Page 38 of Rune Assassin

Tegan furrowed his brow as he folded his arms over his chest. “I see. He did mention he would be watching our adventures.”

I opened my arms and looked down at myself. “That sounds. . .gruesome. Then again, he was a pretty gruesome guy.”

I heard that.

Now both Tegan and I stiffened. Tegan narrowed his eyes at the clear air. “This is a bad time for you to be injecting yourself into our lives.”

“Yeah, we’re a little busy and have all the trouble we need,” I agreed.

Which is exactly why I sought to intrude on your feeble effortsZahn retorted.You will find yourselves at the bottom of a burial plot before you find the culprit of this pointless homicide.

I snorted. “I don’t think Lusio would agree with you there. He seems to be taking it very seriously.”

The concerns of mortals are none of mine unless they are of a special case.

“Like a basket. . .” I mumbled as I turned my attention to the house. “But I guess since you’re here, um, sort of, you may as well tell me how I’m supposed to bring my broom to me.”

With a single powerful command. You are its mistress and you must show you have the strength to manage its magic.

I stared into the distance and blinked a few times. “Yeah, I guess I can do that, but how exactlydoI do that? I mean, do I just wave my hand or think really hard or maybe do a funny dance?”

Try whistling.

I stared blankly ahead. “That’s it? No incantations or waving hand signs?”

Merely a whistle.

Tegan grinned at me. “Easy enough.”

My face drooped and I lifted my eyes to Tegan. “But I can’t whistle.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Earnestly?”

I shrugged. “Other than a wisps when I’m admiring someone, I can’t do anything.”

What about clapping?

“I think we should set this lesson aside and get moving,” Tegan scolded the voice in our heads. “We might arouse suspicion if we’re seen talking to someone who isn’t there in a physical sense.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Tegan and I stiffened before we creaked our heads around in the direction of the yard. Fidel strolled toward us with Duncan perched on his shoulder and a curious look on his face.

Tegan and I slapped stiff smiles on our faces and I shook my head. “Nobody. We were just talking to each other.”

He stopped in front of us and lifted an eyebrow. “An unusual conversation for two people.”

“We’re unusual people,” I quipped as I grabbed Tegan’s hand. “But we have a lot of stuff to do so we should get going.”

I dragged the bemused Tegan along behind me as we hurried down the road. “Kate?”

“What?” I hissed under my breath.

“We’re going the wrong way.”

I jerked to a stop, spun on my heels, and marched us back past the smiling Fidel and his grinning bird. “See you later, Fidel, and good luck.”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

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