Page 99 of Enthraller
“I’m guessing that was with weapons that just came in recently, after me and my Guan scanner left the obs station, and they were able to sneak them in.” Ed knew what they’d had in the warehouse that had gone up in flames, and the attempt on the hover port would not have been unsuccessful if they’d had access to that kind of weaponry.
“I don’t want to know.” The soldier pushed him a little harder, and he stumbled, reaching out a hand to steady himself against a pillar.
The soldier had brought them to the covered walkway built against the side of the building. The pillars that held up the steeply pitched roof were carved with the names of those who fought in various conflicts, and he felt the engravings under his palm.
“What is it?” The soldier’s question was sharp, and a little worried.
Ed looked up, happy to be making him so nervous, and looked straight into Wren’s eyes.
She lifted a hand to her lips, then moved back behind a pillar, into the shadows.
He stared, trying to work out if he’d imagined it.
Wren . . .
She must have crouched down, because when she peered out again, staring at him with worried eyes, she was low to the ground.
He bent over, hands to knees, just to drink in the sight of her.
She had dissipated. He shook his head, slowly straightening up. Her nanos had gotten her out in time. He hadn’t even considered . . .
He drew in a deep breath.
“You need to keep moving.” The soldier was looking around nervously.
He grunted an affirmation, began walking again. Speech was beyond him right now.
He forced himself not to look to his right when he passed the pillar she’d been hiding behind, but he guessed she would need to dissipate out of the military base, because the security was heavy.
Given the burning wreck behind him, he couldn’t blame them.
But that wreck didn’t have any significance for him any longer.
He could breathe again.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” The soldier hauled him toward the checkpoint out onto the street. “You better keep your mouth shut.”
Ed grunted again. That wouldn’t be a problem.
38
There had beenblood on Ed’s clothing.
Wren leaned against the building opposite the military base, getting over her third dissipation in less than an hour, and waited for him to come through the checkpoint.
The soldier who had clearly been holding a laz on him before, now looked like he was supporting Ed as they left, pretending to be helpful.
So that’s who was the inside informant at the base.
She stepped into the flow of pedestrians behind them, trying to see if Ed was injured from the way he walked, but he seemed all right.
His cuts had been treated, she saw now, but he was moving slowly.
When he stopped and leaned over his knees again, she felt a leap of worry, until he turned his head a little to look behind him, and locked gazes with her for a moment.
He was making sure she was there.
She felt a weigh lift off her, and kept only a few people between them all the way until they reached the warehouses behind the hover port.
