Will Power: A Djinn Short Read Free Page B

father — but then I wasn’t even sure if my father was alive or not.
    “Come on. I’m meeting Ivan at his house for a briefing,” I said. “You can carry my bag.”
    I tossed my belongings at Pyke, who caught it with one hand and threw it back. “I’m not your servant,” he said.
    “You said you’d do whatever I wanted,” I replied and Pyke nudged me hard in the shoulder as he passed.
    “If I’d known this leader stuff was going to go to your head, then I wouldn’t have offered to come. This girl we’re saving better be hot.”
    That was the Pyke I knew. The one who made inappropriate jokes and flirted with anything that moved.
    I just hoped I had made the right choice for the mission and for Pyke.

Chapter Four

    I knocked on the Greenwoods’ front door and waited for an answer. Pyke leaned against the porch’s stone pillar, his arms crossed over his chest. He hadn’t said much on our walk over. I wondered what was going though his mind.
    The door opened and Kellan, a Guardjinn, stood before me. He was older than me, but his face looked young.  
    “Will,” he said with a nod. “Come in.”
    “Thanks, Kellan,” I replied and stepped inside. Pyke followed, giving Kellan a sideways glance.
    I understood why Pyke was looking at Kellan that way. He was Guardjinn, like us, but he wasn’t a fighter — he was a servant. Not all Guardjinn had abilities for battle and so they went into service, but Guardjinn who did have abilities helpful against Blooders almost always protected the Djinn families.
    And then there were Guardjinn like Kellan. He had been in the Guardjinn class a few years before mine. Jack had been in the same class and told me once how rare and useful his ability would have been, but Kellan didn’t want to fight and many Guardjinn thought that went against everything we were.
    Not me though.
    Guardjinn already had so few choices in life — serve or protect. We shouldn’t be criticised for using the little freedom that was available to us.
    Kellan led Pyke and I into the sitting room where Ivan and his wife, Isabelle, were waiting. A fire crackled in the hearth. The Greenwoods sat on the couch with a platter of tea on the table, though I didn’t expect them to offer us any.
    “Mr and Mrs Greenwood.” I bowed.
    Ivan said nothing and Isabelle only gave a small smile. They didn’t tell us to take a seat, so Pyke and I stood at attention.
    “You’re taking a team then?” Ivan asked, gesturing to Pyke.
    “Yes,” I replied.
    “Pyke Danvers,” Pyke said.
    “Grant’s son,” Isabelle whispered, as if it were a secret. “I’m so sorry about your father …”
    “He died doing his duty, Isabelle,” Ivan said like her apology was pointless. “Wait outside.”
    Pyke bowed and left the room.
    “We are ready to leave,” I said. “I’ve been through the information you gave me and we will start at their last-known location.”
    “Good. The car in the driveway is yours to use.” Ivan pulled a set of keys from his pocket and tossed them. I caught them with one hand and returned to my attentive stance.
    “Now. I have a few conditions that you will follow,” Ivan said.
    “Of course.”
    “First, when you find my daughter you are not to tell her what she is or anything about the kidnapping. You will leave that to us. Second, you will not tell her about Blooders whatsoever. Third, you will make sure she is not hurt.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Ivan stood and wandered over to the fireplace, staring deeply into the flames.
    “And lastly, when you find the Blooder who took her, you will kill him.”
    Silence hung in the air. It was what Pyke wanted. I supposed it was only reasonable that they would want him dead. He’d killed Djinn, stolen a child and he was our enemy.
    Isabelle remained quiet, her tea in her hands. She seemed sad, her eyes downcast. I wondered how many times she’d had this conversation. How many Guardjinn had she asked to bring her daughter back, only to watch them fail?