Nobody Likes Megan McGowen

20. Can't Run Away

After Jakob had been cursed into being a jinn, he spent a very long time in that bottle. And even though he'd never admit it, the man who'd cursed him had been right: Jakob did have plenty of time to figure out that whole doing-magic thing.

He figured out how to take up less room in that bottle, and even how to keep a shape that wasn't just smoke. Then, he started working on how to make the inside of the bottle light when he was stuck in it, so at least now he didn't have to sit in the dark. And if nothing else, practicing all this helped ease his boredom. He knew being stuck in that tiny space wouldn't be the most exciting time he ever had, but he still couldn't believe just how boring it really was. So when someone finally came along and opened the bottle, he was almost looking forward to it. That is, until he actually met the man.

As soon as the stopper was out, Jakob was instantly free. He stood there, only a few feet from the man. Or, he almost stood. He wasn't sure if it was because he was nervous, but somehow he hadn't been able to make the transition back to human form. Relax, he told himself. He'd practiced this hundreds of times in the bottle. So why wasn't it working now? Fortunately, Jakob's master, as he guessed the man should be called, seemed to know exactly what to do.

"Show me your human form." the man commanded.

As soon as the words were out of the man's mouth, Jakob could feel his body taking shape, solidifying. It wasn't even something Jakob had to worry about trying to control; it just happened automatically. Jakob was relieved, even when he looked down and saw he still had the blue trousers and those horrible bracers.

"I hope this doesn't mean you're going to be giving me trouble." the man said coldly.

"No, sir." Jakob told him.

He might not like the idea of serving this stranger unconditionally, but he didn't want to give the impression that he'd be anything less than helpful. Jakob had grown up with stories about jinn, and he knew the reputation he'd have just by standing there. To say the man would be suspicious of him would be putting it mildly.

"Good." the man nodded. "Now, I paid a lot of money for you, so let's see if you're worth it."

Jakob just stood there awkwardly, not sure what to say. He tried not to take it as a bad sign, but it didn't seem promising.

"I wish to be the richest man in the city." the man announced.

"Yes, sir." Jakob said. But he had no idea how he was supposed to do it.

He stood there for a second, trying to think. Usually he had to concentrate pretty hard on doing any magic. And that was only to do simple, basic things. How was he supposed to do this?

As he continued to stand there, the man's expression went from mild annoyance to almost hostile.

"Maybe I should rephrase that. I wish to be the richest person in this city, now." The man smiled humorlessly.

"Yes, sir." Jakob said, trying to keep from shaking. If he made this man mad, things could get really bad for him.

He closed his eyes and thought about how he was supposed to do this. At first, he didn't feel any different. But then he took a deep breath, forcing himself to relax. Suddenly, he knew what to do.

It was kind of a subtle feeling, and Jakob might have missed it if he hadn't spent far too long in that bottle practicing magic. It was a kind of itching in his fingers. He raised his hand and made a kind of complicated gesture. The back half of the room filled to the roof with gold coins that cascaded down to their feet. Jakob breathed a sigh of relief; he'd managed to actually complete a wish. Maybe this wouldn't be so impossible after all.

The man gave a short nod, satisfied. "Good. Nice to see you're not useless after all – I was starting to have my doubts about you for a minute there."

Jakob struggled for something to say. He'd never been incredibly high on the social ladder, but he'd always been treated way better than this. Jakob was still staring wide-eyed when the man started walking out of the room. Apparently he hadn't expected a response after all.

The man was halfway down the hall before he turned back to Jakob.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked impatiently.

"Sorry, sir." Jakob said, hurrying after him.

"Now, I know all about your kind." the man told Jakob. "I know that it's best to get rid of you as soon as possible. And I will, don't worry. But first, I need to take care of some things. Do you understand?"

Jakob nodded uncertainly.

"Good." the man nodded as they continued down the marble hall.

Jakob was impressed with how tall the ceiling was and the way it seemed to stretch more than double the length of the entire house Jakob had grown up in. He would have thought someone who lived in a place like this would already be the richest man in the city – or at least so close that it hardly mattered. All Jakob knew for certain was that it was nicer than any place he'd ever been allowed in. When they got to the end of the hall, the man stopped in front of two large double doors.

Inside, the ceiling was incredibly high and each wall was lined with books and scrolls. A large desk faced the window, and outside Jakob could see the whole city below. It definitely wasn't any place he'd ever been.

"What city is this?" Jakob asked. But the man didn't answer. Apparently, he wasn't interested in answering questions from a lowly jinn.

"You will not leave this room for any reason. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"If you do anything other than stay here quietly, you won't even have an entire room to worry about – you'll just stay in that bottle of yours."

"Yes, sir." Jakob said again. He didn't have to be told twice – there was no way he was going back there if he could help it.

"Can you read?" his master asked, gesturing towards the books. Jakob shook his head.

"Only a little." he admitted. If possible, the man looked even more disappointed in him.

"You might try learning. I'm sure it'll come in handy for you."

"Thank you." Jakob said solemnly.

He was about to tell the man how it wasn't really his fault – that he didn't get to go to school for very long. His family hadn't been wealthy, and he'd needed to help his father in the fields after they'd had a few bad seasons. He couldn't afford to be in even the schools for the lower classes. But before he could say any of that, the man held up his hand.

"The reason is irrelevant." he said matter-of-factly. "Jinn never seem to have the education they should. They just don't care. And your personal excuses are irrelevant."

Jakob nodded.

"Good. Now, I'll be back for you in a few days. And I repeat – you are not to leave this room."

Of course, as soon as the man was gone, Jakob began planning his escape. He knew what would happen if he stayed here; he'd be forced to do whatever other people wanted – forever. And when they were done with him, they'd send him back to the bottle. Well, there was no way he was going to settle for that! He was leaving this house, and he was never coming back.

He listened carefully for any sounds coming from outside. When he was sure no one was there, he cautiously opened the door.

The hallway was empty – so far, so good. He didn't know where the exit was exactly; the house was too big for that. But he did know which way he'd come from, and he was pretty sure he heard the man leave in the same direction. So, he figured that was the way to go. But when he went to step out into the hall, he found there was a small problem.

He couldn't pass the threshold. No matter what he tried, it was like there was an invisible barrier keeping him in the room. It looked like Jakob really would be serving his new masters, doing exactly what they commanded.