A Master of Djinn

Ahmad, manifesting Sobek, bites down on Abigail’s hand, severing it along with the ring. Pandemonium erupts as the djinn break free. The Ifrit begin tearing apart the iron monster. Abigail’s friends leap from the platform and scramble for safety. The ash-ghul’s three duplicates, each now missing a hand, vanish in a cloud of ash. Fatma and Siti make their way through the crowd, searching for Ahmad.

Although the Clock of Worlds has been destroyed, the portal remains open, the Nine Lords fixed in place. Fatma addresses them, issuing an official apology on behalf of the government and inviting them to return to their own realm now that the criminal has been apprehended. The Nine Lords mostly ignore her, expressing their disdain for a world where djinn coexist with mortals, let alone where a human can control djinn.

The Ifrit who served as Abigail’s mount approaches, offering an explanation, which the Ifrit King consents to hear on the condition that he quiets Abigail’s screaming. The Ifrit cauterizes her wound, and she passes out from shock. He then explains that he tried to sequester himself in the desert, but was forced into slavery, which displeases the Nine Lords even further. They