Of Witches and Warlocks: The Complete Series

Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"The jinn?" I faltered and Hex wrapped an arm around my waist for support. "What's that?"

"Have you ever read the Qu'ran?" he asked.

"You mean the Islamic bible?" I looked up in interest, and he nodded. "No."

"Okay, how about Aladdin and the Magic Lamp?"

"The one with the genie? Yeah, I've heard of it."

"Well then you've heard of the jinn."

"Genies? They're real?" I laughed, wondering why I found this theory so ridiculous since I was a witch.

"Not necessarily in the way you're probably picturing them," he said. "In Arabic, Muslim, and even Egyptian cultures, the jinn were believed to be a race of God's children that predated man."

"Really?" My interest was piqued now.

"Yes. There are a lot of different folklores and traditions concerning the jinn, but basically they were considered spirits of the desert, something between angels and man. They consisted of species like satyrs and nymphs. Some legends claim they were God's chosen people, who grew to inhabit the whole earth, building up massive cities and progressing in advanced technologies the more they gained his favor.

"However, as in many societies, they began to transgress God's laws, turning toward things of sin and wickedness in their worldly pursuits. They fell out of grace with God and brought His wrath down upon them. The legends say God sent a powerful army of angels to confront them, forcing them out of the places they had lived in." Hex looked me in the eye as if studying my reaction to everything.

"What happened then?" I asked, thoroughly enthralled with his story.

"God created man and gave the earth to him, and the jinn were forced to wander as spirits on a different plane, cast out of heaven, not acknowledged on earth, left to dwell in whatever spots they could find, while having to watch man as he inhabited the planet in their stead."

"Wow." My mind started conjuring images of ancient battles being fought between powerful races of old.

"Reportedly, there are both good and bad jinn who often try to affect the way things go about in the world today," Hex continued. "There are even rumors the jinn have possessed men and women to help propagate their own species."

We entered a darkened doorway. Hex snapped his fingers and the light came on to reveal a mirrored room with padded mats on the floor.

"This is my training room, and now it will be yours," he said and gestured for me to sit.

I settled down on the soft mat, thinking about the things he had told me, while he crossed the room and pushed on two sets of mirrors.

One mirrored panel popped out to reveal a wall sporting many kinds of weapons, and training devices, the other had dozens of glass tubes filled with different substances. He picked one of these vials up and brought it over to where I was seated, handing it to me. It was full of a bluish liquid.

"What's this?" I asked turning the test tube in my fingers.

"That's the jinn," he replied.

I stared up at him wondering if he had gone completely insane. Maybe I was dealing with a total nutcase here. He had been alone for a long time.

He laughed. "Your emotions are so easy to read. We'll have to work on that. I'm not crazy."

"Then explain what you mean, please. How can this be the jinn?"