“I was scouting when I heard weapons fire.”Roderick eyed the dagger she was still kind of pointing at him.“Is there a reason you’re threatening me with that?”
“Still a little jumpy,” Kira lied.
She lowered her arm, the dagger now pointed at the ground but still clutched in her hand.
Roderick watched her carefully.Kira didn’t know what it was, but something about the look in his eyes was tweaking her paranoia.
She chanced a quick glance at the trees he’d come through.“Find anything interesting out there?”
“Nothing of note.”
Kira thought he was a little too quick with that answer.Combined with the very aggressive eye contact and she couldn’t help but think he was hiding something.
“It sounds like the attack has drawn to an end,” Roderick said.“We should probably rejoin the rest of the group.”
Kira glanced at the trees one last time.“Of course.Lead the way.”
Roderick wavered, looking like he hadn’t expected her easy capitulation.His forehead crinkled before his expression smoothed out.
Kira didn’t know what was going through his mind as he brushed past her.She turned and followed, hoping that whatever it was didn’t end with her at war with her cousin.
They hadn’t gone far before they heard her name being called.Retracing Kira’s steps, they headed toward the sound of Raider’s voice.
As soon as they appeared out of the forest, Raider dropped the hands he had cupped around his mouth.“There you are.The big guy was getting antsy.”
He nodded at the unhappy Finn by his side.
“This is why I have trust issues,” Finn said stiffly.
Kira glanced at Raider.“You weren’t worried?”
“Not for a little dust up like that.”
“I don’t suppose you left any of them alive to interrogate?”Kira asked, glancing at Finn to find him studying Roderick.
“Where have you been?”Finn asked abruptly.
“Scouting.”
It was the same answer Roderick had given Kira.He was consistent if nothing else.
Finn wielded silence the way others did words.His distrust and suspicion as loud and unmistakable as a shout.
Roderick’s expression remained arranged in polite, neutral lines even as he held Finn’s stare.
Kira found her patience quickly waning.This confrontation could go on forever if she let it.And might, since they were Tuann.“About my earlier question.Did you and Dylan leave anyone alive to interrogate?”
Several long moments passed where the two studied each other.
“No,” Finn answered finally.
“It’s not a total loss though,” Raider said.“We may have found something.”
Roderick remained behind as Raider beckoned them to follow.They made their way over to one of the bodies.Raider crouched to roll up the dead person’s sleeve, exposing a tattoo of a skull with purple tubular shaped flowers growing out of one eye socket and its mouth.Black berries hung from its stem.
“Mean anything to you?”Raider asked.
“Atropa belladonna.More commonly known as deadly nightshade,” Kira said.
