Southwest Nights (Semiautomatic Sorceress Book 1) by Kal Aaron (large ebook reader txt) 📕

said for being able to get around quickly and not having to leave the ground.

Lyssa could do Phoenix to San Diego in less than an hour on a single tank of gas. An alert driver might notice the slight wake of her passage on the ground, but it wasn’t like anyone dared chase a shadow going hundreds of miles per hour. Not only did Jofi grant her the extra power she needed for the spell, but the spirit also helped guide her driving, even beyond the enhanced reflexes her regalia granted.

The nearby road and countryside became blurs, but the mountains in the distance provided a stable measuring point. Her fingers and arms flexed with movement, both her own and the slight tug by Jofi. This would be her first trip back to her stomping grounds, the San Diego area, but it was almost a straight shot west after the beginning.

She was now passing Yuma. She could stop at her informant Reed’s place, but there wasn’t any point. The snake would call her when he had something useful.

“Thanks for your help,” Lyssa said once she hit I-8.

“You’re welcome,” Jofi replied.

Her fingers tightened on the handlebars. She slowed her breathing and focused on making it rhythmic and drawn out to help maintain the ritual.

“You were quiet earlier,” Lyssa murmured.

“I’m often quiet.”

“When I was talking to Damien, I mean. I’m surprised.”

“I had little to add,” Jofi replied. “When we’re close, I see what you see. I hear what you hear. Your thoughts may be your own, but we share everything else.”

The spirit delivered the words in the same calm tone he always did, but the implied threat almost broke her concentration. She didn’t respond immediately, letting the rumble of the bike massage her worry away. A long-buried paranoia poked her calm. That idiot Lee shouldn’t have bothered her.

In Lyssa’s experience, the best way to bury a concern she didn’t want to deal with was by focusing on a more immediate threat. It wasn’t a bad strategy in her line of work.

“There are too many loose ends on this.” Lyssa zoomed past an eighteen-wheeler. “Too many people who should know more don’t know enough. I don’t mind doing the legwork, but I’d be more comfortable if I didn’t feel like I was being hung out to dry.”

“You still suspect conspiracy and assassination?” Jofi asked. “A targeted conspiracy?”

“Conspiracy’s too strong a word. And I’m not sure this is about me directly, but I don’t want to dismiss the possibility. What do I suspect? At a minimum, I suspect good old-fashioned corruption.”

“What’s the difference between corruption and conspiracy?”

It was almost cute when he was naïve. That didn’t make the question easy to answer.

Lyssa thought about her response before offering it.

“Conspiracy’s about a complicated plan and changing the situation with the plan. Corruption’s about taking advantage of the situation that’s in place. Active versus passive.”

“Who do you think is corrupt?” Jofi asked.

“That’s the big question. I’ve got a lot of suspects, but no one I’m willing to accuse yet.”

Lyssa stared ahead, thinking about the answer. While under the effects of the Tenebrous Air, the world around and in front of her turned into a hazy monochrome mist, much the way she appeared to others. She had no trouble making things out since she was used to the blacks, whites, and grays, all distinct to her eyes.

Every sound around her except for Jofi’s voice and her own came to her ears as muffled and remote. The mighty Ducati engine continued to vibrate, but the spell quieted its voice from a tiger to a kitten with the strength of a tiger.

“I hate to say it.” Lyssa took a long, deep breath. “No matter how much I think about this situation, it doesn’t smell like something pushed by the Shadows. They might be able to get their hands on a shard or two, but Damien made it sound like it was about a lot more than just Alvarez.”

“You worry about a rogue Sorcerer being involved?” Jofi asked. “And you don’t believe this just because of the anniversary?”

“The evidence points to a rogue Sorcerer, and not just because of my personal feelings.” Lyssa frowned. “Some people say, ‘Don’t attribute to malice what you can attribute to incompetence.’ I say, ‘Don’t presume incompetence until you have proof that there is no malice.’”

“How cynical,” Jofi replied.

“Pragmatic. I have a hard time believing an Illuminated would screw up and accidentally flood the southwest United States with shards, and if a major cache had been raided, Samuel would be screaming at me about it. If he wasn’t, the Society would be screaming at him until he started screaming at me.” She watched a mountain recede in the distance as she moved farther off the road, the spell making that far less of an obstacle than during normal driving. “Which is what has me so worried. The radio silence on this makes me think someone’s trying to keep something from me, and that makes me circle back to wondering if it’s about me.”

“You believe Elder Samuel is conspiring against you?”

Lyssa laughed. “The Colonel?”

“Doesn’t he prefer ‘Elder Samuel?’”

“It goes with the herbs and spices joke. Forget it. I’m saying I might not like the guy, but I trust that he’s not corrupt in that way. He’d consider it not genteel enough.” Lyssa furrowed her brow. “If someone’s trying to screw me, it’s not him, but that leaves the question of who it might be.”

“Relying on aesthetics to ensure appropriate behavior is an interesting approach.”

Lyssa never bothered checking for tails when she was traveling so fast. Even with Jofi’s help, it wasn’t like she could spare much attention. She relied on the rarity of threat sources and the difficulty of shooting fast-moving targets under normal circumstances.

“Just saying, Samuel may get on my nerves, but he’s okay.” Lyssa managed a smile.

“But you worry he hasn’t contacted you.”

“Yeah, but this wouldn’t be the first time he waited a while so he can figure out some BS way to make the