Magic on the storm by Devon Monk

Author:Devon Monk [Devon Monk]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SF
ISBN: 9780451463272
Published: 2010-09-15T02:52:38+00:00

Chapter Twelve

We drove to the meeting point, a twenty-four-hour diner and truck stop. Shame’s car was parked near the gravel back of the lot. Neither Shame nor Chase was beside the car. There wasn’t enough light for me to make out who was inside it. Zayvion stopped the car several parking spaces away.

“Coffee?” Terric asked.

“Please,” I said, “black.” I dug in my pocket for cash.

“I got it. Zayvion?”

“No thanks.”

“Back in a moment, then.” Terric slipped out and headed to the restaurant without a glance at Shame’s car.

Right. They didn’t want to be around each other. Zay and I were currently fighting, Terric and Shame had been avoiding each other for years, and not only was Chase Zay’s ex-girlfriend, but also, the guy she dumped him for was the murderer we were about to hunt down.

For cripes’ sake. Could we be any more dysfunctional?

“Zay?”

“I need some air.” He got out, slammed the door, and started walking toward Shame’s car.

He was just the lord of pissy tonight, wasn’t he? Fine. I was done apologizing for being right, for being strong, for being me. If he couldn’t deal with it, then too damn bad.

I got out of the car. Noticed, in a distracted way, that it was sprinkling. Started over to tell Zay to suck it up and deal.

Zay slowed. He stopped, bent, and looked in the back driver’s-side window.

Something was wrong.

I moved faster. “What?” I asked.

He held up his hand to tell me to stop, and I did. Strong, stubborn, capable, yes. Stupid, no.

He opened the driver’s-side door. An arm fell out of the door and Zayvion leaned in to catch the rest of the body that followed.

Shamus.

I jogged the remaining distance, around the other side of the car to see if Chase was in the other seat. I looked in. Nobody. I opened the door and the stink of used magic hit me so hard, I had to turn my head to take a breath.

I recited my mantra and set a Disbursement, muscle aches one more time. I was going to be a head-to-toe cramp once all these deferred prices hit me. I traced the glyphs for Sight, Smell, and Taste. My senses burst open. Magic had been used inside the car. The ashy remains of Impact stuck like a huge brown and red spider, pulsing against the upholstery of the roof. An overpowering mix of so many other conflicting scents made me think someone had cast an extra spell full of scents just to throw off any attempts to Hound. There were too many smells to sort quickly, if at all. In those smells I caught the edge of Shame’s blood and a hint of sweet cherry. Blood magic?

Tendrils of brown and red from the Impact hooked out the door and into Shame. Maybe in his mouth or chest. Zay had him on the ground, but was blocking my view.

I knew the signature of the spell. I knew who had cast this.

Chase.

Holy shit.

I straightened, turned a slow circle, looking for any sign of her, or which way she might have gone.

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