Body Surfing

had given it to her.
    She grabbed her bag and ran for the far end of the alley. She could feel her system overloading. If she didn’t stop soon, she was going to pass out—if her heart didn’t simply burst. She gritted her teeth and ran.
    “Tawaqqafa! Stop! Stop!” Shots rang out. She was so high on endorphins she didn’t think she’d know if she’d been hit. Her legs continued pumping, so she assumed she was fine.
    She was nearly out of the alley when a vehicle screeched to a stop, blocking the exit. Ileana couldn’t tell if it was a cop or not. The breath tore raggedly from her mouth. She didn’t have the strength to turn around, let alone attempt to dodge the bullets that waited there.
    “Ileana!”
    The door swung open, an interior light came on.
    Dumas.
    “Get in! Now!”
    Ileana fell into the Rover as Dumas stomped on the gas pedal. The vehicle lurched forward. The open door smacked into a pylon and slammed shut just as Ileana pulled her leg in.
    “Christ,” she said, gasping for breath. Her heart was pumping so hard she thought her ribs would crack.
    Dumas glanced over and smiled. Her senses, still hyperacute fromthe hunt, could smell the alcohol on his breath. She hoped he wasn’t too drunk to drive, but was far, far too tired to care.
    As if reading her mind, Dumas said, “Don’t worry, my dear. Everything will be fine.”
     
    When the engine cut out she jerked her head up. The lights of downtown Khartoum twinkled on the far side of the water. To her right, a jet hung low in the sky, coming in for a landing at the airport. Somehow—miraculously—they had gotten away.
    With an effort she lifted Alec’s watch, glanced at the phosphorescent dial. Just after seven. The first thing she’d done when she checked in at the Acropole was find out what flights headed out tonight, so she knew there was a 9:35 to London, where the Legion had arranged a safe house. It would take a little finessing, but she was pretty sure she could get on it.
    “Pardon me if I seem ungrateful. But why did you help me? And…and how did you know I needed help?”
    In the long pause before Dumas answered, Ileana registered a change in the car. Realized she couldn’t smell the alcohol on Dumas’s breath anymore. When he spoke, all trace of an accent was gone.
    “Were you aware that this area is known by locals as al-Mogran?”
    No, she thought.
    “It is an ancient word, referring to the union of the Blue and White Niles to form the single river that was the lifeline of the world’s oldest and most enduring civilization.”
    An image of Soma’s mutilated body flashed in her mind. Dear God, no, Ileana thought. It can’t be.
    “Thousands of years before your paltry Legion began referring to us as Mogran, that is how the Egyptians knew us. As the union of two entities to form a third that was greater than either of them. They worshipped us as gods, which you would do, if you had any sense.”
    Dumas flipped on the overhead light and turned to face her. The night was nearly as hot as the day, but his face and body were dry, asif he had grown immune to the effects of the desert. A light swam in his eyes, shifting, swirling, as though they were hollow globes filled with luminous fish. She searched for even a trace of the man with whom she had spent the past two weeks but instead saw a nine-year-old boy, bound in a sack with his mother, struggling to hold his breath as silty water seeped through coarse fabric.
    “Malachi.”
    “Huntress,” the demon said. “It is so nice to finally make your acquaintance.”

10
    I t was like swimming.
    I am thrilled to announce the latest addition to the Cantor family of fine porcelains
    No, not swimming. Drowning.
    Ever since I saw taking my own life as a viable option I cannot say the word
    Drowning in words. But not just any words. Thoughts.
    There are five thousand men wearing uniforms who are not army but Even though he has a sister Geoffrey has a special place in my We are programmed to believe compliments and avoid pain
    Other people’s thoughts. Jasper’s brain had become its own spam email. But through it all, one word screamed louder than the rest.
    Singing is a gift from God and when you say I can’t sing I want to feel that golden pleasure flow all over my It has been said by some that God is just aThese are the best books for my very short We settle into a rut and the excitement It’s kinda hard to take him too serious What I could use right now is some Let me