakes do his job for him. His husky laugh raked down my skin.

“Master, watch out,” warned the genie.

One of the cobras struck at me, and I scrambled backward, hitting the parapet. Dahvi used that inhuman speed of his to yank the snake by the tail and fling it at the guard. The rest of the snakes rounded on the genie.

A strangled cry poured from my mouth.

The genie ignited his magic again. All the cobras burst into flames. The fire combined into a single blaze that jumped back onto the genie’s hand.

I glanced at the guard. Two halves of a sliced cobra rested at his feet. Hatred fueled his eyes as he continued his pursuit of the genie and me.

“Dahvi, we have to leave now,” I screamed, throwing my leg over the roof’s edge.

But it was too late. The guard’s sword slashed through the air. Dahvi raised a fist, deflecting the blow. The steel clashed on the genie’s wristband. Blue sparks exploded over both of them. The guard jumped back, surprised. When he regained his senses, he continued his swipes, forcing the genie backward. The guard grunted as if he’d never had to work so hard to apprehend a criminal. Most probably surrendered at the sight of his sword.

I flinched at every strike. My stomach turned to a sloppy mess.

“Get down here,” someone shouted from below.

Shish kebab. Another guard.

Just because we didn’t have enough problems, the third guard stumbled onto the roof from the opposite end.

“Dahvi, we have a problem,” I warned.

Blue flames erupted on Dahvi. Out of the resulting swell of smoke came a floating carpet branded with ocean blues and greens.

“I didn’t summon you,” cried Dahvi, grabbing the sides of his head. “You’ll have to do. Get on, Master.”

The rug swung over to me.

Little puffs of pale magic extinguished on the silk rug as I put a foot on it. Hundreds of frays spat out from the edges of the carpet, as if it were moulting. Threads of the silk weave unwound and piled on the roof.

“No, no, no,” I shouted, grabbing the carpet, trying to stop it from unraveling. It sagged in my grasp as if all of its magic had drained away. I tossed the carpet over one shoulder.

The guard’s laugh rumbled in my ear. “What a poor excuse for a genie. I’ll be rewarded handsomely when I deliver both your heads to the vizier.”

For that, Dahvi punched him in the nose, sending him flying across the roof.

The guard on the ladder grabbed my injured ankle and squeezed. Streams of pain coursed through my leg, and I screeched. Instinctively, I kicked him with the heel of my boot. Blood poured out his nose.

“I’ll kill you for that, bitch.” His fingers dug into my leg, and I screamed. He tugged at me, trying to pull me off.

“Eat sand,” I said, looping both arms through the ladder. This time, I drove my heel into him with more force.

He grunted and thumped me in the thigh.

Gods. I could barely move from the numbing pain. Over and over, I slammed into him. Nothing worked to push him off.

Bleeding from his forehead now, the fat-bellied pig snatched the carpet from me.

“No.” I let one arm go to try to get it back.

The guard sneered.

One end of the magic carpet jolted upright as if sparked back to life. Magical fire blazed across the surface, weaving all its threads back together.

My jaw dropped. Maybe the genie’s magic wasn’t dead after all.

The guard stumbled down one rung on the ladder. Taking my chances, I thrust my leg at him, connecting with his chest. This time, he fell from the ladder, landing with a thud on the ground below.

I flinched for hurting him. But it was either him or me. And I chose me.

Something whacked me in the side of my face, ending my assault. Pain cracked down the side of my skull. Blinding light blurred my vision.

Someone grabbed me by the armpits and hauled me over the building’s edge.

“I’ve got the street rat,” said the voice of the guard Dahvi had been fighting.

Tightness clamped around my lungs. Oh gods. Where was the genie? Was he alive?

“Dahvi,” I screamed.

Muffled shrieks followed, and the guard’s grip on me loosened.

I blinked away the fog in my vision. To my surprise, it was not the genie who was my savior but the magic carpet. It had wrapped around the guard’s neck and dragged him backward. The guard scratched at the carpet, trying to get it off his face.

