Scorched Skies Read Free

about the magic,” his voice was surprisingly quiet and unsure. “Honestly, this time.”
    Ari frowned at the word choice. “Honestly?”
    “Will you come inside?”
    Her heart picking up speed, Ari nodded, not liking the sound of this one bit. She followed him into the house, taking great care not to check out his butt in his worn blue jeans. Her eyes travelled the width of his shoulders, however, feeling a pang of longing at the sight of his physical strength. She wondered what it would be like to hug him. She bet it felt wonderful. Safe. She wondered what it would be like to nuzzle her face into the crook of his warm neck and inhale him, his arms holding her so tight against him. When Jai turned around to take a seat in the sitting room, Ari dropped her gaze again, not wanting him to read what so clearly must have shown in her eyes. Letting the longing ease out from her limbs (a much harder feat than she ’ d assumed), Ari sank down into the chair opposite and once she was sure she could stare at him blankly, she lifted her eyes. “What ’ s going on?”
    “There are consequences to magic.”
    His blunt response made her blink a few times in confusion. “Uh… what?”
    Jai sighed, looking uncomfortable again. He couldn ’ t meet her eyes. Great. “Before… when I was teaching you, The Red King ordered me not to tell you everything there was to know about magic. In case you decided not to attempt to use it. We needed you to use it. Your dad needed you to use it.”
    Her pulse throbbed. “Consequences? What consequences, Jai?”
    “When you made it rain… you caused a drought somewhere else.”
    Ari ’ s jaw dropped. “OK. What are you talking about?”
    “Jinn magic — like everything about us — has a balance. The only magic truly our own, is that which helps us defend ourselves or aids others in their destiny. We can create enchantments to protect us and anyone who happens to be with us when we need protecting. The Peripatos, like the defense, is part of us, as is flying and the telepathy. Granting wishes, and creating paths for life journeys is something that ’ s also natural to Marids, Shaitans, and even some Ifrits. And as you know, Ifrits tend to have something individual within their magic that makes them special. It ’ s all the genetic make-up stuff so it ’ s free. It ’ s who we are. The other stuff — well, it can be powered by charms and talismans; that ’ s why sorcerers use them.”
    “The other stuff?” Ari asked between clenched teeth, suddenly hating where this was going.
    “The unnecessary stuff — food, clothes, money — it all comes from somewhere else. It already exists, it doesn ’ t just appear out of thin air. It was in someone ’ s wallet or it was in a store…”
    Ari ’ s eyes widened. “The leather jacket I conjured? I basically stole it from the store?”
    Clearly ignoring the rising annoyance in her tone Jai nodded calmly, “Yeah.”
    Her mind was whirling with the news. She ’ d stolen something! She glared at him. “What about everything you conjure?”
    “I own what I conjure…. For the most part.  Clean clothes come from my wardrobe. Money from my bank account. But stupid things like pineapple juice for the Aissawa Brotherhood… well, that came from somewhere else.”
    “Where else?”
    “Someone ’ s fridge probably. A neighbor ’ s. It usually comes from somewhere as close as possible in location.”
    “Essentially, you stole it then,” Ari snapped.
    He shrugged at her again and she wanted to throw the remote at him.
    “Why didn ’ t you tell me?” an ugly knot was forming in her gut. Not Jai. He might not return her feelings but she at least thought she could count on him. “You had me thinking that the cool magic trick part of this nightmare was a little bright spot in a very crappy and dark situation.”
    “Your uncle commanded me not to, Ari. I told you, he knew you wouldn ’ t use your magic if you thought it was unethical and