Rite of Passage: An Alastair Stone Urban Fantasy Novel (Alastair Stone Chronicles Book 26) by R. L. King

Author:R. L. King [King, R. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Magespace Press
Published: 2021-06-13T22:00:00+00:00

18

He realized how agitated he was when he shimmered into existence on Kolinsky’s doorstep—directly in front of a homeless man who’d been shuffling by.

The man gasped, his eyes growing almost comically wide.

Stone went still. Bugger! “Er—”

The man had a bottle in one hand, wrapped in a brown paper bag. He stuffed it in his pocket, rubbed his face with both hands, and muttered something about needing another drink. Then he looked away, toward where he’d been heading.

Stone immediately cast an invisibility spell.

The guy turned back, stared, and took a staggering step away from the door. “Aw, fuck…Yeah…def’nitely need another drink.” He shuffled away.

Stone held the spell until he’d made it halfway up the block, then dropped it and quickly pushed through the wards into the shop, letting out the breath he’d been holding. He didn’t even bother berating himself to be more careful next time.

“Stefan? Are you here? This is important.”

Kolinsky stepped out of the back room. He didn’t look annoyed at being interrupted this time. “What is it?”

Stone paused to pull his thoughts together. “Something very strange is going on, and I need your help sorting it out.”

“Related to the unusual rifts?”

“I don’t think so. Related to my friend—the one who came through the portal in West Virginia.”

Some of Kolinsky’s interest dropped away. “I thought we had dealt with—”

“Yes, well, so did I. Please—just listen. I didn’t tell you everything before, because I didn’t think it was relevant. I’m still not sure it’s relevant. But I’m convinced now that someone is after my friend, and that they might not be from around here, if you get my meaning.”

“Indeed?” Kolinsky sat in desk chair. “Please, continue.”

“Before I do, I need you to look at something. I think it’s fairly time-sensitive. It might already be too late.” He pulled the little handkerchief-wrapped package from his coat pocket and put it on the desk.

“What is this?”

“Look at it first, please. The energy is fading fast.”

Intrigued, the dragon carefully opened the package. “A pocketknife.”

Stone leaned in closer. The small piece he’d cut from the man’s wound was gone now. “Damn. I was afraid of that. There was a little piece of flesh in there before, but it’s already gone. Check the knife for energy.”

He paced the area while Kolinsky leaned in close, examining the knife. After a few moments, the dragon used magic to levitate it, turning it in the air. Then he lowered it back to the cloth and covered it. “Where did you get this?”

“From the body of a man I found outside the cabin where my friend was supposed to be. I stuck the knife into him.”

Kolinsky glanced up sharply. “What man?”

“I don’t know. That’s the problem.” He indicated the knife. “Did you see anything?”

“The energy is…odd. It is fading quickly. You said you included a piece of flesh?”

“A small one. When I found the body, buried in some weeds outside the cabin, it was…already starting to disappear. Not decompose, like a human would do More like…fading. Part of the

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