I rubbed my forehead, both in bewilderment and relief.

The magic carpet lifted the guard into the air and over the roof’s edge. His legs thrashed, fingers clawed. A smug sense of satisfaction pumped through me as the rug let him go. Several thuds and a scream sounded as he crashed below.

Two down. One to go.

My heart hammered into overdrive.

On the roof, Dahvi fought the last guard with his fists. The genie took a blow to the gut and chest. In return, he unleashed an elbow into the guard’s face. Dazed, he sank to his knees. The genie snatched the guard’s sword from his grip and cracked the man on the head with the hilt. The guard slumped to the ground like a sack of spices.

Three down.

“Dahvi,” I said, stumbling back onto the roof.

His chest heaved as he rushed to me. “Master.” He pulled me into his arms and held me tight.

I pressed my head to his shoulder, listening to his quaking heartbeat.

“Did he hurt you?” He smoothed hair from my face.

“No. But another guard tried to pull me off the ladder.” I wanted to say more, but when I lifted my head, I got lost in the stormy sea that was his eyes. Fireworks popped in my chest. I’d never had anyone come to my rescue before other than Karim. Something about having a guy protect me for once made me feel amazing.

“I’ve lost count of the number of times I had to jump in and help Kaza out of a tussle,” he said with a chuckle, squeezing me tighter, filling me with his delicious warmth.

So that’s where he’d learned to fight. I imagined Kaza getting into a lot of trouble with his flirty winks.

“And not a scar on you.” I poked Dahvi’s nose and giggled.

“Are you saying I fight like a girl?” He tickled me.

“No.” I squealed.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss him. But as we both leaned in, something jabbed me in the butt, and I accidentally head-butted him. Rubbing my forehead, I glanced over my shoulder. The cheeky rug waved a tassel at me.

“Sit,” said Dahvi, taking my hand and helping me onto the carpet. “Take the weight off your foot.”

I’d always been the one responsible for Ali. Getting his medicine, clothes, water and food, cooking, cleaning, and washing. I really liked the way Dahvi fussed over me. Having someone take care of me for a change was refreshing. This was something I could get used to.

Once I was comfy, Dahvi dragged one of the guards over to the rug and lifted him on.

“What are you doing?” I scrambled to the farther edge, terrified he’d wake up and try to kill me again.

“We can’t leave them here.” Dahvi went back for the other guard on the rooftop. “When they wake, they will return to the vizier with news of finding us. That will leave our brothers in danger.”

Smart. I can’t believe I didn’t thought about that. My mind still hadn’t caught up with all the complications in my life and my lack of sleep. All of this had left me exhausted. I needed sleep desperately. Gods! I probably looked a sight with dark bags under my eyes. Being around someone as sexy as Dahvi wasn’t helping either. I could barely concentrate on anything besides those eyes.

For a few moments, he took my hand and massaged the joints. “We’ll take the guards and leave them a few days’ march from here.”

Nice. That head start would give the genies time to recover. A chance for me to save my brother. Gods. So much responsibility again.

I patted the carpet. “I have just the place.”

“Where’s the last guard?” asked Dahvi, scanning the rooftop.

“In the alley,” I said.

My muscles braced for a bounce as he jumped on beside me. But the carpet didn’t budge. Only the tassels jiggled in the breeze.

A squeal burst free as the carpet sailed over the edge of the building and lowered us into the alley, the walls of which had been covered in graffiti from the local children.

Dahvi tiptoed around the plants potted in wine barrels to lug the final guard onto the carpet.

With a smile, Dahvi pulled me between his legs and snuggled me, my back to his rock-hard chest. Basking in his warmth, I nestled into him, feeling so secure.

His breath feathered my neck. “Where to now, Master?”

My belly bubbled with excitement. I was about to go on a magic carpet ride! “Head east for the lands known as The Den. Then we’ll take a detour to visit my friend Scarlet in the woods of Terra.”

