He reached over and touched her shoulder, his broad hand so large against her bony frame. "Our secret, ok? I just thought you were being a bitch again. What happens if you do talk to me?"
She stared at the floor, her eyes slowly inspecting the creases between each tile. "We are about to reach our destination. I will not let this happen again, Brother Sin. I apologize for my behavior."
"Ingénue," he said, feeling the little spark between them fading quickly. "You should know the Legion did not assign me to protect OutLink. My only vow is to protect you, Ingénue R1554-9370S-02K16. They didn't even give me your name."
"Yes, Legate."
"Princess, I'm not going to tellanyoneif you talk to me." He rubbed her shoulder gently and leaned back. This assignment wasofficiallynothing like he'd expected.
Silence hung between them. He tried to find a way to get her talking again, but she simply stared at the floor. Part of his job was to be a confidante. He served as a conscience and a soundingboard, his clients' secrets protected by his litany of vows. He'd never had a client so reticent around him. Sure, it usually took a bit for them to warm up, but Sin was good at setting people at ease. At least he always had been before. This time, he was failing. He might be able to protect the girl's body, but what about the rest?
"I hate silence," he admitted. "Always have. Kinda makes me feel like I'm alone in the world, you know?"
"It really is blue," the girl said.
It took him a second to figure out what she was talking about. "Your favorite color?"
"Dark blue, like the sky just before it turns purple."
"Indigo?"
She shook her head, the edges of her hood swishing against her face. "Too purple. Almost midnight blue."
"Like my armor?"
She looked over, her eyes on his legs and shrugged. "Close. A bit lighter."
"Almost iridescent with hints of purple in the shadows and promises of vibrance in the highlights?" He nodded. "That point in the evening where it isn't night and isn't day, and you aren't sure if you're ready for it all to end."
"You've seen it?" She dared to look at him, those silver eyes trembling between each of his.
"Yeah." He ducked his head to see her better. "You haven't?"
"Only in pictures."
How the hell had she never seen twilight? What was going on in OutLink? Could he really have been so wrong about this girl? He checked his watch. Four hours until sunset, and there was no way he'd be able to keep her out that long without her employers asking questions. Frustrated, he bounced his fist against the arm of the chair, his mind whirling.
"Princess, I'm gonna make sure you see it. We'll take the long way back one afternoon and head to the top of a building. Up there, the sky goes on for miles, and you can almost feel it curving around the planet."
The train began to slow, their destination the next stop. His free time with her was coming to an end, but that spark was back. Today he'd take her through the gardens, and he'd find a time to let her see twilight.
"It's a nice thought, Brother Sin," she said. "I won't hold you to it, but thank you for the offer." She adjusted the skirts of her robe, one hand reaching up to the left side of her face, checking the placement of her veil.
"And you should probably know that discussions with your priest are confidential and off the record." He stood and offered her a hand. "Anything you tell me, at any time, is only between us and God."
She took his hand with a grip more firm than he expected. Once she was standing, her eyes met his again, stronger this time, more confident. "God is a statistical improbability."
"Yeah. Not an impossibility. Life is a statistical improbability too, but," he gestured around them, "it's happened more than once. Earth, and now here on Tyche." He tilted his head to the door just as the glass hissed open.
The girl moved to his side, pausing before she stepped across the threshold. "So, there could be more than one god?" Without waiting for the answer, she crossed the narrow gap to the platform, leaving him no way to answer without betraying her confidence.
He laughed and reached down for her elbow, guiding her away from the people. So she was brilliant. She also had a sense of humor under those robes, and a very quick wit. She'd just taunted his religion and put him in a position where he had totake it. The most impressive thing was, she'd done it all without raising her voice.
The entire walk from the station to the DCB offices, he found himself chuckling. She was going to keep him on his toes, but he needed it. Beside him, the demure figure in OutLink blue glided along the ground as if she was more mechanical than human. For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was doing the right thing. He was the hand of God, and he'd finally been assigned an angel who truly needed him.
She just had no idea what it meant to have a Legate protector. Not yet.
Chapter Ten
