Page 64 of Darkness Bound (Night Prowler 5)
The coast loomed wide and desolate ahead of her, a strip of virgin sand with a rocky scrub landscape beyond that opened to the vast Sahara, far in the distance. A stiff headwind hindered her progress, and with her small gull wings working much harder than larger dragon ones, Jenna was exhausted by the time she reached the outskirts of the sprawling, inland city of Marrakech. In the purple-gray dusk, it shimmered beneath her like a mirage.
Scent and noise and heat rose, buffeting her in waves. Roasting meats, kebabs, and couscous from the souks; cumin, coriander, and the warm musk of curry from the spice markets; sweet honey and baked bread from the chebakia vendors in the medina, the soft chivvies of women calling their children home for dinner from their play in the dusty streets.
She pushed on, determined to find Caesar’s hideaway near the Atlas mountains by nightfall. Perhaps she needed to Shift to something a little bigger beforehand.
The air felt strange.
Though the peculiarity of his Gift of Immortality had the unfortunate side effect of leaving him unable to Shift to panther, or anything else for that matter, Caesar did enjoy the heightened senses of his kind.
Tonight his senses told him something was amiss.
It was like . . . an electric charge in the air. Like a storm descending, only without any physical evidence a storm would produce. He stood at the uppermost point of the kasbah, in the crenellated turret that overlooked the fortress and the desert beyond, eyes scanning the night sky.
No thunderclouds, no wind, no telltale darkening of the stars that foretold the oncoming rush of sand from a sandstorm. Nothing.
And yet . . .
High overhead, a falcon soared, making wide, lazy circles. Caesar narrowed his eyes, watching it turn. He’d never seen a pure white falcon before.
Peregrine. Female.
He knew it was female because they were always larger than the males, and this one had a wingspan to rival a vulture’s. That was where the similarity ended, however; this bird was beautiful and regal, nothing at all like the ugly scavengers that looked more like enormous, long-necked vampire bats, some kind of hideous prehistoric carrion eaters.
Strange . . . the falcon seemed to be looking back at him. Watching him with keen, intelligent eyes.
It folded its wings against its body and slanted into a hunting dive.
Which seemed to be aimed straight at the spot he was standing.
Knowing that the peregrine falcon was the fastest member of the animal kingdom, capable of reaching speeds well over two hundred miles per hour in its characteristic dives, Caesar took a step back. Then another, as the bird rocketed toward him, set on what seemed an imminent collision course.
He jumped into the safety of the turret stairwell with a shout of anger as the falcon swooped right down over his head, black talons extended.
“Crazy fucking bird!” he screamed at it as it passed overhead and swept soundlessly out of sight.
When he again chanced a glimpse out of the turret, he spied the tail end of the bird, receding into the distance toward the mountains, jagged as shark’s teeth against the sky. It banked right and soared for a moment, then turned back in his direction.
“Nico!” he hollered down the spiral stairwell of the tower. “Get up here with your bow!”
It was probably breeding season. The stupid thing most likely had a nest nearby and was in protective mama bird mode, but he had enough problems—he didn’t need an insane predaceous avian to add to them.
As he wanted with anything that annoyed him, Caesar wanted it dead.
And Nico was the best archer he had.
He trotted down the steps, reaching the bottom just as Nico arrived with his bow and quiver of arrows.
Caesar pointed up the staircase. “Bird. Big, white. Kill it. Then bring it to the kitchens; I fancy roasted falcon for dinner tonight.”
Nico bowed. “Sire.”
Confident Nico
would make quick work of the task and he’d soon be dining on fresh bird breasts, Caesar strolled off down the echoing stone hallway.
Before dinner, he had a meeting with Marcell. There were many, many more rooms that would soon be filled aside from those in the nursery.
Very soon.
