Alterant (Belador #2)(61)

He swung claws at her that extended six inches.

She flipped away from the wall and out of his reach at the last minute. Arcing over his head, she stabbed her dagger into the side of his throat, whispering, “Stay put” to the death spell on her blade.

When she landed on the ground and spun around, purple liquid spewed from his throat.

He howled, grabbing at the dagger, but that majik blade would not come out by any hand but hers right now.

Striking out wildly and banging his fist against the handle of the dagger, the beast lasted less than a minute before it collapsed. When the thing finally died, the body changed back into a female in her midtwenties.

The purple liquid turned into dust. Her heart had stopped beating, so no blood oozed out.

Evalle withdrew the blade that came out clean. When she looked back at the body it was deteriorating before her eyes, until the entire cadaver turned into a handful of gray dust that scattered away on its own.

Much as she appreciated not having to deal with a body, that was not a positive sign. With no way to keep track of dead beasts this could mean the number of Alterant-type beasts shifting was far greater than thought.

She couldn’t be sure, but if that man on the bike really hadn’t seen the beast, then this fog was also cloaking the beasts.

She crossed the street and got on her motorcycle with a new destination in mind before she went to see Grady. First stop was Five Points, so named because five streets met in downtown Atlanta at Woodruff Park.

A block away from the beast she’d fought, she burst out of the fog into the clear night and circled Woodruff Park until she found the blond-haired teenage male witch playing chess. She parked on the sidewalk and pulled off her helmet on the way to talk to Kellman. He and his twin brother, Kardos, lived on the streets. She and Grady kept an eye on the homeless pair of male witches, but Kellman had the unenviable task of keeping Kardos out of trouble most of the time.

She hoped Kellman could locate his sibling quickly.

“Have you not noticed the park is empty, Kell?” she asked when she got close to the concrete steps to the fountain, where Kellman sat across from an elderly African-American guy wearing a blue jogging outfit.

“Guess it has been quiet,” Kell mumbled, distracted by studying his next move. “What’s up, Evalle?”

“I need you to do something for me,” she said.

Kell lifted a knight, still not looking at her when he asked, “Can it wait until we finish this tiebreaker?” He made a move and slapped the plastic timer that reset and started counting down for his opponent.

Evalle stepped up close. “Actually, no it can’t wait. I need you to find Kardos, too.”

Kell looked up, his blue eyes registering that he’d caught her tone. “This is serious?”

“Yes. You and this gentleman need to get off the street and inside a building like right now.”

The old guy swung his sagging face up at her, eyes sharp as flint. “Why?”

She said, “There’s a deadly fog seeping into the city. It smells like sulfur and it’s causing people to go crazy. Insane to the point of being dangerous.”

If the fog had crossed highways, which it probably had, the highways would be battlegrounds by now. That explained the continued whining of sirens.

The strong smell alerted her, but not fast enough. She looked up to see the blasted fog rolling over the fountain. “It’s here. You need to get moving, find Kardos for me and get him inside, too.”

Always the levelheaded and polite one of the twins, Kellman sighed and told the old guy, “She’s usually right about these things.”

“Then you forfeit.”

She would never understand men. “That’s not fair and, besides, this is about keeping you both safe.”

“No problem, Evalle. Joe’s right, and I understand.” But as Kell stood up, the fog rushed around them. His eyes went from serene to mean in a snap. He knocked the chessboard off the step, scattering pieces, and lunged at his opponent.

Evalle grabbed Kell before he could attack the old guy, who started growling something vicious. But she couldn’t let Joe attack her and Kell either. Using her kinetics to swirl dirt like a small tornado, she whipped it up until dust flew into his eyes.

While the old guy lashed out blindly, Evalle dragged Kell out of the fog zone. Once he had taken a few breaths, she shook him. “Are you with me now, Kell?”

“Yes. I don’t know what happened.”

“I do. Told you that fog is dangerous. Can you find Kardos?”

“He’s sleeping at the shelter.”

“Is he sick?” She couldn’t think of any other reason the born troublemaker would be inside when he normally roamed the streets at night.

“Sort of. Drank something nasty.” He straightened the navy blue golf shirt he wore, a donated shirt too big for his slender frame.

“He deserves the hangover. Go to the shelter and make him stay there until you hear this fog has passed.” She lowered her voice and leaned in close to Kell. “It’s causing some people to shift into beasts.”

Kellman smiled with embarrassment. “Tell me about it. I’d never attack old Joe.”

“No, I mean real beasts with fangs and claws . . . and some power.”

That blanched his face. “Really?”

“Yes. Now where does Joe live so I can get him home?”