Djinn City, page 46
“The ship is mine!” Matteras shouted down, holding the pilot’s head in a vise grip.
Almost in response to his statement, the Akula repositioned itself slightly, and the front torpedo tubes opened, signaling a willingness to fire.
“What the fuck?” Memmion roared, clutching his RPG launchers with helpless rage.
“Your Ghuls have broken contract,” Matteras said. “As I stated earlier, we will be going back. Without the rest of you, I’m afraid. Feel free to continue exploring this realm…”
“Maria!” Rais shouted. “What are you doing?”
“She has quite sensibly realized that the door must be shut permanently,” Matteras said.
“I’m sorry, Rais,” she said. “We can’t take a chance. They’d never resist coming here again and again…”
“And Golgoras?” Givaras asked.
“A necessary sacrifice,” Matteras said. “Don’t look shocked. How do you think Bahamut sealed the gate in the first place?”
“Maria!” Rais shouted again.
“She chose me, emissary,” Matteras said. “I always win.”
The Akula backed out of the rent and hovered in front of the gaping maw, weapons trained into it. Matteras sat in a bubble on the upper deck, spell work flying from his hands, accreting around Golgoras’s spread-eagled body, floating in the center of the gate, leaking blood from wounds physical and psychic, at the literal halfway point between two realities. Matteras knit the seal back together, incorporating his own talent into Bahamut’s ancient design, using the remnants of the old magic, tying them into Golgoras’s living body.
For a while, the giant school of fish watched over his shoulder in silence. When he was at last done, Bahamut spoke.
“What has transpired, Matteras?”
“Dead, the entire road is a mausoleum,” Matteras said. He was stuck fast in stasis, this time so strongly that it was an effort to turn his head, to speak. “Did you know, I wonder, when you called it the Bone Road? The city is there, but I doubt anyone still lives. Two hundred thousand dead, by Kuriken’s estimate. Something else rules that realm, something not too pleased with the intrusion.”
“And where is my emissary? Givaras? The rest of the elder djinn?”
“We had a difference of opinion,” Matteras said. “They chose to stay there.”
“I trust this choice was entirely voluntary?”
“You may have the sworn affidavit of the human witness,” Matteras said. “She was their companion. She will testify to everything. Her word will suffice for any court.”
“Ah, you have brought a witness then,” Bahamut said. “Very wise.”
“Bahamut, whatever monster lives in that place, whatever dread army wiped out the citizenry of Gangaridai, it is not friendly,” Matteras said. “That thing knows about the gate, it will want to come here. Let Givaras fight it off. Let them all kill each other, so much the better for us.”
“And Golgoras? I notice that he is still alive inside the gate. I suppose he also volunteered to be thus interred.”
“That was born of necessity,” Matteras said. “The seal you built was too weak. You only used blood. I’m using an entire living djinn. It is much stronger now. He attacked me, Bahamut. I never touched him. The human Maria stabbed him with that pernicious weapon, the Invisible Dagger of Five Strikes. You will find those wounds on him even now. The weapon, I believe, was a gift to Kaikobad from you. Ironic, then, the base use it has come to… Still, he lives. I have put him in a coma. He does not suffer. I daresay he is much more useful like this than flying around in a balloon all day.”
“Hmm, yes, you are good at inducing comas. I believe I will question this Hume,” Bahamut said. “You will give her to me, Matteras.”
“I regret I cannot,” Matteras said. “She is my newest emissary. A battlefield promotion. In light of her sterling service, defending me from the crazed pilot.”
“I see,” Bahamut said. “You appear to have a surfeit of emissaries, while I have none. This is the second one you have cost me, Matteras.”
“It is not my fault you are careless.”
“Careless, yes,” Bahamut said. “I have secured your device, Matteras, while you were in the other realm. It is most ingenious. I trust you will not be requiring it any further. Nor will you make another, I suppose?”
“Of course, keep it as a gift,” Matteras said. “It is paramount that we protect this gate and ensure nothing crosses over. That’s all that matters now. I believe we are agreed on that point.”
“We are.”
