Malevolenci by Sunshine Somerville

Author:Sunshine Somerville [Somerville, Sunshine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-02-11T16:00:00+00:00

Owen had enough experience to sense when he’d lost someone. He had that feeling now as he watched his biggest cavali carrying one of his favorite.

Tank’s deep sobs reached them across the distance, and Owen saw Esme put a hand to her mouth. He knew she’d sensed the worst too, and he led her quickly to meet Tank in the middle of the field.

I’ve lost another one, thought Owen with all-too-familiar sadness. It wasn’t long ago that we lost Davis. Now Benja… Fairy dust, I didn’t want to lose Benja!

When they met, the big troll gasped for breath and knelt carefully, then lay Benja’s limp body on the blanket covering the field. Owen and Esme knelt across from Tank, and Owen examined the jinn woman. Her neck was broken in at least two places. Blood ran from her mouth and onto her cavali uniform. Tank had already closed her eyes.

Tank reached up a meaty hand to wipe his tears. “There was…nothing…I could do,” he said between sobs.

Esme was crying too, and she slumped over to sit beside Benja’s body. “I’m so sorry. This is my fault. If I’d–”

“No,” Owen and Tank said at the same time.

Tank shook his head and sniffled. “This isn’t your fault. You saved me. I’d be dead too if it weren’t for that barrio.”

Crying, Esme wasn’t convinced. “I could’ve made the barrio strong enough for both of you. I could’ve–”

“There wasn’t time,” said Owen. He wiped grime from his face in an attempt to pull himself together. “I saw the whole thing, Esme. You were lucky to save Tank.”

Benja’s jinn. She’s supposed to be the lucky one… Not that I’d be any happier if Tank was the one who’d snapped his neck.

Esme sobbed. “But Owen, with my magic, I could’ve…maybe…”

“Hey.” Owen reached for her shoulder and gave it a squeeze so her purple eyes turned up to him. “I know a little something about feeling guilty for losing people, remember? This wasn’t your fault.”

It wasn’t my fault, he tried to convince himself. But by the gods, when will this end?

By now other cavali had gathered, and Owen looked to see Max and Dax push through the crowd. Owen felt his own throat constrict as he watched the Hoffman brothers realize what had happened. Max sank to a knee beside Esme, and Dax stood with a sad scowl.

A jinn cavali knelt by Benja’s head and placed a hand on her chest. Owen was familiar with the jinn custom, but he had to force himself to look at this dead cavali, one of his closest friends.

The jinn bowed his head. “Farewell, sister. May your luck never run out in the next life.”

The other jinn in the group held up hands in salute, their tattoos glowing a faint red.

Owen heard the rush of wings and looked behind him to find the crowd making space. Piper’s cavali boots touched ground, and in a single move she walked forward and folded her wings over her uniform. She looked even thinner with her hair short, and her frown was severe.

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