Rebels of the Lamp, Book 1 (15 page)

“I believed you were not paying attention.”

“So,” said Reese. “Fon-Rahm is the only one who can sense where all the genies are, and Professor Ellison is the only one who can trap them. It’s pretty clear that
we’ll be stronger and more effective if we work together.”

The genie and the professor glared at each other. Neither wanted to be the first to back down.

Fon-Rahm broke the silence. “It’s agreed, then? We join together to recapture the other twelve?”

Professor Ellison nodded. “Agreed.”

“Ha! Yes!” said Parker. “This is going to be so cool!”

“That’s one word for it, I guess,” said Theo.

Parker, Reese, and Theo walked back to the BMW. The SUV was dented and Swiss-cheesed with bullet holes. The windows were gone. The roof was barely attached. It took Theo three tries to open one
of the back doors. He had to brush broken glass off the seat before he got in.

Professor Ellison and Fon-Rahm lagged behind.

“You realize, of course, that when this is all over I’ll be coming for you, dear,” she told Fon-Rahm.

Fon-Rahm smiled a grim smile. “I would expect no less,” he said.

THE ARMY BASE WAS ABANDONED.
The people of Lithuania, poor but resourceful, had stolen anything of value long ago, leaving nothing behind but
rusting metal, weeds, and empty cinder-block buildings that were already crumbling.

Nadir sympathized. He had come from nothing himself, and he had no time or patience for those who didn’t help themselves, through legal means or not. The world was a cold place.
Nadir’s strategy was to embrace its cruelty.

Most people would have regarded Nadir’s childhood as a horror. He had been orphaned at a young age and left to scrounge for food in the trash cans and back alleys of Munich, alone and
unloved. What he couldn’t beg, he stole, and by the time he was nine he had progressed from stealing food to lifting wallets, purses, and whatever else he could lay his hands on. He was good,
too, nimble-fingered and quick, and with a mean streak that frightened both competition and companionship away. He might have grown up to be a crime boss, or he might have been jailed as a thief,
if he hadn’t one day innocently walked off from a teeming restaurant with a nondescript black leather briefcase. He had run around the corner and hid behind a wall before opening it,
expecting to find money, or something he could sell, but the only thing in the case was a list of names. Some were crossed out in red ink.

Another child would have thrown the list away and gone back to shoplifting and picking pockets. Nadir, however, was intrigued by the list. It was information, and information was often worth
more than watches or rings.

He tracked the owner of the case (not difficult for a child who lived on the streets) and found a lean, dead-eyed Colombian man with odd tattoos and a black suit. Nadir offered to give him back
the list in exchange for cash.

The owner of the case had an eye for talent and was impressed both with Nadir’s skill and his nerve. He didn’t give him money, but he gave him something better. He gave him a
home.

That man turned out to be the leader of the Path. He became a father figure to Nadir, and the boy worshipped him. He taught Nadir about the Nexus and the Jinn, and he trained him in the dark
arts.

Nadir took to his new calling with enthusiasm. He learned the language of the Path and took a new name to show he had broken completely from his old life. When he learned that the collection of
names he had stolen was a list of the Path’s enemies targeted for assassination, he snuck away and killed one himself.

He was ten years old.

Nadir missed his father figure, sometimes. Sometimes he even regretted killing him, but it was the smart move. Nadir had taken over leadership of the Path himself, and he had never looked
back.

Nadir stood inside the deserted hangar with his men and Xaru.

“I should have known Tarinn would still be alive,” said Xaru. “That woman is too annoying to die. Still, I suppose a few snags are to be expected. Worlds do not enslave
themselves.”

Nadir had still not gotten used to the idea of seeing the genie walking among them. For so long, Nadir had dreamed of the day the Jinn were free, and now that it was happening, he felt uneasy.
He had been told that the Path was to be rewarded for its centuries of service, and he hoped to sit at the right hand of Xaru’s throne. So far, though, Xaru had said nothing about a job well
done. He only issued demands and spilled blood.

A lamp had been discovered nearby, and the Path was already in the middle of the ritual. A brother wore the robes and knelt, his hands on the lamp, ready to sacrifice himself for the cause. He
tried to be brave, but he was shaking. Badly.

