Misplaced by SL Hulen Read Free Book Online Page A

carpet.
    “What the hell?” Victoria yanked a handful of tissues and started for the mess. “Totally my fault. Really. I wasn’t sure before, but you’ve just made it perfectly clear that where you belong is at the loony—”
    As she blotted furiously, the girl thrust her muddy, coffee-scented palm under Victoria’s nose. The clay covering had been a clever disguise, possibly to keep the bangle’s value hidden from the coyote. Patches of the mud shell had washed away, exposing the unmistakable luster of gold.
    “Take it,” the girl said, pressing it into Victoria’s hand, “I beg you.”
    A brisk rub revealed a golden cuff almost three inches wide with a gigantic scarab on one side. The heavy clasp lay protected between the two curved, toothed hind legs.
    A soft whistle was all Victoria could manage. She stroked the beetle’s shovel-like head, the sturdy ridges of its folded wings. The cuff was superb, elaborate, and heavy.
    “Where…where did you get it?”
    The girl leaned over the desk, retrieved the massive bangle, and then clutched it to her chest. Victoria would never forget the utter panic in her eyes. “How did I get here?”
    “You crossed the river. Illegally, I might add. Don’t you remember?”
    She looked around the room and shook her head. “This is not the Underworld. I should not be here.” She rubbed the last bits of dirt away from her treasure. “This means more to me than I can say, but it is yours if you help me. Please, much depends on my return.”
    Victoria could not take her eyes from the golden cuff. “Where did you get it?”
    “From my guardian.” Her voice spoke of terrible loss. “I,” she lowered her eyes, “am Khara.”
    “Forgive me. My name is Victoria Barrón.” She held out her hand. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am. Your English is perfect. Why didn’t you speak up earlier?”
    Ignoring Victoria’s outstretched hand, she said, “As long as I hold this,” she held out the cuff for a moment, “I understand and can speak your language. Nandor said that any language would belong to me, but who could believe in such things?”
    Her bewilderment struck Victoria’s heart. She knew exactly how the girl felt.
    “You’d best put it away, then. No loony bin tonight, girlfriend.” Slipping her bag over her shoulder, she ushered the girl outside where she viewed the car with reluctance. Victoria opened the door and helped her with the seat belt.
     

 
     
    Chapte r Five Khara
     
    A s the horseless chariot lunged forward, Khara squeezed her eyes shut and took rapid, shallow breaths. If not in the Underworld, where am I?
    “Hey, hey. There now,” Victoria consoled. She reached over and pried the girl’s clammy hand loose from the seat, and gave it a squeeze. “Haven’t you ever ridden in a car before?”
    Khara shuddered and shook her head.
    “If you open your eyes, you’ll see I’ve slowed down. Isn’t that better?”
    She swallowed. “Yes,” she agreed, but it was a lie.
    “It’s hard to be new in a strange place, isn’t it?” Victoria asked. “People think you can just pick yourself up and shake the dust off. Of course, in your case, you haven’t said where the dust came from.”
    Victoria pointed to a place where one jagged range of mountains ended abruptly and another began. A river snaked through the narrow pass, reflecting the orange glow of evening. Trees grew sparsely along the banks, and boulders lay exposed like stepping stones in the shallow waters. At home, this would be the time of Shemu, the season when waterways shriveled into dust .
    “Harmless looking, isn’t it?” Victoria remarked, glancing toward the river. “But four hundred years ago, the conquistadores lost many men in those waters. They claimed everything north of the Rio Grande for Spain, which makes El Paso the second oldest city in the country.”
    “Please, what country do you speak of?”
    “The United States, of course—though I can see how the proximity