“And is this where I come in, mighty machinator?” Abdullah asked coldly. “I am part of your plans to regain your life, am I?”

“Just barely,” answered the djinn. “My hopes were more upon the heirs of Alberia or the Prince of Peichstan, but both these young men have thrown themselves into hunting instead. Indeed, all of them have shown remarkable lack of spirit, including the King of High Norland, who is merely attempting to catalog his books on his own, without his daughter’s help, and even he was a likelier chance than you. You were, you might say, an outside bet of mine. The prophecy at your birth was highly ambiguous, after all. I confess to selling you that magic carpet almost purely out of amusement—”

“You did!” Abdullah exclaimed.

“Yes—amusement at the number and nature of the daydreams proceeding from your booth,” said Hasruel. Abdullah, despite the cold of the mist, found his face was heating up. “Then,” continued Hasruel, “when you surprised me by escaping from the Sultan of Zanzib, it amused me to take on your character of Kabul Aqba and to force you to live out some of your daydreams. I usually try to make appropriate adventures befall each suitor.”

Despite his embarrassment, Abdullah could have sworn that the djinn’s great gold-brown eyes slanted toward the soldier here. “And how many disappointed princes have you so far put in motion, O subtle and jesting djinn?” he asked.

“Very nearly thirty,” Hasruel said, “but as I said, most of them are not in motion at all. This strikes me as strange, for their birth and qualifications are all far better than yours. However, I console myself with the thought that there are still one hundred and thirty-two princesses left to steal.”

“I think you might have to be satisfied with me,” Abdullah said. “Low as my birth is, Fate seems to want it so. I am in a position to assure you of this, since I have recently challenged Fate on this very point.”

The djinn smiled—a sight as unpleasant as his frown—and nodded. “This I know,” he said. “This is the reason I have stooped to appear before you. Two of my servant angels returned to me yesterday, having just been hanged in the shape of men. Neither was wholly pleased by this, and both claimed it was your doing.”

Abdullah bowed. “Doubtless when they consider, they will find it preferable to being immortal toads,” he said. “Now tell me one last thing, O thoughtful thief of princesses. Say where Flower-in-the-Night, not to speak of your brother Dalzel, may be found.”