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Ben

I could hardly believe e’d done I had proposed and River had accepted We were engaged Even though, for all I knew, in less than three days I could be stripped of this body and returned to my previous half-existence

If ever I’d needed an incentive to hold on to this physical form, I had it now

Having River accept h she was fully aware of how uncertain h I shot up with her into the sky with abandon, barely paying attention to how high up ere or how fast I was flying

I lost myself fully in her kiss until, finally, I came to my senses

Ti number of obstacles ahead of us If we did not leave noereour chances of success even slimmer

Pausing in our ascent, I began drifting us back doard, all the while ether I had no way of knowing how long it would be before ould find private ti until our feet hit the island’s boundary Unlocking our lips, I guided her to climb onto my back so that she would be in a more secure position

“Corrine!” we both began to yell “Ibrahim! Shayla!”

Then I called out to my parents while River did the same We shouted out any name and made as much noise as possible, even as I roamed with her over the surface of the barrier

“Co!” a voice finally called up Corinne’s voice

And then I heard another voice

“Benjamin?”

To my confusion, it did not come from beneath us, but rather from behind I whirled around with River to find myself face to face with…

“Aisha?” River and I gasped in unison

The young jinni hovered several feet away from us She looked worse for wear The smoke that surrounded the lower half of her body appeared duller and thinner than usual, and her skin was less radiant, alray Her face looked tired and worn

“What are you doing here?” I gaped

“What are you doing here?” she asked, staring at h I had come back from the dead Her face twisted in confusion “Benjamin, what are you?”

I barely registered her question and all curiosity I’d felt at the shock of seeing her at The Shade evaporated Exciteh me

A jinni

We’ve found a jinni!