LITMIR.BIZ

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another world!'

      `You doubted me?'

      `No,' Max smiled. `Just wait until you have a shower!'

      `We have storms on our kingdom, but your sky was cloud-free tonight.'

      `Not that sort of shower.'

      `This will do, but I need your assistance.' Shahkara indicated the large solid oak bookshelf that graced the foyer.

      `I thought you had super strength.' He took one side and inefficiently helped her to slide it across the entrance.

      `I am not as strong as a full-blooded Taloner, but even they have limits. They can toss human bodies around but cannot cut steel. The shelf looks secure. They will not be able to move it without creating noise. Max, what is a pawn?'

      `It's part of a board game, called chess.'

      `My world does not have this game, yet I am curious. Why did Jack describe you as this pawn?'

      `They're lesser pieces, the ones you sacrifice to win the game. It's used in war talk too, to refer to expendable soldiers.'

      `But why do the Taloners wish to eliminate you as part of their battle strategy? Why are you important?'

      `I'm not. That I know of. As I said, I didn't even know Taloners existed until tonight!'

      `Then to find out who wants you dead, you need to find out why.'

      `How?'

      `You are the son of a nobleman—'

      `Businessman.'

      `A merchant's son has money and connections. You must investigate.'

      `As long as I don't end up dead!'

      `That is why you must know your enemy.'

      Know your enemy. The words clung to Max long after they'd blocked all entry points and he'd taken a shower. The hot water had done little to wash away the cloying feeling of dread. How could he investigate this Brisbane coven? Why did they want him dead?

      Oh, god...Mum! He sat down heavily on the edge of his bed as shock pushed against his ribs. His mother's ex-bodyguard had known about the Taloners, even if he'd not known what they were. All those years ago Nick had been laughed out of court when he claimed she'd been killed by a man with claws, but tonight's revelations proved his story.

       Taloners must have killed Mum, like they killed Ethan.

      Max felt cold to his bones. They obviously killed all the `serial' victims. And now they apparently wanted to kill him.

      Why? What had he done?

      Hair damp from his shower, he wandered out to the kitchen but stopped short when he saw how the blood had congealed around the decapitated head on the tiles. Nausea gripped him as he sidestepped the corpse. He reached into the cupboard for a glass and poured a rum and cola, cursing as his shaking hand spilt liquor on his sleeve.

      Why would anyone want to destroy his family?

      His pulse quickened as he tumbled upon the answer.

      His father. Loathing ate at his insides. Liam McCalden wouldn't have wanted his wife or sons dead, but he had enemies. A lot of them. Could the Taloners be targeting Max to get back at his dad? After all, he had wealth, power and a supercilious disregard for anyone but himself.

      `Your bathing facilities are impressive,' Shahkara announced as she too entered the kitchen, rubbing a towel through her wet hair. Her intricate armour was wiped clean of blood and almost mocked the informality of her shapely calves, and bare feet.

      `Earth showers are better than a thunderstorm, huh?'

      `I wish I could take your shower back to my kingdom.' The smile vanished as her gaze latched upon the corpse. `Jack's body is still on the floor. How can this be?'

      `You think he's taking too long to crumble?' They sounded as macabre as undertakers chatting over morning tea.

      `Yes. Taloners fall to dust moments after they are killed. When that did not happen I thought things might work more slowly here, but this is too long. Some part of him is still alive. We must destroy the body.'

      Shahkara's cool indifference was hard to take. How often did she slay people and remove dead bodies? Was it Taloner temperament that underpinned her detachment or just that their situation required a cool head?

      From the moment she'd slammed into him, an arrow had pierced his heart. He didn't believe in destiny or kismet, but for some reason he believed in her. He felt a connection that was deeper than physical attraction. But what if his thudding pulse was deceiving him? Was he only a part of her very detached plans? She had sunk her talons into Jack. Would she do the same with him, if the need arose? I will not hurt you, she'd said. But could he trust her?

      `Do you burn dead bodies on this world?' She tugged boots on to her feet.

      `What?'

      `How do you eliminate corpses?'

      `We burn some, bury others.'

      She examined her torn belt which Jack had ripped away with her scabbard. `Do you have a replacement strap?'

      `A belt? I've a spare one that might fit you.'

      `Bring it to me. Now, please.'

      `Uh, sure.' Wandering into his room, he grasped the sliding door of his built-in robe as if it were his only grip on reality. They were talking about dead bodies and how to get rid of one and then `bring me your strap'. How did this all happen? He found the belt amongst a pile of clothes and clutched it in his hands. I can do this. I have to! He sucked in a few deep breaths and returned to the lounge.

      `I am most grateful.' Shahkara strapped the belt around her cuirass. `We must burn the body to char to give him no possibility of returning.'

      `But he's dead. You chopped off his head.'

      `If Jack were completely dead, he would have disintegrated. Sometimes a Taloner's life-force remains. They are not biological animals, but creatures of black magic. They can return to life. That is why we must burn the body straight away.'

      `Return? Without his head? You are freaking me out here. And we can't just take a body out and burn it. That's illegal.'

      `You said your city burns corpses.'

      `Yes, but we can't sneak one into a crematorium in the dead of night! Excuse the pun.'

      `Then we will burn the body at the back of your house. I saw your yard through the bathroom window. It will be suitable.'

      `We have a law against fires in the summer.'

      `How do you cook without a flame?'

      `Electricity — that technology you pretended to know about.' His hand gestured towards the overhead chandelier. No wonder she'd jumped when he hit the switch.

      Colour spotted her cheeks. `Nevertheless, we must burn the body, even if we take it outside the city where the authorities will not find us. Do you have beasts or demons in your forests?'

      `What?'

      `If we journey outside your city boundaries, are there creatures lurking in wait for us?'

      `Only traffic cops, I suppose.'

      `Are they a threat? Do they cluster in large numbers?'

      `Not often. I think we can handle them.'

      `We need transportation.'

      `I have a car but there's alcohol in my system. I can't drive until morning.'

      `Do you want Jack re-awakening during the night and sinking his talons into your heart?'

      His chest tightened. `I'll get the car.' He flip-flopped. `No, I can't. It's illegal.'

      `Because you have consumed alcohol?'

      `Yes!'

      `I

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