Xaru sniffed. “This time we will be ready for her. And for Fon-Rahm.”

The sacrifice finished his words and twisted the ends of the lamp. The lamp burst open, throwing everyone back. There, rising in the smoke and stink, was the genie Yogoth. Although he was one of
the first genies that Xaru created, he had none of his older brother’s charm or intelligence. Yogoth was a misshapen brute, with four arms and a twisted version of the face Xaru and Fon-Rahm
wore.

Yogoth lacked even the ability to speak. He pointed at the kneeling brother and grunted.

The sacrifice, scared out of his mind, scrambled to his feet and tried to run. Xaru raised his arms to stop him, but there was no need for magic. In one fluid motion, Nadir drew a knife and
threw it. The man fell dead at Yogoth’s feet.

The four-armed genie seemed confused. Where was he? Who were these strange men? Did they mean to harm him?

Xaru approached him carefully, his arms outstretched.

“It’s all right, brother. You’re safe, now.”

Nadir turned his cold blue eyes away as the two genies embraced. He had never understood the concept of affection.

FON-RAHM CLEARED OFF THE WORKBENCH
and unfurled an antique map. He weighed down the corners with old tools and a coffee can filled with washers
and nuts.

Reese peered over the genie’s shoulder.

“Are you sure we should be using this?” she asked. The map was hand-painted on some kind of cloth, and the writing was in florid German script. “It looks like it might be
valuable.”

“Priceless, really,” Professor Ellison told her. She was sitting, her legs crossed primly, on the broken tractor. “Sixteenth century. One of a kind.” She shrugged.
“It’s all I have with me.”

Fon-Rahm pointed to the map.

“They unearthed Xaru here, in Greenland,” he said as Parker and Theo gathered in close. “That means that there are eleven more of us out there somewhere.”

“Seven,” said Professor Ellison.

They all looked at her.

“Well, what exactly do you think I have been doing with my time?”

Parker said, “Fon-Rahm won’t be able to find the other genies until they’re freed. We’ll have to wait until somebody digs up another lamp.”

“The Path already has,” said Fon-Rahm, pointing to a spot that was once part of Russia. “Last night. Here.”

Professor Ellison sighed.

“The realignment of the planets is causing the lamps to reveal themselves. Three thousand years have passed without a single one of the Jinn getting loose, and now three have been freed in
one week. We have to stop this before it gets completely out of hand.”

“Yes. We must go and confront the Path,” said Fon-Rahm.

“Go,” said Parker.

“Yes.”

“To Russia.”

“Near Russia, yes.”

“I’m into it. I’ll go pack.”

“Wait. Wait. Wait,” Theo said. He couldn’t take it any longer. “You guys have got this, right? I mean, you don’t need me. I’m not contributing
anything.”

“Too true,” said Professor Ellison.

“I mean, look, guys, it was fun to have a pet genie for a while. It was great, really! I had a lot of fun! But this is
crazy
. It’s just too dangerous.”

“Oh, come on, Theo,” Parker said. “Don’t be such a...”

“Theo’s right.”

Parker was surprised Reese agreed with Theo. Reese was a little surprised herself.

She said, “We’re way out of our league.”

Theo was relieved to learn he wasn’t alone. “So you guys can go to Russia or wherever, and Reese and I will stay here. Everybody wins.”

“I don’t believe you two,” said Parker incredulously. “Stay here? Stay here for what? Reese, are you really going to fall behind if you miss one violin lesson?”

“Viola,” she said, her eyes locked on the floor of the barn.

“And, Theo, buddy, I know you’re trying, but nobody even knows you’re here. If you didn’t show up at school for a week, who would even miss you?”

Theo flushed red with anger. Before he could say anything, though, Parker continued.

“And me? Please. My own mother shipped me out of town. It’s Thanksgiving on Thursday and she’s not even coming. As sad as it sounds, you two are the closest things I have to
friends at all.”

The barn was still.

“Something is happening. And we’re right in the middle of it. This is our chance to be a part of something big. Magic. Adventure. Don’t you see what this is?”

Parker laid his hand on the map.

“This is
destiny
.”

