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“I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because there’s something else I need to do first.”
“To kill me?”
“To make you an offer.”
That gave me pause for thought. “What sort of offer?”
“You’ve been feeling sick lately, haven’t you?” she said.
Had Maisie told her? Damn that fool woman! Didn’t she know that particular whisper heard by overly inquisitive ears could wind up getting both of us killed? I’d have to have a word with her later.
“A Titan doesn’t get sick,” I said, hedging.
“What’s a Titan? Is that what your species is called?”
“Yes. We don’t get sick and recover fast from wounds. So, even if you cut me, you’ll never manage to kill me.”
“I don’t want to kill you,” she said.
“You’ve got a funny way of showing it,” I said.
She sighed but didn’t remove the blade from my neck. “I’m not a killer. I’m a regular girl. I don’t want you dead because that won’t help me. I’ve seen what your men are like. I overheard them talking earlier. About your sickness.”
She couldn’t have seen my reaction, crouched to one side the way she was, but my eyes boggled almost out of their sockets.
“You’re lying,” I said. “They don’t know about my sickness.”
“That’s funny,” she said. “I thought Titans don’t get sick? So maybe this knife could hurt you after all.”
I heard the smile on her lips and it made me feel sick to my stomach—for once having nothing to do with my illness.
“What did you hear them say?” I said.
“The reason you’re not getting better—even though you are one of these Titan things—is because your crew is the reason you’re sick.”
A red mist descended over my eyes. At this human female? At my crew? I couldn’t decide. “You’re lying.”
“They have some kind of black creature. It’s shaped like a ball with long gangly legs. It’s slimy, with something that looks like oil all over it.”
Of course! Why hadn’t I thought of this before?
The creature she was describing was called an Absor. They were used for assassinations. Creep close enough and slip it in their food or drink. It took on the shape, color, and most importantly, flavor of whatever they were put in. They produced common symptoms like stomach cramps, headaches, and nightmares.
The same symptoms I had.
The bastards!
I cleared my throat. “Thank you for informing me, but I don’t see how you can benefit from the situation with your deal.”
“It’s simple,” she said as if she were speaking with a simpleton. “At least two of your men are involved in this. Maybe all of them. I don’t know. But I do know you can’t trust them. But you can trust me. I’ll make sure your food is clean of those black things from now on. You’ll get meals that will make you stronger, not weaker.”
“I don’t need you to make me stronger,” I said. “I’m a Titan—”
“And you recover quickly, I know, I know,” she said with the same tired tone Maisie used.
