WinterStar: Star Tribes, Book One by Blaze Ward

Author:Blaze Ward [Ward, Blaze]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-64470-070-9
Publisher: Knotted Road Press

23

Daniel sipped his coffee, afraid that he would have to get up and refill it shortly and that was probably just too much to ask of him right now. Except that Ndidi came by with a carafe and silently topped him off.

The smile she gave him was so sad that Daniel almost just went back to bed right then. Except she meant well. They all did. And they were all here, carefully not watching him. Mostly.

Erin was seated across from him, sipping her own coffee more slowly, but she had probably been up for a while and already had some.

And not been previously possessed by an undead, planetary conqueror with an axe to grind and a need for an entire harem of beautiful, feisty women.

The rest of the comitatus was here, save only the Commander, so Daniel took his time consuming his porridge and coffee. Today wasn’t likely to be getting any better as it wore on, and he had no enthusiasm to face it. Not that it would ask his opinion or anything.

The Commander entered and it was like a rock had been dropped into a still pond. Daniel was fascinated by the ripple of silence that the woman created. Noise fell to nothingness as she fixed those cold, hard eyes on him and approached.

There was space on his right and she took it, sliding onto the bench with him and resting her elbows on the table. She placed a small box on the surface, between her and Erin rather than close to him, so he continued to drink his coffee and reconsider joining a monastery.

“Do you know what’s in the box, Daniel?” she asked quietly.

He looked. It was a small thing, perhaps a little thicker than the sort of box his custom dress shirts used to be delivered in, back when he did that sort of thing. Forty-five centimeters by twenty-five by ten, more or less. Plain, white cardboard stock, just like then.

Finding out would involve looking in. He didn’t want to.

“No,” Daniel finally said, retreating back into himself.

“Interesting,” the Commander said.

Daniel realized how keyed up the woman was when he looked closer.

Oh lovely. Another day to possibly be beaten up by a beautiful woman. What an interesting lot in life to draw.

“Do I want to?” Daniel asked.

He was aware he was now the center of every pair of eyes in the room, including the ones half-hidden behind glasses as Ndidi had retreated to the serving table. That just put her closer to knives and a full carafe of coffee. The rest of the comitatus had blades and pistols.

“I want to test a theory,” she said plainly. “And ask a favor of you.”

Merde. They had gotten there in their relationship?

Daniel scraped the last of his porridge and set the bowl and spoon down perhaps louder than was technically necessary, but the room was too damned quiet right now.

“I’m not going to like it, am I?” he turned his head far enough to look directly at her.

“Probably not,” she agreed.

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