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“I didn’t bring you for your brains,” Lucien quipped.
“Bastard.”
“American.”
“How dare you?” I demanded, my eyes squinting ready to fight.
Holding it for as long as I could, I quickly broke into laughter. This was our usual repartee. Its familiarity felt good amongst the absurdity of everything going on. And I didn’t just mean the tiger who eyed my hand on the cage like it was sausage.
Laughing with me, Lucien climbed down and helped me push the cage up into the van. As we drove away, my mind turned to the animal in back. It was my turn to execute a mission. I had to convince him to give it to a zoo instead of whatever crazy thing he had planned.
I considered appealing to his pride and then his conscience. But before I could say a word, he pulled into an alleyway and cut the engine. As soon as things were quiet, a smaller African man approached the van.
“Lucien,” he declared, “Where is he?”
“In back.”
“Show me,” the man insisted in an African accent.
I followed Lucien out of the van circling to the back. Popping open the doors, the agitated beast roared.
“He’s beautiful. I promise I will help him regain his ability to shift.”
Lucien’s eyes briefly met mine.
“Keep your word and I won’t have to come looking for you.”
The small man looked up at my built cousin unintimidated.
“Don’t worry. I will. He is one of us.”
As soon as Lucien said that I inhaled looking for that faint scent that often accompanied shifters. It was there.
“Good,” Lucien said holding out the van’s keys for the man to take them.
Close enough to take them, the man’s attention abruptly switched to me. He stared at me intrigued. Pocketing the keys, he hand returned with something small.
“May I?” he asked holding it between us.
I took a closer look at it.
“Is that a bone?” I asked confused.
“He’s a sangoma.”
“What’s that?”
“Think of him like an African warlock.”
“Who keeps bones in his pocket?” I asked unnerved.
“Bones connect me with my people’s ancestors.”
“He reads them like the witches do tarot cards and tea leaves.”
“I see. And you want to read me?” I asked him.
“If you will allow me.”