“In that case, I will desist from the depopulation of Bengal.”
“I like this submarine. The Akula, you call it? I will keep it, I think,” Bahamut said. “I have neglected the surface world for far too long. It is time I walked the earth once again.”
“Certainly,” Matteras said. “And am I supposed to swim out from the bay?”
“I will escort you to the surface. You and your emissary may take the lifeboat. Be sure to return it after you are done,” Bahamut said.
“You will keep an eye on the gate, won’t you?”
“As I have for the past twenty thousand years.”
“And we keep this a secret between us?”
“For now, yes,” Bahamut said. “Unless you wish for this to become a tourist destination.”
“And the… truths revealed by Givaras?” Matteras asked.
“You are djinn,” Bahamut said. “Does it matter if he put a few strands of Nephilim into all of you? Is your power any less? You cannot be of this world, Matteras, and disdain all of it at the same time. You must accept that we are all part of it together.”
“Were it to become common knowledge, it would end the Creationist Party,” Matteras said.
“Then I suggest you calm Hazard and his ilk down and allow them to retreat to their more natural state of muttering under rocks,” Bahamut said. “I have no interest in the Creationists, as long as they do not attempt to infect the rest of the… body politic. They are too noisy, this new breed of djinn you have gathered around you. Seclusion was agreed on for a reason, Matteras. As you know now, we have greater problems than Hume real estate.”
“Problems? That is an understatement,” Matteras said. “We must prepare for the day something strange comes out of that gate. It will not be friendly.”
“I agree,” Bahamut said. “Good work on the seal. I have tried many designs over the years. Your use of Golgoras as a power source was ingenious, if unfortunate.”
“For him,” Matteras said. He grimaced. “It will not hold forever. No seal does.”
“Especially if Givaras is on the other side picking at it,” Bahamut said. “Hopefully there is enough else to occupy him.”
“That was the idea,” Matteras said.
“He was always like that,” Bahamut said. “Give him a puzzle and he will spend a hundred years trying to take it apart. I do not agree with your methods, Matteras, but perhaps the world is safer without all of them.”
“Then we are done here. I am ready to get out of this godforsaken bay, Bahamut. Take us up.”
“With pleasure,” Bahamut said. “Oh, and Matteras? Since you have a new emissary, I wonder if you would return my old one.”
“Dargoman?”
“I would… remind him that he once swore an oath to me.”
Matteras shrugged. “Have him, by all means. As you say, I have already found a replacement.”
They were camped around Thoth, watching the gate seal slowly around the inert Golgoras.
“Beautiful spell work,” Givaras said. “I always said that boy was a prodigy.”
“Your boy has fucking stranded us here!” Memmion said. “And stolen my ship!”
“Never mind,” Givaras said. “The city is before us. We get Gangaridai. They can have the world. He’s given us the opportunity to explore this realm at our leisure, on our terms. I think that is a grave error on his part.”
“And this unknown killer of djinn?” Kuriken asked.
Givaras looked around. “We few brought Gangaridai to her knees. Can you not feel your old potency returning? We are in a place that is made of pure energy, I suspect. We are more powerful here than we ever were before. We are not townsmen, to be slaughtered while we flee. We will hunt this killer, Kuriken. And we will find Kartiryan and wring some answers from that sorcerer.”
They were silent for a moment as they flexed their distortion, searching for this potency.
“I can’t believe Maria betrayed us,” Rais said finally, voicing what was really eating at him.
“There are people, Rais, who embrace the unknown,” Givaras said. “Other people lock the door. She opted for security. She is not as adventurous as you, I think. Cheer up. You are the only emissary in this realm. Imagine the auctoritas you have accrued.”
An amorphous cloud was forming below Thoth’s head, a concentration of energy that had so far escaped their notice.
“That’s not quite true,” the cloud said. “I’m the emissary Kaikobad. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Abdul! Abdul! Come here, you moron!”
GU Sikkim was hobbling over the ruins of the old house, feeling elated despite the twinge in his hip and the bruised toe he had suffered when the roof had collapsed. He was free! The fat traitor Pappo had run away; he had seen him hightailing it out of the burning building. Abdul, shocked by this calamity, was once again responding to his commands. The world was right again!
