“I’m not telling you anything,” the girl snapped.
“I don’t want to know where it is,” Fox said, already regretting his decision. “I need to know you have somewhere to run and hide. If you’re caught, my ass is on the line.”
She didn’t speak immediately, blinking at him.
“I know you’re not stupid,” he snapped. He didn’t wait for her to answer, grabbing her arm and pulling her toward the stairs. She resisted for only a moment before she seemed to catch up with what was happening.
“You’re letting me go.”
“You’re escaping,” he said flatly. “I wasn’t here. I had nothing to do with any of this.”
She stopped in her tracks, and he gave a growl.
“I’m not leaving without the others.”
“Then you’re not leaving.”
Her face went red, and her mouth opened to argue.
He swallowed his own anger and turned, crouching down to look her in the eyes. She was shorter than him by at least six inches.
“Listen,” he said, softening his voice. “If you escape, the chief commander likely won’t even go after you. You’re replaceable. If I let everyone out of those cells, he’ll know this was more than a stupid fluke on Rogo’s part. He’ll put together a search party, and everyone back there will be replaced by another innocent Dragonborn by tomorrowmorning. I know that’s not the answer you want, but this is all I have for you.”
She looked at the tunnel back to the cells, truly debating her own freedom.
“If you escape now, you can return for the others. With help and backup. You’re no use to anyone locked up in here.”
“Easy for you to say,” she said, eyes narrowing. “Eha told me to trust you. I think she’s an idiot.”
Fox heard the dragon snort between the crunching of bones.
“You’re right. You shouldn’t trust me. You shouldn’t trust anyone. But you need to make a decision.”
She didn’t respond, but she nodded and started toward the stairs.
“Are you going to be okay?”he asked Eha, even as he followed behind the Dragonborn girl.
“There is nothing he can do to me he has not already done,”she said, in an answer that only made Fox’s jaw tense.
“Take care of yourself. I’ll be back tomorrow for my shift.”
“You worry about yourself, Pale One.”
Fox didn’t respond. He didn’t argue. But he wanted to. He’d spent too many sun cycles worrying only about himself, and look where it had gotten him.
The night was still dark and the streets empty when they made it out of the building.
“Don’t get caught. They’re requiring tokens to cross the gates, so you’ll have to figure out an option or sneak through.”
“I’ll figure it out. I don’t need your help.”
Not for the first time, the girl with her perpetual scowl and snappy words reminded him of Sofia. He turned before she could see his expression.
“Fine. Good luck.”
She said nothing, but as he strode down the street toward home, he almost thought he heard the softestthank you.
CHAPTER TWO
