Jack shook his head. At this point, almost nothing surprised him anymore.
Almost.
Madelaine pressed her thumb into the flash drive to display the locker number.
“Delta Echo Seventeen,” Madelaine said. “It says the same thing it did before. Awesome.”
Jack found the designation etched into a tall metallic pillar. A narrow slot sat at chest height with an oval metal piece under it.
“Do you have to press a thumb into both ovals at the same time to open it?” Jack asked.
“Perhaps. Could you help me hold the flash drive while I put my other thumb on the locker?” She handed the crystal flash drive to Jack.
He steadied it while she put her thumb on the back of the flash drive. They carefully inserted the crystal key and she pressed her other thumb to the oval under the slot.
Finger acrobatics could now be added to their resumes.
Silver light flashed through the locker and the flash drive. A low hum filled the air. Jack hoped it was a good hum.
A compartment at the bottom of the locker slid open. Inside sat a simple dark metal box, about the size and shape of a shoebox. This time, there were no markings, no labels and no warnings. Centered on top was another oval waiting for Madelaine’s thumbprint.
Madelaine pulled her hands free while Jack held on to the flash drive. She carefully lifted the box out of the compartment.
The moment the box was out, the crystal key made a staticky noise and put on a mini lightshow for them. He was waiting for it to dissolve into sparks of light and disappear, but after a few seconds, it went inert.
“Well, that was briefly dramatic for no particular reason,” Jack said.
“Indeed. Which is odd, because typically the Paladin Cabal dislikes anything dramatic.”
“Given what we’ve been through on this errand of yours, I might dispute that.”
Madelaine narrowed her gaze, then shrugged like she agreed with him.
Jack looked up. “Let’s get back. I’m not sure how much light we have left.”
She followed his gaze to the darkening violet sky. “Yep. I’d guess about half an hour or so. But we certainly don’t need to linger.”
They started back toward the ship.
Jack eyed the sharp-looking stickery trees. He would not want to run through them. He and Madelaine might be cut to ribbons before making it three steps inside the forest.
Without meaning to, Jack noticed that his steps were hurried. Beside him, Madelaine seemed to be matching his rushed pace.
She didn’t look happy.
“What is it?” he asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Unfortunately, we’re no longer alone.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The first warning was more instinct than any visual or audible clue.
Years of Paladin training had taught Madelaine to trust her instincts when she felt like something was off. And something was really off. The sensation had crawled across the back of her neck for the past twenty yards or so.
Someone was following them.
She tightened her grip on the package.
