欧宝娱乐

“Do not say such things," said the Queen. "We have today and yesterday, and we will seize tomorrow. We will have all the time in the world if we are clever enough to take it.”
― Jessica Khoury, The Forbidden Wish

“This is Roshana, the last queen of the Amulen Empire, back when my people ruled all the lands from the east to the west. She is something of a legend among us. Every queen aspires to learn from her mistakes.鈥�
鈥淗er mistakes? Surely you mean her victories.鈥�
鈥淲丑补迟?鈥�
I frown at her. 鈥淩oshana was one of the greatest queens in the world. She ended the Mountain Wars, she routed Sanhezriyah the Mad, she鈥斺€�
鈥淔or a foreign serving girl, you are strangely well versed in Amulen history.鈥�
鈥淚 spent a lot of time in libraries as a girl.鈥�
鈥淲ere you there to dust the scrolls or read them?鈥�
鈥淪urely Roshana鈥檚 victories outweigh her errors.鈥�
鈥淭he higher you rise, the farther you fall. For all her wisdom, Roshana was fooled by the jinni, believing it was her friend, and then it destroyed her. Ever since that day, my people have hunted the jinn. There is no creature more vicious and untrustworthy.鈥�
鈥淭his is not the story I heard,鈥� I say softly. 鈥淢y people tell it differently. That the jinni truly was a friend to Roshana but was forced to turn against her. That she had no choice.鈥�
鈥淪urely I know how my own ancestress died,鈥� returns the princess, a bit hotly. 鈥淎nyway, it was a long time ago, but we Amulens do not forget.”
― Jessica Khoury, The Forbidden Wish

“For five hundred years my sisterhood has passed down a sacred vow,鈥� says Caspida coldly, 鈥渢o destroy the one who destroyed our queen. You know this, and you speak these words only to deceive me as you deceived her. You would have me believe that you are capable of love.鈥�
鈥淏elieve me when I say I wish that I were not!鈥� Angrily I round on her. 鈥淚 do not tell you this for myself! Aladdin will die any moment, and the only way to save him is if you make a wish! Please, Caspida鈥攖hey will kill him at dawn!鈥� I point at the horizon, where the sun is minutes away from rising. 鈥淟et me save him, I beg you!鈥�
I drop to my knees before her, doing what I never thought I could: grovel before a human. My pride unravels into smoke, carried away on the wind. Always I have thought myself above these mortals鈥擨, immortal, powerful, able to shift from this form to that. But I let all of that go now, and I beg as I have never begged before. 鈥淒o what you like with me after that, but just let me save him!鈥� I dig my fingers into the earth, my eyes damp with tears. My voice falls to a cracked whisper. 鈥淧lease.鈥�
鈥淲丑测?鈥�
I raise my face, finding her gaze unyielding. 鈥淏ecause it was my idea. Him wishing to be made a prince. Courting you. Lying all these weeks. I manipulated him and used him, and now they will kill him for it.鈥�
鈥淲hy would you lead him into the palace knowing that eventually the truth would come out and he would have to pay the price?鈥�
鈥淏ecause . . .鈥� I grind my teeth together, wishing the earth would swallow me up. 鈥淏ecause I was trying to win my freedom. Your people had captured the prince of the jinn鈥擭ardukha鈥檚 own son. The Shaitan sent me to free him, and in turn, he would free me from my lamp. If I failed, he planned to sink your city into the sea. I had to get into the palace. Aladdin was my only way in.鈥�
鈥淪o you don鈥檛 deny that you鈥檙e a monster. You used him for your own ends.鈥�
I drop my head. 鈥淚 know what I am. I know nothing can excuse what I did to Roshana, or to Aladdin, or to you. I鈥檝e wronged so many, and there is so much I wish I could take back. I can鈥檛 save Roshana. But please鈥擨 beg of you鈥攍et me save him.鈥�
Caspida lowers to her knees and studies me. I meet her gaze, humbled utterly.
鈥淵ou want me to believe that you love him,鈥� she whispers.
鈥淵es.鈥� The word is but a breath, a stir of air in my treacherous lungs. 鈥淲e鈥檙e running out of time. I cannot reverse death or the hours. Time is the strongest magic, and no jinni鈥攏ot even the Shaitan鈥攃an rewrite the past. Once Aladdin is gone, he is gone. Let me save him, and I can help you win your city.”
― Jessica Khoury, The Forbidden Wish

“ At last, when the dust settled, the Queen and the Jinni stood on the mountaintop and looked down on the battlefield and the bodies spread like leaves across the desert. The Queen fell to her knees, wearied and wounded, and her sword dropped from her hand. Before her, the doorway to Ambadya burned with fires of every color.
鈥淎ll I wanted,鈥� said the Queen, 鈥渨as peace between our peoples. But I see now that this is not possible, for my people are ruled by a dreamer, and the jinn are ruled by a monster. My only consolation is that thou art by my side, my Jinni. I would die in the company of a friend, and give thee my final breath. For I have one wish remaining, and it is for thy freedom, yea, even at the cost of mine own life.鈥�
At this the Jinni shook her head, replying, 鈥淣ay, my queen. The time for wishing is passed. For here is the Shaitan, Lord of all Jinn and King of Ambadya.鈥�
And even as she spoke, the fires in the doorway rose higher, and through them stepped Nardukha the Shaitan, terrible to behold.
鈥淥 impudent woman,鈥� said the Shaitan, looking down at the Queen. 鈥淲ouldst thou dare make the Forbidden Wish?鈥�
鈥淚 would,鈥� she replied. 鈥淔or I fear thee not.鈥�
鈥淭hen thou art a fool.鈥�
As the Queen鈥檚 heart turned to ashes, realizing her doom was upon her, the Shaitan turned to the Jinni and said, 鈥淒ost thou recall the first rule of thy kinsmen, Jinni?鈥�
And the Jinni replied, 鈥淟ove no human.鈥�
鈥淎nd hast thou kept this commandment?鈥�
鈥淟ord, I have.鈥� And up she rose, as the Queen cried out in dismay.
鈥淎re not we like sisters?鈥� asked the Queen. 鈥淥f one heart and one spirit?鈥�
And the Jinni replied, 鈥淣ay, for I am a creature of Ambadya, and thus is my nature deceitful and treacherous. My Lord has come at last, and I would do all that he commands.鈥�
The Shaitan, looking on with approval, said to the Jinni, 鈥淭his human girl is proud and foolish, thinking she could rule both men and jinn. I am well pleased with thee, my servant, who hast brought her to me. Slay the queen and prove thy loyalty to thy king.鈥�
And the Jinni grinned, and in her eyes rose a fire. 鈥淲ith pleasure, my Lord.鈥�
Then, with a wicked laugh, she struck down the good and noble Queen, the mightiest and wisest of all the Amulen monarchs, whose only mistake was that she had dared to love a Jinni. ”
― Jessica Khoury, The Forbidden Wish

“"All I wanted," said the Queen, "was peace between our peoples. But I see now that this is not possible, for my people are ruled by a dreamer, and the jinn are ruled by a monster."”
― Jessica Khoury, The Forbidden Wish