A stone ball weighed down Eos’ stomach. The thought that she was anything like this woman… “I’m nothing like you.”
Darc turned, her small but wicked knife in her hand. “Whatever keeps the peace in your little world. Now, where did the Terran colonists put their treasures?”
Eos stared at the way the sun gleamed off the blade. “Our greatest treasures rest beneath sanctuary. Sounds like the treasures are underground.”
“Keep going.”
“Sanctuary.” What the hell did that mean? “A place of safety.”
“A shelter? A medical center?”
“No.” Eos sank into the mystery, imagined the colonists setting up their new community. “A medical center would be too busy. And we haven’t found any sort of storm or attack shelters.”
“What else could it be?”
Eos turned slowly, studying the sun-drenched ruins. She imagined Hawkins standing in the same spot, surveying his new colony. In her pocket, she fingered the delicate links of the necklace and wondered if she was quick enough to drop it without Darc noticing. Leave a clue for Dathan to find.
“Where else, doctor?”
“There’s an older Terran meaning for a sanctuary.” It was like a solar flare in her head. “It was a sacred place. A place of worship.” Eos looked at Darc. “It’s under their church.”
“Well done, Dr. Rai.” Darc drew a double-barreled disruptor from her back holster. She pressed it to Eos’ chest.
“Anything on the scans?”
Zayn held up his handheld scanner, leaning against the wall, still a little unsteady on his feet. “Nothing. Darc’s blocking.”
“Fuck.” Dathan punched a fist into the rock wall. Relished the pain. “We’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way and search.” But it was going to take time.
Time Eos might not have.
Striding out of the cavern and back into the street, Dathan scanned the ground. He grunted and crouched on the road, looking for any sign that the women had come this way.
Nik was a brooding presence a few meters away. He was tapping furiously on his Sync.
“What the hell are you doing, Nik?” Dathan snapped. “Now isn’t the time to write an essay.”
Nik froze and slipped the Sync away. “Sorry. It was nothing.”
“They come this way?” Zayn asked.
“Darc isn’t stupid. She’d be covering their tracks.” Dathan swiped a hand through the sand, frustrated. Then a glimmer ahead caught his eye.
He strode to the item, half-buried in the sand. He snatched it up.
Nik moved closer. “A Terran necklace. It’s quality work.”
“I saw it in the cavern. Eos was studying it earlier.”Eos. “Our clever doc is leaving us a trail.” He pointed deeper into the ruins.
They moved quickly, his brothers flanking him. He didn’t have to watch out for an attack because he trusted them to have his back. After talking with Eos about family, he realized maybe he’d taken his brothers for granted.
Next, he found a tiny silver earring.
After that, the earring’s mate.
“I hope Darc doesn’t discover what Eos is doing,” Dathan muttered.
“We’ll find them.” Nik stared ahead. “And when we do, Darc is mine.”
