Arrows of Time - Kim Falconer [84]
‘Don’t I? I think I see perfectly well. And I can add, too. You speak her language, and that’s not all, is it!’
Rosette touched Jarrod’s shoulder. ‘What are they arguing about?’
‘You tell me,’ Selene snapped, her green eyes zeroing in on Rosette.
Jarrod raised his hands. ‘Whoa, now. They understand each other’s language,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t mean any taboo has been broken or boundaries crossed.’
‘What taboo? What boundaries?’ Rosette asked, returning Selene’s look.
‘We have some pressing matters in front of us,’ Jarrod interrupted. ‘Let’s stay on the immediate topic.’
Selene crossed her arms and closed her mouth.
‘Rosette, what happened when you reached Tensar? You must have got out of the portal.’
‘I certainly did. Many times.’ She described their journey, the recurring loop at the entrance to Tensar, her meetings with Shane and their escape through the subterranean waterway. Jarrod questioned her frequently, especially her experiences of Nell as a girl and at the Dumarkian Temple. Rosette was about to elaborate on her own theory when the ground beneath them rolled. A searing bolt of electricity lit the sky and the cliff face rattled. The rain stopped. Rosette blanched. ‘Shaker’s coming. A big one.’
‘This way.’ Jarrod waved them deeper into the crevice. ‘We’ve got to get out of here.’
Shane and Selene hung back.
Rosette braced against the wall. ‘Quickly, you two. We’ve got to go.’
‘I’m not going back in there,’ Selene yelled over the falling rubble. ‘It’s collapsing.’
‘That’s why we need to get through the portal before it does. The corridors are safe.’
‘I’m not so sure,’ she said.
‘I am!’ Rosette grabbed at her sleeve and made to pull her forward. Selene stood back, her hand going to her sword. Rosette automatically did the same.
‘What’s the problem?’ Jarrod asked, rushing back. ‘We’ve got to move.’ He looked at the women, squared off for battle. ‘What happened?’ he asked Shane.
‘Nothing.’
Selene planted her feet, keeping her eyes locked on Rosette. ‘Where are you taking us?’
‘I’ve got to find Nell—the Nell of my time.’ She let out her breath. ‘What’s wrong with you? We’ll be buried alive if we don’t move.’
Selene didn’t answer.
Maudi, we need to go now.
Rosette broke the connection, turned away from the other woman and stared at the wrought-iron gate. It rolled with the quaking ground as if a giant serpent was travelling beneath it. The apple core still in her hand, she raised her arm and hurled it towards the fence. It hit the post and splattered. When she turned back, her voice was strong. ‘Nell’s the missing piece to this riddle. You can come with us to find her, or you can stay here and be buried under a ton of rock. Your choice.’
‘I think there’s more than one missing piece,’ Selene said, tilting her head towards Shane. ‘I’m not moving until I see it.’
Rosette wiped her hands on her coat-tail while mouthing a silent question to Jarrod. What’s going on?
He shrugged. ‘I get the feeling she thinks you and Shane have been…’
‘Have been what?’ Her eyes widened. ‘Intimate? You’re joking, aren’t you?’
Apparently it’s a sore point, Maudi. Her temple cat stood by her side, his legs braced against the building shaker.
Rosette spun back to Selene. ‘You think I’ve been having my way with him?’ She tossed her hand towards Shane. ‘That’s what this is about?’
Selene lifted her chin, unmoved. ‘It’s obvious,’ she said.
Jarrod stepped between them. ‘Can you two continue this debate in the portal? We really need to get out of this time-space, or do you fancy entombment?’
‘No, no. Let’s clear this up right now.’ Rosette bristled as she spoke. ‘What exactly is the problem?’
‘He wouldn’t be the first bard you had an eye for…’ Selene said, her voice trailing off.
Rosette spun on Jarrod. ‘What have you been telling her?’
He started to speak, but Rosette turned back to Selene.
‘First of all, what difference does it make if we’ve been having all kinds of sex? You don’t possess him, do you? Control his capacity for love and intimacy? I don’t remember slavery being on