I rematerialized in a small, sparsely furnished room. Pulling a small chair away from the wall, I sat down and cupped my head in my hands, completely drained. I couldn’t help feeling I’d missed the point of what I’d seen. I still wanted my vengeance.

Trying to sort through my thoughts, I rubbed at my temples. Vengeance—but who was deserving of it? The Zaeim Aljiniy hadn’t done anything to me personally. Sure, they were fucking up the balance, but that was a problem for later. So, why was I so ready to lay the blame at their feet?

“Fucking Ma’at,” I said.

“Yes?” Ma’at said.

Startled, I looked up. Ma’at stood before me, her head tilted to one side, a motherly smile on her face.

“Why did you point me at the Zaeim Aljiniy?” I asked.

“I told you,” she said, “They are threatening the balance.”

“By not letting Jinn die?” I said.

Ma’at nodded. Something wasn’t adding up. Not letting Jinn’s soul be recycled would probably cause a small imbalance, but nothing that would require an Alqanun to fix. Hell, I’d likely affected the Universal Probability more since I was awakened than The Zaeim Ajiniy had the whole time they’d been punishing Jinn. So why was I tapped?

“It wasn’t an accident that Jinn attacked me on that bus, was it?’ I asked.

Ma’at’s expression went neutral. She turned to the door, opened it, and walked out. I followed, close on her heels. Little pieces I hadn’t noticed before started falling into place, and uneasiness came over me.

We came into a long, narrow corridor. I saw Rockslide just ahead of us and walked around Ma’at to get to him. She gave me a sidelong look as I passed. The motherly expression was gone, replaced with a look of pure loathing. It was gone in a flash, and I almost thought I’d imagined it.

“Hey, big guy,” I said.

Rockslide turned to me and smiled. “David, tis good to see thee again.”

“You too, man,” I said. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Rockslide said.

I looked back at Ma’at. She was watching us intently. “You go on ahead,” I told her. “We’ll be along shortly.”

“It is unwise to keep the Zaeim Aljiniy waiting,” she said.

“I’m sure it is,” I deadpanned. “We’ll catch up.”

Ma’at glared at me. For the first time, I could see the haughtiness of a Malak in her features. She drew herself up and stalked past me. Rockslide let out a low rumble as she passed, and she sneered at him.

“How did you find out about me?” I asked when Ma’at had gone.

“What dost thou mean,” he said.

“Well,” I said, putting my thoughts together, “you told me your overlord would call you when he had need, and that you’d get a name.”

“True,” Rockslide said.

“So, you came after me but didn’t have a name yet. If your overlord didn’t send you, who did?”

“Haliniel,” Rockslide said.

“Is that normal?” I asked. “I mean, seems kind of strange that a Malak would come to you like that.”

“I do not know, David,” Rockslide said.

I started walking, and Rockslide fell into step. Someone had chosen Rockslide on purpose. An unnamed, naïve Shaytan would be the perfect pawn, and a naïve and ignorant Djinn would be the ideal mark. It was a common thread and made sense. I had a good idea who the con artist was. Now all I needed to do was figure out the con.

The hallway opened into a room straight out of Disney’s Aladin. Mounds of gold coins covered the floor, glittering gems flowed between them like water, and tall pillars proudly displayed statuettes, weapons, armor, and pottery. A steep, winding path led through the treasure.

While impressive, the wealth on display held no interest for me. It was a little pointless, truth be told. What purpose would any of this serve? As we walked along the path, the golden mounds shifted, coins falling like scree into the gems below. I tried to follow the movement, but every time I stopped to examine a pile of gold, it stopped. Rockside seemed unperturbed and just looked longingly at the glowing gems. He probably had thousands of ideas for sculptures.

I stopped moving. Where were my Kopeshes? They were in my hands when my trial started, but I hadn’t given them a thought since. I suddenly felt very vulnerable. No power, and now, no weapons.

“What is the matter,” Rockslide said.

“I lost the weapons you made me,” I said.

Rockslide didn’t look all that concerned. He turned to the horde and reached for a handful of gems. A low, menacing rumble filled the room, and one of the piles of gold shifted.

“Not a good idea, buddy,” I said.

Rockslide looked at me, then lowered his hand. The rumbling stopped. I gestured forward, and we walked on, but we didn’t have far to go. The treasure arched around a large open area, creating an alcove. Three massive thrones sat in the center, and I quailed at the beings who occupied them. A Djinn sat in the center throne, flanked by a Malak and Shaytan.

The Malak was tall and handsome. He was covered in black, plate armor, his white skin contrasting harshly against it. His face was perfectly symmetrical, and his eyes were the color sapphires. His hair, somehow whiter than his flesh, blew about as if caught in a tempest. From his back sprouted six majestic wings, and he held a black-hafted spear in his right hand. He leaned forward and rested his weight on the spear.

The Shaytan was diminutive but no less terrifying. Coal-black eyes set deep within the brow of a dark purple head penetrated me. Her body, it was definitely a she, looked like cooling magma with glowing purple fissures throughout. Her stumpy legs ended in hooves. She held a stone truncheon in her right hand and extended her left hand to a pile of gold. The head of a dragon poked out, and she stroked it between its horns. She too leaned forward.

