Page 34 of Ulune's Daughter

“I’ll contact Column tomorrow. The dealer I recovered this from was in the process of selling it to the jackalweres of Ankara, the Wepwawet. What would they want with it?”

Carrie grunts like she’s been punched in the stomach. “Nothing good. A cup of endless poison? Sink it in a water source and everyone who drinks the tainted water falls into a dreamless sleep, or even dies. This is a weapon.”

“The Wepwawet are assholes, but they’ve never been assassins.”

“Looks like you need to do more research,” observes Jane from where she’s sitting on a leather ottoman, tickling Whitey with a feather. He’s giving her the slit-eyes of death and I’m a little worried she’s going to be wearing some claw-marks before she leaves.

I sigh. “I have a lot going on already. Maybe I just hand it off to Column, give the Aedis Astrum a heads-up, and let them deal with the Wepwawet.”

Janetsksat me; Whitey swipes at her shin a moment later, but she bats his claws aside with a breath of Air.

“You are a naughty kitty,” she tells him. He yawns, showing his sharp little teeth.

Carrie lays a gentle hand on my arm. “Kellan, I know you have a great deal to do already, but it would be remiss to turn the cup over to Column without at least documenting it for Bevington. Let me loan you some of the students out of my senior seminar for a week. They can do the grunt work under your supervision.”

I nod gratefully. The idea of having more people invading my workspace grates a little, but I don’t actually want to relinquish the cup until I’ve plumbed its mysteries. That’s just not me.

After another few minutes discussing the cup, we take our wine into the living room. I bring a charcuterie board out of the fridge and sit on the floor while Carrie and Jane take the couch. It’s still too warm for a fire, but the witchlight in the room’s corners provides ambience. I twirl my fingers in the Air to circulate the candles’ sandalwood and tobacco scents. Jane takes an appreciative sniff.

While they catch me up on campus gossip, Whitey strolls into the room in casual, cat fashion. He glares at Jane before settling down in my lap. I pet him with one hand and assemble cheese and crackers with the other. When I eat several without offering him any, I get indignant prickles in my thigh. I shred some salami and hold the pieces while he chomps them down.

“I’m confident salami is not good for cats,” Jane observes.

“I know, but he was a stray and he seems to eat anything.”

“You’re a pushover, Kells.” Jane shakes her head. “But there are worse things than being owned by your cat.”

Carrie tips her head, watching Whitey. “Is he a cat?”

Whitey bites my fingertips, now devoid of salami, as though to answer Carrie.

I quickly shred more cured pork for him. “Why would you think he’s not a cat? He looks like a cat. He acts like a cat. He smells like a cat. His aura’s a cat’s aura.”

“He seems particularly aware and astute.”

“All cats are aware and astute.”

“It’s just curious that on your return here, within a few weeks, you attracted a white raven and a black cat, both of whom seem to communicate with you beyond the normal range of communication for their species.”

“He hasn’t brought me any rune stones,” I point out.

“True.” Carrie lifts her wine glass in acknowledgement. “I haven’t had any luck with that rune the raven gave you.”

“No, me, neither,” Jane says.

“Well, I might have someone who can work on it. I sent a translation assignment to that unusual boy in your seminar, Jane. Luca? I asked him to work on one of the Isla Cedros runes. He’s sent me back his essay. I took a quick look at it. It’s phenomenal. I’m going to offer him a position as my TA. He can work on the raven’s rune as well.”

Jane chortles into her wine. “Good luck.”

“He mentioned you’ve shot him down for three years.”

“Indeed, I have,” Jane agrees. “That boy is trouble with a capital T.”

I shake my head tolerantly while I shred more salami for Whitey. “He doesn’t seem that bad. He’s very earnest about learning.”

“Has he tried to get in your pants yet? He’s very earnest about that, too.”

I chuckle. “Yes, he has. I told him no.”

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