She’d been pretty sure he wanted her to gethim past the mist and into the Highlands. To be truthful, she’dbeen expecting that all along. The Lowlands were civilized to apoint. They didn’t have as many beasts, or they hadn’t before thissummer, so they weren’t as isolated as the Highlands. At the sametime, that isolation was the Highlands greatest advantage. The onlyway to attack it was from the border near the Badlands and fewwould brave that land long enough to launch an invasion. As aresult, the Highlands hadn’t been conquered or seen a significantinvasion in over a thousand years.
For the same reason, the Highlands kept thesecrets of a long dead civilization locked away in its stretches ofthinly populated land. Shea’s people held the key.
The most obvious secret, and the one Fallonwould be most interested in, was the boomer. The Lowlands simplydidn’t have anything to like it. To be truthful most of theHighlands didn’t either. Shea’s people, the conclave that trainedguides, did though. If Shea hadn’t angered the elders, she wouldhave probably been given her own weapon to look after.
Her people’s cache of weapons were keptsecret from the rest of the Highlands. Though boomers were commonknowledge, the worst of the weapons, the ones that sparked thecataclysm, were kept hidden. Shea didn’t know how Fallon had foundout about them, but she could guess. Paul. If she was ever alonewith him again, she’d probably kill him.
She crossed her arms over her knees andrested her head on them. She never should have stayed with Eamonand the others as long as she had.
Shea picked up the soap again and scrubbed ather skin. Her pleasure in the luxury had fled on Fallon’s heels,and she simply wanted to be done.
Minutes later she contemplated the outfitTrenton had given her. This couldn’t be all of it. Two tiny scrapsof unadorned cotton lay on the bed. The first was a band designedto wrap around her chest, leaving her stomach, shoulders and armsbare. The small skirt that went with it looked like it would barelycover her ass.
The towel she wore covered more than theproposed clothes.
“Are you ready yet?” Trenton said impatientlyfrom outside.
“I think there’s been some mistake.”
There was a silent pause and then the leathertent flap was slapped aside as Trenton entered.
Shea stiffened and clutched her toweltighter.
He rolled his eyes and told her, “Relax. Ihave no intentions towards you. Just imagining what the warlordwould do to me is enough to kill any of those thoughts.”
Shea watched him carefully as heapproached.
“What’s the problem?”
She pointed at the bed. “What am I supposedto do with these?”
He looked from her to the bed before raisinghis eyebrows and giving her a look as if he thought she was a bitof an idiot. “Put them on.”
Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. He knewwhat she meant.
“Where’s the rest of the outfit?”
“That’s it.”
Shea could feel her blood pressure rising.She was not wearing that. If need be, she’d put her old clothes on.At this point, she didn’t care if they were coated in dirt andsweat from a day spent training.
She looked around. Not finding her oldclothes, she asked, “Where are the clothes I was wearing?”
He crossed his arms and shrugged.
“Where. Are. The. Clothes. I. Was.Wearing?”
The sardonic twist of his lips told hereverything she needed to know.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.
They were gone. Either Fallon had taken themwhile she’d been lazing in the tub or someone else had come inwhile she was distracted and gotten rid of them.
“This is ridiculous,” she hissed softly toherself.
“Put those on and get out there.”
“I’m not wearing these.”
