The guard behind them called out something as she began to prop Linao up, but then adjusted his tone when he realized what Velda was doing. He said nothing more, allowing Velda to help Linao into the same cell Ethan had already been forced into.
It held two double bunks and a tiny basin and toilet at the back, with a screen separating the bathroom from the rest of the cell.
“No shower,” Velda said.
Ethan put an arm around her in comfort, and Linao looked between them as she collapsed on to the bottom bunk on the left.
“So what?” she asked. “We’ve got bigger things to worry about.”
Before Velda could respond, the door of the cell opened again.
“You.” The guard pointed to her. “Come.”
Ethan’s grip on her tightened. “Can I come, too?” he asked.
“No.” A laz was pointed at him, but because they were so close together, it was effectively pointed at them both.
Ethan released his hold immediately and stepped back, hands away from his sides.
“Good.” The guard eyed Ethan with dislike and stepped back, motioning Velda to come, and Velda glanced back to see Ethan staring after her, hands clenched at his sides, before the door closed.
She was taken down long, dark corridors, only barely lit.
She wondered if the Caruso could see better in the dark, or if this was a power saving effort.
Whatever it was, she blinked a little at the brightness of the room she was led into. Two soldiers were present, neither one of them seated.
One had on a uniform, and it looked subtly more formal than the ones she’d seen so far. He was probably the captain, or at least a high ranking officer.
The other Caruson didn’t seem to be wearing a uniform at all. He wore loose black clothes, the most casual she’d ever seen on a Caruson, and she didn’t know if he was just off duty, or not in the military at all.
She studied him while trying to pretend she wasn’t doing just that.
There was a table, and numerous chairs, but she didn’t want to sit, and so she stood just within the door, hands clasped together, and waited.
After the Caruson had given her the once over, the uniformed one crossed massive arms over his chest. “You are Velda Shanïha? Aponi Head of Defense?”
“Yes.” She lifted her gaze to meet his, and he gave a grunt of satisfaction.
“What do you know about the woman you say is Linao?”
It had been a toss-up to Velda as to whether she’d be asked about Linao or the silver balls. Now she knew what they were more interested in.
“I only met her yesterday for the first time, and I’ve been a prisoner that whole time, either of the Cores, or of you, so not much.” She twisted her lips in what she hoped they’d read as regret.
“She was introduced to you as Linao?” the one in black asked.
“The other crew referred to her as Linao, she never introduced herself.” Velda wondered if they were second-guessing if she really was Linao.
“And what did they say?” Mr. Black asked.
“They said she was lucky they had been told to swing out of their way to fetch her on their trip to give you the ore, because that wouldn’t have been done for anyone else,” Velda said.
“Why did they have to do that? Why did they have to fetch her?” Uniform tilted his head in question.
“Apparently she had escaped from an Aponi military prison and needed to get out of our system fast.” Velda still hated that that had been possible. That there were people in her department who the Cores had been able to manipulate.
“In prison?” Mr. Black sounded very interested. “Do you know what she was doing there?”
