An Ancient Peace by Tanya Huff

Author:Tanya Huff
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: DAW
Published: 2015-09-03T16:00:00+00:00

They finished searching the plinths, the benches, and the floor two hours before the lights were due to go out on the second day.

They’d discovered that a third of the benches were hollow, but that was all.

“Why a third of the benches?” Verr asked.

“I’ve discovered that the H’san have an intrinsic attachment to the number three,” Dion told her. “An almost religious attachment to it.”

Sujuno exchanged a glance with the sergeant. This was the first time they’d seen any evidence of such an attachment. Toporov’s expression openly called Dion a liar. She doubted hers was any subtler.

“Do I take the benches apart, Major?” Keo asked. She smacked a fist-sized piece of broken stone against the underside of the nearest bench, punctuating the question with an echoing boom.

“I find it hard to believe you’re even asking that,” Dion sneered. “Had only one bench been anomalous, than we could assume the ancient H’san were indicating that we should investigate it. However, given the number of hollow benches, we can draw no such conclusions.”

Keo shifted enough to fix Dion with a flat, unfriendly stare. “What the fuk does anomalous mean?”

His lip curled. “That basic education isn’t a requirement for violence.”

“I could kill you with this rock.”

“And you’ve just made my point.”

She tossed the piece of broken stone into the air and caught it. “I could throw it with enough force it’d crush your skull. Throw it fast enough that you wouldn’t have time to point at it.”

Dion snorted disdainfully.

Sujuno found herself actually considering it for a moment; then she sighed. “Sergeant.”

Toporov plucked the rock from Keo’s hand.

“Once we’ve been paid for the weapons, you may kill each other with my blessing.” Suddenly realizing she’d twisted a handful of fabric so tightly her pants had begun to dig into the back of her leg, Sujuno forced her fingers open. “Until such time, play nice. And, no, we will not be taking the benches apart. Not until we’ve exhausted all other possibilities.”

“Like after we dismember the dead guys?”

“That would be one of the remaining possibilities, yes.”

“I feel I should mention that the plinths, which none of you can read, makes it clear, although not overtly, that the bodies are important to the H’san.”

“Cheese is important to the H’san,” Wenn pointed out to laughter.

“I repeat, none of you know . . .”

“And neither do you.” She was very close to ordering Toporov to give Keo back the rock, but it was less than two hours until lights out and they had no time for drama. “Everyone take fifteen, then we begin.”

Verr tapped a finger against her slate. “If the fukking scanners worked, we’d have been out of here yesterday.”

“Yeah, well, they don’t.” Wenn flicked a finger against her forehead. “Got to use your big, sexy brain, churick.”

“Yeah, that’d be all adorable and shit if you didn’t just call her delicious,” Nadayki muttered, leaning against Keo, fingers of one hand rubbing the contact point between her exoskeleton and her hip. “And if you didn’t mean it literally.

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