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. His bidding was to steal Flower-in-the-Night. Correction, said Hasruel. My brother inheritsa grandeur of mind from his mother, Great Dazrah.Heordered me to steal every princess in the world.A moment s thought will show you the sense in this.Mybrother is of an age to marry, but he is of a birth so mixed that no female among djinns will countenancehim.He is forced to resort to mortal women.But since he is adjinn , naturally only those females of thehighest blood will serve. My heart bleeds for your brother, remarked Abdullah. Could he not be satisfied with less than all? Why should he be? asked Hasruel. He commands my power now.He gave the matter carefulthought.And seeing clearly that his princesses would not be able to walk on air as we djinns do, he firstordered me to steal a certain moving castle belonging to a wizard in this land of Ingary in which to househis brides, and then he ordered me to commence stealing princesses.This I am now engaged in doing.But naturally at the same time I am laying plans of my own.For each princess that I take, I arrange toleave behind at least one injured lover or disappointed prince, who might be persuaded to attempt torescue her.In order to do this, the lover will have to challenge my brother and wrest from him the secrethiding place of my life. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html And is this where I come in, mighty machinator? Abdullah asked coldly. I am part of your plans toregain your life, am I? Just barely, answered the djinn. My hopes were more upon the heirs of Alberia or the Prince ofPeichstan, but both these young men have thrown themselves into hunting instead.Indeed, all of themhave shown remarkable lack of spirit, including the King of High Norland, who is merely attempting tocatalog his books on his own, without his daughter s help, and even he was a likelier chance than you.You were, you might say, an outside bet of mine.The prophecy at your birthwas highly ambiguous, afterall, I confess to selling you that magic carpet almost purely out of amusement Youdid! Abdullah exclaimed. Yes amusement at the number and nature of the daydreams proceeding from your booth, saidHasruel.Abdullah, despite the cold of the mist, found his face was heating up. Then, continued Hasruel, when you surprised me by escaping from the Sultan of Zanzib, it amused me to take on your characterof Kabul Aqba and to force you to live out some of your daydreams.I usually try to make appropriateadventures befall each suitor. Despite his embarrassment, Abdullah could have sworn that the djinn s great gold-brown eyes slantedtoward the soldier here. And how many disappointed princes have you so far put in motion, O subtleand jesting djinn? he asked. Very nearly thirty, Hasruel said, but as I said, most of them are not in motion at all.This strikes me asstrange, for their birth and qualifications are all far better than yours.However, I console myself with thethought that there are still one hundred and thirty-two princesses left to steal. I think you might have to be satisfied with me, Abdullah said. Low as my birth is, Fate seems to wantit so.I am in a position to assure you of this, since I have recently challenged Fate on this very point. The djinn smiled a sight as unpleasant as his frown and nodded. This I know, he said. This is thereason I have stooped to appear before you.Two of my servant angels returned to me yesterday, havingjust been hanged in the shape of men.Neither was wholly pleased by this, and both claimed it was yourdoing. Abdullah bowed. Doubtless when they consider, they will find it preferable to being immortal toads, hesaid. Now tell me one last thing, O thoughtful thief of princesses.Say where Flower-in-the-Night, not tospeak of your brother Dalzel, may be found. The djinn s smile broadened, making it even more unpleasant, for this revealed a number of extremelylong fangs.He pointed upward with a vast spiked thumb. Why, earthbound adventurer, they are,naturally, in the castle you have been seeing in the sunset these last few days, he said. It used, as I said,to belong to a wizard of this land.You will not find it easy to get there, and if you do, you will do well toremember that I am my brother s slave and forced to act against you. Understood, said Abdullah.The djinn planted his enormous taloned hands on the ground and began to lever himself up. I must alsoobserve, he said, that the carpet is under orders not to follow me.May I depart now? No, wait! cried the soldier.Abdullah, at the same moment, remembered one thing he had forgotten Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmland asked, And what of the genie? but the soldier s voice was louder and drowned Abdullah s. WAIT,you monster ! Is that castle hanging around in the sky here for any particular reason, monster? Hasruel smiled again and paused, balanced on one huge knee. How perceptive of you, soldier.Indeed,yes.The castle is here because I am preparing to steal the daughter of the King of Ingary, PrincessValeria. My princess! said the soldier.Hasruel s smile became a laugh.He threw back his head and bellowed into the mist. I doubt it, soldier!Oh, I doubt it! This princess is only four years old.But though she is of little use to you, I trust that youare going to be of great use to me.I regard both you and your friend from Zanzib as well-placed pawnson my chessboard. How do you mean? the soldier asked indignantly. Because the two of you are going to help me steal her! said the djinn, and sprang away upward intothe mist in a whirl of wings, laughing hugely.Chapter 15:In which the travelers arrive at Kingsbury If you ask me, said the soldier, moodily dumping his pack on the magic carpet, that creature is asbad as his brother if hehas a brother, that is. Oh, he has a brother.Djinns do not lie, said Abdullah. But they are always prone to see themselvesas superior to mortals, even the good djinns.And Hasruel s nameis on the Lists of the Good. You could have fooled me! said the soldier. Where s Midnight got to? She must have been frightenedto death
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