Kavon gave a quick nod as he gripped the wheel. “Can the durance see us?”
“I have no idea,” Julie said, “not for sure. But the one in back is the only one vivid enough to stand out, and even that mark is fading, so probably not. But don’t quote me.”
“Oh shit,” Kavon said. “That’s why the docent have been avoiding us. They hoped to hide us from the enemy.”
“Do you think?” Darren asked. He hoped it was true, but that hope felt like ridiculous optimism.
“We’ll know soon enough,” Kavon said. “If our guides are staying away to hide us, they should show up the second we confront the durance.”
“But... why?” Darren felt a weird sense of betrayal at the idea that Bennu had abandoned him to hunt the durance alone, leaving him behind. That was exactly the sort of shit Darren expected from Kavon, not Bennu.
Les nudged him. “Didn’t you tell me that you and Kavon told the docent to give you time to find a solution? It seems like they backed off and gave you that time.”
From the front seat, Julie said, “I hope you used that time to come up with a plan, because these old tricksters can destroy worlds.” Once again, an awkward silence filled the SUV as Kavon pulled into the parking lot of the hotel where Ahtisham was going to set up on the roof. Julie got out with him, and Darren had never been so happy to see the backside of an old woman.
