hand went up to touch the bandage on his right cheek. “Probably look like it, too. But I’ll live. Miguel says the antibiotics knocked my fever right back, so that’s something.”
“It is, indeed.” Zahrias glanced over at Lilias. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Some,” she admitted, then added in fiercer tones, “Enough.”
That seemed to be sufficient for Zahrias. His shoulders lifted, and he shifted his gaze to the young man lying in the bed. “Tell us what happened.”
For a second, Aidan shut his eyes. His lashes were dark brown, much darker than his hair, which had been bleached by the sun. When he lifted his lids again, I was startled by the bright blue of his eyes, which I hadn’t really noticed before. Maybe they only looked that bright because of all the bruising around them.
He said, “We went east, toward the hills. Clay said — he was from around here — that we still could find some deer there, maybe pheasant. And he was right. We bagged a buck and a couple of birds, and that filled the ATV we were driving, so we decided to head back.” Aidan winced. “That pisses me off. Had to leave a perfectly good buck behind.”
“That is not important, dearest,” Lilias said gently.
A sigh. “Maybe not. But at least it would have made the whole mess worth something. Anyway, we were headed back into town when all of a sudden the sky darkened overhead, like a cloud passing by. None of us thought much of it, since it was sort of a cloudy day to begin with. But then it was as if that cloud dived down at us, and it got darker and darker, and the Polaris just sort of died on us. And then… they were there.”
“‘They’?” Zahrias asked, although from the brooding expression on his face, I would have said he already knew exactly who “they” were.
“Djinn. Other djinn. I’d never seen them before.”
“Any of them?” I cut in, recalling Aldair’s blazing blue eyes, how Zahrias had said the air elemental had gone to join those who hunted humans for sport.
Aidan shook his head, then winced. One hand began to move toward the bandages on his left cheek, but he stopped himself and knotted his fingers together on top of the duvet cover, as if worried he’d forget again and reach for his wounded face if he didn’t keep his hands in plain sight. “No. There were about ten of them, I think. I mean, there were more, up there, you know?” He lifted a shoulder vaguely skyward, then continued, “But the ones on the ground, the ones who surrounded us…I didn’t recognize any of them. Their leader was dark, like you and Jace here. No one ever said his name, though. Anyway, he told us that we were trespassing on land that wasn’t ours, and that none of us had any business being here, that our day was over.”
In the chair next to mine, Jace shifted, and his fingers clasped the arms, knuckles turning white under the strain. “What did you do?”
A swallow, and I could see Lilias tighten her hold on Aidan’s hand, as if to reassure him that she was there, and that he was safe here, no matter what might have happened the day before. He hesitated, the muscles in his throat working. “I — I didn’t really do anything at first. It was just — just a shock, I guess. I’d thought we were safe. We’d all been told that we were safe because we were Chosen, you know? But then Clay stepped forward and said as much, that if they had a problem with us being there, they should talk to their leaders, the ones who’d made the agreement in the first place, that we and all the other Chosen like us would be protected. And then — ”
Another long pause. I knew whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good. Not with Aidan sitting there with his face ripped up, looking like he’d been attacked by a wild animal. Come to think of it, maybe he had.
Voice shaking, he said, “The lead djinn just laughed. And before any of us could even blink, he pulled this long dagger or short sword or whatever from his belt, and
“It is, indeed.” Zahrias glanced over at Lilias. “Did you sleep at all?”
“Some,” she admitted, then added in fiercer tones, “Enough.”
That seemed to be sufficient for Zahrias. His shoulders lifted, and he shifted his gaze to the young man lying in the bed. “Tell us what happened.”
For a second, Aidan shut his eyes. His lashes were dark brown, much darker than his hair, which had been bleached by the sun. When he lifted his lids again, I was startled by the bright blue of his eyes, which I hadn’t really noticed before. Maybe they only looked that bright because of all the bruising around them.
He said, “We went east, toward the hills. Clay said — he was from around here — that we still could find some deer there, maybe pheasant. And he was right. We bagged a buck and a couple of birds, and that filled the ATV we were driving, so we decided to head back.” Aidan winced. “That pisses me off. Had to leave a perfectly good buck behind.”
“That is not important, dearest,” Lilias said gently.
A sigh. “Maybe not. But at least it would have made the whole mess worth something. Anyway, we were headed back into town when all of a sudden the sky darkened overhead, like a cloud passing by. None of us thought much of it, since it was sort of a cloudy day to begin with. But then it was as if that cloud dived down at us, and it got darker and darker, and the Polaris just sort of died on us. And then… they were there.”
“‘They’?” Zahrias asked, although from the brooding expression on his face, I would have said he already knew exactly who “they” were.
“Djinn. Other djinn. I’d never seen them before.”
“Any of them?” I cut in, recalling Aldair’s blazing blue eyes, how Zahrias had said the air elemental had gone to join those who hunted humans for sport.
Aidan shook his head, then winced. One hand began to move toward the bandages on his left cheek, but he stopped himself and knotted his fingers together on top of the duvet cover, as if worried he’d forget again and reach for his wounded face if he didn’t keep his hands in plain sight. “No. There were about ten of them, I think. I mean, there were more, up there, you know?” He lifted a shoulder vaguely skyward, then continued, “But the ones on the ground, the ones who surrounded us…I didn’t recognize any of them. Their leader was dark, like you and Jace here. No one ever said his name, though. Anyway, he told us that we were trespassing on land that wasn’t ours, and that none of us had any business being here, that our day was over.”
In the chair next to mine, Jace shifted, and his fingers clasped the arms, knuckles turning white under the strain. “What did you do?”
A swallow, and I could see Lilias tighten her hold on Aidan’s hand, as if to reassure him that she was there, and that he was safe here, no matter what might have happened the day before. He hesitated, the muscles in his throat working. “I — I didn’t really do anything at first. It was just — just a shock, I guess. I’d thought we were safe. We’d all been told that we were safe because we were Chosen, you know? But then Clay stepped forward and said as much, that if they had a problem with us being there, they should talk to their leaders, the ones who’d made the agreement in the first place, that we and all the other Chosen like us would be protected. And then — ”
Another long pause. I knew whatever it was, it wouldn’t be good. Not with Aidan sitting there with his face ripped up, looking like he’d been attacked by a wild animal. Come to think of it, maybe he had.
Voice shaking, he said, “The lead djinn just laughed. And before any of us could even blink, he pulled this long dagger or short sword or whatever from his belt, and
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