Arly didn’t budge as Roderick herded the children away.“I can help.”
“I need you with them,” Kira said.
And not just because she didn’t trust Arly at her back.Roderick was in no shape to fight off a noodle let alone another Tsavitee.With Arly, they at least had a chance of survival if anything happened.
Arly must have realized that too because she reluctantly headed in the direction they’d taken.
Kira waited until she couldn’t hear them anymore before lifting the scorpion off her shoulder and setting it on the wall.
“Find your moment,” she told it.
The scorpion waved its claws at her before disappearing into the room.
Kira silently followed a second later.She rounded the corner and stopped.Guess when the kids begged her to save “big brother”, they really meant “grown ass adult”.
As in a fully grown Caius.
Of course, Caius was the one they were asking her to save.
He was in bad shape too.Having obviously undergone torture.He hung half suspended from the ceiling by his wrists.His legs were encased up to his thighs by the same amber resin that had held the Tsavitee in suspended animation.Someone had pried the synth armor off his body to expose his arms, chest, and back to which they’d taken a whip, leaving no spot untouched.
Despite the extreme pain he had to be in, he remained unbroken.Entirely focused on Az and Bez’s argument.
A part of Kira relaxed as she saw the way he watched them.She knew that gaze.Had used it on more than one occasion herself.He was waiting.Biding his time until an opportunity presented itself.Then he would strike and the ones who offended him would die.
How did Bez and Az not notice the rage lurking in the depths of his eyes?He’d taken what they’d done very personally.
Then again, betrayal on the magnitude Caius had suffered always was.It burrowed under the skin, shading every interaction until you didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t.
At Kira’s entrance, Caius’s head lifted slightly.
Not yet, Caius,Kira told him silently.She needed him to hold on just a few more seconds.
He settled back in his chains.
They clinked, drawing an irritated look from Az.“Will you give it a rest?You’re not getting out of those.”
Using the distraction Caius had so nicely given her, Kira slipped a little closer.
She couldn’t do that neat trick the oshota had where they just appeared out of thin air sometimes, but she could move soundlessly and smoothly.She was hoping that would be enough.
“I knew there was a traitor in my pod, but I wasn’t expecting it to be you two.”
“No, not me.I’m not part of this,” Bez objected.
“You’re in it as much as I am,” Az snapped.
“No, Az.No, I’m not.”
“Who do you think I’m doing this for?”Az screamed.
“Yourself!”Bez’s voice broke.“You’re doing it for yourself.Not me.I never wanted this.Caius.”There was a catch in Bez’s throat.“How could you do this to Caius?He gave us everything.”
Az’s laugh was scornful.“You call that everything?He made us beg for scraps while they sneered and mocked us.We are House Roake’s slaves, doing the dirty jobs their oshota are too good for.”
Tears coursed down Bez’s cheeks.“We chose that, Az.Us.We did that.They didn’t make us.”
Az bowed her head.
