Chapter Thirty-Two: Genie's Tale

Holly didn't care if Famine came after her or not. She turned the idea over and over in her mind like a puzzle cube. If she trusted him, everything could fall apart. Famine had reminded her of one thing, his father was the prince of lies.

She got to Ruby's side and relief washed over her, a tangible sense of it as she dropped to her knees. Ruby was up, leaning against Dagon, but up.

Ruby smiled as she noticed her. "Hey," she greeted with a weak wave.

Did this mean that Famine was lying to her? Or was there something more sinister lying beneath Ruby's exterior? She pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She wanted to spend time with Ruby and not try to inspect everything the girl said. She had offered her friendship, and that offer hadn't been fake.

"How are you feeling?" Holly questioned as she took a seat near her. Holly nodded at Dagon and stared pointedly at the door.

The hell prince must have got her message because he excused himself and the two were left alone. Alone besides the lump of a cabbit in the corner. Eros was sleeping nearby again.

"I've been better," Ruby admitted with a wince. "I think Death was planning to show me my past. He gave me snippets," she shivered. "If it breaks through, I'll remember everything then I'll be gone." She frowned and looked away. "And there's something else."

"What's that?" Holly whispered as she inspected the other woman.

"Death gave me every detail on Quix's death. I think he's going to try to use me to get rid of him. I can't be anywhere near him, so please understand when I'm more cruel than usual toward him." She sighed. "I wish I didn't work for him or had anything to do with that family at all. I think about the battle those four have going on and I shudder to think of a world under Death."

Holly had to admit that was the worst-case scenario for her too. "What if the current guy stays in control?" she asked as she fiddled with her fingernails.

"You mean if none of the princes rise?" Ruby frowned. "I don't know how that would be. I have a feeling even if it worked out that way, it wouldn't stay that way. They all have high ambitions. Everyone wants power. If he found out a way to keep his?" Ruby's eyes narrowed. "There's only one way I know he could do that."

"What would that be?" Holly questioned.

"Devouring your soul," Ruby answered simply. "It's what Death wants as well, and even War. Those two have been in contact and plotting a way to capture you."

"What if I just gave up?" Holly whispered. "What if they could just separate me from the soul and I gave it all up for life to continue as it is?"

A shadow passed over Ruby's eyes. "You can't do that."

"Why?" Holly demanded. "I don't want this destiny or fate or whatever you want to call it. I just want to live my life."

Ruby sighed hard. "Let me tell you a story. I don't remember if this is from before I died or if I heard of it while a reaper. Once upon a time, a long way away from here was a girl. She had a rotten place in life and she stumbled onto his lamp. There was a genie inside."

"Genies aren't real," Holly pointed out.

Ruby's lips twitched. "Reapers, and demons, and hell servants are more believable? Talking cabbits?" She smirked. "I could go on you know."

"No, that's enough," Holly grumbled.

"Back to my story," Ruby announced with a mock glare. "She found this genie and it offered her wishes."

"What were the three wishes she wanted?" Holly asked. If they did exist a genie would be pretty useful to get out of her situation.

"I never said it was only three," Ruby scolded. "Just be quiet and listen, okay?"

Holly nodded.

"The genie offered her wishes to make her life better. She could have anything she wanted. First, she wished for looks. She was tired of being so plain so beauty was the answer. I wish to be beautiful, were her exact words. The genie nodded and said it was done. But when the girl looked in the mirror the same face stared back at her."

"Because she was already beautiful," Holly guessed.

"On the inside, yes. So she decided to try for another wish. Surely riches would be the difference in her life. If she was rich, she wouldn't need to worry about her life any more. I wish to be rich. And the genie told her it was done, but there was no difference. She accused him of tricking her, but he pointed out that she never specified what kind of riches."

"What kind of riches was it?" Holly was leaning forward now. Why was Ruby telling her this strange tale?

"Richness of life," Ruby replied. "The girl thought hard about his words. If she needed to be specific she was going to make her next wish count. She asked the genie what was the most powerful thing that he knew. He smiled at her and held up a finger. "I am the most powerful thing that I am aware of. Only other genies can dream to achieve the level of power I have."

"Oh, no," Holly mumbled.

"Oh, yes," Ruby continued. "She wished to be more powerful than any genie. She knew that if she just wished to be a genie she'd be stuck in the same position this poor soul was. So she wished to be more powerful than any genie. The genie nodded at her and snapped his fingers. And when the lights died down she was stunning. Her skin was flawless, she had golden bracelets on her wrist and a heavy crown upon her head."

Ruby sighed softly. "He had made her a genie."

"But she wished to be more powerful than any genie," Holly pointed out.

"But there wasn't anything that was more powerful. He had told her as such but she ignored his words. So she was turned into a genie and trapped for a long time. She was given master after master but they weren't specific in their wishes so her magic did to them what was done to her."

"What happened to the first genie?"

"He was turned back into a human since his curse had been taken by another. He was free."

"Why'd you even tell me that if the story didn't have a proper ending?" Holly demanded. "She just got shafted!"

Ruby raised a brow. "Maybe because I don't want the same fate to happen to you. I don't doubt that he can give you what you seek, but the price you pay for it may be far more than you'd ever be willing to endure."

Holly sighed. She couldn't deny that Ruby had a point. She wanted to deny it, but she just couldn't.

Ruby coughed and sputtered holding a hand to her chest. "I think I might have overdone it," she whispered.

Holly was at her side in an instant. "What's wrong? How'd you get hurt?"

"Death is a coward," Ruby sneered.

Holly froze her hands inches away. "What do you mean?"

"He's trying to use me to get you," Ruby answered with a scoff. "And I'm fighting it, I'll always fight it. I've wanted a friend for far too long to lose one now."

"I hope you know that if you press too hard on that front, or if you lose the battle against him, I'm going to stop you." Eros padded into view and shifted into his human form as he took a seat beside them. "Holly is under my protection and I might be weaker than the others, but I won't let anyone hurt her."

The reaper only answered with a sad shake of her head. "I wish it was that simple. I'm worried just how much he's going to force."

"How is he doing this?" Holly demanded.

"He's giving me memories back," Ruby whispered as she clenched her hands. "He just keeps tormenting me, trying to give me to submit before he gets rid of me."

"He can do that?" Holly couldn't help but think of Quix. Her reaper that was still resting. What should she do? There had to be a way to stop this. "No, we have to stop him! There has to be something we can do. Maybe Tydeus or Dagon-"

"You need someone good at barriers," Eros interrupted. "I hate to say it, but I know the guy for the job. Though I hate him. I smell him on you so you've run into him recently. He whose form I borrowed."

He couldn't be talking about that bossy cabbit, could he?

"Angel."

Crap, he was.

"There's no one else?" she asked hope ringing in her voice.

Eros shook his head with a sigh. "I wish there was, but if you want to protect these reapers, you're going to need him."

Holly groaned. She was going to have to go talk to that Angel guy now.