C E Murphy [Walker Papers 05] Demon Hunts (pdf)

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

to rub my face. I wondered if Morrison had felt anything when he'd picked up my drum. I wondered what
would have happened if I'd let Thor handle it. I wondered if I really wanted to know in either case. "Look, just
nevermind, okay? Can we just get on with it?"
Coyote's eyebrows remained elevated, which left me to imagine all sorts of things we might get on with, none
of which were hunting down a wendigo. Gary, who had as dirty a mind as I did, gave an indiscreet snort that
probably masked a much less discreet guffaw. I cast an exasperated glance skyward, then put my hand out for
the drum. "Come on, Ro."
He put his eyebrows back down where they belonged and otherwise ignored me, concern creasing lines into his
forehead as he examined the drumhead. "What happened?"
"The wolf the " I gave up and sat on the end of Gary's bed. "I always thought it was a wolf there. A wolf and
a rattlesnake under the raven's wings." They were painted beautifully, raven wings following the drumhead's
curves, and the colors were gorgeous, as bright as they'd been the day I received the drum. But the wolf was
smeared, like it had gotten wet and was fading away. "But it started changing after you died and so I've been
wondering for months if maybe it was a coyote, not a wolf at all. I don't know what it means, especially since
you're not dead."
"If it was a coyote, maybe it means I have less influence over your future than I used to." Coyote gave the drum
a gentle shake, rattling its beads, then offered it to Gary. "Or maybe it just means the elders who gave it to you
saw wrong, and it's changing itself so it's more in tune with your needs."
"It's an inanimate object, Coyote, it can't& " Logic held sway in the completion of that sentence, but like it or
lump it, my life encompassed a great deal more than just logic these days. "Yeah, okay, maybe. Can we get
started?"
He gave me an odd little smile. "That's the third time you've said that. What happened to the woman who didn't
want anything to do with magic?"
"She nearly got her mentor killed, and a lot of other people did die. Come on, Coyote. What are we doing here?
Guide me."
His smile fell away into apology. "Right. Okay, so I've seen your " he broke off, eyed Gary, and euphemized
what he'd been about to say " your spirit animal, so I "
"My raven," I interrupted petulantly. The idea of excluding Gary from the small circle of people who knew
what my spirit guide was seemed all wrong. I resented Coyote's attempt, even though the smarter part of me
knew he was trying to protect me. Spirit animals, like true names, were not to be taken lightly.
Coyote gave me a brief, steady look, then corrected himself. "Your raven. So I know you've managed at least
one successful spirit quest, which is heartening."
"You don't have to sound so surprised."
For some reason he ignored me. "You need a second for this, Joanne. The kind of soul retrieval we're looking at
doing here is significant. The raven is a very good guide, but I want you to have something whose purpose is to
protect you, as well."
Worry began to loose worms in my tummy. "I thought any spirit guide protected you in the astral realm."
"They do, so maybe you see my point. I don't think one's enough. I wish you had three, but this kind of quest
usually only brings them one at a time."
"There were " I swallowed, heat suddenly burning my face. Three spirit animals had turned up when I'd done
a quest with Judy Morningstar, but that entire situation had gone to hell in a handbasket. Odds weren't good that
any of them had been real, even if a raven had legitimately chosen me later, as it had seemed to then. "Okay.
One quest, one guide. Is that going to be " I was having a hard time getting through sentences. That one was
supposed to finish enough? but Coyote's tense-jawed expression made me swallow it.
He was afraid. My mentor, my golden-eyed, laughing Coyote, who had saved my life and taught me most of
what I knew about shamanic magic, was scared of the monster in the woods. It was a bigger bad than he was
accustomed to dealing with, and he'd only just woken up from a special kind of hell that had a lot in common
with what the wendigo was doing to people. I'd been staggering along for months, desperate for reassurance,
and now the guy I'd expected to provide it wasn't in any shape to do so.
"It'll be enough." I hardly recognized my own voice, though there was something vaguely familiar in the tone.
"One guide, one shield, and besides, I've got these." I touched the silver necklace at my throat, garnering a smile
from Gary and a look of incomprehension from Coyote. "Talismans of faith. They'll help. Trust me."
Coyote's shoulders relaxed a little and, bemused, I recognized the tone I'd taken. It was exactly the same one
he'd used to convince the paramedics to let us help Mandy Tiller: utterly reasonable and calm and certain, even
if the words themselves were preposterous. He gathered himself, then nodded, equilibrium regained. "This is
dangerous, Jo. The wendigo is hunting in two worlds, so during a spirit quest you're going to be particularly
vulnerable. For this journey, I'll be your protector as much as the raven."
God. No wonder he was freaked out. Hunting monsters was scary enough, but hanging around waiting for them
to attack had a particular kind of nerve-wrackingness to it. "I'll try to hurry."
"It's not the kind of thing you can rush." He slid to the floor, making himself, by all appearances, less
comfortable, and I reluctantly joined him. I didn't see why I couldn't sack out on the bed and do my spirit quest
in comparative luxury, but I bet he'd argue that comfort invited complacency. Even I didn't want to invite
complacency in the face of a soul-eating demon.
He said, "We should wake up naturally," to Gary, who nodded, lifted the drum, and began the familiar heartbeat
cadence. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Podstrony