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suddenly gasped, an unknown voice
invading her thoughts.
    Nuhm’ndah!
    “There. Got a lock on him.”
    The man stood patiently in front of an
appliance store window with his hands flexing at his sides,
glancing furtively at every person who passed by. He was indeed
enormous, at least seven feet or more, narrow in frame but far from
lacking muscle. He had long, unkempt black hair, most of it
obscuring his face. She focused her readings on his soul’s
signature…or more to the point, the lack of any. Hundreds of
flickering spirits passed by in this busy business district, but
this one man stood out. There was no shine, nothing. It was as if
he had no spirit at all. If he did, he was keeping it well hidden.
The only mark on him was his face. A dark and bloody static
obscuring the man’s face in a completely unnatural way, refusing to
show the man’s real identity —
    There he is!
    That wasn't Poe talking, nor was it this
Shenaihu nuhm’ndah. It was someone else, very close by. Too close.
She could feel the increasing ripples of fear and anger starting to
wash over her.
    I’ve got him now!
    She adjusted her vision back to normal and
rubbed at her eyes in frustration. The man — no, a giant of
a Meraladian, stood almost directly across the street from them.
He’d sensed the other man as well, and had stopped fidgeting. He
stood his ground, palms out, ready for action but refusing to be
the first one to act.
    “I see him,” Poe said. “Shit. They’ve got a
crowd.”
    “He’s —” she stopped again, and paled.
    Karinna…don’t let her die this way, the voice whispered within.
    “He's —”
    Karinna, the voice cried. Who the
hell…? Please, you must protect her!
    Poe’s gaping mouth snapped shut, forming a
thin, severe line. His brows furrowed, he let out a slow breath and
moved quickly towards the curb. Caren cursed and followed, suddenly
feeling dizzy and excited at the same time. The unexpected thrill
of the Mendaihu hunt welled within her, having found a potential
threat against those she watched over...and the stark reminder that
she had never reacted like this before in her life. This man
was not yet a criminal, only a Shenaihu nuhm’ndah, making his
presence known.
    Why did she suddenly feel such intense hatred for this man? Who was he? She dared not reach out and
sense him directly, fearing these violent energies would ensnare
and swallow her own spirit whole.
    Another man, much shorter and far weaker, had
quickly moved into the tall man’s personal space. She watched the
big man sidestep, left to right and back again in defensive
response. The shorter man’s aura shone in a silvery light, almost
angelic. Caren instantly recognized the Mendaihu soul within. He
was chattering and waving his arms, but making no moves to assault.
He didn’t seem to have any attack plan at all, only to swarm and
irritate him.
    I am Mendaihu Gharra, the small man
announced to all who could hear him. Caren’s heart jumped. That
voice she heard moments before had been his. And he was about to
make a very, very huge and dangerous mistake.
    No, no! “Goddess…! Poe, he’s —”
    The Shenaihu leaned forward, closed his eyes,
and held hands to his heart, palms out. She recognized the movement
and quickly retreated, cursing and pulling Poe with her. The big
man screamed something in a heavily accented Anjshé, and pushed . The small man goggled at him, and had just enough
time to bring up hands in the same gesture to brace himself for
impact.
    The Light tore out of the large man’s palms
with such force it ripped the air in front of him, leaving a
bloody contrail of physical spiritform behind it, just as it had at
the Tower.
    Caren had just enough time to grab Poe’s arm
and steady him as the force of the shockwave hit. She took a lunge
position and stood her ground. She heard the screams and the
skidding of tires up the street —
    No, not this! she heard the man cry. Not like this!
    Caren shouted and cursed. Six