Free Three Days of Night by Tracey H. Kitts Page B

an endless desert. Only the sands were much too white. The wind blew, but the sand never touched me. The air was filled with the sweet smell of incense. And as I got closer to the palace the smell grew stronger. It was like musk and leather. A rich earthy fragrance meant to stir my senses. Well, it was working.
    The exterior of the palace was mostly white, with golden rooftops. I was pretty sure it was real gold too. I made my way up the steps, following the smell of incense as if it were my guide. The marble floor was so highly polished that at first glance it looked like I was walking on glass. Tall columns could be seen throughout the open front of the building. Tapestries hung down the hallway where I continued to follow the scent. The scenes depicted on the tapestries were amazing. Some of them showed the rise and fall of man. Others were far more ancient. There were different gods and goddesses, also thought by many to be myth. It was incredible.
    I continued down the hallway until the sound of laughter reached my ears. Then, I started following the sound rather than the scent. Hud’s laughter made we wet with anticipation. How could laughter do that to me? And what was I anticipating? Was it just the sound of his voice that had such a powerful effect?
    Morgan’s laughter blended in and made the effect even stronger. My stomach was tied in knots. Surely it was the combination of their magic I was feeling. I’d never thought to be in the presence of two magical beings. Magic was considered archaic and for the most part dead. What I felt coming in waves from the two of them was anything but dead. It was most certainly alive and it stirred something deep inside of me.
    “So, you landed on Di’Wich?” Hud laughed again.
    I could see them clearly now on the balcony at the end of the hallway. D was looking out over the landscape and Morgan tipped his glass toward Hud before taking a sip. I noticed a cigar in his other hand. It would seem that Morgan was making himself at home. Was I the only one who felt so strangely? It wasn’t that I didn’t feel welcome. I felt too welcome.
    “That’s right,” Morgan answered. “The Barrakans, as I’m sure you know, won’t fight without their general. I have no idea how he didn’t see a spaceship coming, but he didn’t get out of the way in time and when we crashed.” He made a funny gesture indicating that the Barrakan General was flattened. Both of them laughed again and I shivered. I must have made a noise, because they all turned to look at me.
    “There you are,” Morgan said, smiling. “When Hud said you had gone back into town I assumed you were out for a bite.”
    “Yes.” I tried to smile and act natural. But there was nothing natural about the way I felt when I was near them.
    “I thought I’d borrow him for a while,” Hud said, gesturing toward Morgan. “I hope you don’t mind. I haven’t seen a wizard in a long time. We magical beings have to stick together.”
    I cleared my throat, carefully schooling my features before I spoke. “So, you were telling him how we defeated the Barrakans?”
    “Yeah.”
    Morgan turned his attention back to Hud and I moved to stand beside D at the edge of the balcony. When I bumped him lightly I looked down and realized that D was still wearing only a thong. The fact that something so obvious could go unnoticed showed just how distracted I was by Morgan and the djinn.
    “So, while they were all confused about what had just happened, we got off the ship and started kicking ass.”
    D turned around then and very seriously added, “We laid waste to over half their forces. They had no choice but to retreat.”
    Hud nodded. An approving smile curled his full lips. “I can understand how you came to be known as Dr. Death.”
    “Yes,” D agreed. As usual when he spoke, he seemed to neither approve nor disapprove of what was being said.
    “And I can also see why the people of Ti’al might think you are all