“Did Madame Juny get away outside, Abdul?” he asked.
“No, sir, she was inside when the… the giant worm attacked,” Abdul said.
“Right, the giant worm,” GU Sikkim said with awful sarcasm, even though he had seen the worm with his own eyes, seen it devour the djinn Barabas. Good riddance to all of them! Still, no one wanted stories of giant worms being bandied about a Khan Rahman residence.
He searched the living room where the worm had fought; everything was charred and wrecked. He could make out bloodstains here and there, the abandoned silver tray of that ridiculous butler, an emptied shotgun, but no bodies—not worm, nor human, nor djinn. But then he found the safe, which was still intact, filled with all the land deeds and the other papers of the trust, the checkbooks for the accounts, the memorandums, and the detailed ledgers meticulously updated by Juny, and his heart raced as he stuffed everything into a bag. This was enough to take back power, it was everything. Juny had actually managed to increase their net worth!
“We’re leaving, Abdul!” GU Sikkim said. The police and the firemen would come in soon and start looting the place. “Let’s go! Carry this bag, you oaf.”
On the way out his foot brushed against something clammy. He looked down and found an ancient, cracked urn, stoppered loosely, giving off a whiff of the sea. It looked valuable in an antique kind of way, no doubt one of Juny’s fancy pieces. He’d gift it to his wife! She was always saying he had crass taste. He stooped down, grabbed it, and walked out of the wreckage of Kaikobad’s house.
GLOSSARY OF ABSOLUTELY 100 PERCENT FACTUAL THINGS METICULOUSLY RESEARCHED BY THE AUTHOR DURING HIS LUNCH BREAK
Types of Djinn
Marid: Big, powerful djinn shrouded in mystery. These djinn are also typically older and have gone strange. Not sure if they are a separate race or just a strange subset of Ifrits. There are not too many Marids walking around.
Ifrit: Most numerous djinn race. Known to be particularly bombastic and troublemaking. Creators of the first civilization. The bulk of djinndom is composed of Ifrit.
Ghuls: Inferior race of djinn typically organized in hunter-gatherer clans. Rumored to have no control over their distortion fields, although this is probably just racism. Tend to keep to themselves and do menial labor. Physically very strong and coordinated, thus in high demand as workers.
There might be other races of djinns. So far we have not seen any, and the djinn aren’t talking about it.
Nephilim: Giant humans of biblical fame. Most probably these were human-djinn hybrids with powers of their own (i.e., limited abilities to affect the field) and known as shamans, magicians, sorcerers. Curiously, in the First Empire, Nephilim were accorded same rights and respect as djinn and, in fact, were indistinguishable from them in social and legal terms.
Djinns Relevant to this Story
Matteras: Psychotic djinn of stupendous power. Rumored to be a bastard son of the royal line of Gangaridai. Currently enjoying towering auctoritas as the leader of the fractured conservative faction.
Golgoras: Pilot and captain of the Sephiroth, a legendary airship (named after the character from Final Fantasy). Also a high-standing member of the Royal Aeronautics Society, which is said to be the oldest djinn society in existence. This claim is disputed by all the other djinn societies, of course. They say he’s a pirate, but that’s just calumny.
Barabas: Patron Ifrit of the Khan Rahman clan. He in turn is a client of Bahamut, the legendary Marid. Considered to be somewhat of a dumbass.
Bahamut: The Marid of the Sea. A legendary, ancient djinn who seldom leaves the oceans. Does not interfere directly in djinn politics but enjoys a hefty dignatas and many clients. Rumored to be stark raving mad.
Givaras: Also known as Ghorus, Horus, the Broken, the Maker, the devil, and a variety of other names. An infamous djinn who is almost universally hated. Every bad thing can be attributed to him in some way. An infamous cheater. Like even in board games.
Hazard: Leader of the Creationist faction of the conservative party and rabidly antihuman. A famous duelist. Jackal headed. Not known for having a sense of humor.
