The Seven Kings of Jinn
Jinn: This term is collective, used to describe individual jinn and tribes of fire spirits. Jinn in their varied forms, like man, carry good souls within them or evil souls.
Hierarchy of the jinn:
Azazil (also known as Iblis): Sultan of the Jinn, Azazil is the first and most powerful of his children. He was born out of Chaos, but legend tells us he has also fought on the side of good. Azazil’s mercurial nature lends itself to good and evil.
The Seven Kings of Jinn: Azazil’s seven sons. Each king reigns supreme over one day in the mortal week. They have jurisdiction over their allocated day and can interfere in the lives of importants (see page 112 paragraph 2). In descending order:
The Gilder King—Ruler of Sunday (neutral in the War of the Flames [see page 245])
The Glass King—Ruler of Monday (subject to Azazil in the War of the Flames [as above])
The Red King—Ruler of Tuesday (subject to Azazil in the War of the Flames)
The Gleaming King–Ruler of Wednesday (subject to the White King in the War of the Flames)
The White King—Ruler of Thursday (inciter of the War of the Flames [see page 243-245 onward])
The Shadow King—Ruler of Friday (subject to the White King in the War of the Flames)
The Lucky King—Ruler of Saturday (neutral in the War of the Flames)
Intrigued by the so-called ‘War of the Flames,’ Ari wanted to skip through all the other stuff to page 243 to learn what it was and why the White King—her father—had incited it. But if there was one thing Ari knew when studying for her SATs, it was to never skip the boring parts, because that’s usually what came up on the exam. She drew her knees up to her chest, the book balancing on them, and she narrowed her eyes over the top of it to study Jai.
He wasn’t going to quiz her on this, was he?
“Keep reading,” he murmured, turning his page.
Her mouth fell open in amazement. How did he do that? Flushing at having been caught staring, Ari sunk deeper into her pillows to hide behind her knees and bury her head in the book.
Some argue whether the next in the order of hierarchy should come before the Seven Kings of Jinn, for none truly understand the extent of his power…
Asmodeus: often referred to as Prince Asmodeus, he is Azazil’s first lieutenant and the very first of the race of marids (see page 87 para 4). Terrifyingly powerful and born of the evil jinn, Asmodeus is loyal to Azazil—it is unknown why he is loyal to the sultan, but his loyalty is absolute.
The lesser royal jinn that followed weren’t nearly so interesting as this Prince Asmodeus guy, but Ari read on, her eyes glazing over now and then until she snapped herself to attention at a list of the most common jinn.
Marid: Always evil, the marid have extraordinary power and are known to live as long as 2500 years, although Asmodeus is far older (his true age remains unknown, although some postulate he is almost as old as Azazil).
Ifrit: Like all jinn, the ifrit are telepathic and can converse with other jinn this way. Like most jinn, the ifrit can shape-shift, possess, shield themselves with invisibility by stepping into the cloak, conjure with magic and enchantments, and place curses upon lesser beings—although their magic is not as powerful as the marid. However, each individual ifrit has one gift specific to them that can even overshadow the power of the marid. The soul of the ifrit is more ambiguous than the marid. Although some are evil, some are good.
Shaitan: children and servants of the sultan, the shaitan have never been known to be anything but evil and are loyal only to those strong enough to call themselves their master.
Ari read on, discovering the names of some pretty disgusting creatures, along with the nisnas she had encountered and the labartu that had killed Charlie’s little brother. Most of the information concentrated on the bad jinn, and it left Ari with a sick feeling in her stomach. It was weird. She had never wanted to know about her heritage, but as she read on, it became impossible to put the book down. Now that she knew what was out there, she had to know what else was out there. She had to arm herself against the force of the jinn. It fascinated her to learn that there existed half-breed jinn—half-human, half-Jinn—they called hybrids. There were two kinds: sorcerers and The Guild. According to Ari’s findings, sorcerers were rare because most hybrids did not know about the jinn and, therefore, didn’t connect with their magical abilities. The rare few who did usually couldn’t handle the strength of the power without it turning their minds. They used talismans, seals, and inscriptions to channel their magic. Theirs was considered ‘illicit’ magic, for they often used it for their own means and to enslave jinn. On the other end of the spectrum was The Guild, tribes of hybrids who grew up learning ‘licit’ magic to hunt down sorcerers and prevent any harm to humans from them or evil jinn. They technically got away with killing sorcerers because they were half-human, but if a member of The Guild killed a jinn, rather than merely disarming them, they were called to Mount Qaf to face trial in the jinn courts. Wincing at how unfair that was, Ari moved on, surprised to discover that The Guild was created centuries ago by the Gilder King. Apparently, he was known among the jinn as the most benevolent of his brothers. It made Ari feel easier about the Red King; maybe he wasn’t so bad after all too? Maybe she really could trust him. At least she felt like she could trust Jai.