The Djinn frightened me the most, though. He floated above his throne on a green cloud. He pretty much looked like every picture of a genie you’d ever seen. It was what was behind the façade that awed me. Threads of probability swirled and writhed within him. They were so tightly packed, it was hard to tell that it wasn’t one solid mass. Jinn’s aura was a raindrop compared to this genie’s ocean.

“It is good that you have come back to me, Jolun,” the Shaytan said.

Who the fuck was Jolun? I looked around and saw Rockslide stagger forward. His stomach was pushed out, and his back was arched. He seemed to be straining against some invisible force. After a few steps, he relaxed, and his posture straightened.

“My name is Rockslide,” he said defiantly.

“You deny me, now that I have named you?’ the Shaytan said.

“Too little, too late,” Rockslide said. He was getting better with his slang.

The Shaytan blurred from her throne, appearing in front of Rockslide. She swung her truncheon down, and I noticed Ma’at in the room for the first time. She extended her staff, and the Shaytan’s truncheon clanged against a glowing shield. A loud gong rang out, and I covered my ears.

“He has been judged!” Ma’at said.

The Shaytan fixed a baleful glare on Ma’at. “Again, you interfere where you’re not wanted. Perhaps we’ll take another soul as punishment.”

“Enough,” the Djinn said. “It’s your own fault that Rockslide abandoned you, Glondola.” He sounded weary. Like this was an old conversation. “He may be the first, but keep treating them like you have, and he won’t be the last.”

“As you say, Qad-her,” Glondola said, moving back to her throne.

“And what of Kotaru?” the Malak said. “Are my vassals so poorly treated as to be allowed to abandon me? We cannot just let this…this thing,” he swept a lazy hand toward me, “come and take what is ours.”

“Peace, Michael,” Qad-her said.

I looked between the Zaeim Aljiniy and Ma’at. What had Glondola meant, take another soul as punishment? The last piece fell into place, and I gaped at Ma’at.

“They’re not punishing Jinn!” I shouted. “They’re punishing you!”

Ma’at held her hands out to her side as if to say, “your point?” It all made sense. Why Jinn wasn’t really trying to kill me. Why Haliniel had toyed with me until Em put herself within his reach, why he’d killed her.

“You had Jinn kill every new genie until she found an Alqanun,” I said, “Didn’t you? Because…that’s the only way you get what you want.”

My train of thought ran into a brick wall. What did Ma’at want, and how was I the path to her getting it? Jinn wished to die, that was certain. Which meant Ma’at benefited from her death in some way. But what would Jinn’s death get Ma’at that she couldn’t get herself? Take another soul as punishment…

“You…you want to judge Jinn’s soul,” I said. “That’s how they’re punishing you.”

“We all have our purpose,” Ma’at spat. “I told you on the boat—I will do my duty!”

“Jinn belongs to us,” Qad-her said. “And before you leave, so will David.”

“Agreed,” Glondola and Michael said in unison.

Ma’at smiled. “He has to die first. And since he’s been judged, you can’t hurt him here.”

Well, fuck. I put my hand to my throat. There was nothing there, but I still felt the noose tightening around my neck.

“That’s no trouble,” Michael said. “There’s no rule against genies fighting each other.”

“Wait,” I called. “can’t you see, that’s what the bitch wants.”

“She doesn’t want it nearly as much as I want your soul,” Glondola said. “Thief.”

Jinn walked out from behind Qad-her’s throne. She held a short sword in both hands and smiled wickedly at me. Ma’at made a motion. Em appeared next to her and looked at me with pleading eyes. Ma’at hadn’t lied to me once. She would do her duty, and Em was the key. She knew I would do whatever it took to save Em.

“You let all those people die,” I said, “for what? Duty?”

“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” Ma’at said. “Win, and we both get what we want. Die, and I lose nothing. You’ve already been judged.”

I thought about my trial. Everything focused on seeing the world from someone else’s perspective. Ma’at may act like she didn’t care or want to explain, but she wanted me to understand, wanted me to agree with her. Sadly, a part of me did. Jinn said it best, we weren’t human, and humans were our prey. How could I expect Ma’at to feel any sympathy for creatures she regarded as little more than bugs?

“Fine,” I said, “how does me winning save Em?”

“I have no idea,” Ma’at said, “that’s not my problem. You might need these, though.”

She tossed my Kopeshes on the ground and walked away. No idea! She had no fucking idea! Rockslide picked the weapons up and examined them. Satisfied, he handed them to me.

“You will win,” he said.

I walked to the center of the space, and Jinn moved to stand across from me. Fortunately, this would be physical combat only since neither of us could use our powers. I thought, maybe, I had a chance.

“What are you getting out of this?” I said.

She shrugged. “If I lose, I get Aaru, if I win, I get my freedom. I meant what I said before, though. I really didn’t want to have to kill you.”

“We can refuse them,” I said. “It doesn’t have to go down this way. Can’t you see we’re being used?”

For an answer, Jinn stabbed a short sword at me.