A/N: Once again, I apologize at how short these things are. I try, but then summer comes knocking, and well...

So, same deal. Read, enjoy, and review!

Chapter 6: Chained Immortal

The night had only gone downhill from there. From the moment that Genie had whisked them all off the cave that his new master had mentioned, he had tried to stay well out of the way when it came to whatever the man had planned, but it wasn't as though he could totally block everything out. His master immediately turned out to be the kind of person that took whatever he could get out of a thing and not care how much he affected it, or how much it was hurt in return. He also liked to exploit magical beings, as the jinni soon discovered when the various tools came out. By the time the night was over, the river dragon certainly looked worse for wear, missing random scales from her forearms, and part of one of the horns on the crown of her head. As for fighting back, Mr. Oily-man-with-all-the-kindness-of-a-barracuda had already taken steps to prevent that, with chains, iron, and nails the size of swords. The river dragon could prevent nothing, could do nothing, as he pricked scales away and took blood. Without her river, she had no power. It was slightly startling how much that reminded Genie of his own situation.

Still, he hadn't really had the backbone to actually go and comfort, or in any way interact, with the river spirit. Despite the fact that it was the master's wish, he ultimately concluded that she would blame him. In all honesty, it was a fine way to thank her for getting her out of the river to begin with. At this point he was considering if it would have really been that bad to be sitting on the bottom of the sea. Still, even he wasn't prepared for the surprise that happened somewhere around midday. He had been holed up in his self-claimed section of the cave for the whole night and morning, when there was a sudden silence in the …proceedings. Despite the fact that everything in him wanted not to look, he couldn't help but at least glance in the direction of his master, the chained river spirit, and the various tools and implements that the man had gathered for the process. In all sincerity, as he would have sworn up and down later, he had not seen this coming.

"…Marid?"

The boy might have appeared to be as clear as a bell to Genie, but in truth, the Healer had delved into his mind, augmenting the deepest, darkest desire the boy had to offer. It also put him totally under the elder man's thrall, as he was the spellcaster. Along with his healing, the slippery character had also picked up a few tricks from conjurers and spellbooks that he had managed to find in the occasional windfall of traders. There were always at least one or two that had what he wanted, if you knew how to ask.

As for actually enacting the spell, it was child's play to set a snare in the boy's thoughts, to find a target for his enchantment to fall on. The girl, or rather, the spirit. The boy had seen her, had even gone so far as to form feelings for her, and she had turned him down in an obvious attempt to avoid the eyes of the Healer. Instead, she had turned Marid into an enemy, something that was not wise to do considering his closeness to the very man she had been trying to avoid. And now, the river spirit was going to pay for her mistake.

"Boy." The Healer said in a commanding tone. "This creature is responsible for your love's rejection. You know what you must do."

The boy's hands, whose control was not entirely his own, gripped a small pick from one of the tables.

The river drake began to writhe anew in her bonds, forcing Genie to look away again. But still, the azure jinni's conscience [or the shambles it was left in] would not let him rest until he at least attempted to make an apology.

'I'm sorry.' He mouthed in the sapphire river spirit's direction, hardly bothering to see if the other immortal had noticed, or cared. He wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't. Albeit, Genie did not notice the unreadable look the river spirit passed his way before turning her attention back to the boy and the tool in his hand.

Yeah, Genie does have a tendency to take responsibility and/or assume the worst. It comes out in the TV show a bit. I guess that's what comes from serving very very nasty masters for the past however-many-years.