Anubis Nights Read Online Free PDF Page A

entails exactly.”
    “As you say,” Chronos said and moved to snap his fingers.
    “Wait!” I said.
    He stepped back, surprised. “What?”
    “Let me move my car first.”
    “Excuse me?”
    I pointed at the bird shit frozen in time above my hood. “Little bastard is having target practice, so I—”
    Chronos rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, and time moved forward.
    My car was clean for a split second; then a splotch of nasty white goo splatted on the hood.
    I frowned then turned and pointed at Chronos. “You’re a dick.”
    His lips curled into a satisfied smile. He caught the door to the dojo before it closed.
    From inside the building, I heard Kelly scream, “Jonathan?”
    I went back inside, and Kelly hurried over. “What just happened? One moment I was staring down a gun in Sharon’s hand; the next, I was laying on the floor.”
    “Everything’s all right,” I said. “Well, for the next few hours.”
    “I could have sworn I heard the gunshot while I was standing.”
    “Maybe.”
    “Was I hit?” she asked touching her forehead.
    “No, Sharon’s a shitty shot. Look.” I pointed at a bullet hole in the wall at the back of the dojo.
    Kelly fumed. She shot a dirty look at Sharon. “You’re paying for that.”
    ***
    Half an hour later, Rayna arrived, looking radiant, having spent the morning working out. Her dark hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore shorts and a T-shirt that read The Steam Room: No Pain, Still Gain. She was the sole owner of the spa in Boulder because her entire family had been killed a few months ago. She kissed me and when she pulled back, she took hold of my hand. We were still in the new, and I looked forward to every moment we could spend together. She had some rough nights when the grief hit her, but most of the time, she was all smiles. I suspect it helped that she was from another place where death was always a part of life and not pushed into the darkness. So yes, she missed her family, but she didn’t seem as broken up about it as I was after my folks were killed.
    Brand and Esther joined us a few minutes later. Before they arrived, Kelly and I set up folding chairs so we could all sit down in a nice circle like a support group. We could call ourselves Slayers of Evil Anonymous. Didn’t work well as an acronym, but it was good enough for me.
    I made introductions where necessary.
    Once we were all seated, Sharon explained the situation. “Henry Winslow stole a scroll from the Forbidden Texts. The scroll had a spell inscribed on it which opened time portals to the past, and—”
    “Time out,” Brand said. “Who’s Henry Winslow?”
    “A man who died more than eighty years ago. He liked to say he was Thrice-Born.”
    “Sounds painful,” Brand said.
    “Cute. Are you familiar with multiple personality disorder?” Sharon asked.
    Brand nodded. “I read Sybil. ”
    “You can read?” Kelly asked with a grin.
    “I tend to move my lips, and I have to sound out some of the longer words.”
    “This is serious,” Sharon said.
    “Right,” Brand said. “Sorry.”
    “Winslow is a powerful sorcerer, and he has multiple personages, or aspects of himself. He literally split himself into three separate people to make good on his claim of being Thrice-Born. Winslow entered the world in 1877 and died in 1926. He was a member of The Golden Dawn, a secret society that included Aleister Crowley among its members. He and Crowley were friends.”
    Rayna squeezed my hand to get my attention. “Is this the same Aleister Crowley from that loud CD you play in the car all the time?”
    “Ozzy rocks,” I said. “And yes, it’s the same guy.”
    “He seems creepy.”
    “He looked like Uncle Fester from The Addams Family, ” I said. “But constipated.”
    Sharon glared at me. “Are you done?”
    Rayna bit her lip and tried not to laugh.
    Sharon shook her head. “As I was saying, Winslow used the spell from the scroll to open portals to the past. He couldn’t