Part 19 (1/2)
One king struck his head with his fist-a blow that would have pulverized a mortal. ”You desire that Dahnash?”
”Well, I know him,” Hasan said, wondering whether it was such a good idea after all. ”If you could turn him over to me for the duration, so I wouldn't have to bother you with little things . . . Well, you could go home, or what- ever it is you do in your off hours, until-”
”Fair enough, Master!”
A clap of thunder deafened his ears. The seven enor- mous kings were gone, and in their place: ”Dahnash bin Faktash reporting as directed,” the single ifrit said. Then it looked again. ”O brother!”
Hasan smiled. This was his ifrit, all right.
Shawahi took Sana's arm. ”Come, my daughter. I know some ancient medicines that will heal your injuries in no time. Leave this business to Hasan.” They departed with the children, although Nasir looked as though he would rather have stayed to talk with the ifrit. Hasan dreaded to think what mannerisms the boy might pick up from such exposure.
He got down to business. ”I am now the owner of this rod of power over the jinn,” he said.
”Let me see that, mortal,” Dahnash said respectfully.
Hasan handed it over, then abruptly wondered what he had done. The ifrit smiled. ”Alas, the power of such command is not granted to such as me,” he said. ”This rod is marvelously well counterspelled. Anyway, it would lead to a paradox, because I'm already under the indirect command of the rod.”
”Paradox?”
”You wouldn't understand. What other information do you require from me?”
Hasan took back the rod and studied its design. ”I'm having a little trouble discovering the extent of this talis- man's usefulness. When I asked to see all the tribes it commanded, they gave me some-”
”That is easily explained, mortal. The rod is designed most carefully to give the owner absolute power over the jinn, and to protect him from the consequences of its use.
Believe me, mortal, you need such protection! So the kings couldn't show you their legions.”
”I don't understand.”
”It figures.” Dahnash tried again. ”Let's say you gave the order and they obeyed. Then you took one look at the horrendous shapes of their minions and went mad from the vision. What use would the rod be to you then?”
Hasan got the point. No wonder it had taken so long to fas.h.i.+on the implement. It had to guard against human stupidity and inhuman ingenuity. But for that, he would already have blundered twice: once in looking upon the mind-destroying jinn, and once by giving the rod to Dahnash. ”Then I can never look upon them all?”
”You could direct them to appear in alternate shapes, such as dancing girls, or eunuchs, depending upon your taste.”
”Suppose I just tell the kings to carry us all back to Baghdad?”
”Null program, mortal.”
”Why not? They're strong enough, aren't they?”
”Certainly-but they happen to be bound by the covenant of Solomon, son of David, which prohibits them from bearing the sons of Adam upon their backs. It's all part of the rod's defensive configuration.”
”But you carried me on your back.”
”I was operating as an independent agent. Now you have my services through the command of the rod, which means the covenant applies. Matter of Demonical Prece- dent, bin-Bishr vs. al-Khawwas, Pleistocene period.”
Hasan shook his head in bewilderment. ' 'This all seems very complicated.”
”Naturally-to you.”
”Well, what can these ifrits do for me?”
”O mortal, they can do many things. They can advise, they can fight, they can bring you all manner of riches and banquets, they can foretell the future. There is a variety of ifrit for every purpose.”
Hasan brightened. ”Well suppose I ask them to predict how I'm going to get back to Baghdad?”
”Negative, mortal.”
”But you said-”
”Law of exclusion of self applies.”
”What are you talking about?”
Dahnash laughed in his most insulting manner. ”Haven't you heard the one about the barber? He bleeds every citizen in the village who doesn't bleed himself. So does the barber bleed himself or doesn't he?”
Hasan stared at him. The ifrit sighed. ”Take my word for it, mortal-an ifrit can't predict the future when he is himself to be the agent of that future.”
The more he talked with this insolent spirit, the more con- fused he became. ”All right. Can you give me any advice on how to get home?”
”Certainly. What made you think I couldn't?”
”Do it, then.”
”Make the kings harness you horses of the jinn, that can carry you and your company to your own country.”
Now he was getting somewhere. He avoided inquiring why jinn-horses could carry people when the jinn them- selves couldn't. ”How long will that take?”
”Well, it's a seven year journey by foot, but the horses can make it in less than a year. You'll have to endure terrible perils and hards.h.i.+ps and horrors and all the usual, and traverse thirsty valleys and frightful wastes and horri- ble mountains without number-”
This was beginning to sound familiar. ”Can we get safely off Wak, at least?”
”We cannot promise you that, mortal.”
”Are you telling me the jinn have no power against common mortals?”
Dahnash looked nettled. ”It isn't as though we operate in a vacuum, you know. We-”
”Vacuum?”
”Never mind, mortal. The point is, the rulers of Wak have powerful counteracting magic. For one thing, when one of their weapons strikes one of us, that ifrit is permanently put out of commission in his present form. Those amazon armies are the worst of all. They-”
Now Hasan understood why Shawahi had not been con- cerned about their journey through the Land of the Jinn, when the amazons were marching. But now, of course, it was a different matter, since their party was on the side of the jinn and the amazons were the enemy.
”Can you bring us the horses, or do I have to summon the kings again?”