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She gestured at the rusted iron camping grill set into the concrete by
the table. Focus on business. “You want to start the fire?”
He shook his head and forced a laugh. “After what happened to Ned,
I’m getting the recording equipment set up first.”
“Oh come on…. He was whistling and using rowan for the kindling.
We’ve got pine. Stick with the magically neutral stuff and don’t
whistle.”
He gave her a look with his chin tucked, as if she ought to know better.
“He still have the rabbit ears?”
“Last I saw.” Eva fished in the backpack until she found her knife.
“Sandra wants him to keep them.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Giancarlo set his webcam on the table.
“She just wants him to wait until her paper on the Askina has been
peer-reviewed.”
“The Askina—” His mouth dropped as he caught the implication. The
Cherokee believed that people had four souls, the Askina, each of
which controlled a different aspect of self. “She thinks the rabbit head
is a manifestation of a soul? Even though he’s not Cherokee?”
“Yep. Sandra thinks it’s Ned’s first soul made flesh.”
“Amazing.” Giancarlo slipped a roll of duct tape over his arm and picked
up the webcam. “The usual spot all right for the camera?”
LE PORTRAIT MAGAZINE
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