Page 19 of Dark Gambit: The Play

"That's an excellent idea. I wish we could examine the device, but for now, it's more important to keep the illusion going. Is Marcel next to you?"

"He's right here, and so are Leon and Eleanor."

"Good. What's your take on that tracker?"

"It's a very sophisticated piece of equipment that is not easy to come by. In contrast, the pendant she was using to communicate with the compeller is readily available on the internet. It's not cheap, but it's not difficult to obtain."

"That reinforces Turner's theory. He suspects that the compeller wanted Sofia to get caught so she could lead him to our headquarters or center of operations. That's why he sent an amateur. She was a pawn."

Eleanor bared her teeth. "What a bastard."

"That's a gross understatement," Marcel said. "He's a murderer."

Leon cleared his throat. "We are judging him by our modern moral standards, but what he did might be acceptable by Kra-ell tradition. We know that they are warlike people and that they scoff at soft emotions. Furthermore, if we look back at human history, it was common practice for one tribe to attack another, slaughter the males and take the females. Sacrificing a pawn for the greater good of the community is also a common tactic."

Eleanor huffed. "It was also common practice to sacrifice children to idols, tie child virgin brides to the bed and rape them, and a thousand and one other evil customs, some of which are still practiced to this day. That doesn't make any of them okay, and I have no tolerance for that. I say let's kill the evildoer and free his people."

"I like the way you think." Marcel clapped her on the back.

"Thank you." She grinned at him. "Most people think that I'm a bloodthirsty bitch."

"That's because you are bloodthirsty." Leon smiled at her. "But I like that about you."

"People," Kian groaned. "We are pressed for time. Can we schedule the mutual admiration club meeting for later?"

"Indeed." Marcel rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "I didn't tell Sofia that we want her to feed the compeller false information yet. What should I tell her about Toven?"

"Only that he's a powerful compeller and that he might be able to free her. He calls himself Tom when he deals with humans, so you can use that name."

"She's smart, and she suspects that we are not regular humans. I don't know how to answer her questions."

"Since we need her to feed the compeller false information about us, you should start giving her that information first. We are a group of paranormally talented people, and we gather others like us to create a community. That's why we have several compellers among us as well as people with other abilities. I'll instruct Toven and Mia to tell her the same story."

Eleanor frowned. "Why did Mia come with Toven?"

"He thinks that he might need her enhancing abilities."

It was a good idea, but Marcel hoped Mia's talent wouldn't be needed. If Sofia's compeller was more powerful than Toven, they were in big trouble. "I assume that you want me to take Sofia to him. Should I take Guardians with us?"

"Naturally. Julian is coming with you too. Once the compulsion is taken care of, and the interrogation is done, he goes back to the village with Toven and Mia. After that, you will take Sofia back to Safe Haven, and the charade will start tomorrow. Turner and I will attend via a video call, and we will work out a narrative to feed the compeller according to what she tells us about him."

It was on the tip of Marcel's tongue to say that it might take longer than a few hours to get Sofia to confess everything she knew, but then he realized that they wouldn't need to employ regular interrogation tactics that took a long time to establish rapport and weaken her resistance. Once Toven overrode the other compeller, he could compel Sofia to tell him everything.

13

SOFIA

Sofia was about to have another compeller take a crack at her, and this time, it would happen in person.

Given that she was being escorted by Marcel, Julian, and two guards, and with Marcel carrying a concealed weapon, she suspected that the compeller was the leader of their organization, and that they were taking precautions in case they were attacked.

By whom? Did they expect Igor or Valstar to come to her rescue?

Fat chance of that.

"Who are you people?" she asked Julian because Marcel had deflected all of her questions so far.

She was seated between the two of them in the back of the minivan, with the two guards sitting up front. It should have been enough space for three average-sized people, but she would have preferred not to be in the middle. The minivan had a third row, but it had been folded down to make room for boxes that the doctor had brought with him.