I instantly whisper his command, and as soon as all of us are in the deep shadows, Ludo approaches the rock wall.
His head angles to one side.
—Camera—
"There’s a camera,” I tell the others.
“Is it on?” Cosmo asks.
—I think yes, Someone watching the portal—
“It wasn’t there before, was it?” I ask Ludo.
—No, this is new—
“What’s he saying?” Alexis asks.
I explain, and he frowns. “Helvetti!Then we should expect company shortly. Ludo, is there another way out of here?”
—One way in, one way out—
I shake my head at Alexis.
“In that case, I suggest we haul ass. No point just waiting here like immobile chickens.”
Immobile chickens? Oh, sitting ducks. I’ve noticed he acts more Kormovian when he’s stressed.
“I’ll contact Striker while we move,” Cosmo says, pulling his phone out, then cursing. “Fuck, no battery.”
“There would be no signal down here anyway,” Max says. “That's a good thing. Means the camera can’t stream a live feed unless it’s hard-wired. Which it obviously isn’t.”
Huh. Max must be a tech-guy. I wouldn't have guessed that.
“Let’s move fast anyway. The camera proves someone has been down here.”
Maximus ignores his cousin and walks over to the secreted piece of equipment. He gives the lens the middle finger, then removes it from its mount.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Alexis hisses.
“Chill, Lex. You’re gonna burst a blood vessel one of these days.”
He fiddles with it some more then returns it to its original place. “I just wiped the last thirty minutes. And it doesn’t have any sound recording, so it’s OK to speak. If you all keep to the edge, you’re out of range and won’t be picked up. No need to all rush and thank me.”
That was actually excellent thinking. “Thanks, Maximus.”
“No problemo, princess,” he winks. “Someone’s got to keep you safe if these meat-heads can’t.”
Growls sound around the cavern. I’m not sure who from.
“Oh, for fucks sake,” Cosmo snaps. “Can we go? Another hour in your company and I’m going to kill someone.”
???
Moving into the main tunnel, my skin once again reacts to the wards surrounding the cavern. Now, though, I’m more able to understand the strange, complex wards.
They seem almost…loyal to me.
Do they keep away anyone who may cause Avalon harm? Or be a danger to me? I’m not sure, but it’s something like that. It makes me feel more relaxed about the video camera monitoring.
