The shoot went well. Three outfits, and done. I grabbed lunch and headed home. Kanesha was due in about thirty minutes.
She did not show up. I called her.
Her cellphone gave an out of range error. I did not panic. Yet.
I checked. She did not have her sword with her. I grabbed it as well as mine and tried her phone again.
Out of range error.
So I called Thruor. “I think they have Kanesha.”
“I’m on my way. Sit tight.”
She was right, I should not go outside without backup in case they were still around. Or do something foolish.
“So…”
“She’s late. Her phone is giving an out of range error. She’s not armed.”
“Kanesha manages better unarmed than many armed.”
“I know, and I wouldn’t be worried if it wasn’t for the error.”
Thruor closed her eyes for a moment. “How about your dog friend?”
I had been close to panic, I realized, not to think of that. I called the fyrhund.
He padded in off the balcony somehow.
“Track Kanesha,” I told him, keeping my own sword in hand and Kanesha’s on my back.
I wasn’t leaving it here. When we found her she was going to need it. Something about it made me uncomfortable, though. As if it was all wrong in terms of weight.
It was not made for me, I knew that. For now I put it down to that.
Not made for me. Not made for her either, as far as I knew, but it answered to her hand.
I knew I should not try to use it. Besides, there would have been something rude about that.
The fyrhund set off. Thruor’s steed, in bike form, was waiting outside. I tugged on a helmet, we couldn’t afford to be stopped, and hopped up behind her.
Chasing the dog down the street. We probably looked like we were trying to catch it.
It could run fast enough not to hold us back, though, and I sensed that it had her scent.
I sensed that it knew exactly where to go. But what if she was already dead?
No.
If she was dead I would know, I would know in every deep part of my heart. And then they would not be able to use her as bait.
Kanesha was alive.
Somewhere.