A Touch of Purple: Towers of the Earth Book Six by Round Nita

Author:Round, Nita
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pink Tea Books
Published: 2022-06-01T00:00:00+00:00

25

A SIMPLE LOCK

In the cargo section, the infected snarled and growled at them like dogs. They were still tied to the columns, so they could snarl all they wanted; they were going nowhere.

D’hain found them fascinating and stared at the infected with great interest. “Is this what happens, then?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes you can’t see it as obviously as this.”

“And you think they are controlled?”

“Yes?”

“By who?”

“It’s complicated,” Ascara said.

“Well, uncomplicate it for me. I’ve just ordered a base lockdown, poisoned all the people here, and commanded a medical emergency.” She shrugged. “If I’m going to be in trouble, I need to know what it is I’m in trouble for.”

“You are very demanding for a base operative. I don’t think that's all you are, is it?”

D’hain raised the corners of her mouth in a sweet and almost innocent smile.

“That doesn’t work on me,” Ascara said, and folded her arms across her chest.

D’hain pointed to her uniform. “Intelligence is everything you suspect it might be. Despite some of the disparaging comments about us, I’m not your enemy. I suspect you might be an ally, but I’d be more certain if I knew who the enemies really are.”

Ascara frowned. “I’m glad you mentioned that, but I’d like you to say as much in front of the Raven.”

“Because you don’t believe me?”

“No, the opposite. Because I think I do,” Ascara said.

“Good enough,” D’hain said. “Shall we leave here in case this area gets filled with gas as well?”

Ascara headed towards the elevators.

“Not that way, it’s locked.”

When Ascara turned to face her, D’hain beckoned her in the opposite direction. “Where are we going?”

“Out.”

In one of the small storage chambers, an iron-bound door stood behind several racks. An iron grill secured with a padlock blocked the way.

“I bet I don’t have the key for that either, do I?”

D’hain shook her head. “Good job I do,” she said as she unlocked the door. “It’s just so that we can get in and out when we need to.”

Ascara reconsidered the past few minutes. “You could have opened the door to the basement on your own, couldn’t you?”

“Is it important?”

“Yes. And you wonder why I think you are not quite what you say you are.”

“I thought I answered that already.”

“We’ll discuss that another time. Meanwhile, I wonder how Magda and Lucinda got out, then?”

“The lift was working until about ten seconds after the doors locked. We could have gotten inside, but then we would have been locked in the cage.”

Ascara didn’t respond to that but pulled open the grill and then the door. She sniffed. There was definitely something unpleasant in the air. “We better go. Now.”

As they made their way up the steps into the cargo-handling hangar, Ascara froze. They weren’t alone. She pulled out her blade and a pistol and strode into the room.

There, in the middle of the room, sat her honour guard. Caro jumped to her feet and bowed. “Onara, we are ready,” she said in clan. Then added, “Who is she?”

At her side, D’hain stiffened. “Who is that? Who are they?” she asked in Anglish.

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