Page 188 of Sins of the Heart

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Lokan closed his eyes and reached for his brothers,

for the mental connection that bound them, the ability to

touch the edges of each others consciousness. Not exactly

telepathy; they couldn’t speak in sentences and words.

But they could sense if one of them was in distress.

He pushed the limits of his ability, but there was no

answer. The connection was gone. And he had never

felt loss such as he felt in that instant.

His heart cranked into superspeed. His mouth was

as dry as dirt.

Stumbling forward, he reached for the boat, closing

his fingers on the bow.

But he didn’t.

There was nothing there. No boat. No river. No line

of endless dead.

“Sutekh,” he screamed, and again, “Sutekh!” The

lapping of the water against the boat’s hull answered

his cry. And then that, too, disappeared, leaving him in

choking darkness. No scents. No sounds. Nothing.

There was nothing.

192

SINS OF THE HEART

Except the mind-numbing edge of his panic.

Toronto, Canada

PYOTR OFFERED A SHORT NOD to the guard positioned

outside Djeserit’s office door. The man took a single

step to the right, effectively blocking Pyotr’s path.

Anger sluiced through his veins, cold and sharp. He

mastered it, giving nothing away. After all, the gorilla

was merely doing his job. No sense in venting rage on

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