Dahvi whispered to the carpet in a foreign language that sounded like pure magic. The carpet soared above the apartment blocks.

My stomach sank into my toes. Soon, the sand-drenched alley lay several hundred feet below. Dizziness struck me. Caves and gates, I could handle with no problem. But ridiculous heights like this weren’t my thing.

His lips grazed my ear, and my heart trotted like happy, Arabian horses.

“Look, Master.” He pointed downward.

Water roared in the fountain at the center of Utaara, which fed the lush gardens filled with hedges, crawling, flowering vines, roses, and fish ponds. The carpet shifted left around tiled archways and monuments. Brightly colored silk awnings and citizens wandering the cobbled streets all contrasted with the sunbaked orange buildings.

I gasped, and my hand flew to my chest. Such beauty I’d never seen before. This was perfect. I leaned even harder into him, and he held me tighter. Being next to him felt incredible. I’d always imagined strolling through the lanes of Utaara, hand in hand, with someone special. Leaning my head on his shoulder. Having his comforting arm around my waist. Feeling safe, loved, and supported. Dahvi stirred those feelings inside me, which was insane, considering I hardly knew him. Yet he’d done something to my insides I couldn’t explain.

The magic carpet peeled west, heading along the sultan’s road, leading out of Utaara. My heart bounced in my chest at the thought of seeing my friend Scarlet. With Ali so sick lately, I hadn’t seen her in over a month, and I longed to talk to her, get a new batch of tea for Ali, too.

Dahvi’s head pressed against the back of mine. “Utaara reminds me a little of the deserts back home. Tell me about this Terra land. Exploring new places is a hobby of mine and part of the job.”

“Me, too.” I twisted to look at him, impressed we had something in common. My line of work often called for me to steal artifacts and treasures and exchange them in other realms of Haven. But…at the end of the day, I did not belong to a lamp and a master. The thought of having to eternally serve new masters made my chest ache.

The genie laughed, deep and hearty, and the sound lightened my mind. “My mother used to say curiosity always led me astray.”

“So did mine.” I smiled, remembering driving my mother batty when I disappeared all the time to explore Utaara.

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 lucky enough.

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 for journeying.

“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’ve seen.”

“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 lived underground.”

My mind soared at those new possibilities. Perhaps once everything was dealt with, I could take the genies and Ali exploring around Haven.

“What’s it like in your world?” I asked as the carpet bumped on a pocket of air, and I gripped Dahvi’s leg.

“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 above land.”

It sounded like heaven, and I longed to visit there. “Can a human travel there?”

“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 and survive.”

Oh. Well, that sucked then. Wasn’t fair that genies could live and visit our world, and we were not permitted to enter theirs.

I left a hand on his thigh, and it sizzled from the heat raging between us. “Are Zand and Kaza your brothers?”

“No,” replied the genie. “But we are family now.”

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 for them.

“What is Zand’s and Kaza’s home like?”

“Zand’s hometown is full of fire,” said Dahvi, his hand panning the expanse of sky. “Volcanoes, fiery pits, lava, heat-tolerant plants.”

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 their head?

“Kaza’s land…well.” Dahvi laughed. “It hovers in the clouds. Everything is light and airy, and everyone farts.”

We both laughed at that. Correction—I snorted. Gods. I shrugged.

Dahvi gently squeezed my shoulders, easing the tension. “Will you get some herbs for your brother in Terra, too?”

Whoa! Way to ruin the perfect moment.

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 payment upfront.”

Dahvi stroked my arms. “Your brother is a kind soul. I will miss our chats when I leave.”

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 with confusion.

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 his brother.

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 same way.

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 greatest treasure.”

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 we flew.

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 The Den.

“We should fly low and find a tree to tie these guards to,” I announced.

