Bound Chapter 1: in a Bind

Scyipher was a large city. It even had a bustling tourist trade, though what was mostly traded about were the tourists. The people of scyipher were fair minded and made sure everyone got a bit of it. And there was so much to see in Scyipher, so many wonderful historical artifacts to purchase, newly made that morning so in mint condition! The people of Scyipher were always happy to see a tourist; well almost.
The man had to be a tourist. No one from the city would wear anything so outlandish. He was clothed all in purple and silver. The cloth flowed and billowed about him in a hypnotic fashion. On his head was a tall thin hat, like a wizard might wear, but without a brim. It stayed pointing towards the gods defying both logic, and gravity. Pale skin was augmented by long, silky black hair,  and His eyes were a startling purple rimmed in long black lashes that no man had a right to. Though his eyes might be effeminate he more than made up for it with his chin. It was a chin to respect a chin that could command armies. With his looks he could stop traffic, and not just because he was standing in the middle of the street.

The man sighed and glanced around, knowing he was attracting attention. He didn’t mind he liked attention, until it came from the Grand Jinn. Attracting his attention was never good. What had he done? It must be bad to warrant the Jinn coming here. He couldn't recall anything too dreadful. There had been that one time with those merchants, but that was nearly a decade ago. Unless it was about the disturbance at the temple? He dismissed it. Couldn't be. It had been a small affair, the priest had only lost a limb or too. The fool’s own fault for worshiping alligators. His self-analysis’ was rudely interrupted by a polite cough.

“Excuse me sir but you can’t stand there. You are disrupting traffic.”

He turned an icy glare onto the woman. She was wearing leather armor and sporting a badge and carrying a sword. After a dismissive glance, he turned away to watch the crowd again.

“I am waiting for someone.”

“Yes sir. Sorry sir, but you will have to wait somewhere else.”

“No, I like it here.”  There was a moment’s awkward silence.

“I am afraid I am going to have to insist.” Her voice had taken on a strained note and she had dropped the sir.

“Insist away, I shan’t stop you. Free country.”

“Actually” She replied. “It isn’t… we have a King, and very strict laws.”

“Oh?” he said vaguely. Where was he again? He really hadn’t paid much attention.

“if you don’t move along I will have to arrest you.” For the first time he turned his full attention onto the woman. She was ordinary; ordinary hair, ordinary eyes, ordinary chin. The only thing not ordinary about her was the force of the law, which waited petulantly in her badge. She was clutching the thing so hard her hand was turning white.

“Arrest me for what?”

“Loitering.” She rolled the word out like a scroll.

And then he made a mistake. He laughed.
The bars clanged behind him as he picked himself up off the dirty straw.



With just a little effort could have avoided all this, but he was already in trouble with the Grand Jinn. It was best not to make things worse.
As he stood peering out of his cell he began to notice fog curling across the floor.
“You and your entrances.” He muttered, rolling his eyes. The fog thickened and expanded upwards. Out of the fog stepped a man. He was dressed all in midnight blue, and his robes sparkled with the light of a thousand stars. His hair and beard were long and silver, though his face was free of wrinkles, making it impossible to gauge is age, until you looked into his eyes. They were old, very very old.

The Grand Jinn waved his hand and the cell door sprang open with an audible clang.
The female guard from earlier burst into the room, her sword drawn,
“What’s going on in here?” She stopped halfway into the room as she took in the open cell door and the silver haired man. Turning she made to run and call out, but the Grand Jinn clapped his hands, and the room went bright white for a second and the girl sank to the floor where she was forgotten immediately.

The younger man drew himself up and gave a stiff, shallow bow.
“Excellency,”

“Khael, you don’t have too be so formal.”

Khael covered his eyes for a moment,
“If you say… father.” The words dropped unwillingly from his mouth and scuttled awkwardly away.

“What are you doing here?”

“I am following the rules, as I thought you would wish.”

The older man gave an unhappy sigh.

“No, I mean here.” He waved his hands vaguely around. “Why did you leave home?”

“You know why.” Khael shot back.

The old man sighed deeply again.

“And did you find what you seek?” there was a long awkward pause finally broken by a change of subject.

“Is she dead?” His voice held no concern.

“No, just sleeping.”

“Pity”

“You cannot remain here. You are a disrupting influence; you have no consideration for the races that inhabit this world. I would be negligent if I allowed your stay to continue.”

“And if I refuse? Will you knock my unconscious and drag me home? You know you cannot watch me forever. I am not a child anymore! And what does it matter what I do? They are only humans!”

The older man seemed to shrink.

“You are right. You are no longer a child, nor have you grown to be the Jinn I had hoped.”

The younger man flinched.

“But I hope that it is not too late. You wish to stay here, very well but you will stay on my terms.” His hand darted forward like a snake and grabbed something out of the air just in front of Khael. It was a slim transparent thread, which began to glow softly as he muttered an incantation. The thread twisted and writhed but could not escape the Jinn’s grasp. The other end of the thread was connected to Khael, who had gone deathly pale.

“But… you can’t! It is forbidden.” His voice faltered, uncertain.
“You forget, I am the Grand Jinn. I make the rules.”

“Father, please.”

The older Jinn hesitated for a second, the thread still trying to wriggle out of his grasp. He closed his eyes for a long second, took a deep breath and stepped toward the fallen guard.
“You mean to bind me to a human?” He exclaimed, choking on the words in disbelief. “That shouldn’t even be possible.”

“The principle is similar, and this way I will know you are in good hands.”

“In good hands? She is a human! You of all people should know better. If you insist on binding me then for pities sake do it to a lamp, or a box. At least then I know the rules!”

The older Jinn did not respond but knelt by the fallen Guard and gently placed the thread on her right hand. The thread immediately entwined itself through her fingers and vanished, She twitched in her sleep, and Khael was violently jerked forward and then all was still.