frankly, I’m concerned. Do you realize how dangerous he could be?”
“We all have that potential, Surei. It doesn’t mean anything will come of it. He doesn’t have any of the Sentiac’s powers. His telepathic ability is on par with mine, although that’s mostly because of the link, and, honestly, I just kicked the Hades out of him in training. Am I missing something?”
“He’s suffered some of the most horrendous injuries I’ve ever seen in a humanoid, been ill-treated and ill-fed most of his life. He may have recovered from the physiological damage, but the mental trauma and scarring he’s suffered are huge. He’s disturbed, Quin. Borderline unstable. Anything could push him over the edge.”
Quin leaned back in her chair, tipping it onto its back feet. “Ah, Surei, come on. I would’ve been shocked if your assessment had revealed anything different.” Surei frowned, and Quin let the chair bump back onto the ground. “Okay, listen, I’m not dismissing what you’re saying–you’re the expert and I know from experience you’re damn good at your job. I’ll watch him.” Surei’s frown didn’t ease. “You have my word.”
Finally, sighing, she seemed to give in. “Quin, I’m telling you this because you’re the only person who can spot an issue before it becomes visible. If you even suspect something may be wrong, tell me. Let me deal with it. I won’t allow him to become a risk to our community, even at the cost of our friendship.”
“It won’t happen.”
“You said that about Jared too.”
Quin bit back a retort.
“I hope I’m wrong, Quin.” Surei shook her head. “I have to tell you, if Keir wasn’t involved with the Sentiac, I wouldn’t let you take him. As it is, I’m still not certain…are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”
“I am. He asked to come with me. I can’t tell him no.”
“You could go without him. How would he follow you?”
“Oh, yeah, great idea! That would do wonders for his trust issues.”
The avian medic threw her hands up in despair, and Quin laughed.
“Then I wish you luck.” Surei glanced questioningly at her junior medic, who nodded. “You’re both cleared.”
* * * *
When Quin finally called at Keir’s door, he was ready to go and followed her wordlessly. Sky waited in the gateway room to see them off, a handful of packages wrapped and ready. Quin and Keir both wore good quality hooded, knee-length cloaks in dark brown, and long, leather boots. In defiance of the local dress code for the time, Quin wore tight leggings to match her companion’s and Keir had put on gloves to hide as much of his skin as possible. With the hoods up, no one would be able to spot anything alien about either of them without close examination. In any event, they planned to arrive after the evening curfew had begun, when the streets would be empty apart from the body collectors and occasional passing guard.
Quin adjusted the clasp on Keir’s cloak and gave him a reassuring grin. He knew he was radiating anxiety even though he had tried to lock his fears deep inside. There was a certain excitement at knowing they would be wandering unseen under the noses of Adalucien’s beleaguered citizens, at taking his first steps toward understanding his strange origin and the reasons behind it. It took the sharp edge from his apprehension, dulling its intensity, but could not completely untangle the knot in his chest.
Sky gave him a fanged smile before passing his packages to Quin, the largest first. “Smoke bombs for camouflage, two small incendiaries for a distraction,” he told her. “Don’t mix them up. There’s a ten second delay on them, with a pressure-activated fuse.”
“Thanks, Sky.”
The haemovore nodded to them both and left.
“Ready?” Quin asked
Speechless, he nodded. Quin seemed calm, but underneath it he could sense her trepidation, which only added to his own. He might be fearful at the prospect of facing the ghosts that haunted
“We all have that potential, Surei. It doesn’t mean anything will come of it. He doesn’t have any of the Sentiac’s powers. His telepathic ability is on par with mine, although that’s mostly because of the link, and, honestly, I just kicked the Hades out of him in training. Am I missing something?”
“He’s suffered some of the most horrendous injuries I’ve ever seen in a humanoid, been ill-treated and ill-fed most of his life. He may have recovered from the physiological damage, but the mental trauma and scarring he’s suffered are huge. He’s disturbed, Quin. Borderline unstable. Anything could push him over the edge.”
Quin leaned back in her chair, tipping it onto its back feet. “Ah, Surei, come on. I would’ve been shocked if your assessment had revealed anything different.” Surei frowned, and Quin let the chair bump back onto the ground. “Okay, listen, I’m not dismissing what you’re saying–you’re the expert and I know from experience you’re damn good at your job. I’ll watch him.” Surei’s frown didn’t ease. “You have my word.”
Finally, sighing, she seemed to give in. “Quin, I’m telling you this because you’re the only person who can spot an issue before it becomes visible. If you even suspect something may be wrong, tell me. Let me deal with it. I won’t allow him to become a risk to our community, even at the cost of our friendship.”
“It won’t happen.”
“You said that about Jared too.”
Quin bit back a retort.
“I hope I’m wrong, Quin.” Surei shook her head. “I have to tell you, if Keir wasn’t involved with the Sentiac, I wouldn’t let you take him. As it is, I’m still not certain…are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”
“I am. He asked to come with me. I can’t tell him no.”
“You could go without him. How would he follow you?”
“Oh, yeah, great idea! That would do wonders for his trust issues.”
The avian medic threw her hands up in despair, and Quin laughed.
“Then I wish you luck.” Surei glanced questioningly at her junior medic, who nodded. “You’re both cleared.”
* * * *
When Quin finally called at Keir’s door, he was ready to go and followed her wordlessly. Sky waited in the gateway room to see them off, a handful of packages wrapped and ready. Quin and Keir both wore good quality hooded, knee-length cloaks in dark brown, and long, leather boots. In defiance of the local dress code for the time, Quin wore tight leggings to match her companion’s and Keir had put on gloves to hide as much of his skin as possible. With the hoods up, no one would be able to spot anything alien about either of them without close examination. In any event, they planned to arrive after the evening curfew had begun, when the streets would be empty apart from the body collectors and occasional passing guard.
Quin adjusted the clasp on Keir’s cloak and gave him a reassuring grin. He knew he was radiating anxiety even though he had tried to lock his fears deep inside. There was a certain excitement at knowing they would be wandering unseen under the noses of Adalucien’s beleaguered citizens, at taking his first steps toward understanding his strange origin and the reasons behind it. It took the sharp edge from his apprehension, dulling its intensity, but could not completely untangle the knot in his chest.
Sky gave him a fanged smile before passing his packages to Quin, the largest first. “Smoke bombs for camouflage, two small incendiaries for a distraction,” he told her. “Don’t mix them up. There’s a ten second delay on them, with a pressure-activated fuse.”
“Thanks, Sky.”
The haemovore nodded to them both and left.
“Ready?” Quin asked
Speechless, he nodded. Quin seemed calm, but underneath it he could sense her trepidation, which only added to his own. He might be fearful at the prospect of facing the ghosts that haunted
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