(eng) Lindsay Buroker - Dragon Blood 04 by Patterns in The Dark

Author:Patterns in The Dark [Dark, Patterns in The]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Cas found Tolemek standing at the edge of the crater, staring down at the ziggurat. Or maybe scowling down at it. The shadows hid his face, and she read his mood more by his stance and the sulky silence bleeding off him than anything else.

“Did they send you to make sure I didn’t run off?” Tolemek asked.

“I’m sure Sardelle could monitor you without my help. But I’m going back to see if those pirates are indeed finding their way here. I wanted to make sure you’re all right.”

“You’re leaving?” He shifted to face her.

“Not far. I’ll be back to help you roll that snoring guard into a closet after Sardelle knocks him out.”

Tolemek grunted. “I doubt thousand-year-old ancient pyramids come with closets.”

“You don’t think people needed to hang up their clothes back then?” Cas stepped forward and took his hand. “Will you wait to go in? Just a couple of hours? I don’t think we should split up the group.”

“Aren’t you about to leave the group?”

“I’m scouting, not splitting.”

“That’s a relief.” Tolemek squeezed her hand. “My concern is that the group and I are going to have different goals once we go inside.” He took a deep breath. “Listen, it might be my father’s fault that Tylie was in that asylum, but I broke her out and then… when I couldn’t help her, I took her back. I thought I could more easily try to find a solution on my own, if I wasn’t dragging her around with me and watching after her.” He turned to face the crater again, but his chin drooped to his chest, and she doubted he was seeing anything. “If I had kept her with me, she wouldn’t be in this situation now. She never would have been made into some tool for the government. If they’ve been hurting her, coercing her somehow—” He lifted a hand to rub his face. “This is my fault. Every delay…”

Cas shifted, not knowing what to say to alleviate his guilt. She had never been good at dealing with other people’s emotions. She didn’t know if she could blame her austere upbringing for that, or if it was just some failing in her blood. “We’ll get her. Whatever’s happened, it’s not your fault, but you’re going to fix it. We’ll get her out of here, and Sardelle will know how to help her.”

Tolemek sighed noisily. She didn’t know if that meant her words had helped or not.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking,” Cas said, “but if you believe the colonel’s mission will endanger her, I don’t think that’s the case. He’s not someone who’s going to sacrifice a woman for some perceived greater good. He’s more likely to get himself in trouble trying to be a hero.”

“Glad to hear it.” Tolemek sounded bitter.

Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned Zirkander. Every time she did, it seemed to grate at him. She didn’t know whether she should apologize—and would she have to continue to apologize every time she mentioned her commander’s name?—or accept that it was his problem that he needed to resolve on his own.

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