Loretta of the Lamp

Trust is a fragile thing

The following morning when she woke, Loretta learned that they were on the side of the city within sight of Misbah. The golden city itself was not visible from this distance, but the Mountain of Smoke was. It wasn't Akil who told her these things, but their captive intruder, Ben. Loretta woke to find him watching her from where he sat rather uncomfortably, tied up beside the sleeping Akil. She felt the same pity for him that she had the night before. As much as she could identify with being a prisoner, she had to shake the thought away. Ben's rust brown hair was plastered to his face with sweat and twisted up in the gag that Akil had stuffed in his mouth. He looked pleadingly at her when he realised she was awake.

Despite his rather pathetic situation, Ben was not unattractive. He actually looked a little older than Akil, which was of course a vastly inaccurate observation. Loretta knew he was at least a couple thousand years younger than the genie. In appearance his face was softer and kinder than Akil's, with eyes shaped like almonds and irises the colour of red earth. His skin was a tanned cream, not as browned by the lamplight as the most of the Jinni that Loretta had met so far. She wondered why it was, but guessed "Why aren't you brown?" was not the best question to ask him first.

Akil was still fast asleep.

Bennou gave her the pleading look again, and he started to cough through the gag.

Without giving it much thought she put her finger to her lips, warning him to be silent, and reached forward to pull the rag out of his mouth.

He inhaled deeply, and started coughing. Still Akil did not wake. Loretta helped him to drink from her water bottle.

"Thank you," he said, after he'd filled his mouth several times.

"Where are you from?" Loretta asked, not bothering with conversational formalities.

"I told you, this is my home," he looked around the tumbling down house with intent.

"Don't lie." She frowned at him.

"My family home," he repeated.

"Where do you live now then?" she asked, because he clearly didn't live here.

He was silent for a moment before he replied, "Misbah. I told you."

"Why though?" she asked, her voice more curt than necessary.

"Because there is nothing here, as you can see."

"Why did you move to Misbah?"

"There is work in Misbah, and safety."

"Safety?"

"The protection of the Djin king," Bennou explained.

Loretta looked at him and remained silent. Out of the corner of her eye she could still see the soft rise and fall of Akil's sleeping chest.

"Why do you need the protection of the Djin king? Why is Hikari unsafe?"

"Because of the Jin. Look, untie me and I will make you breakfast. I'm hungry. I was coming home to make food last night before I slept and began my journey back this morning." He paused and sighed, "Unfortunately that did not happen."

Loretta could sense he was pushing the bounds of her control over him in Akil's absence. And, he did not want to answer her questions. "Do you think I care if you are hungry?" she asked, imperiously. "Why did your family not come back with you for this wedding?"

"Fine then. I have no family in Misbah." He said it with a tone that suggested Loretta should not ask further questions on the topic.

No family in Misbah. So he had lied about bringing a gift from his mother to the wedding.