Page 130 of Night's Reckoning
Tenzin looked at the screen. “It was Saba’s daughter who did this.”
“No.”
“Yes.” Tenzin shook her head. “Why does everyone assume that Saba is some kind of benevolent earth mother? She nearly destroyed an entire island because her son got a cold. She has roughly the same level of human morals that I do.”
Gavin said, “So… almost none.”
“Human morals change all the time, Gavin! They make no sense. None.”
He held up his hands. “I’m not going to argue with you. I was just surprised Saba was behind this. If they’re headed to the Mediterranean, they’ll be going south. Think… Manila. Hong Kong, obviously. Hainan. Brunei is too far. Singapore is too far.”
“Manila, Hong Kong, Hainan.” Tenzin nodded. “It will be one of those.”
“Which one is the least likely? They know people will be looking for them.”
“Possibly. They might not care. Saba’s people are arrogant.”
“What are you going to do? The ocean is a big place.”
“I’m going to catch them before they can enter the Indian Ocean. I may not catch them in their first port, but I’ll catch them in their second.”
“Whoever did this—”
“Trust me.” She met Gavin’s eyes on the screen. An ocean separated them. They had never been particular friends. But they were linked by one person. “I will end them all.”
* * *
She went outthat night at dusk, walking among the sailors and crews of the luxury yachts that filled the marina. There were two types of lives in every port. The lives of people with money and the lives of people who worked. Tenzin was interested in the latter.
She went directly to the first fuel station she could find and walked up to the man in the fanciest uniform. Before he could even register what was happening, she grabbed his hand and drew him to the side.
“What—?”
“Shhhhh.” She let her amnis wash up his arm. She could see the dizzy expression in his eyes when her influence reached his mind. “Arion’s Flight. A boatload of mysterious and wealthy East Africans. Tell me what you know.”
“They didn’t buy fuel here.” He muttered some disgusting racist epithet until Tenzin squeezed his wrist so hard he winced.
“Be quiet. Where did they buy fuel?”
“At Bristol. I think.” His words were starting to slur.
“Where is that?”
He pointed in a general direction and Tenzin let him go. “Sit on the ground right now.”
It would serve him right to dirty up his spotless white uniform. Humans could be idiots.
Tenzin walked outside and headed the direction the human had pointed. She spotted a sign in the distance that looked right and walked down the stairs leading to the smaller fuel dock where a man in blue coveralls was working.
She didn’t use amnis. For now.
“I need information on a boat calledArion’s Flight.”
The man in blue narrowed his eyes. “I know it. Not here. Left two nights ago.”
“I know that. Did it buy a full tank of gas?” Did they call it gas if it was for a boat? “Fuel?”
The man crossed his arms. “Why do you need to know? They weren’t causing trouble for anyone.”
