“So we’re dealing with an unknown element who means to be in control of the djinn’s ability to generate an unending source of power. Won’t you need actual djinn to create that power?” I asked, leaning forward as my heart thudded as my brain did somersaults over the possibilities.
“Exactly.”
The single word uttered by the djinn queen made me want to curl up and cry in a corner.
“Since these people have been as enterprising in their effects as to imprison the queen and brainwash the prince, I’m assuming that gaining access to the djinn realm and eliminating them is a higher priority than we previously thought. And a problem that will affect more than just Mithras and its people.”
The demon nodded. “Can I assume that this isn’t common knowledge?”
Cassie snorted. “Clearly, you missed the part only moments ago when the various pieces of the puzzle fell into place,” she observed coldly. Her eyes glittered as she glared at him.
But Baa’ruk seemed unaffected by her anger. He tilted his head and then focused on Aisha, ignoring the ShapeChanger altogether. He met the djinn’s gaze and waited, his expression serene but leaving everyone with little doubt that he suspected the queen knew more than she was telling.
Not news to me.
Aisha got to her feet, and suddenly the kitchen grew much, much smaller, the force of her personality filling the room. She moved over to the sink—the only available space—and faced the gathered group, as well as the unexpected newcomer.
“A few years ago, my husband came to the Earth-Realm hoping to study power generation techniques. He made a few connections, friends, a network of like-minded thinkers. But, Kassim was far too trusting. Suffice it to say, he said the right thing to the wrong people and rumors began to spread. He quashed them and returned home, but didn’t watch his back.”
I nodded. “Someone was watching him. They figured out where he went, followed him to Mithras and figured out a way to take over the realm and the power with it.”
The queen nodded, her face shadowed, gaunt, as though she’d aged a century as I’d been speaking.
Baa’ruk leaned forward. “Were they the ones who killed Kassim?” he asked gently.
Aisha didn’t answer, but she didn’t need to. Instead, she inhaled sharply and clapped her hands together. “Maybe we need to get moving.” She looked over at me. “What time does the window close?”
I looked at my watch. “Seven hours.”
She nodded almost to herself, then scanned the room. “I wish I could say that this legion would be enough to meet these people in battle, but I fear you will only be sufficient to perform a first strike. And it’s very likely that some of you will fall.”
The demon overlord shook his head. “I’m happy to offer my skills. I can help you to bring down the ward,” he said, looking at me.
“You can do that? I thought this demon who created it was all-powerful or something.”
He shrugged. “Me and Aisha together?” He pursed his lips and nodded, confident. “Unbeatable.”
This word served to lift the spirits in the room, and I said, “How soon can we go?” And then while I was on the topic, I asked Aisha, “So what’s with this particular window? Why did Saleem tell me to come only within that time frame?” I wanted to say that I’d seen her reaction, but I held my tongue. No need to tell her that I was able to read her. Somewhat.
Aisha smiled sadly. “I’m afraid it was a message for me. The timing wasn’t all that important. He just wanted me to know that I had to make that call and come. I suspect he banked on your honesty and your gigantic lady balls.”
The room erupted with laughter, and even Drake broke a smile.
I shook my head. “So he knew I was lying to him?”
Aisha shrugged. “My son knows me only too well.”
“I should have told you about the timeframe when he first told me.”
Aisha shook her head, her eyes narrowing. “You could not have known. But now that I understand what he’s saying, we also know the urgency isn’t as dire as we believed.”
“I’m afraid it is,” said Darcy from beside me.
I glanced at her, and she nodded. “The amount of time that he’s spent under Wade’s ministrations is inversely proportional to the strength Saleem has to resist. We cannot dare to leave him there any longer. He’s already beyond the safety time period.”
Aisha cleared her throat. “Very well then. How fast can we gather more forces?”
“Fast enough,” said Logan while Kai nodded in agreement and then glanced over at Cassie before turning to Ivy. “Think you can round up some help from Sentinel?”
Ivy barked a very unladylike laugh. “Have you seen how pathetic I look? I may not even have to say please.”
With that, Ivy broke up the party and the kitchen emptied leaving Kai alone with the demon overlord.
I wasn’t sure how I felt, having been racing toward the mission to extract Saleem from captivity, only to know that we had to prepare some more. His window had been a message for his mother, and the damn djinn had known all along that I’d been keeping something from him.
I was definitely off-kilter, with the mission now becoming more than just saving one djinn, but rather an effort to save an entire realm.
We would be leaving soon though, a fact that calmed me down a little, and allowed me to see that not only did we create a solid team, but we were forging new bonds, and strengthening the Ni’amh as well.
As walked down the hall, I glanced over my shoulder and spotted Cassie hovering near the kitchen door. I hurried back to her, a little concerned that she appeared ready to eavesdrop, but aware that something must be bothering her about the demon overlord.
I slipped a hand into the crook of her elbow and drew her away.
“Want to tell me what’s the deal with him?”
She gave me the side-eye.
“Okay then…You got the hots for him? Does he light your fire?” I gave her a saucy wink.
“I’m all ears.”
“A few months ago, I was on a case just outside NOLA. Part of the job was to infiltrate the Lacroix’s inner sanctum. And I came up with a brilliant plan to masquerade as the Overlord himself. Word on the street was that he’d left on a sort of sabbatical, an apparent visit to the underworld in search of a mysterious angel.”
Cassie scoffed at the idea, but I wasn’t so sure given the demon’s little game of charades. A winged creature connected with Dreadlocks, a mystery winged benefactor who Kai was familiar with.
Things just seemed to get mysteriouser and mysteriouser as the days went by.
I snorted.
Just a regular day in the life of Mel Morgan.
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About the Author
I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognize that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practice given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes… I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It’s a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each other's loves – it works wonderfully…
My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands – I shall forever remain cross-eyed.
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BLOOD MOON
A SOULTRACKER NOVEL BOOK 5
Copyright © 2018 by T.G. Ayer
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Eduardo Priego
Cover art © T.G. Ayer. All rights reserved.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events or locales is purely coincidental.