Beltrix: Also known as Beltrex, Barkan, the Blue King, the Lord of Thunder. An old, kindly-seeming djinn with a penchant for wine making.
Elkran: Barkan’s cousin. A silent, mysterious djinn with a black blade and a reputation for swordplay.
Kuriken: King of Siberia. An ancient but very stylish djinn aristocrat who hates humans and leads a faction of the conservatives.
Memmion: A giant Marid of great power and bulk. The founding member of the Royal Aeronautics Society and patron djinn of Golgoras. Somewhat of a glutton by all accounts. Has grown pretty fat in fact. Not sure he’d fit in an airship anymore. Lives in the Hub, which is a hidden aerial base for the RAS.
Mother Davala: A djinn from Baghdad. Also referred to as the Erinyes, or the Angry Ones, the Furies. Mother Davala is strongly associated with the Crone.
Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni: Colossal squid, estimated at fourteen meters long. This squid is probably the largest of the squid species. It has the largest recorded eye in the animal kingdom at twenty-seven centimeters. It is almost certainly an example of abyssal gigantism, which is the phenomena of deep-sea creatures having greater mass and size than their shallower-water relatives. A squid reference: www.tonmo.com/community/pages/giantsquidfactsheet/.
Djinn Concepts
Societies: Organized clubs/parties/voluntary associations. The extent of djinn political organization. Societies tend to perform multiple functions on an ad hoc basis, from providing entertainment to tackling real-world problems.
The Celestial Court: The highest djinn court.
Djinn Lore: The full sum of djinn culture, tradition, expectation, and history. A sort of guideline for good and proper action in all circumstances. The Lore overlaps with the complex djinn legal system and in some cases might even supersede it. There have been occasions when djinns acting according to Lore have contravened serious laws and have been “let off.” On the other hand, repudiation of the Lore is unheard of and considered an act of madness, a total rejection of essential djinndom.
Dignatas: Ancient djinn concept that measures a character’s worth, entitlement, public credibility, ability to command followers, charisma, prestige, sex appeal, sheer handsomeness, wit, intellectual might, willpower, and cussedness, among other things. It serves as a sort of bankable account, in that it allows one to command goods and services. A similar watered-down concept was found among the Romans of the republican era. Djinn are not materialistic in the traditional human sense, as their powers and long life imbue them with a self-worth attuned to more than the simple accrual of possessions.
Auctoritas: The ability of a particular djinn to influence djinndom as a whole, to bend situations and actions of others to his will. It works on multiple levels, from being a simple favor bank among individuals to commanding policies that affect the entire planet. Auctoritas is a result of dignatas, but the correlation is not 100 percent, djinns being whimsical creatures. There have been many cases where an individual of low personal dignatas might suggest some audacious plan that higher-level djinn might agree to. In this situation, the low-level djinn might be said to have exercised auctoritas higher than his predicted level.
The Field: A prevalent field of energy, a naturally existing phenomena that the djinn can manipulate.
Distortion Field: The area around a djinn that he can distort. Sort of the zone of control in which he can affect reality.
Seclusion: An ancient postwar precept that reflects the decision of djinn to seclude themselves from humanity, in an attempt to build up their numbers and protect their culture. Part of the logic was to avoid further earth-shattering conflicts by pursuing a path of isolation. It was widely theorized that human hubris and Nephilim ambitions led to the Great War, thereby absolving the djinn from actions that destroyed the first civilization and by all accounts resulted in an ice age and mass extinction. In modern-day practice, this translates to hiding in plain sight, something the younger djinn chafe against from time to time.
Djinn Clubs
Royal Aeronautics Society: One of the oldest chartered clubs. Almost all airship captains are members. The RAS is headquarted at the floating town called the Hub.
Numerists: Political party/club whose members believe that humans are breeding much too quickly for djinn welfare, yet are not militant enough to do anything about it. Not to be confused with the Rabid Numerists, a fringe group obsessed with physically writing out the largest number possible. So far this has been identified as the De Graff number, which is a 1 followed by one million pages of zeroes.
