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Stretching outwards, it scanned the surroundings. Many searched for it. Only one
could contain it. If it was the wrong one who took it...
Curling in on itself, it thought about it. Emotions it didn t have, but it knew
logic. Logic said that death might happen if everything did not go as it should. Old
Ways had always been. New Ways were a threat. The Third Way...
It looked out into the darkness, seeing that which others couldn t see. It knew
what was out there, and what was closing in on it.
Darkness came in many forms.
~ * ~
Head bent against the lashing rain, Tasi crept carefully up the slope. The wind
pushed at her and she was thankful for the cloak that Heddam had insisted on
giving her.
Heddam. So big, so kind, so gentle.
So passionate.
Even now the heat from his kiss kept her warm from the inside. Unfortunately,
that s how it was always going to be. A memory to drag out on cold nights to keep
her warm.
Shaking away the self pity that for a brief second hovered on the edges of her
conscious, Tasi pushed the troubling thoughts aside and squinted up the mountain.
The entrance to the cave was close, the wind, rain and bushes combining to make it
invisible to those who didn t know its whereabouts.
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She had a duty to do and nothing was going to stop her doing it. Unaware of the
root now showing above the ground, she tripped and slid ten feet down the slippery
slope whilst barely managing to retain her balance.
Well, being dead could severely put a cramp in doing her duty. Shaking her
head, she heaved a sigh and started up the ground she d just lost.
Finally she was walking carefully behind the bushes concealing the entrance to
the cave. Once inside, she stood in the dampness and listened. Nothing moved,
nothing sounded. Going by instinct alone, she moved silently into the depths of the
cave, keeping her hands out until she touched the rock wall.
Trailing her hands along it for guidance, she walked further in, turning with the
tunnel. Deeper and deeper into the mountain she went until finally she saw the
glow of the fire.
Who goes there? a voice asked from the darkness beyond.
It s me, Balfour. Tasi stepped into the light and dropped the pack on the floor.
Where s Acantha?
Killed by soldiers. Shrugging off the cloak, Tasi spread it out over a nearby
rock before turning to face the fire. Holding her hand out to the flickering flames,
she watched as Balfour stepped from the dark nook in the wall.
Sadness filled his eyes. He sighed, his face tired. Was it quick?
Remembering the slow way Acantha had bled out on the floor, Tasi nodded.
Why add pain when there was no need for it? The only one who would carry the
memory was herself. Balfour had enough problems of his own.
Namely the fact that he was head of what remained of the Guardians... herself
and him.
Coming into the light, he laid the laser down on the rock beside the cloak.
Looking down at it, he raised his brows before transferring his gaze to Tasi.
Daamen traders hid me from the Aora soldiers. She rubbed her hands briskly.
One of them gave me the cloak. They also gave me food. Squatting down, she
picked up the pack and delved into it, withdrawing the package of bread and
several different spreads.
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Daamen traders, you say? Balfour watched with interest as she searched in the
bag once more and withdrew several emergency packs, full meals needing only
several drops of water.
Placing the food on another rock, she dropped to the floor to sit cross-legged
while Balfour took several slices of bread and a tube of spread. When he offered
her some, she shook her head.
Ate already, she informed him. They fed me well.
Sitting beside her, Balfour said quietly, Tell me what happened.
They somehow got a lock on us as we drew near to the settlement. They came
from nowhere, there was no sign of their presence anywhere near the settlement.
One minute they weren t there, the next they were everywhere. Pulling the
bandanna down, Tasi touched the kyrat. Acantha got hurt, we managed to get into
the settlement and hide.
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