my teammate for long. Especially since a grizzled older man, who looked like he’d lived a hard and dangerous life, had approached the Tuareg. He leaned in to say something, then both ducked into the shadows of the empty stall. And disappeared.
Crap.
“What now?” Jaylene asked, her tone echoing my feelings exactly. It didn’t take an experienced agent to know that following a suspect into a dark interior with no idea what was on the other side was not a good idea.
Maybe they were just escaping the heat? And if I believed that I’m sure there was a bridge in Florida for sale with my name all over it.
“You sure this Tuareg was involved with the djinn?” Mandy prodded. At least she kept her voice down to a whisper.
“No.” I kept my focus forward.
“Can’t you do some witchy hocus-pocus to help here?” Jaylene asked.
As if. Magic always came at a price and it wasn’t like I could pull a spell out of the ether. Far as I knew , there were no djinn seeking spells out there. Only idiots called darkness and danger toward them. And since I had no herbs, salt or personal items of the djinn, there was no way I could cast a traditional seekers spell.
Just as I was going to explain the ABCs of magic casting in short-and-to-the-point terms to my comrades, I heard a dog growling.
Not just any kind of growl , but one of those low in the back of the throat sounds.
Across from where the four of us stood, a scrawny dog that looked like a cousin to a hyena was snarling in the direction of the empty stall.
“That thing rabid?” Mandy asked, stepping back though the canine wasn’t facing us, or doing anything except uttering a deep, raspy sound that made the hairs along my arms stand up.
“Shoo!” Kelly waved toward it. “Go away.”
“No.” I grabbed her arm to make sure she didn’t scare the mutt. “Dogs and donkeys are able to see djinn.”
“You’re making this crap up as we go.” Mandy sounded a lot like the dog as she fisted hands on her hips.
I didn’t care what she thought. Magic could come in a lot of ways and sometimes pure, dumb luck was the best kind.
“Where’re you going?” Jaylene demanded as I stepped closer to the dog who had kept his back to us, growling at the darkness.
“Inside the stall.”
“Not alone you’re not,” Jaylene snapped back, eyeing the dog and me as if we’d both gone crazy. “I’m not so sure you know the meaning of out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Oh, I knew the meaning. I was beginning to think it was my own motto.
I looked at her and Kelly as I nodded toward the opening. “The dog’s giving us the best lead we’ve had all day.”
“And if that m utt is right, we may be facing Bad Dude on his home turf.”
Jaylene had a point, a good one. It was Kelly who helped break the stalemate. “I could check him out, my own way, if you get what I mean? At least see what’s inside the stall.”
Now why hadn’t I thought of that? Probably because it’d put her at risk and also leave her vulnerable for double the time she went invisible.
But I might be able to get away with a little sniffing around. Not on the physical realm but the spirit one.
It was risky. To travel to the spirit realm, I would leave my physical body an empty shell, vulnerable to attack.
I glanced at Jaylene and weighed my odds against the sun already easing toward the horizon. Time was running out and I hadn’t even found the djinn, much less stopped him.
“Can I trust you?” I asked Jaylene, who gave me a very pointed raised brow answer in return.
“Tell me what you need.”
I pointed toward the V where two stalls met, creating a deep shadow and a hint of privacy. “I’m going to leave my body there.” I said, glad my voice didn’t sound as my nerves. If my dad knew what I was planning, he’d skin me alive.
Kelly brushed against my shoulder and I jumped.
Okay, maybe I wasn’t hiding my worries as well as I’d hoped.
“You said body didn’t you?”
Crap.
“What now?” Jaylene asked, her tone echoing my feelings exactly. It didn’t take an experienced agent to know that following a suspect into a dark interior with no idea what was on the other side was not a good idea.
Maybe they were just escaping the heat? And if I believed that I’m sure there was a bridge in Florida for sale with my name all over it.
“You sure this Tuareg was involved with the djinn?” Mandy prodded. At least she kept her voice down to a whisper.
“No.” I kept my focus forward.
“Can’t you do some witchy hocus-pocus to help here?” Jaylene asked.
As if. Magic always came at a price and it wasn’t like I could pull a spell out of the ether. Far as I knew , there were no djinn seeking spells out there. Only idiots called darkness and danger toward them. And since I had no herbs, salt or personal items of the djinn, there was no way I could cast a traditional seekers spell.
Just as I was going to explain the ABCs of magic casting in short-and-to-the-point terms to my comrades, I heard a dog growling.
Not just any kind of growl , but one of those low in the back of the throat sounds.
Across from where the four of us stood, a scrawny dog that looked like a cousin to a hyena was snarling in the direction of the empty stall.
“That thing rabid?” Mandy asked, stepping back though the canine wasn’t facing us, or doing anything except uttering a deep, raspy sound that made the hairs along my arms stand up.
“Shoo!” Kelly waved toward it. “Go away.”
“No.” I grabbed her arm to make sure she didn’t scare the mutt. “Dogs and donkeys are able to see djinn.”
“You’re making this crap up as we go.” Mandy sounded a lot like the dog as she fisted hands on her hips.
I didn’t care what she thought. Magic could come in a lot of ways and sometimes pure, dumb luck was the best kind.
“Where’re you going?” Jaylene demanded as I stepped closer to the dog who had kept his back to us, growling at the darkness.
“Inside the stall.”
“Not alone you’re not,” Jaylene snapped back, eyeing the dog and me as if we’d both gone crazy. “I’m not so sure you know the meaning of out of the frying pan and into the fire.”
Oh, I knew the meaning. I was beginning to think it was my own motto.
I looked at her and Kelly as I nodded toward the opening. “The dog’s giving us the best lead we’ve had all day.”
“And if that m utt is right, we may be facing Bad Dude on his home turf.”
Jaylene had a point, a good one. It was Kelly who helped break the stalemate. “I could check him out, my own way, if you get what I mean? At least see what’s inside the stall.”
Now why hadn’t I thought of that? Probably because it’d put her at risk and also leave her vulnerable for double the time she went invisible.
But I might be able to get away with a little sniffing around. Not on the physical realm but the spirit one.
It was risky. To travel to the spirit realm, I would leave my physical body an empty shell, vulnerable to attack.
I glanced at Jaylene and weighed my odds against the sun already easing toward the horizon. Time was running out and I hadn’t even found the djinn, much less stopped him.
“Can I trust you?” I asked Jaylene, who gave me a very pointed raised brow answer in return.
“Tell me what you need.”
I pointed toward the V where two stalls met, creating a deep shadow and a hint of privacy. “I’m going to leave my body there.” I said, glad my voice didn’t sound as my nerves. If my dad knew what I was planning, he’d skin me alive.
Kelly brushed against my shoulder and I jumped.
Okay, maybe I wasn’t hiding my worries as well as I’d hoped.
“You said body didn’t you?”
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