Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [83]
‘Odd. I have the same question for you,’ Shane answered, his eyes even with hers.
They glared at each other, speaking in their native tongue. Rosette followed the conversation, but the body language alone would have given them away—testy, belligerent, defensive. Rosette turned to Jarrod and shrugged. He shook his head, apparently no wiser than she.
‘Let’s get out of this rain,’ he said, brushing strands of damp hair from her cheeks. She fell into step beside him as they returned to the portal.
‘Do you know where we are?’ she asked when they were under the rocky overhang. ‘It looks a little early for us.’
‘My thoughts exactly, though I recognise the spot,’ he said. ‘Even in this state.’
‘You do?’
‘It was once a very beautiful place.’
‘What? An ASSIST complex?’
‘Not at all. It’s the estate of Luka Paree.’
‘The place that Kreshkali’s searching for?’
He nodded.
She looked out towards the barren land; a flash of lightning turned everything blue-white before it went back to its bleak and murky hues. ‘But this is before Kreshkali brought us over, isn’t it?’
‘I’d say so.’
Rosette pushed her wet hair out of her eyes. ‘The portals aren’t running true for me, Jarrod. What about you?’
‘Definitely askew. I get the feeling someone’s tampering.’
‘Tampering?’
‘I think so. Trackers might be hacking into the plasma stream, or it could be a spell.’ He glanced towards Selene and Shane. They were still arguing in the rain.
‘If there are trackers about, that means ASSIST has gone underground,’ Rosette said.
‘Or trackers could have been wandering through the corridors since Kreshkali crossed over. We have to find them in either case.’
She frowned. ‘You said you’ve been to Treeon? My Treeon?’
Jarrod laughed, reaching into his pocket. ‘I have indeed, and I’ve got these to prove it. ’ He pulled out several moss-green apples and handed her one, tossing the others to Shane and Selene. ‘Catch,’ he called out, getting their attention.
‘You’re divine,’ she said, polishing the fruit on the inside of her coat and biting into the crisp skin. She captured the sugary liquid that spilled over her lips with a sweep of her tongue. ‘We were just there too, but it turned out to be a different time. It was very strange. Nell was strange…Oh, this tastes good!’ She examined the apple before taking another bite.
‘The entire journey since we left Tensar has been strange,’ Selene said. She’d turned away from Shane and was staring at Rosette. ‘I imagined you differently.’
Rosette stopped chewing. ‘Did you?’
‘From the way he talks, I pictured you more…mature.’
Rosette lifted a brow and smiled. ‘Thank you.’ Turning to Jarrod, she asked, ‘Did you see the Caller? Is that world sorted out?’
‘Still working on it—long story.’ He dropped his eyes to Fynn, who was twisting around to chew at the base of his tail. ‘I can see you’ve some stories as well. Where’d you pick him up?’
‘You first,’ she said, leaning her back against the rock wall. ‘What’s happened since I saw you last?’ Her eyes drifted from his face to Selene. ‘I want all the details.’
Rosette had finished her apple by the time Jarrod explained his experience on Tensar. She held the core between her thumb and first finger, absently rotating it from side to side. ‘And why did Selene get you away?’
‘She’s got her doubts about the Caller.’ He lowered his voice. ‘Says she might be interfering with the borders and enlisted me to help her find out.’
‘I thought you might have been “enlisted”.’ She winked. ‘And have you solved that mystery?’
‘Which one?’
Rosette laughed, then turned to consider Shane and Selene. They had renewed their argument and were speaking in low, harsh voices, unaware of Rosette’s scrutiny.
‘Explain how you learned her language so fast?’ Selene fired the question at Shane.
He shrugged. ‘I told you, we had plenty of time—we were caught in a loop.’
‘For how long?’
‘For long enough to learn each other’s language.’
‘Long enough for other things as well, I see,’ Selene said, her face curled into a sneer.
‘You don’t know what you see,’ Shane said. His