The Sole Survivors' Club

Chapter 21

PART THREE: THE FIRE PLANE

The flames were not as hot as Monica expected, but at last she could feel warmth instead of the biting cold that gripped her limbs only seconds before.

She saw a bursting flash of light behind her closed eyelids and assumed it was the alcohol igniting. But the feeling of soothing warmth did not intensify into burning heat.

She tried to draw in a breath and couldn’t. Then she noticed how neither her hand nor her leg were in pain, nor could she feel the kindling she’d stepped into.

She opened her eyes, but there was nothing to see. No matter which way she looked, she was surrounded by walls of fire. The flames covered her body and the sword, and yet nothing was burning.

Taking another step on what should have been a bad leg, she was surprised when the flames snuffed themselves suddenly.

The yard was the same, but it wasn’t. There were minor differences in how light reflected off of objects, paradoxically making them seem darker though there was more light illuminating everything. The sky appeared more white than blue, while the grass and trees became a dark bluish shade. Under the brighter lighting, the jinn did not appear so dark, but the shifting spots covering every creature became black enough to look like holes in their bodies.

Turning to look for Bernice’s doppelganger, Monica spotted her own body first. She had indeed managed to set one foot into the kindling before the alcohol ignited. The fire had burned away a lot of her hair, and she guessed she’d lost half the length before it had been put out. Her clothing was spared, which suggested the fire lasted only a second or two at most.

Monica still could not draw in a breath, but she felt no pain in her chest, nor any need to inhale or exhale. She could not feel anything but a sensation of being warm.

When she returned her attention to the jinn, one of the taller females approached Monica. The jinniyah stood over Monica by several inches, and perhaps understanding her appearance was intimidating, she raised her hands in a calming gesture.

“Please, stay calm.” The jinniyah’s voice was soft and breathy. “There is no reason to be afraid.”

Monica returned to staring at her body. “Am I dead?”

“No. You would describe the condition as a catatonic state. It is not permanent, and I can return you to your body once you have completed your tasks.”

“What do you mean by tasks?” Monica turned to watch the jinniyah with a look of confusion. “Is this my punishment for defying you?”

“No, your act of defiance inspired us. To borrow a term your friend Carl Andrews used, you have become our totem.”

This was the last puzzle piece falling into place. At last Monica understood why so many of the lower jinn surrounded her. She thought of the cat, surrounded by only a few sila. The cat had nothing compared to the crowd surrounding her.

Every size and shape of jinn was present, save one. The marid were notable for their absence, and Monica kept turning slow circles, certain they would be arriving soon.

Giving up the search after three full turns, Monica asked, “Why are you all following me?”

“Because you expelled me,” the jinniyah said. “Such a thing is possible, but it is very rare.”

“You were the ifrit possessing me.”

“Yes, and many of the jinn here were servants of Charles, the marid you confronted.”

Monica blinked. “Charles?”

“Yes.”

“You followed a leader named Charles?”