Page 89 of Beyond The Maples
"Explain to me how two unarmed civilians managed to get the best of you guys, and escape." He cocks his head, eyeing me in that predatory way of his.
I gag on another bite of the bar, washing it down quickly to mask the taste.
"Ugh, these are still so gross," I complain.
Once I've swallowed, I shrug, pretending to be unbothered by his nearness.
"I was helping the old man pack, and the woman snuck up behind me and snagged my baton. Not sure what happened after that."
He nods his head, running his fingers through his hair with one hand in a way I know means he's thinking. Contemplating something.
"And how did the woman get out of her binds?"
"I undid the kid so he could go to the bathroom. Guess he was clever about helping his grandma out before he sat back down." The lie falls easily from my lips. I make sure to stare straight into his eyes and keep my tone even.
He inches forward, like he's hoping to catch the lie; hoping I'll flinch, or cower, or cave as the darkness in his irises tries to devour me. But I don't. If anything, I feel pulled into him––curious which way he's going to play this.
"What else do you remember?" His deep voice barrels over me.
I clear my throat after another bite of the chalky bar.
"Nothing. Other than this awful headache."
He scrutinizes every inch of my face. He exhales, either believing my story or relenting. He'll get no other information from me.
"Aren't we goingto go after them?" I ask.
He scoffs. "You've been out for almost four hours, cadet. A couple of us tried to follow the tracks, but we couldn't risk splitting up and losing each other to follow further. Not to mention, I think the way they went, the weather picked up."
Satisfaction settles into my gut, and I try to school my features, but Tane's eyes narrow.
"There's nothing else you need to tell me, Treow? Because if I find out you've purposely ruined an assignment and put us all at risk, there will be hell to pay," he snarls, pushing his hair back through his hands in frustration. The jagged scar that peeks out of his hairline right where the white patch of hair is, catches my attention, but I manage to stay focused on his wrathful glare.
"There's nothing else to tell you. I wouldn't have nearly bludgeoned myself to death to help people I don't know," I say simply. It's mostly the truth.
His eyebrows raise sarcastically, while sucking a sharp breath in through his teeth. He doesn't believe me, or at least he knows I've left parts out.
Steaming, he walks to the front door, ripping it open and motioning for our crew to come back inside.
We lost a full day of travel because of my condition. I didn't lose consciousness again, but I was in rough shape. I started puking, and between that and my slowly healing shoulder and ribs, I was in no condition to travel. Luckily for me, the pill that was shoved into my mouth was a healing accelerant. It's a rare medication that they only allowin the field.
My head begins to throb despite the medication, but I suspect it has more to do with the blistering heat than anything else. My goggles feel like a jagged rock strapped to an open wound. Berkley tries to catch my attention as we walk, giving me an apologetic glance, and I try to convey with a smile that everything is forgiven, I don't have the energy for more.
The heat feels oppressive and I'm desperate for relief, but when the temperature takes a sudden drop, my momentary relief is swiftly exchanged with a prickling alarm. It's not just a gentle breeze––the temperature plummets.
I look back, and Tarius behind me has a frantic look on his face. Looking forward, I peek around at the others, hoping Tane has noticed and will either speed up or address the big problem we're about to have. He does neither.
Minutes pass, and the coldness hovers over us like a warning bell.
"Hey Lieutenant. Did you feel that temp drop, by chance?" I try to sound subservient. Pleasant even. In classic Tane fashion, he completely ignores me, and my temper begins to rise.
I pass the others, cutting in line to see if I can talk some sense into our obstinate leader.
"Look, I'm not trying to be rude, but I think we're about to get hit with a pretty big storm."
Tane doesn't slow his strides to compensate for my short legs, just continues to barrel through the soft rolling hills.
"I am, in fact, aware the temperature dropped Treow, thank you," he shouts loud enough that I know the others hear. I throw my hands up in defeat, backing away.
