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The line went dead Kerrick stared at it and cursed He waited The phone buzzed again Thank God "Give"

Thorne spoke fast "Sorry Luken’s got everything under control Jeannie just patched in She said she’s identified Leto at the Trough over Metro Phoenix as well"

"Holy shit" Leto never joined in the usual fray, since he served as one of the Coht to be since he was a forest prize in the last two hundred years "Well, isn’t this a night for surprises I guess this has to be about the ascendiate"

"Looks like it Sorry, brother Oh, shit, motherfucker, four more pretty-boys just showed up, of an Asian variety this time You know the drill with the ascendiate--seize and protect The coordinates are laid in Call Central when you’re ready" Thorne hung up

Kerrick stood up, folded off his jeans and tee, then folded on winged battle gear He adjusted the weapons harness and with a thought brought the dagger into his hand fro it into the slot He drew in a deep breath then adjusted his thick, heavy sandals The kilt felt so very right and his wing-locks had already started to thruht, he folded his sword into his hand He called Central and cursed silently, yet again, that he still couldn’t just deo

"Hi, Jeannie You still on?"

"Sure a Carla’s shift She had a date You ready, duhuro?"

He couldn’t believe she’d used that expression Duhuro was an ancient form of address that annoyed the hell out of him "You haven’t called me duhuro in at least a decade You’d better cut that shit out, Jeannie, or I h you up a bit"

"Who’s stopping you," she said, giggling "My husband and I have an agreeet any of you warrior brothers, any ti inside his at Central were chosen for their caledy, and ood hu bunch and they had his nuot it And Kerrick?"

"Yeah?"

"We’re all grateful for what you and the brothers do"

Before he could respond, the vibration whispered through hih, sword in both hands An extensive park covered the Borderland on Second Earth

The Trough was the distance between the dimensions made of nether-space, which extended who kne far below him On Mortal Earth the don Phoenix Borderland h in between

He shifted his gaze slowly, past Arizona sycarown oleander How many times had he battled death vampires in just this place? Tens of thousands of tiht everything would be different He could feel it So, shit

And no sign of Leto

He felt his presence, though, the goddamn traitor

The call to ascension burns in the heart,

But the rite of ascension begins with the mind

--Collected Proverbs, Beatrice of Fourth

Chapter 8

At two forty in the ht in the middle of the don Phoenix alley She sat in her beat-up Nova, letting the engine idle for a few seconds before turning it off Her heart slammed in her chest

Why was she here?

So many reasons--a warrior who ss, death vampires, pale skin with a faintly blue hue, beautiful creatures, persistent drea

Yes, a deep persistent yearning that never seemed to leave her

Ascension

A call to ascension

She peeled her fingers off the steering wheel, settled her hands on her lap, then closed her eyes She took deep breaths

After aof her heart settled … a little Kerrick had said he wasn’t certain she had received a call to ascension She wished now she’d thought to ask him some details about the process Yet her instincts told her this was her call, all of it, the alley,vampires at a club in don Phoenix, the dreas

She yearned for this world Even the vein in her throat throbbed Her eyes flashed open She felt the pulse at her neck and she thought of Kerrick She thought about his fangs piercing her neck and taking her blood