Outlaw by Annabel Chase

Author:Annabel Chase [Chase, Annabel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Palm Press LLC
Published: 2018-11-25T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

The border between the two colonies featured large boulders with faces carved into them on either side. They bore open mouths and wide eyes. The expressions seemed designed to suggest unbearable pain. As we passed between two of the boulders, I looked at Riffat. “Why are these here?”

Her jaw hardened. “A warning to the caste on the other side. A reminder of what might happen should you cross your neighbor.”

“Not very friendly.”

The difference in landscape was both immediate and remarkable. Whichever djinni had called this colony a wasteland wasn’t kidding. Trees that looked like red cacti sprouted from the dry earth. Other than that, there was very little in the way of plant life. I tapped into my magic to determine the level of earth energy available to me. Inwardly, I sighed with relief. It was here, albeit faint.

Callan trotted behind us in his wolf form. The stallions and the mule seemed to be growing accustomed to his presence. They were far less skittish now than when we began the journey.

“Where does Kystra live?” I asked.

“In a place called N’hal,” the guard said. “She runs a tavern called The Crossing. A high traffic area where information is often exchanged within earshot of the staff. If Ghuls are truly coming into our colony and kidnapping caste members, then Kystra will have heard tale of it.”

“If she does know, is there any reason she wouldn’t have passed the information along?” I asked.

Worry lines appeared on Riffat’s brow. “Only if she is dead.”

“How will you recognize her if she’s disguised as a Ghul?” I asked.

“I can see her true form,” Riffat said. “It is a trick of the mind. She only appears as a Ghul to other Ghuls. One of the skills of many Shaitans.”

“Can you do it?”

“No,” Riffat replied. “My skills lie elsewhere.”

“Then why can you see through her illusion?” Up ahead, the mist drifted above the ground, making visibility a problem.

“Because we are of the same caste,” the guard explained. “Her tricks do not work on other Shaitans.”

Interesting. “What do you think of the rumors? Do you believe Lara’s story?”

“I am the king’s guard,” Riffat said, straightening her back. “It is not my job to believe or disbelieve.”

The mist thickened around us and the temperature seemed to drop at least five degrees. Riffat didn’t seem bothered, so I didn’t comment on it.

“Do you think King G’lur is the type of monarch that would try to hide information that endangered his subjects?” I asked.

“Such talk is treason,” Riffat said. She refused to look at me. “I will take no part in it.”

The wolf howled an alert, but it was too late. Ghuls emerged from the mist as though it served as a gateway. Six hulking Ghuls, larger than most Shaitans I’d seen. They looked like trolls’ bigger, uglier cousins. Their eyes were small and their noses were wide and flat. They didn’t bother to ask questions—they simply attacked.

Callan snarled in his wolf form and launched himself at the closest Ghul. The giant djinni managed to hold his ground as the wolf’s jaws clamped down on his thick shoulder.

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