“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
Despite her words, she didn’t move to return his physical comfort, and her arms stayed at her side. However, she didn’t pull away from him, either, and he grabbed onto the slimmest of hopes that they’d find their way back to one another.
He had no idea how long they stood overlooking the lake, but God finally called them back to the group.
“We have a bit more of a hike. There’s a restaurant at the top of the mountain. It will help us solidify our cover as tourists. Hope nobody gets motion sickness.”
“Only when Medusa’s driving,” TB grumbled.
“Good thing she’s not here, then,” Nemo teased. “I doubt Confiteria Giratoria revolves fast enough for her. She’d probably try to find the controls and make it spin like a top.”
“How do you plan to get Scheherazade in there?” Demon asked.
Gem reached into her pack and pulled out a dog vest that read “Service Animal” and “Do Not Pet.”
TB snorted. “That dog has never met a person she didn’t demand pets from. It’ll never work.”
“When she’s in work mode, she does fine,” Nemo assured him. “If she gets twitchy, I’ll take her outside. Relax. We’ve done this with her before.”
A sharp whistle blew, and God ordered, “All right, people. Let’s move.”
Loki led the way, and the team paired off into their fake travel partners. Daleyza and Steel were at the end of the line, while God brought up the rear so he could confer with them.
“I know this is difficult, being back here, Senora Ortiz, and that the situation is unusual.” Even he had picked up on the tension. “We’re very grateful for your help.”
“You’re welcome.” She flushed beyond what the cold wind brought to her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m having difficulty calling you by your name.”
He smiled. “Understood. Some of the team call me Janus, but why don’t you call me Royal. That’s my birth name.”
“Royal. Your parents must have thought you’d be kingly.”
A laugh burst through from deep in his chest. “I never knew my parents. I was named by the man who raised me. He, most definitely, thought himself kingly.” He abruptly changed the subject. “If your brother was holding someone for Hector Colonel, where would he be kept?”
Without hesitation, she replied, “El oubliette.”
“An oubliette? Those were prisons in medieval France.”
“Remember,” Steel told him. “European influences abound here.”
“But you said the Spaniards and the Germans.”
“Yes, but the Spaniards go much further back in history.”
“Spain and France would have been enemies.”
Daleyza explained, “European nations were often at war with one another. Land was how you demonstrated your power.”
“Like the Romans. Of course.”
“Exactly,” she confirmed. “The further back you go in history, the more enemies Spain gathered. Particularly during the time of the Inquisitions. France, Spain, Italy—they often warred over territories. Borders changed. Alliances were made, in some cases to prevent war, in others to gain power and finances in order to wage it. The intermixing of cultures, particularly those that dominated the borderlands of nations, allowed for countries to witness the methods and traditions of opposing countries.”
“Allowing them to adopt what they felt was superior to their own ways. I understand.”
“Correct. The English were constantly in opposition to France, yet they copied everything about their enemy, from fashion to architecture to their prisons. Spain was the same. Cultures often take on customs from those they’ve conquered.”
“Even negative ones,” God surmised.
“Yes. Even the worst of a culture provides some form of comfortto the subjugated because it’s something that hasn’t changed. It allows assimilation to progress faster.”
