Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 18

So the overwhelming majority of you believe Liam is innocent. Interesting. Very interesting. Keep the votes and comments coming! They make me smile :).

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"Where did you get the scarab, Kami?" Yasmin said, probably hoping a change of subject would lighten the mood.

"It's my father's necklace," Kami replied.

"Why does it glow?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Maybe it's some kind of warning system. It glowed brightly out there, but the farther away we get away from the black things, the dimmer it gets," Haji suggested.

"Or maybe it's some kind of protection," Yasmin added.

"Maybe the warning is the protection," Haji said. 

"Could be," Kami shrugged.

"Let's return to the house. Neina and Gedo may have come home by now," Yasmin said. "If nothing else, I want to dig through more of Gedo's papers to try to figure out what is happening."

"Good," Liam said. "You've got your cousin now, Kamilah. She can help you find your grandparents. Haji and I need to get back."

If he was trying to hurt her, he was succeeding at it. Kami felt the pain in his words, and at his words, and she didn't know what to do. If he was innocent, her words would seem like wild accusations. She wanted to believe him, but she still didn't fully trust him. If he was somehow involved with these shadows, he might be an extremely skilled actor. Still, the thought of losing her friend, of losing Liam's warmth and humor, of him distancing himself put her into a bit of a panic. He was calling her Kamilah now. Her heart ached a bit.

They rode in silence, trying to absorb what had just happened. Each of them had a thousand questions on their lips, but they knew it wouldn't do any good to ask them. There were no answers.

By the time they neared the village of Hamin, the sun was starting to set. Long shadows stretched across the road. They came over a bend and discovered the entrance to town was blocked by several black police cars with lights flashing. Haji muttered something darkly.

Liam and Yasmin groaned simultaneously.

"What?" Kami said. "Maybe they're here to find our missing grandparents?"

"That's not likely," Yasmin said. "They would not be blocking the entrance for a kidnapping. Here, Haji. If you will pull over here, I will speak with them."

"I can go," Haji said.

"No," Yasmin said with a firm shake of her head. "They're my grandparents."

The car stopped and Yasmin got out. She threw her shoulders back, head high and walked forward purposefully.

"I don't get it," Kami said. "Why are you all acting like it's a terrible thing to talk to the police? We need help."

"It might be fine. Then again it might not," Haji said. "There's not a lot of love lost between us and our police officers. That started long before the revolution. There's been too much corruption, too many beatings, too much torture for the people not to be wary. The revolution just made it that much worse."

Kami stared with new and frightening awareness at the officers in the black uniforms and matching berets. 

"If one of them touches her, he will wish he had never been born," Haji said fiercely. He looked like he was about ready to jump out of the car and take them on.

Kami felt shocked at the anger in his voice. Clearly there was more to this story. Someone he knew, someone close to him, had been hurt by the police. Her heart clenched. 

She heard a tapping and swiveled her head to see a boy, maybe only eleven or twelve, peering at them through the driver's side window. His eyes were pale blue, and his tousled hair was a light blond, almost white. The youth and innocence of his angel face seemed to clash with his expression, a wary look that indicated his life hadn't been an easy one.

Haji rolled down the window while Kami scooted closer to inspect the boy. He wore khaki pants, a white long sleeve shirt, a tattered vest and scuffed up work boots. The pockets of his vest bulged, and she could make out the top of a flashlight in one pocket. She couldn't guess the contents of the other pocket.

"Your friend shouldn't be talking to them," he said intensely, pointing at the officers. He had an American accent.

"I know," Kami sighed. "But we don't have a choice. We need to know—"

"No, you don't understand. She has got to get away from them," he cut her off urgently. "Call her back; get her out of there. They aren't what they seem."

They aren't what they seem? What did he mean by that? Kami stared into the boy's sober eyes. He was dead serious. She looked over at Yasmin who was nodding, then turned and walked back to them.

The boy let out a deep sigh of relief.

"She got lucky," he said. "Maybe they'll leave her alone."

"What do you mean they aren't what they seem?" Liam asked.

"They have the mark. It's ... kind of complicated. I think it's best if you talk to Samuel about it. Is she really Ahmed Hassri's granddaughter?" 

"Both of us are," Kami said. He eyed her with renewed interest.

Yasmin looked like she wanted to throttle someone when she rejoined them. She spit out a few choice words in her native tongue before switching to English.

"They were absolutely no help at all. They wouldn't tell me anything. They kept insisting it was a police matter and not the concern of civilians. As if not being able to go to my own home is not my concern! As if my missing grandparents is not my concern! When I told them, they refused to do anything. They said to come back later. My car is stuck behind police tape! How am I supposed to get anywhere? My readers need to know about this."

She pulled out her cell phone. 

"What are you doing?" the boy asked, alarmed.

"Uploading the news to my blog, of course."

The boy grabbed her arm.

"You really do not want to draw attention to yourself. They could hurt your grandparents. You know about the shadow creatures, don't you? They can't know you are aware of them."

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The dedication this time goes out to a very special lady. When I first came to Wattpad and was exploring it for good reads, I came across this lovely piece called Abertillery. If you love travel writing as much as I do, you're in for a special treat. @MaryWWalters has been a part of this journey since the early days, and her thoughtful comments always bring a smile to my face. Will add a link to her delightful writing below!