““An image! A sign! The language of the Law is metaphorical. This is another proof that I hit the mark when I called you offspring of the jinn, not the daughters of human beings.” “What is the Law save words of advice from the jinn to the desert’s inhabitants?” “Really?” “Have you forgotten that Mandam, the desert people’s forefather, wasn’t expelled from Waw until the day his mouth devoured a fruit from the orchard?” “Oh . . . Mandam. . . .” “The mouth is the weak spot that led to our expulsion from the orchard and turned our world into a desert. Do you know the status of the mouth in customary law?” “I’m not a diviner; how would I know?” “A man’s mouth is comparable in every respect to the secret a woman conceals between her legs.””
