djinn wars 04 - broken Read Free Page B

everyone precisely what that sorry specimen of a man had done to her, Zahrias had found himself so overcome by rage that it had taken all his strength, all his control, to keep himself from blasting Richard Margolis from the face of the earth. Even now, flames flickered wildly around Zahrias at the memory. But again, he had done nothing, because to reveal his anger would have been to let everyone around know that he was not quite so detached from the situation as he wished others to believe.
    It seemed the more he tried not to think about Julia Innes, the more she occupied his thoughts.
    He opened the door of wood and glass that allowed him entry into the courtyard. The breeze was brisk, ruffling through his hair, pulling stray strands from the clasp of red gold that held most of it away from his face. Usually, he found if he stepped out here and allowed himself a few moments with the wind and the sky, he could calm his thoughts. Now, though, his restlessness seemed only to intensify, as if the bright breeze bore on its wings invisible messengers of ill portent.
    Perhaps you have spent too long within the walls of this city. The Chosen cannot venture too far forth unaccompanied, but we djinn do not share those restrictions.
    Yes, he should go out. Not to walk, but to ride. His fellow djinn and their Chosen had taken over a stable near the edge of town and collected some of the stray horses in the area, partly for amusement, and partly because, sooner or later, the strange liquid that powered their vehicles would run out, and the horses would be their only viable mode of conveyance. True, he and the other djinn could move from place to place easily, and could take their Chosen with them as necessary, but it still never hurt to have other options.
    While he would never admit it to anyone else, Zahrias found that caring for the horses and riding them around the land that was now his home had become his own form of meditation. He couldn’t indulge as often as he would like, for it often seemed that some matter or another would keep him occupied at the center of town, but even so, he had been able to go out enough that he had familiarized himself with the contours of this land, so steady, so enduring and strong, so very unlike the ever-shifting planes of the world that had once been more a prison to the djinn than their home. They had endured it because they must, but this earth was so very much more appealing.
    He nodded to himself, as if agreeing with his plan, and then reentered the house and closed the door to the courtyard behind him. It wouldn’t do to be gone for too long, not with Dani’s child about to make its appearance, but even an hour would probably be sufficient. And if the child did decide to come in that hour, well, someone could come to fetch him. A few miles meant nothing to any of his people.
    With that resolution fixed in his mind, he shut his eyes and visualized the stables, the long row of buildings and the dry grass that surrounded them and the sweeping vistas of far-off mountains to every side. In less than the blink of an eye, he was there, standing outside the stall that held his favorite horse, the huge black stallion that Lilias’ Chosen, Aidan, had named Goliath.
    No one seemed to be about, but Goliath’s trough held fresh water, and the bag in his stall bulged with hay, so Zahrias knew someone had already been by today to look in on the horses and make sure they’d been cared for. In fact, several of the stalls were empty, signaling that a few of Santa Fe’s denizens had had the same idea as he, deciding that this bright autumn day was a perfect one for a ride.
    Zahrias’ mouth tightened at the possibility of encountering one of those other riders. He had wished for solitude, but at the moment, he saw no one else. It would be easy enough to slip out before anyone else returned, especially since he did not have to waste time putting a saddle and bridle on his horse. A djinn had no need of such