The Golem and the Jinni

The narrative shifts back in time to Ahmad’s missing memories of the events after Fadwa succumbs to a coma. In that earlier time, Malik and Abu Yusuf ride out to his palace and pose as Jinn in need of help. He lets them in, but as he opens the door, two iron cuffs are quickly clamped around his wrists. Searing pain roils through his body. Malik performs a ritual that requires the death of Abu Yusuf, for the man’s blood is needed to cement the Jinni’s bonds. The Jinni tries to rebel against Malik. Proving his control, Malik forces the Jinni to choke Fadwa to death. Malik then forces the Jinni into a copper flask. The spell takes all of Malik’s strength to perform, weakening him immensely. With the last of his strength, Abu Yusuf stabs Malik, who barely manages to kill Yusuf. He then takes the copper flask outside to the waiting horse. However, Malik has lost too much blood and dies with the Jinni still trapped in the flask.

The narrative reveals that the spell binding Malik to the Jinni grants the wizard’s soul eternal life for as long as the Jinni remains alive. As a result, Malik is reincarnated repeatedly, always as a man obsessed with dark magic and eternal life who is unknowingly seeking out the Jinni.