Afternoon slid toward evening and the sun sank on the horizon. Jack woke after a good rest. The curtains let in a late orange light. Everyone else was still asleep. Ramon's leg was draped across Kamil's face, and Kamil slept with his mouth open, snoring like a horse. Jack chuckled, stretched, grabbed his coat from the chair, and stepped into the corridor. It was very quiet, the kind of quiet that felt calm rather than empty. As he reached the doorway, a voice met him.
"Ah, I see you're up," the figure said.
Jack blinked. "Oh, Kairo, what are you doing here?" he asked as he slipped into his coat.
"I wanted to ask a few questions about that thing," Kairo replied.
"What thing?" Jack asked.
"You want me to spell it out for you, that thing that possessed you, the being," Kairo said. "More specifically."
"Oh, you mean Steller," Jack replied.
"Yeh," Kairo said, glancing down the hall. "Let's talk on the way. Follow me."
They climbed a narrow stair that seemed to go on forever, walls close on both sides. Halfway up, Kairo spoke without looking back.
"So you know the truth about me then, don't you?"
Jack shifted, a little awkward. "I only know what Steller saw when it touched you, and even then I don't remember fully."
At the top, Kairo worked a metal hatch until it clicked. A gust of wind rushed in. Jack raised his hands to shield his face and then followed him up into the light.
They stood on the wall. On one side the city of Nubia lay crowded and dry, the air full of dust and sand. Beyond the barrier on the other side, a green land stretched out, rivers winding between scattered homes, the breeze carrying a good, clean smell.
"What is this?" Jack asked.
Kairo walked to the Nubian side and sat on the edge, looking down over the roofs. "Me and my brother Kairo used to always sneak up here and spend our time here."
"Your brother," Jack said. "So his name was Kairo." He paused, the memory clearing. "I remember now. You are not Kairo. You are Karoo. Your parents had sacrificed your brother Kairo. They were supposed to sacrifice you for the power of the Genie which you possess."
Karoo's face went dull. "I can't blame them even though what they did is wrong. All I want is a way to bring him back, my brother." Tears gathered slowly. "On that day he told me to pretend to be him and go outside. I was always the one in the family who was hidden. No one knew of my existence. But instead of me being the sacrifice, he went, and they, in search for power, sacrificed him. It should have been me. It was only right."
Jack set a hand on Karoo's shoulder. The boy's emotions steadied. "Well, what's done is done. You cannot change the past. What you can do is live for the future. You, a person who was weak, are now the child prodigy of these people, the youngest commander. How is that bad."
"The reason I brought you here is so I could ask you if you knew a way to bring him back," Karoo said.
Jack thought for a moment. "But you have a great power, the power of the Jin. Why don't you ask to bring him back."
Karoo acted at once. "Genie, how much is it to bring my brother back to life."
The Genie appeared, a dark figure like a shadow. "The Genie does not possess the powers of a god and cannot bring people back to life."
"Wait, I have a question," Jack said. "Does it cost to answer, Genie."
"No. Only a wish has a cost, but there are exemptions," the Genie replied.
"What exemptions," Jack asked.
"Me and Karoo can work on favours as long as we have a history of fulfilling them, and also I can fight beside him any time without a cost. Only wishes have a cost."
"See, he can't bring people back to life. I tried," Karoo said quietly.
"What if you could," Jack asked. "What if you could through the Genie."
"Then I would without a second thought," Karoo replied.
"Genie, imagine you could bring him back to life. What would be an estimated cost," Jack asked.
The Genie did not hesitate. "An estimated cost would be everything Karoo owns and loves, each person of this kingdom and everything else, and even then it would not happen, as the cost would be too great to fulfill or be placed on a scale."
Karoo stared. "So if I could, I wouldn't even have enough."
"This is why I wanted to ask you. You have a power greater than mine. I hate to admit it," Karoo said.
Jack looked up at the pale sky. "You know, Karoo, I thought you were just an annoying little brat, but you have a heart. I'll give you that."
"What do you mean by that, Theban man," Karoo replied.
"Nothing," Jack said. "Well, I don't know the full extent of Steller's power, but what I do know is I have the ability to take others' powers and keep them. I took the power of this one noble. It's called Mute. However, I have been trying to use it ever since but can't tap into it."
"I know, what if we just ask the Genie about your power," Karoo said.
Jack flinched. "Really, does it, or will it, actually know."
Karoo asked, "Genie, what will it cost to know about that thing, the being that possesses Jack Sterling."
The Genie replied, "Before I tell you the price, my knowledge about this is lacklustre, thus I will be fair in the cost. Three hundred gold coins."
Karoo let out a sigh. "I guess he doesn't know everything."
"Three hundred," Jack said. "That's too much."
"Take it and tell us," Karoo said.
"Really, how does this kid have so much money," Jack muttered.
"I have a good finance guy," Karoo added.