Fatma turned to stare up at him, a bit confused.
“The Seal of Sulayman,” Harmony mentioned helpfully.
The memory came rushing back, to Fatma’s embarrassment. She was getting distracted.
“You know of the ring,” Leader continued. “You’ve either reasoned it out for yourself, or visited the bookseller. We suspected you might in due time.”
“I told them so!” Maker added. The angel’s face was impassive, but her words rang with excitement. “When I learned of how you handled my predecessor, I was certain you would figure this out as well! You are quite a remarkable mortal!” She turned to the stunned Hadia and added hastily, “Oh, I am sure you are remarkable too.”
“It seems we and Agent Fatma are fated to cross paths,” Harmony mused.
“Or she insists to tread where she should not,” Discord quipped.
Defender, again, rumbled.
Fatma fixed on Leader. “It was you. The ones who erased all traces of the Seal of Sulayman.”
“Erased from human understanding, yes,” the angel affirmed. “And memory. It was quite a feat of intricate magic, but we strive to be thorough.”
Fatma’s anger flared at the casualness of his tone. “What gives you the right to play with our heads? Who left you the arbiters of what we can and can’t know?”
The angels all regarded her in silence, as if perplexed.
“She believes we acted on our own,” Maker commented. “Fascinating!”
Fatma frowned. “What does that mean?”
Leader opened two of his four palms in a placating gesture. “We did not take the initiative of removing your knowledge of the Seal of Sulayman. It was at the request of the djinn.”
That actually left Fatma speechless.
“The djinn,” Hadia murmured, like someone slowly emerging from a dream. “The bookseller said as much. They didn’t want us to know about the ring.”
“They believe such knowledge in your hands is a danger,” Discord affirmed. “Your kind are so wonderfully unpredictable after all.”
“The only way to be safe, they decided, was to rid you of temptation,” Leader continued. “To that end, they contracted us to weave a grand magic. One that would expunge what you knew and conceal that wisdom from your eyes going forward.”
“It also stopped the djinn from speaking about it,” Fatma added.
“Magic abhors imbalance,” Harmony said. “The djinn could not ask for this thing and be exempt. The price exacted for balance was their own silence.”
“As I have said,” Leader noted with pride, “we strive to be thorough.”
So that bit hadn’t been intended, Fatma noted. The Ministry regularly released public announcements warning people against making unwise compacts with djinn. Bartering with beings who counted centuries of experience almost always put you on the losing end. Maybe they should have given similar warnings to the djinn about contracting with angels.
“Your grand magic has some gaps,” Fatma said. “Some people can see through it—like the bookseller. You’ve been abducting him, trying to erase his memories. But he keeps coming back to it. He keeps finding a way around the magic.”
Sets of mechanical wings shifted awkwardly. Defender did his usual rumbling. Fatma had seen another of those gaps yesterday. She’d told Siti about the ring. The woman had never heard of it, the magic seeming to do its work on her human side. But after Fatma explained it to her once, she didn’t need reminding. Her djinn side also had no problem speaking on it.
“This is correct,” Maker said. She turned to address Fatma directly. “I saw the structural dangers in the weaving as soon as I arrived on this plane. The magic is like the fabric about your airships. Attempt to wrap it around too big a frame, and it becomes taut. Weak points develop, and soon you are in danger of an unraveling! I warned of this, but would they listen to me, whose very essence is that of constructing—”
“Enough,” Leader ordered firmly, brilliant eyes fixed on Maker. “We shall have a talk about your penchant for speaking more than you should at the wrong moments and among inappropriate company.” The younger angel shrank back, her wings going limp. Leader returned to Fatma. “What is important is that someone other than the vexatious bookseller has a will strong enough to evade our concealment. And now they wield the ring as well.”
“The imposter who claims to be al-Jahiz,” Hadia said, seeming herself again.
Discord hissed. “A miscreant. Who has taken the ring from our safekeeping!”
Fatma gaped. “You’ve had the Seal of Sulayman? All this time?”
“Part of our agreement was to secure the ring,” Leader explained. “Each day this imposter holds on to it, we are in breach of contract.”
“Why did you even keep the thing?” Fatma asked. “Why didn’t you destroy it?”
Gasps went up about the room. Even Defender’s rumble seemed offended.
“To destroy such a holy relic would be desecration!” Harmony melodically lectured.
“How did anyone even steal it from you?” Hadia asked. “Who’s bold enough?”
“The same ones seeking after items associated with al-Jahiz,” Leader answered.
“Lord Worthington’s Brotherhood,” Fatma reasoned.
“The late Lord Alistair Worthington and his quaint obsession,” Leader affirmed.
“The seal,” Fatma said. “It’s part of the Brotherhood’s insignia.”
“Another unfortunate evasion of our magic,” Harmony sighed. “Though only a partial one. Lord Worthington’s mind conjured up the seal’s likeness, but he never truly understood what it was. We long ago assessed the matter as harmless.”
“More vexatious were his dealings,” Leader said. “His Brotherhood had in their hire a certain djinn who once worked here as an archivist, until we terminated him for unethical practices.”
“That would be an Illusion djinn named Siwa,” Fatma said, putting the pieces together.
“Before he left, he pilfered a listing of the holdings in our vaults,” Discord said. “He employs thieves of rare skill to make their way inside and take what he instructs. These items are then delivered to Lord Worthington for a price.”
Hadia turned to Fatma. “Portendorf’s journal! It mentioned a list!”
Fatma nodded, remembering. “Was al-Jahiz’s sword on that list?”
“The blade,” Leader confirmed. “Pilfered on the same day the seal was taken.”
“Why not just do away with Lord Worthington and his Brotherhood outright?” Hadia asked. “I’m guessing that’s
