Durance by Lyn Gala Page 0,7
it tumbled over the blue ice.
At least one evil ifrit had slipped through with that water. Panic wrapped itself around Darren’s heart. “Where’s Bennu?” he asked. No one answered, but the alarm stained the bond before Kavon shut it down.
Chapter Three
Kavon sat up in bed. Nothing in the bedroom had changed, but Darren looked as shell-shocked as Kavon. When their gazes met, Kavon considered loosening his control over the bond, but Darren didn’t deserve to get flooded with darker emotions. Over the previous months, Kavon had kept reminding Darren that the war could come at any moment, but now that it had arrived, Kavon felt utterly unprepared.
Darren hid his face in his hands. “Great. So we have an evil ifrit who has returned to the world who may or may not have already found a human partner to join with, but we have no idea who the human partner might be, nor do we know which ifrit returned,” he summarized Thuya’s warning. “Yeah. No problem there. And can we even believe her?”
There had been too many cases of magical hot spots showing up in the DC area to dismiss it. Kavon was more worried that multiple ifrit might have slipped into the world.
When Kavon didn’t answer, Darren continued . “I'm not saying Thuya was wrong, but she admitted that she tried to manipulate me, and she withheld information the first time we met right after her death.” He sighed. “And I’m biased because she’s a raging bitch.”
Kavon climbed out of bed. His hopes for a quiet morning were gone. “I might agree with you there. After Salma’s stories, I had expected her to be more cerebral and devout.” Normally Kavon appreciated blunt and skeptical people. Those were two of his favorite traits in Coretta. He wondered if he would have more respect for Thuya if her message hadn’t inspired so much fear.
Darren threw back the blanket, and when Kavon headed for the bathroom, he followed. “How are you feeling about Dave appearing on the spirit plane?”
“I was grateful to see him again,” Kavon said. He had missed Dave, but knowing that Dave had manipulated him left a bitter taste in his mouth. Based in part on Dave’s recommendation, he’d gone into law enforcement when few shamans had. Did Dave believe that was best for Kavon or had he hoped to put Kavon in a place where he had resources? Or had he wanted to minimize Kavon’s interactions with other shamans to hide Bennu?
As a young agent, Kavon had struggled. Other agents hadn’t trusted a shaman, and now he wondered if he would have chosen another path without Dave’s involvement. After all, his guide was a bull—which spoke to Kavon’s need to have a herd. But until he’d formed the Talent unit, he’d been alone.
“I can't say I'm thrilled that he’s known about this problem for so many years and he never once talked to me,” Kavon admitted. Maybe his emotions had slipped through into the bond because Darren waited until Kavon finished pissing, and then he rested his hand on Kavon’s arm. The love and respect that flowed through the bond soothed some of the rough edges around Kavon’s heart. “I trusted him.” Kavon hated that his words came out sounding timid. No shaman could change the past, so he needed to get over these irrational feelings.
Darren asked, “When Bennu first partnered with me and we went through to the spirit plane, didn't you ask him about Bennu?”
Kavon washed his hands. “Yes, and as I recall, Dave's answer was that he had seen many spirit guides with my bull, and that he hadn't seen that particular cattle egret for many years.”
“Was he lying?”
Dave would never be that obvious; he had a badger guide. The slow hunters would cooperate with coyotes or other predators if it meant improving their own chance of getting a meal. Kavon should have been more cautious with a shaman chosen by a badger guide.
“Not even Dave can lie on the spirit plane,” Kavon said, “However, he could have told part of the truth. Hell, maybe he warned Bennu to hide in the first place.” The bond shivered with fear, and Kavon gave Darren his full attention.
“You don't think...” Darren took a breath. “Could Bennu be in trouble?” The second he asked the question, it was as if emotional floodgates opened. The blast of fear that came through the bond nearly knocked Kavon off his feet.
Kavon took Darren's hand in his. “Bennu is fine. If he were