Page 27 of Shadow

“I’ve seen her, Boot,” I called out. “Who is Che?”

Boot closed his eyes for a moment, clearly exasperated. Before he could answer, the woman stepped forward, her voice steady despite her fear.

“Che is our son,” she said in accented English.

“How old is he?” I asked.

“Five,” she replied.

“Then finding him is more of a priority than me wobbling on this thing,” I said, stepping off the cursed ball with surprising ease. Using the wall for support, I steadied myself and faced them. “I’ll head back to my room while you look for your son. Once he’s safe, we can pick this up again. I could use a break anyway.”

“You have no idea what will happen when King finds out you’ve seen my wife,” Boot said.

I waved off his warning with a dismissive hand. “Yeah, yeah. He’ll kill me, scatter my ashes to the four winds, and throw a party. Now go find your son.”

For the first time, Boot’s expression softened, his eyes reflecting something other than irritation or resentment.

“Wait for me in my room,” he told his wife.

She hesitated, her gaze flicking to me with a touch of guilt before she nodded and walked down the hallway without a word.

“Follow me back to your room,” Boot commanded, his tone brooking no argument.

I trailed behind him silently and didn’t push my luck. When we reached my door, the ever-stoic babysitters were at full attention like statues. Boot left me with a curt nod.

“Good luck,” I said as he turned to leave.

I shut the door and flopped onto the bed, arms and legs sprawled out like a starfish.

Who knew standing on a ball could be so utterly exhausting?

I stared at the ceiling, my thoughts circling back to Boot’s wife. She seemed young, mid-twenties maybe, and her distress over her missing son was obvious. She didn’t seem particularly worried about my potential demise or even her husband’s fate. And why should she? If they found her son alive, any guilt over my death would fade quickly.

No one needed more dead children.

I should have been worried. I should have been cowering in fear, desperately plotting some way to escape or hide. But strangely, I felt none of those things. The eerie calm I felt earlier stayed. Maybe it was the fact that I was on an island with men who had once saved humanity, or maybe I had just accepted my fate. For the first time, I felt like I was facing death with a shredof dignity, like a proper military leader. It might have been my one and only heroic act, but I’d take it.

And, let’s be honest, death would mean I’d never have to stand on that stupid ball again.

Somewhere between thoughts of doom and fleeting pride, exhaustion pulled me under, and I drifted into sleep.

∞∞∞

A loud knock jolted me awake, much like it had that morning. This time, no one barged in, so I groggily rolled off the bed and yanked the door open.

“We need to get back to your training,” Boot said curtly.

I glanced at one of the guards stationed outside my door, who gave me a warning look as if to say,Don’t push it.I wasn’t stupid. I clamped my mouth shut and followed Boot down the seemingly endless corridor. Even without speaking, I could sense the tension radiating off him. Still, I held my tongue, figuring it was best not to bring up anything sensitive with the guards in earshot.

Once the door to the training room closed behind us, I broke the silence. “Did you find your son?”

Boot exhaled, the tightness in his shoulders easing slightly. “Fell asleep in the barn under some hay. He’s fine. The kid has no fear and endless curiosity.”

Relief washed over me. “Thank God.”

“Thank you for letting me look for him,” he added, his tone surprisingly genuine. “My wife doesn’t understand what’s at stake. She’s also pregnant, and her hormones are causing all kinds of problems.”

A missing child apparently broke the ice. “Congratulations on the new baby. I’ve heard plenty about pregnancy hormones but never had to experience them myself.”

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