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“What is going on?” Bion leaped to his feet, voice rising in pitch as he took in the tableau in front of him.
Shoving the dead woman off me, I rose to my feet with the elegance of a cat, thankful I was finally growing comfortable in my two-legged form. Walking over to the fire, I tossed on several pieces of wood, and then I used a stick to poke it back to life. That task finished, I reached for the first attacker. I ripped back the hood to find another woman. Her eyes were unfocused, and the life once held inside them was gone.
“Do you know her?” I grabbed the woman’s braided hair, hauling her face up so the rekindled firelight would shine on it and give the men a good look.
“Yes, I do. She teaches the younger Ancients,” Lokene answered, raking his hand through his hair as he struggled to understand what was going on.
Horror spread across Bion’s face. “Did—did you kill her?”
Scoffing, I released my grip and let the woman drop to the ground. “Of course I did. She was tainted by the Lure.”
“Are you sure?” Lokene’s skin turned an odd shade of green.
“Because this is what I was tasked to do. Allow the call to lead me to those tainted by the Lure,” I responded, confused by his question.
“But as Ancients, we should have been able to sense the Lure!” Bion’s voice held panic, but I couldn’t understand why.
“Ancients don’t always see the future or precisely how some things will happen. Perhaps this is one of those times?” Bending down, I picked up the second woman, angling her face toward the men. “How about this one?”
Bion collapsed backward on the mattress, biting his fist.
Lokene swallowed hard several times before answering. “Yes, I know her. She was in charge of the gardens and floral displays. Zosi, she was a really sweet lady.”
“She may have been once, but now she is not.” I wanted to be understanding of their shock, but I couldn’t help feeling hurt by the way they doubted me. Did they really think I would kill two people for the fun of it?
“Of course we don’t think that.” Bion sat up, answering my unspoken question. “It’s just that we’ve seen what the Lure does to those tainted by it. I saw these women only two days ago, and they were sweet as always.”
Bion tried to find the right words to not upset me, but I didn’t miss how his eyes cut to Lokene’s. Nor did I miss the worried expressions they exchanged. They were talking about me. Purposefully leaving me out of the conversation.
“I just don’t understand,” Lokene mumbled. “Are you sure you couldn’t be mistaken?”
“Everyone makes mistakes,” Bion added. “If this was an accident, it’s okay. We can help you.”
These men might be Ancients, but they were also acting like idiots.
I wish I could say I did the rational thing. That I ignored my personal feelings and did my job like a good little soldier. But that would be a lie. My new and unstable-as-ever emotions got the best of me.
Stomping over to both women, I yanked open their jackets, revealing the weapons hidden beneath the fabric.
“I suppose the reason they were sneaking around the cave in the dark of night, with their identities hidden, was because they wanted to have a friendly chat with me and maybe show off their weapons?” There was no way to hide the derision in my trembling voice.
“Soyale, I wanted to believe your instincts are correct. But these women are Ancients. They were alive before life even existed on your Earth. It is hard to believe they have given into the Lure,” Lokene tried to explain.
Bion hesitated, his eyes darting between me and the two dead Ancients. “Maybe they were coming to offer their assistance on our mission?” he suggested.
I held up my hand, cutting them off. I quickly laced up my boots and grabbed my backpack before turning back to the men.
“If you doubt my ability to recognize the Lure, or the call that leads me to it, then you need to question my judgment regarding every single person I killed to honor my oath toyourpeople.” Tears burned my eyes, but I refused to let even a single tear fall.
I was a warrior, not a tender-hearted princess, and I would not let these men see me cry. How could I trust them to have my back during a crucial moment in a battle if they would so easily doubt me?
Hoping that my body would continue to adapt to my needs, I did the two hardest things I’d ever done.
I raised my mental shields, blocking both men from reading my thoughts. Something that should be impossible for a half-blood like myself to do.
The moment the barrier sealed away my private thoughts, there was a prick of pain in my skull. Lokene must have felt it as well because he gasped and pressed his hand to his temple.
“What did you do, Zosime?” Bion’s brow wrinkled in confusion, looking between Lokene and me. Pushing to his feet, he walked toward me like a human approaching an injured stray dog. “Why can’t I hear you?”
