A Master of Djinn

—a West African princess, the German kaiser, and a Russian general, wandering the broken Abdeen Palace on this very strange night in Cairo

At the question, the angels all turned to Fatma. She sighed, already knowing the answer.

“A very unpleasant Marid. Who I promised never to bother again.”

Angels. They were going to end up being the death of her.

hand as if clearing the stories away. “In truth, al-Jahiz was known to abhor slavery. He himself may have once been a slave and preached against it at every turn

What’s this?” a voice broke in. “Yakov, are you going on about your cavalry again?”

The Master of Djinn—one of al-Jahiz’s famous honorifics

Cairo was fast outstripping London, even Paris. Their people swaggered through the streets—mocking England as “that dreary little isle.” Their foods troubled his stomach. Their praying came at all times of day and night. And they delighted in pretending not to understand English when he knew they very well could!