Neversfall - Ed Gentry [42]
"I know. I don't like it, either, but I've put a lot of thought into this."
"Tell me," she said.
Jhoqo smiled a little at her boldness and stood straight again. "Wait a moment, Terir. Maybe this is premature. Did you see her during the battle with the intruders?"
Loraica thought back to the fight and shook her head.
"Now a mission that she led to find the invaders failed," he said. "And she was very eager to speak with the formian prisoners. And she took that halfling prisoner with her on her mission." He stepped away from the wall, looking stern. "And she seems too friendly with our durir, doesn't she?"
Loraica could see the thought process on his face and knew his mind was working furiously through a puzzle. "Sir… collusion with the enemies? Leading her troops into a trap? Trying to divide our command?"
Jhoqo patted his hands in the air. "I just don't know what to make of any of it, and I want to be sure of her and her soldiers. Maybe I am being too cautious, but I'd rather be too careful than not careful enough."
Loraica fell silent for a while in the darkness. "Didn't Khatib examine her troops when we first met up? I thought he found them to be acceptable. Did he study her as well?"
Jhoqo shook his head. "It would have been an insult to examine her. Khatib may have secretly checked her out, but he's no longer around to ask," the commander said ruefully.
Loraica considered for a few moments. She didn't know Adeenya and had no reason to trust her, but spying still felt wrong. She looked into Jhoqo's face and thought about how many times his clever thinking had saved her life. Her decision was made.
"Aye, sir. I'll watch her."
Jhoqo smiled, clapping Loraica on the shoulders before turning to leave the wall. She resumed her patrol and spotted the rodent on the plains again. Whom did it trust? Whom did it doubt? Probably no one, she thought and envied the furry creature.
Chapter Eight
"You will free us," the formian said.
Taennen turned back and faced Guk. His strange, alien face, somewhat obscured in the dimness, was devoid of curiosity or hope. Taennen thought about what to say and decided on the truth. "I don't know."
"You will free us," Guk said, again with no question in his voice.
Of course Taennen would free them. They didn't need to be held any longer. Taennen nodded and began to speak. His mouth opened but no words came out. He could feel his mouth moving, trying to form the word "yes," but something was stopping him. He reached for the cell door to release Guk, his mouth still moving without sound.
His hand stopped shy of the door, his fingers trembling. He couldn't remember why he was going to release the formian. He was sure he was going to do so, but why? He turned and faced Guk, who cocked his head to one side with a twitch of his neck.
Thoughts of why he was doing what he was doing flitted across his mind. Taennen tried hard to grab those fleeting thoughts, but they felt slippery and flew away each time he reached out for them. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.
Images of the formians free in the courtyard played themselves out before his mind's eye, but beyond those images he couldn't seem to find the explanation. Reason and sense seemed to be images of their own, sharp-beaked birds pecking away at those scenes of the freed creatures. Suddenly the formian images shattered in his mind, and Taennen's eyes popped open and he stared at Guk.
"What did you…" he said. "How?"
Guk's antennae twitched and his head straightened, but the formian did not speak or otherwise move. Taennen realized that the thoughts and images had not come from his mind but from Guk's. Somehow the formian had attempted to convince Taennen to free him and his comrades. Taennen felt in control of himself again but knew he had come close to freeing the creatures.
"You're loose," Taennen said, seeing that Guk had broken the bindings on his hands and had partially removed the blindfold. When had that happened? How long had he been under Guk's influence?
"We'll double the bindings this time," he said.