Trick Magic IV
However, while you might’ve thought it a good idea to change the wording of the wish given more time (if only for the vagueness in how Moirine spoke it), for you, you feel she managed to rattle the djinn perfectly enough thanks in part TO the vagueness. Plus, by the sounds of it, the djinn spoke as if he didn’t need to know the exact names of any of Moirine’s ‘friends’ to achieve the wish, since he apparently claimed to read minds.
I think you should keep it as is, you reply. It seems like he put himself into a corner.
Aye, Fia replies. I agree.
Moirine looks the djinn in the eyes. “I’m keeping my wish the way I spoke it. You can just pluck a friend from my thoughts; I only have a few close friends, and I’m certain any one of them would love to find out that magic and genies exist.” She smiles. “Go on.”
The djinn’s eyebrows knit together. He appears irritated that Moirine’s sticking to her guns on this, and you get the sense he was likely hoping she’d give him more to work with. Maybe it’s because he wants an excuse for when he can’t use his magic the way he’s claiming, or maybe it’s just a thing about his pride – you don’t know, or care, really.
“Very well,” the djinn says. “Then your wish shall be granted, Master…”
The djinn brings his hands together, and that dark-green energy gathers between his palms before it swiftly envelops his arms, then the rest of his body, surrounding him with a crackling, glowing aura. The gleam is bright, almost to the point you can’t see much of anything other than the energy you assume to be magic, but you watch as the djinn points his hands in front of himself. A sphere of energy forms between him and Moirine.
What’s he doing? you ask Fia.
Just wait, Fia replies. It’s almost time to make your entrance, pup.
You nod and focus, waiting for when you’re told to move.
The energy sphere slowly expands as the djinn keeps his arms extended, growing into a rather tall column, and as you watch, it begins to take on a different shape; at first, you aren’t sure what the shape is exactly, but it soon starts to look oddly humanoid to you.
He’s just conjuring proverbial smoke and mirrors, pup, Moirine says, her voice holding confidence and calmness in it. I can tell what his goal is immediately – he’s going to make a vague shape and then have it appear that he’s summoned a ‘friend’ of mine, only for them to disappear before I can see or speak to them. He’ll make some excuse about my wish’s wording when it’s all said and done, but, we all know the truth.
The shape continues to look humanoid, but it isn’t super detailed.
Alright, pup, Fia says. Go and stand in front of Moirine where his magic is!
You gawk. Wh… what?
You’ll be fine! Fia replies. His magic isn’t really being used, so it won’t hurt you!
You suck in a brisk breath, then move as instructed – you soon find yourself standing within the human-shaped column of energy, and just like Fia said, you don’t feel any uncomfortable or unpleasant sensations. There’s no pain, no heat, no sense of being electrocuted… you feel nothing despite the fact your body is now surrounded by glowing green energy. You do your best to match the exact position as the seconds tick down.
The djinn lets out a bellow for some reason, which startles you, and there’s a bright flash that causes you to close your eyes. When you reopen them, the energy column you were standing in is completely gone, and the room has grown dim and mostly quiet once again; there’s no glow anymore and no sign of crackling green anywhere to see.
“My apologies, Master,” the djinn says, and you resist the urge to turn around to look at him just yet while he’s speaking. “I’m afraid you didn’t specifically say… say…”
He immediately falls silent.
You blink a few times to recover your vision, and you find Moirine eyeing you directly, a small little smile on her lips with a knowing sparkle in her eyes. You let out a breath internally; you don’t need to ask if you’re visible now given the djinn’s reaction.
“Wow,” Moirine says. “You actually did what I was hoping for!”
The djinn doesn’t respond.
You blink and frown. You aren’t sure if you’re meant to pretend like you’re scared or confused or genuinely surprised to be where you are (obviously, the whole idea was the djinn randomly pulling you from wherever you were previously to this bizarre shop out of thin air), but you don’t dwell on it since you doubt the ruse will last for much longer.
No need, pup, Moirine tells you.
“How…” the djinn says, his voice nearly a whisper.
Alright, it’s time we land the real ending blow on this bastard, Moirine says, and she gives you a nod before she steps up to your side. “You have my thanks, djinn.” She motions you to turn, and as she continues, her ‘plain’ accent vanishes as her previous voice returns. “You’ve made this a lot easier for me by breaking your own rules.”
You turn to face the djinn, and you find him staring at you with a shockingly dumbfounded expression on his face that you can’t help but find rather comical. The expression lingers for a beat, before it shifts into a bewildered look, but then, the recognition dawns on him as he stares you down. It only takes a short pause for the djinn to realize who you are. And by then, he’s looking between you and Moirine.
“What…” the djinn says. His features harden. “What is this? What…?”
“Come now, djinn,” Moirine says. “Surely you can’t be that stupid, aye?”
He stares at you, then at Moirine. His features are unreadable. “How can this be?” He jabs a finger at you with a vicious grimace at his lips. “You’re supposed to be a selkie, not a human. I turned you into that form and there’s no way…” He pauses and gnashes his teeth together as he glowers at Moirine, vitriol burning in his eyes. “You. A selkie. You deceived me. A damnable selkie, and you have the audacity to deceive me!”
“You did it to yourself,” Moirine replies. “You turned an innocent human,” she gestures to you, “into something against their will, when you yourself weren’t truly their Master. And then you actively feigned to serve me by granting my ‘wish’ in bringing them here.” She folds her arms. “That’s several laws you’ve broken, djinn – and you can’t deny it.”
The djinn appears beside himself with silent, fuming fury. His eyes are glowing, and he’s scowling, his body tense and his hands balled into fists. You feel a flicker of fear in your chest, and you wonder if he’ll try to do something harmful to you and Moirine.
But, he doesn’t.
He quivers with rage for several long moments as if he might literally explode, yet eventually, he deflates. The rage dissipates, and the djinn’s body relaxes – his eyes dim, and though his scowl remains firmly in place, his arms lower to his sides.
“I don’t know if I ought to be more impressed or disgusted by this,” the djinn says. His voice is cold and steely. “The fact I would be fooled like this… by a selkie no less…”
“Be that as it may,” Moirine says. “We’re here for answers, djinn.”
The djinn grunts. “Are you now? To what, exactly?”
Moirine glances at you then. You may ask a question of him first, pup. You don’t have to if you’d prefer not to, but I figure we can both get information from him. I don’t know how long he’ll stick around for… but the choice on if you want to ask first or not is yours.
You bite your lip. What do you want to do?
Written by Hollowpages on 14 February 2022