Verena's Whistle: Varangian Descendants Book I by K. Panikian (essential reading txt) 📗

out anyway, so better to try and control what escaped, like the little pieces only.”

“Theo, this is perfect. What do you think? Does it feel weird?”

“No,” Theo answered, sounding disappointed. “It feels like a rock. But! I think we should mess around with it, let everyone try and hold it, see if anything happens.”

“Yes, I agree.” I asked him to describe it to me as I drove and then eventually, we pulled off the highway to check on the lake.

It was almost dusk and the parking lot was empty again. I didn’t see any new warning signs or police tape. We parked and discussed what that meant.

“Okay, so there was definitely a lot of blood in the snow. The fact that there’s no police presence here now must mean….”

Theo took up the thread. “Either one, the couple that Owen chased off told people there was a movie being filmed, and everyone thinks it’s fake blood.”

“Or two,” I continued, “the police checked it out, did some kind of test, and decided it was animal blood only.”

“Would bes blood show up as animal blood?” Theo asked.

“I have no idea,” I answered. “We really, really need to read Irene’s journals. Let’s head back and see what the guys found out.”

BACK at the chalet, we found Owen in the kitchen. He was chopping peppers and onions. He gestured with his chin to the backyard and said “The grill is closed. All swamp monster pieces accounted for and disposed of. Julian’s just dousing the fire now.”

“That’s great!” I exclaimed. Once again, I was having a hard time regulating my tone when I saw those velvet brown eyes and sinfully thick lashes. I stared at Owen chopping vegetables with his strong fingers and my palms started to sweat. I walked to the sink and washed up. “Need any help?” I asked nonchalantly.

“Want to set the table?” Owen asked. “We’re having fajitas.”

“Sure,” I answered and got to work. Theo went out through the mudroom to help Julian. A few minutes later I was on condiment duty, filling little bowls with sour cream, shredded cheese, and hot sauce. “You’re good at delegating,” I told Owen.

“Thanks,” he answered. “Now, for the guacamole… drum roll.” He paused. “Mix it with some garlic salt and lime juice. That’s it.”

I did as instructed, and then perched on one of the kitchen stools to watch Owen finish the meal prep. He set aside the onion and bell pepper mixture and pulled some chicken from the oven. With two forks he shredded the chicken and then tossed it in with the peppers and onions. He put a wet paper towel on top of a plate of tortillas and placed the stack gently in the microwave. Finally, he pulled two more pots off the stove, rice and refried beans, and stirred them. The aroma of chili powder and garlic filled the air. Steam wafted around his face and a curl fell across his forehead. I sat on my hands.

Just then, Theo and Julian stomped into the mudroom from outside and I blinked, the spell broken. Everyone washed up and we sat at the big kitchen table. After people served themselves and started eating, I hopped up again and stepped to the fridge. “Beer?” I asked and everyone raised their hands.

We ate and I tried to keep the fajita juice from running down my arm onto my shirt. At last, I took a break and sat back. “So good, Owen, really. Thanks.” I noted to myself that the rice had a sprinkling of lime juice in it too. I needed to cook more with limes, maybe.

Owen nodded back at me, pleased, and continued chewing. Julian reached for another tortilla, his fifth, but who was counting.

Finally, the chewing tapered off and the four of us sat back, sipping our beers.

“Okay, who wants to go first?” I asked.

“I’ll go,” Theo said. He told the group everything he’d learned from Zasha and what we’d observed at the lake. Then he placed the meteorite piece in the center of the table.

Julian picked it up first and closed it tightly in his fist. After a moment, he shook his head and handed it to Owen. Owen tossed it in his hand and then shook his head too.

“Nothing,” he said. “Feels like a heavy rock.”

I picked it up and looked at it closely. It was dark gray with brown streaks and swirls. Some of its edges were jagged and some were smooth. It was about the size of a robin’s egg. I concentrated my Sight on it, but I didn’t sense anything. I shrugged and put it back on the table.

Julian cleared his throat and took over. “We burned the bukavac. It took pretty much all afternoon and the whole stack of firewood. So, if we’re burning any more bodies, we need to get more wood.

“We took turns stirring the coals and reading and I’ve flagged a few journal passages that I think we should all take a look at. One details Irene’s encounters with some azhdaya.”

I turned to Theo and whispered loudly, “Dragons.”

Theo smirked at me and then asked, “What about the aunts and uncles? Have they found anything yet?”

“The journals just arrived today, according to my dad’s tracking info,” Owen answered.

“Does that mean your firearms are here too?” Theo asked.

“Tomorrow, maybe,” Owen answered.

I stood up and started clearing the table until Julian waved me away. I grabbed a fresh beer and stepped into the mudroom to pull on my winter gear. Outside it smelled like charred meat, with a sprinkling of bog water and woodsmoke. Ugh. I wondered if the sharp, shark-like teeth had turned to ash or been buried with the other miscellaneous bones.

I snagged a folding chair and set it up next to the smoldering remains of the fire. Overhead, the sky was clear and I could see countless stars gleaming. I sipped my beer and then I pulled out my phone and opened the link that Julian highlighted today. I began to read.

“The azhdaya is usually solitary,”