Durance by Lyn Gala Page 0,6

disliked her lack of compassion or he felt Kavon’s anger.

“The mission?” Kavon asked, his voice cold despite the anger quivering through the bond.

“Salma understood that if I chose not to make myself known in the world of Adam’s clay after my death, it meant that I had a more important role to fulfill. My absence served a purpose.”

“Would that purpose be to manipulate me into a relationship with the Egyptian authorities?” Kavon demanded. On the spirit plane, any lie she told would stain the air, which was the only reason Darren expected the truth from her. She had taught Salma that the goal of life was to defeat the evil ifrit, so he expected she would sacrifice truth for that goal.

“No. Absolutely not.” The crisp, cool sincerity spread through the spirit plane. “I hoped to manipulate the shaman who had been chosen by the ifrit Bennu.” Thuya shifted her attention to Darren.

Dave shrugged. “At least she's honest.”

“And manipulative,” Kavon said with less admiration.

When Thuya spoke, her words had a weight that filled the air. “We must focus on the mission. The consequences of failure are too great for us to worry about hurting feelings.”

“Dave knows I don't care about feelings,” Kavon said. “I do care about information. How long have you two been working together?”

Darren took Kavon’s distraction as an opportunity to move out from behind him.

“Since I died,” Thuya said. “Before that I was unaware that Americans understood the nature of the coming war. Of course the Catholics have their own preparations, but their immature approach is counterproductive. If they believe superstition can save them from the evil ifrit, they are idiots.”

Charming. Darren liked the woman less with every word. “I’m fairly sure Salma thinks that Allah is going to come in on our side, so I would not be so quick to accuse others of superstition.”

“I find Salma unforgivably superstitious. However, her beliefs don't prevent her from acting. She doesn't hide in the basement and hope that someone else will fix the world through faith.”

“Thuya,” Dave said sharply.

She rolled her eyes. “Egyptians have always known the war was coming, but we did not fully appreciate that there were others standing with us. Perhaps that is why Bennu chose to return here. Perhaps he forced us to seek alliance because we had grown too insular.”

Dave spoke a little louder. “Or perhaps your ifrit simply saw someone he liked.” Based on his tone, this was an old argument.

Thuya waved Dave’s suggestion away. “Bennu is an ancient power who has lived for thousands of years. I doubt he would be easily swayed by the sight of a foolish youth.”

“Despite the faith and dedication of others, I was the first to see the ifrit return.” Dave’s aura reflected smugness. “And the first to act.”

Kavon tilted his head to the side and projected mild alarm. “Dave? What did you do?”

“I left the physical plane and focused my time here because my arthritis and my slowing mind were proving to be too much of a distraction.” Dave conjured a fallen tree and sat on the trunk. “Do you remember when your bull got caught in one of the ancient rivers?” he asked Kavon.

Kavon had told Darren that story as an example of the dangers on the spirit plane. As a young shaman, Kavon had grown too interested one of the deep magical wells. His bull had gotten stuck at the edge of it, forcing Kavon to wade into the waters and risk being pulled under. At least four times he’d told Darren the story, usually when he was trying to impress on Darren the idea that magical guides did not understand the dangers inherent in magic.

“I remember,” Kavon said.

Dave smiled. “That day, I knew I had to protect you.”

“You knew very little until I came,” Thuya said under her breath.

“Did you die to protect me?” Kavon flooded the bond with his horror and guilt.

“No, I moved to a different plane in order to better fight for my world. I knew Bennu was from the ancient realms, and I could protect you and search for the old ones from here.”

“None of this matters.” Thuya turned toward the ice wall, and her focus made a huge fracture in the ice wall more visible. “The crack means one of the exiled ones has come through, but we cannot find him in the realm of Adam’s clay. He must be on Earth.” Water trickled from the jagged edges of the break and it turned into a waterfall as