Page 33 (1/2)

Scorched Skies Sa 30850K 2023-08-31

"Good You better change before I get rid of the body," he reminded him as both their eyes returned to Jack’s empty form It had been quick, bloodless No joy in this kill But it was a necessity For Azazil

Ied into the air Red could feel its likeness in his own veins and watched calan to tremble Shadorithed under his skin, bones cracked and an to shrink in inches Still tall, his classically handso back into shape His long cerulean hair began cli the strands, the colorwith the shift to a dark muddy brown His leather vest and trousers shimmered out of existence, replaced by a check shirt, worn jeans and army boots

"How do I look?" Glass asked, his voice softer, accented

"Like a Guild Hunter called Jack Hollis"

Glass quirked an unfaht under the strange roof, sleeping in a twin bed across the roole to fall asleep Fallon talked so ht hours Ari learned that Fallon was a sarcastic, outgoing, optimist-wannabe-pessimist She was an only child, loved and spoiled by her parents and large extended farandfather to the job but had been brought up on ideals of The Guild To die protecting people fro to be celebrated as heroic rather thanup in New Jersey, Fallon hadn’t really made friends outside of The Guild It was too difficult to keep the life a secret and the fact that they travelled a lot raised too ht in outsiders People were only initiated into the group if they were going to marry a Guild member Even then, the Guild member had to be certain their future wife or husband wouldn’t i them was broken to them Fallon had tried out a serious relationship in school but had only ended up hurt when he du distant and secretive For the last few years, dating had been casual and fun Nothing more Until she met someone in ‘the life’ Fallon didn’t want her relationships to be anything more than casual

Ari also learned a lot about the other tea hands, was a year older than Ari and Fallon, and according to Fallon she was a selfish, spoiled flirt Her eneration Jinn so Anabeth was pretty powerful Fallon did not get along with her Her half-brothers, the twins, were usually pretty laid-back guys Matt had a fiancé back home in The Guild and Fallon had messed around with Calluht what he did to Ari at the dinner table was feeble and had decided to end their ‘friends with benefits’ situation al to Fallon was pretty cool Her aunt and uncle, and Susan and Aidan Roe -- her cousins -- were nice people She didn’t know Ja to know Bryleigh, and Fallon thought she could be a pretty nice person if she stopped acting like she’d popped out of a azine for Women of the ‘50s Because Jacob was one of the elders of the Roe Guild, Fallon knew his kids Brechin and Ailidh Ballendine well They were nice, but took everything very seriously They did not understand Fallon’s flippancy But then again, Fallon wasn’t sure anyone did

Once the girl had given Ari a rundown on the group she’d started in on the questions When did she find out she was Jinn? What had her dad been like? What was Azazil like? What was Mount Qaf like? What was going on with her and Jai? And on and on… And to Ari’s surprise she found herself telling Fallon everything It all spilled out of her, fro on Ari’s sixteenth birthday, Charlie’s spiral doards, her dad’s negligence, her eighteenth birthday and being swept up into Mount Qaf Hoicked her real father was The Red King Jai Nick’s possession Charlie’s wish Jai’s rejection Derek’s death and how little time she’d been allowed to ie to herself By the time she was done the air in the bedroom had felt thick with her spewed eloo to be OK, Ari Johnson" And that was it Ari had made a friend It felt nice

"Holy er heading for her heart The sarden before disappearing in the gentle breeze It was day three with The Roe Guild and Ari was training with Fallon in the backyard after lunch Jai was hanging out, supervising… kind of And to everyone’s surprise, Jack Hollis had taken an interest in Charlie and the two of the -- Ari presu because they both knehat it was like to lose sos had been pretty nor around her neck and conjured a dagger! Ari gaped at the girl as she stood their grinning, her designer sunglasses too big for her pixie face "What? Why? Where?"

"It was part of a practice set ed "Don’t worry, I’m not mad you ruined it"

"Ruined it," Ari spluttered -- she’d alers?"

"Of course" Fallon slid her sunglasses down her nose so she could peer at her "You didn’t think I’d stolen theuy did you?"

"Nice, and not at all stereotyping" Ari frowned "And… maybe"

"Tut, tut, Ari J," Fallon mock-admonished "Only sorcerers don’t care about the consequences Well" She grinned wickedly "Most of the time"

At theon a lawn chair reading a book he’d borrowed fro they were doing (and was et hurt) Still, that didn’t stop the flare of annoyance that lit up inside her "Up until recently I wasn’t even aware of the consequences"

Fallon’s eyebrows hit her hairline as she turned to gape at Jai, shoving her sunglasses up onto her head "Hey, Gorgeous!" she called to hilanced up sloeary patience Fallon had yet to call Jai by his actual name She called hi names that irritated the hell out of him It just made Ari like herher iving look at Ari "I thought ere past this?"

Ari held her hands up defensively "I didn’t say anything I mean, I could have It’s not like I wouldn’t have reason to considering you lied to e If you hadn’t have eventually toldreally bad… say conjured a Lexus convertible and upended a cute Californian couple on the highhere they were then squashed and splattered by a delivery truck"