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He was talking about the Shaman Institute of Higher-Order Magic at the World Tree. All the godborns were supposed to report there next week for summer training. My uncle, a full-blooded human, was going to teach combat and meditation and stuff.
I pressed my face closer to the screen. “Why did we get a second invitation, do you think?”
Ik made a bored face and mouthed, Who cares?
Ren shrugged. “They want everyone to report sooner.”
Iktan’s tentacles popped out. “Sooner?” she whispered.
“As in the day after tomorrow, first thing in the morning,” Hondo said. “And they better have all the equipment I ordered for the kick-butt drills I have planned.”
“Why did they change the date?” I asked as Ik nodded vigorously. How come she was so interested in our schedule all of a sudden? It wasn’t like she was heading to SHIHOM.
Ren said, “Guess we’ll find out when we get there.”
The gods had reasons for everything they did (mostly related to stuff that was best for them), so yeah, I had a bunch of red flags slapping me in the face about then.
Ik snatched the phone away, ended the call, and turned off my phone. Thin trails of black smoke floated from her eyes.
“Hey!” I shouted.
Tossing the phone back to me, she frowned. “You’re letting outside stuff get in the way of this mission. Now get your brain in the game so we can get out of here. You’re not the only one with a schedule to keep.”
I widened the distance between us and took a deep breath, focusing all my energy on the last godborn. The signal grew stronger and stronger. I followed it…then froze in mid-step. “This can’t be right.”
Ik glanced around. “I don’t see any mutts.”
I pointed to a darkened store across the road. “The godborn is inside the antiques store.”
“The one with the Closed sign in the window?”
Right. What was a kid doing in a closed antiques shop at ten thirty on a Wednesday night? Maybe it was a family business or something.
“Are you sure?” Ik asked, and I swear she started drooling.
“One hundred percent.” I threw her a side-glance. “Need a napkin?”
I crossed the avenue, cut between some parked cars, and stalked toward the store window. Ik was right behind me.
“Did I ever tell you why the Statue of Liberty is blue?” she whispered.
“That’s random, and she’s actually green.” I crouched at the edge of the window front, trying not to be seen as I peered into the shop. Two hooded figures lurked inside.
So which one was the godborn? My GPS should have been screaming at me by now, pointing its finger with total accuracy, but it was like…
Whoa!
Was that even possible? They were both godborns?
I wanted to ask Ik why her “superior tracking” had only picked up one, but she was still fixated on the Statue of Liberty.
“Its sculptor was a demon,” Ik offered. “He wanted to pay homage to all demons everywhere.”
My eyes were trained on the taller godborn with square shoulders. The one inspecting something in their palm while the other inched closer to get a better look. And then the something began to glow red. What the holy heck?
“Do you know why he wanted to pay homage?” Ik’s voice turned gravelly.
Why was she still talking about this? I ignored her, pressing my forehead against the window. “I think…they’re stealing something,” I muttered. “It’s glowing.”
