Page 107 of Dawn Caravan
“He knows we’re not really mated. That we’ve been estranged for a couple of years.” Tenzin frowned. “More like three if you count the time between Puerto Rico and Shanghai.”
“Why?” Ben struggled for words. “Why would you do that?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Which are?”
The frown didn’t leave Tenzin’s face. “I know I need to share things with you, but it is very cumbersome to feel like I have to explain myself to another person. Shall we get some blood-wine?”
Ben took her arm and steered her back toward his trailer. “Food can wait.”
“I am quite—”
“You’re going to tell me what’s going on.” He opened the door and nearly tossed her inside. “I know you probably have a reason for informing that man about our business, but I don’t know what it is and I don’t know if it’s agoodreason. So spill.”
Ben crossed his arms over his chest, blocking the door as Tenzin looked around the trailer.
“You removed all your notes.”
“I remember them.”
She smiled. “See? Better memory too. I told you—”
“We’re not going over all the user upgrades to my body and brain I’m still getting used to, Tenzin. Tell me why you told René about us.”
She sat, leaned her elbow on the table, and rested her chin on her hand. “I needed some relationship advice.”
Ben’s mouth dropped open. “What?”
She smiled. “I’m joking. But that face you’re making right now is excellent.” She looked around. “Where is your tablet? I want to take a picture of it.”
He shook his head. “René, Tenzin. Tell me why you told René.”
“Ah.” She settled back in the chair. “Do you know how long he’s been here? Four weeks already. Far longer than Radu invited him for.”
“Why would René take time out of his intense schedule of scheming and duping human women to— Ohhhh.” He uncrossed his arms and sat across from her. “You think he’s planning something.”
“Of course he is. Radu invited him on the Dawn Caravan because he suspects that René might have stolen the goblet. But why did René accept? He’s in no need of shelter right now. None of his jobs are particularly hot.”
“So why did he take time out of his regularly scheduled scheming to hang out in rural… wherever were are—”
“I’m fairly certain it’s Ukraine. I think we’re out of Romania now.”
“Whatever.” Ben found the concept of borders becoming less and less relevant now that he had access to every country by air. “So René’s planning something.”
“He knows Radu lost something,” Tenzin said, “since he didn’t make a secret of hiring us. Then he invites an odd company of immortals to the Dawn Caravan right before a large festival, along with Kezia and Vano, the other leaders of the Poshani. He knows something is going to happen.”
“It’s risky for René. If he stole the goblet from Radu, his contract would be broken, and he’d be an earth vampire at the mercy of some very unfriendly people.”
“But René knows he didn’t take anything, so he is not concerned. He does know something odd is going on and something valuable was lost. He’s smart enough to look past that. What will the state of security on the caravan be when its leaders’ attention is so divided?”
“Oh.” Ben saw it in an instant. With Radu distracted by his missing treasure and both Kezia and Vano occupied with shifting power dynamics… “So René’s planning to flat-out rob the caravan.”
Tenzin nodded. “It’s quite a good plan. I used something similar when I robbed Wangara.”
Ben frowned. “Who?”
Tenzin tapped her fingers on the edge of the table. “Not a who. It’s quite a large complex of gold mines in West Africa. See, at the time gold had gone down in value because of Musa’s hajj, so repurposing a large amount of it during a religious festival was actually beneficial to the economy.”
