Search (SEEK book 1)

The Boone

I knew I'd fail this mission the moment Harnel gave it to me. I never had a shot at making Jonathan fall for me. He's way out of my league. That's why Harnel sent me out for a makeover. He thought that if I believed I was pretty I would at least try. And when Jonathan rejected me, I might actually kill him. If not, the makeover wasted one more day of what was left of my life.

That's what stings the most. Kistall, Ops, and my SEEK command not only expected me to fail, but they counted on it. They sent me off to die.

"I never had any intention of killing you," I admit, swallowing the bitter taste of my new reality.

"I know. Mayet said I can trust you."

"Mayet said...? Oh right, your mind-reading fairy. Can you hear her now? Is she talking to you?"

"It doesn't work like that. For one thing she's out of range. And it's hard to describe how a Khayal thinks. Listening to Mayet's mind is similar to listening to a toddler trying to explain gravity. One moment there's real intelligence there and then the next she's completely off topic—dreaming of butterflies and bullfrogs. It's like she has a severe case of ADHD. Do you understand?" he asks, frowning to himself.

"I think I follow, since I—you know—used to kill the Khayal. I never thought they were all that bright to begin with."

Jonathan cringes, dark curls bouncing over his surprised face as I turn off Kentucky Highway 715.

"The Khayal might surprise you. I didn't say they weren't smart, just that communicating with them telepathically is challenging," he says, an air of superiority catching in his voice.

"We're here." I point as we turn onto a narrow back road.

"Here?" Jonathan asks doubtfully, eyeing the dilapidated bridge ahead.

"Yep." I set my jaw and roll the wide rig slowly onto the wooden planks, watching the side-mirrors for clearance. It's tight and the bridge groans under the Hummer's tonnage, but we make it. I expel a long breath, throwing a triumphant smile at Jonathan.

He lets out a breath, too, kiddingly wiping his brow.

"This is the backside of the Boone. The road goes through there." I point out the steep crags in the rock and indigenous orange sand peeking between the beds of early spring leaves littering the hillside. "I was bitten on the other side of Cloud Splitter, but the Hummer will be recognized if we get any closer. It stays here." I gesture toward the middle of the forest where a vast boulder towers high above everything else like a monument to the gods.

"That?" Jonathan gapes out the windshield. "It'll take us all night to get around that."

"That's why we're going over it." I wedge the rig between two massive trees for camouflage. I lean over the steering wheel, pausing for a moment of courage, and then nod. "Let's do this." I shut off the engine and jump from the car, clicking the button to open the back hatch.

A distinctive grunt fills the air as Jonathan drags himself sluggishly from the car. He plucks a willowy reed of grass, peeling it into long strips as he leans against the dusty hatch. "You actually want to make friends with the Khayal."

"I know that, but I don't go anywhere without protection." I nod, pulling on the strap of my quiver.

Jonathan eyes my bow disapprovingly as he traces a finger over the phoenix etched in my worn leather case.

"It's a De Lilah. You know—as in song of night? Never mind." I shove the case aside, rummaging for the rest of my arsenal buried somewhere in the bottom of the duffle. "What do you carry?"