Trusted Bond

my
    undoing. My legs buckled, but instead of falling, I was scooped up by
    Jamal, held tight in his arms.
    I heard shouting even as my vision blurred. I could not remember
    ever being so tired.
    ―Tell me your name.‖
    ―Jin,‖ was the last thing I got out. The darkness had been waiting,
    and it overwhelmed me a moment later.

    I HEARD a clink of glasses, smelled the rich aroma of spices, and was
    aware of amused laughter floating around me. When my eyes fluttered
    open, the man who swam into view was reading.
    108

    Mary Calmes

    ―Where am I?‖
    ―Finally,‖ a voice grunted, and I turned my head to find Jamal
    Hassan standing over me. ―You were starting to scare me.‖
    I stared up at him as he walked closer. Black cargo pants were
    tucked into black military boots, and a heavy zippered gray cardigan was
    only partially closed, revealing a tight black T-shirt underneath. He looked
    like all he needed was a rifle and a beret and he could be on the cover of a
    video game.
    ―What?‖
    I shook my head, trying not to smile before looking around the
    immense room. It reminded me of the common room at my dorm in
    college. There was a big-screen TV in one corner, a couple of couches,
    and a dining table and chairs in another corner. I was taking up a small
    amount of room on a huge sectional with a loveseat to my left and a huge
    mahogany coffee table beside me. The room was cold, which was why
    everyone was in the same zippered sweater, and there was a huge fire
    blazing away in the hearth on the opposite wall. The floor was made of
    uneven stone that I imagined could be hosed down or swept but not
    mopped. Even the grout looked like it had sharp pieces of rock in it. I
    noticed that everyone was in the same heavy-soled boots, no one trusting
    their feet to the scary-looking floor.
    There were several pennants and tapestries on the wall, a glittering
    award case on the other side of the fireplace, and different animal skins
    functioning as rugs scattered throughout the room. A pool table was
    surrounded by five men, and the scent of cloves from their cigarettes
    wafted over me.
    ―My friend.‖
    I looked back up at Jamal.
    ―Can I offer you a bowl of molokhiyya?‖
    I had no idea what that was, but neither did I want to appear
    ungrateful. ―Yes, please.‖
    He nodded, turned, and called over his shoulder in Arabic, and then
    sat down in front of me on the heavy coffee table.
    ―Why‘s it so cold in here?‖
    ―We‘re several stories underground.‖
    ―Okay. Can you tell me where this is?‖ I asked as I began to sit up.
    Trusted Bond

    109

    A heavy hand on my chest kept me anchored back against the
    pillows. ―We had the physician here checking on you, and he says that you
    are healing injuries that to a weaker panther would have been mortal. Only
    your innate strength has sustained you.‖
    I nodded.
    ―I had you in one of the rooms in the back for two days, but solitude
    for a panther, as you know, is not healthy. Just the sounds of others are
    comforting for us.‖
    Which was strange but true. In the wild, panthers, big cats, were
    solitary creatures, but werepanthers needed their tribes, needed others. At
    least, normal panthers did. Crane had always longed for company when
    we were traveling around from place to place. Semels and reahs were built
    differently. As the only cats that mated for life, all they needed was each
    other.
    ―Do you remember getting up to relieve yourself?‖
    I didn‘t.
    He gave me a quick, glowing smile. ―You‘re lucky I was there or
    you would have peed in the closet.‖
    Studying his face, I saw a man who was not traditionally handsome,
    but the expressive eyebrows, smiling mouth, and velvet sound of his voice
    made up for it. On the street I wouldn‘t have looked at him twice, but his
    warmth called to me, as did his quiet strength.
    ―I moved you out here to the couch this morning hoping it would
    help you to hear others, sense them, and now I see I was right. It is so
    good to have you looking at me.‖
    The room felt alive with energy, and that, as much as the sleep, had
    helped.
    ―Now to answer your question, you are at Ra-Horakhty in Sobek, the
    barracks of the Shu.‖
    I sat up before he could stop me. ―Should I be in the barracks before
    the—‖
    ―Stop,‖ he said, cutting me off, reaching out to put a hand on my
    shoulder. ―I am the phocal of the Shu, you can‘t fool me.‖
    ―I‘m sorry?‖
    He squinted at me. ―You are no more a