“What is it?” Rhodes eyed me as he stepped back into the bay.
Locked in a rapport I did not understand, I gave my head a single, emphatic shake. Images flashed through my brain—Senaik, walking down the ramp of theStardrifter.Danger…The word echoed through my mind.
“Something is wrong,” I whispered.
Rhodes glanced out into the hall. “Seems all quiet.”
“I think Senaik got loose.”
My brother’s brows shot up. “Is this a premonition?”
“More like a warning.”
“From who?”
I grimaced. “Not sure. Xandros? It is not clear.”
“We have never experienced that kind of connection before,” Rhodes pointed out. “Unless…” He frowned.
I did not finish the thought for him, but I was not prepared for the hope that surged through me.
Unless Jaz and Xandros had bonded.
Rhodes had already moved on to the next logical conclusion—that Senaik could not have escaped on his own. “How would he—” Rhodes words cut off on a snarl. “That sycophant, Kurt.”
I struggled to make sense of what I was getting. “Yes, that feels right.” I swallowed and glanced again into the hall. All quiet. But if Senaik had escaped, he would head straight for Dangos. He might already be here…
If he was, the Nirzks would not risk a direct confrontation. These halls were too confining for us to shift to dragon—but they would also not be able to overwhelm us with numbers, either. They were powerful fighters and their tails held lethal poison, but in a direct one-on-one, we would destroy them.
If they wanted us, they would be far more likely to set a trap for when we left the ship.
Rhodes spoke through gritted teeth. “Would they have sent the mechanics in, if they knew we were here?”
“Maybe.” The Nirzks valued their slaves, but only to a point. I did not think Brentoq would care who ended up caught in the crossfire.A few slaves were acceptable collateral, even if they were trained mechanics.
“We will go out the way we came in,” I said.
“They might be waiting,” he warned.
“If you have better ideas, speak of them now.”
Instead of answering, he bent over to remove his boots. I did the same, before leading the way down the hall. The ship was eerily silent. I glanced to Rhodes.
He was hugging the shadows, moving with smooth grace like the lethal Drake he could be. He had sprouted talons from his fingertips, a clear sign of his vote on the matter.
He expected trouble. I agreed.
I followed suit as we approached the log bay. I did not need to look into the control room to know that the mechanics were no longer there.
“Maybe they finished the repair,” growled Rhodes.
By the tone of his voice, he did not believe it, and neither did I. I surveyed the width of the channel between the logs. It would be a squeeze, but possible. Especially if what I planned worked…
When I explained it to Rhodes, he was unimpressed by the results of my superior intellect.
“No,” he stated simply.
“If we do not get the core back to theStardrifter, the Nirzks will find them. Xandros. And Jaz.”