The genie whispered to the carpet, and we sailed down, my stomach lurching from the sudden dip. We rushed over a river that transformed into waterfalls. Mist splattered my face, and I smoothed it over my hot neck. We entered the woods, dodging staggering-sized trees, but Dahvi held me tightly as I leaned into the movements. Fallen leaves and logs, clusters of shrubs, and patches of mushrooms and herbs filled the land. This place was heaven compared to the hot, harsh land of Utaara.

Ahead, I found the perfect place to drop the sultan’s guards. “What about over there by that giant oak?” I pointed for Dahvi.

The genie commanded the carpet to hover just above the ground. Then he rolled the palace guards off with his foot. They thumped onto the ground in a pile. Once they woke, they could make the trek back to Utaara.

I didn’t need to tie them and leave them there to die. Knowing the vizier, he would probably kill them when they returned with news that they had let the genie and me escape.

Dahvi leapt back onto his carpet. “Where to now, Master?”

“Follow the river, and it will lead straight to Scarlet’s home in Terra,” I said, sitting beside him this time, not wanting to lose myself in his saltwater scent and heavenly arms and chest.

“How did you meet your friend if she lives in another realm?” he asked, taking my hand and massaging my fingers.

Gods. Why wouldn’t he stop touching me? It was making it hard for me to think. Just being near him frazzled my nerves. But having him caressing me, too? Damn!

“Years ago,” I explained with a moan of pleasure, “the avestan prescribed swallow’s nettle for my brother, but the avestan did not have any and told me he would pay me to retrieve some from the woods of Terra.”

“Sounds like your medicine man never has herbs,” joked the genie.

I laughed at how true it was.

“That’s where I met Scarlet,” I said, admiring the water cascading over the rocks in the stream. “She was collecting other herbs for her tea mixtures. We got to talking. She took me back to her shop and showed me what to brew for Ali. We’ve been friends ever since.”

“That reminds me of my friend Uruku.” A hint of sorrow replaced Dahvi’s former cheer. “He loved herbs and spices. Used to make up the best stews. Ahhh. But that was a lifetime ago.”

He’d lost the people he loved, too. So had all the genies. A rawness settled into my bones. The unfairness of it all simmered inside me.

“Oh, crap,” I said, swiveling on my knees. “We just went past Scarlet’s shop. It’s back there.”

Dahvi called the carpet to arc back, and we ground to a halt right outside the door of my friend’s shop. He jumped off first, offering me a hand then lifting me off the hovering carpet.

What a gentleman. My heart lifted at being treated like such a princess.

Cold pricked my arms, and I shivered, rubbing them.

Trees creaked as they sway. Frogs croaked their nighty chorus. It was a perfect symphony.

Paint peeled from the windows of Scarlet’s shop, which she called, Get Your Herb On. The windows were smudged as if they hadn’t been cleaned in a decade. Vines crept up to the walls of the little building. Red letters on the sign dangling over her doorway were faded and needed another coat of paint.

Dahvi offered me a flower from one of the vines. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the gesture. He was giving me mixed signals. Earlier, he’d made it pretty clear we were just friends. Giving someone flowers was a romantic gesture. Perhaps the djinn gave flowers to their friendship, also. Gods! My head pounded with confusion. I didn’t want to think about it anymore.

“Thanks,” I said, taking the flower and sticking the stem over my ear.

The lights were off inside Scarlet’s shop, so I peered through the front glass door. A faint glow came from the back of the building, telling me she was working late as usual. The illumination revealed rows of shelves, packed with jars of varying sizes.

“Right,” I said to Dahvi. “It’s time to get your brother out so my friend can see to his wounds.”

I glanced around the woods, making certain no one else was around. If the priestess’s guardians saw us, they would arrest us for using magic.

Damn it. How stupid of us to fly across Terra on a magic carpet and not watch out for the priestess or her guardians. I wanted to kick myself for being off guard. Blame it on the distracting conversation with the genie. What if we had been spotted and the priestess or her men were on their way to apprehend us now? I couldn’t have anything else getting in the way of my plans.