Page 74 of Old Secrets

“What was that bowing, anyway?”

“Bowing three times is something done by monks in the region to show respect. They took it to extremes, which doesn’t surprise me in the slightest,” he replied. “I have no idea what will happen with your parents should they be the recipients of the bowing or if it’s something they’re accustomed to already. I was not expecting a fragment group like this throwing themselves at us here.”

“Neither were we.” I regarded Jake with wide eyes. “Those who like being worshipped are crazy.”

“I like worshipping you,” he replied, and he raised a brow.

I scowled, at a loss of how to reply.

Maurice laughed at us. “I’ll leave you two to sort that out while you wait for your parents to arrive. Do your best to intercept them and prevent any incidents. I’m going to check on the status of our new friends and inquire with our team if there is any evidence of betrayal.”

Once he departed, Jake dragged me over to the gate, picked a set of seats, and huffed and puffed until I sat down. The assertive behavior made me giggle, as he’d become less likely to display aggression unless it involved a bed. “Are you trying to teach the Tibetans you sometimes get to be the boss?”

“I’m making you sit because my feet hurt watching you stand.”

I complied as we had been on our feet longer than I preferred. “You need new shoes?”

“I really do, and I haven’t found a good pair yet. These are going to be destroyed by the time we’re done this trip.”

I leaned over to regard his feet, determining his shoes had undergone significant wear and tear. “I had not noticed that. I’m going to have to pay more attention to the state of your shoes.”

“I have questions.”

“I probably don’t have any viable answers, but I’m happy to check on the internet to see if it knows all.”

He snorted at me. “What sort of gear are we going to need to get to this place in the summer?”

“My answer was correct. I have no idea, and I’m happy to check online to see if there are answers to be found.” I dug my phone out of my pocket and went about the tedious process of logging on to the internet. Had I just gone with my standard connection, I would have been locked to China-approved websites, where my special login gave me access to just about anything I wanted. The Chinese Inquisition members had warned me my activities would be tracked, but I was on the list of those approved to have full access to the internet.

I’d been given a warning to be very cautious about the use of social media, but I assured them I didn’t use any in the first place, as I didn’t have time or energy to dedicate to such things.

The internet issue made it clear we’d stepped into a completely different world than what I was accustomed to. Aware my searches would be scrutinized, I looked up conditions at the Tibetan Everest base camp for a better idea of what to expect.

According to the weather site, we could expect to emerge resembling drowned rats. Our coats weighed a ton when soaked, although mine did a better job of repelling water than Jake’s did. “Ah. It’s monsoon season, and the weather is putting on a show. We’re going to be wading through rain and mud getting anywhere, and it looks like there are road closures closer to the mountains due to the abnormally high rainfall the region is receiving.”

“Well, that explains the supplies, then, if we’re going to have to hike because our vehicles might not make it.” Jake sighed. “Maybe we should ask them for dog sleds.”

As part of my general training, I’d been taught how to haul a sled in case someone was injured and somebody needed to get them out of a bind. “Do Tibetans do dog sledding?”

“Well, the Tibetan mastiffs are definitely large enough to pull sleds, and they’re work dogs. I wouldn’t be surprised. Are you going to be able to handle any canine companions that may show up?”

I lifted my chin, issued a soft warning chitter, and refused to look at him. “That depends entirely on if I get to keep a puppy.”

“If I were offered a pair of Tibetan mastiffs, I would not be refusing. They’re great guardian dogs, and they could protect our entire litters of children.” Jake bumped me with his elbow. “I’m not above asking if there are any available puppies if it will keep the peace with the older dogs.”

I giggled, as I’d lost my mind once when an intact female dog had showed a little too much interest in Jake. While I hadn’t done anything to the animal other than chitter my displeasure, my fox had wanted to pick a fight.

My fox enjoyed the company of spayed and neutered dogs, as they reminded her of more companionable versions of wolves—and not the kind prone to stealing our dinner should we lower our guard.

“There you go. Now you’re starting to relax a little. I thought you were going to blow a gasket, shift, and start rebuking everybody with bites for a while there. You handled yourself very well. You didn’t chitter, not once.”

“I wanted to, but probably not for the reason you think. We know they’re guilty, they know they’re guilty, and damn it, I just can’t slaughter a bunch of guilty people who have remorse.”

“That’s what makes you a good woman, Karma.”

“And now I’m going to have to explain to my parents why we can’t slaughter the remorseful people who are going to try to help us lure the masterminds out so we can slaughter them. And I’m expecting submissive behavior out of them when those assholes show up because they’ve been living in fear for thousands of years, watching their children be slaughtered time and time again—all because they didn’t want to sacrifice anyone else.”

“Yeah, that part of the whole thing bothers me, and I can get how they’d be torn and tormented over it. I can’t even imagine having to choose between a family member that has been family for potentially millions of years over newborns.”