“I’ll go,” Reese blurted, almost without thinking. How had Parker won her over so quickly? “I mean, I never get to go anywhere, except for my grandparents’ house in
Maine and that one time the academic decathlon team went to Rhode Island.”

Theo threw up his hands.

“Fine. Whatever. Go to Russia. Get burned to death by a genie. Get shot by a guy in a suit. I’m staying.”

“That is out of the question,” said Fon-Rahm.

Parker said, “Hey, if he doesn’t want to come, he doesn’t have to come. Let him stay here and keep his parents company. Who cares?”

“The Path will kill him!”

The force in Fon-Rahm’s voice shocked the kids. They stayed silent while the genie spoke.

“Theo has been marked. Parker. Reese. All of you. The Path does not stop. They cannot be reasoned with. They will give up their lives to bring about a new age, ruled by the Jinn. They will
die without a thought if they believe it will help their cause. And now that they have Xaru to lead them...”

He didn’t even want to consider the possibilities.

“Theo must come with us. It is the only way I can protect him.”

The kids all looked at one another.

“We’re stuck with each other,” Parker said.

Professor Ellison slid off the tractor seat.

“Well, that’s settled. See how nicely everything is turning out?”

“Well, yeah,” said Reese. “But there’s one little detail I think we might have overlooked.”

“What is that?” asked Fon-Rahm.

“I think maybe my mom and dad might notice if I’m in Russia instead of my bedroom.”

They all let this problem sink in.

“Fine,” sighed the professor. “I’ll see what I can do.”

An hour later, Reese, Parker, and Theo stood in the living room of Theo’s house and stared back at themselves.

“Problem solved,” said Professor Ellison.

Ellison had used her magic to create exact duplicates of the kids. The fake Reese, Parker, and Theo looked, acted, and spoke just like the real things.

Reese said, “This is too weird.”

Theo walked up to his twin and gave him a little push, thinking his hand might go right through it. It didn’t. The fake Theo stumbled, regained his footing, and pushed the real Theo right
back.

“What are they?” Theo asked.

“They’re you, basically,” Professor Ellison answered. “I created them in your own images.”

Reese’s jaw dropped with newfound respect.

“You can create human life?” she said, awed at the prospect.

“No, I can’t create human life. No one can create human life. They’re illusions. They were programmed to do whatever you would do in any given situation.”

“So, um, Reese Two will go to my classes?”

“She’ll go to your classes and argue with your parents and make inane comments with a vacant look on her face, just like you.”

“I don’t like this,” said Fon-Rahm, his arms folded across his chest. “This kind of magic can easily spin out of control.”

“Oh, relax,” said the professor. “I barely put anything into them. In two weeks they’ll vanish back into the Nexus. It will be like they were never here.”

Parker circled his double, a grin on his face.

“This is wild. How do we know they’ll pass for us?”

The fake Parker’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Yes, how could we be expected to master the subtle intricacies of minds like these?”

Parker nodded his approval.

“I like him.”

“We have to leave,” said Fon-Rahm. “Now. We must reach the Path before they move again.”

Professor Ellison said, “It’s taken care of. We leave tonight.”

Reese was once again dazzled by the prospect of real magic.

“On a magic carpet, right?”

“No,” Professor Ellison said with a look that might be considered amusement. “I have arranged something a tad more comfortable.”

PARKER, THEO, REESE, AND FON-RAHM
got out of the limo and stepped onto the wet tarmac. They followed Professor Ellison past airport workers
carrying fuel and up the stairs that led into a gleaming blue-and-white twin-engined Gulfstream jet.

“Chartered G650,” said Parker approvingly. “Fancy.”

“It’s not chartered, my dear boy. I own it.” Professor Ellison shifted her bag. “Anyone who lives more than three thousand years and fails to get rich lacks common
sense.”

“I’ve never been on a private plane before,” said Reese.

“I’ve never been on a
plane
before,” said Theo. When Reese looked at him, he shrugged. “
My
grandparents live right down the street, and I’m pretty
sure I never made the academic decathlon team.”

Reese said, “I don’t know. You’re not so dumb,” and Theo practically tripped on the stairs.

Parker didn’t know it, but as he was boarding the G650, his mother was wheeling a tattered bag through the very same airport, less than a thousand feet away.