Power vibrated from the very earth, humming up through my boots and into my bones. It echoed off the canyon walls in waves I could feel in my teeth. This place was old. Not old like the den’s tunnels or the ruins of downtown Seattle. Old, like the first breath the world ever took.
“Wadi Dirhur,” Dad said, scanning the canyon before settling his gaze on the narrow gap between the two towering limestone walls that made up the canyon’s entrance. “That’s where we need to be.”
Rust followed his gaze and frowned. “Bottleneck. Perfect place for an ambush.”
His tone held only respectful curiosity, but he was still questioning the alpha. Rust was one of the few who would dare.
Dad nodded, doubling down on his decision. “Stay sharp.”
We skirted the deadly cavern until we found a natural staircase of flat rocks that conveniently led right to where we needed to go. Descending single file, we picked our way down to the entrance. The mountain looked as if it had been split into two by jealous gods in a custody battle.
A figure stood at the base, blocking the entrance to the gorge, its back to us. But as we reached the valley floor, I realized the tip of the little person’s head barely reachedmywaist. They were tiny compared to the alpha. Messy curls that looked a lot like moss sat atop a head that was far too large for its body. Their robe might once have been white, but it was now caked in the red dirt of the canyon walls. So fixated on the rock face, they must not have heard our approach because anyone with half a brain cell would have gotten the hell out of there.
Were they deaf? Nose blind? Suicidal?
Rather than punish the person for being so stupid, Dad stopped about twenty-five feet away and pulled a handheld translator from the pocket of his vest, speaking into it. “Greetings. I’m Alpha Chaz McCarthy of the Evergreen Pack.”
He paused, and the device chirped, repeating the message in Arabic.
No reaction. Not a twitch of a pointed, moss-covered ear.
Dad tried again. “My packmates and I require an audience with the Ancient.”
He might have been talking to a statue for all the response he got.
The alpha’s jaw ticked. Patience wasn’t a virtue he valued. He shoved the translator back into his vest and closed the distance in powerful strides. His hand landed on the creature’s shoulder.
The person vanished.
One instant, Dad’s hand was on a solid shoulder, and in the blink of an eye, his fingers closed on empty air.
“What the fuck?” he asked.
“There!” Mack said, pointing to the little bastard who was now right behind us, smirking.
And… female. Oh, wow. I hadn’t seen that coming.
Hand on his sword, the alpha pivoted in this new direction. He took all of three steps before she disappeared again.
And reappeared exactly where she’d been before, back to us, examining the rock face as if we’d never interrupted her.
“Rehabhen, I—” Dad started, only to be interrupted by a theatrical sigh.
She finally turned around, and intelligence shone through the obsidian eyes that watched our approach. We were all heavily armed, and Dad alone could have ripped her in two, yet she didn’t show even a hint of fear. She grinned, flashing her pointed teeth at us.
“Visitors.” Her grin fell. “To what do I owe the dishonor?”
I braced, anticipating Dad to answer her disrespect with bloodshed, but the alpha’s grip only flexed around his sword hilt. Instead of attacking, he answered through gritted teeth.
“I am Alpha Chaz McCarthy of the Evergreen Pack, here with three of my pack to seek an audience with the Ancient. Grant us passage, Rehabhen.”
Rehabhen cocked her head and studied Dad the way I’d seen Rust examine the dirt beneath his nails before he picked it out. “If you insist on boring me with your drivel,” she said in perfect English, “first, you must catch me.”
She disappeared only to pop back into existence on a ledge to our left, squatting and scratching her face. This time, she waited until Dad was directly under her before she vanished.
“Behind Rust,” I shouted.
But Rust couldn’t even turn before Rehabhen yanked on the strap of his rifle and vanished again.
