Chapter 8I found myself back in the bottle a short while later. Genie made it so all any of us had to do was touch the bottle, and we’d be safe inside. Of course, the bottle was made of glass and there were giant camels wandering about, so safety was tenuous at best, but the bottle still felt safer than the mountain, so I wasn’t complaining. Especially when I found myself in Genie’s arms, the fear, the stress of the day, instantly melting away.
How long had I known him? It seemed like such a short time. It seemed like forever.
In any case, I told them all that I’d seen and heard. “They’re trapped in there,” I said. “Powerful but trapped.”
Genie paced the bottle, back and forth he went, apparently thinking about what I’d said. “Heshen does not age,” he eventually said. “He did not wish t
