Page 59 of Dark Gambit Reliance

"Good hunting," he called after her.

Surprised, she looked over her shoulder and nodded her thank you.

Did he know that she was meeting Pavel? Was that why the guard had wished her good hunting?

Pavel might have spread the rumor about their assignation. Getting her to accept his invitation was something to boast about.

But was she meeting Pavel? Or was she meeting Veskar?

The junction of the three rivers was an hour away by walking, and half of that if she ran. Curiosity urged her to run, but prudence convinced her to walk. It was one o'clock in the afternoon, and if she ran, she would arrive at the meeting spot ahead of time and could scope the area. But running would deplete her energy, and she needed to preserve it. She didn't know what was awaiting her at the meeting location and whether Veskar might bring reinforcements.

Tugging at the collar around her neck, she wondered for the umpteenth time whether it was true that it contained explosives and would go off if she left the area.

Knowing Igor as well as she did, the thing was rigged. Every so often, he would replace the collars, sending the ones that had been taken off to maintenance and putting others on. Rodof, who was in charge of that, probably checked that the wiring still worked and that the explosives hadn't expired.

Did explosives go bad and expire?

She didn't know, and it didn't matter.

Even if Veskar had come to rescue her, and even if he knew to bring an explosives expert with him, she wouldn't flee and leave the others behind. She had a responsibility to her people, not only those from her former tribe, but also to others who had no one else to help them.

The only way she might be convinced to flee was if she could return with an army to free the rest or at least a compeller strong enough to squash Igor.

But no one knew whether the royals had survived or even where to find their remains to perform the ritual that would send their souls to the Mother.

Not that she believed the ritual was needed for that. The dead passed on whether the living prayed for them or not, but it provided closure for those left behind. It was just one more thing that Igor had robbed her and the other females of. One more thing for her to avenge.

42

TOVEN

Yamanu hummed a tune as he lifted Mia into the harness on Toven's back and adjusted the straps.

"Are you comfortable?" Toven asked Mia when Yamanu was done.

"The harness is okay, but I don't like the helmet. I'm afraid it's going to chafe my chin when you run."

"If it does, tell me, and I'll stop so you can adjust it. Your head and your heart are the two most vulnerable places on your immortal body, and they need to be protected."

The Guardians also wore Kevlar vests and helmets, and they were armed to the teeth with hot and cold weapons and tranquilizer darts.

"I know." She rested her chin on his shoulder. "Let's go."

They had gone to shore a couple of miles west of the meeting point and had hidden the amphibian. It hadn't been an easy choice between getting as close to the river junction as the vehicle could get them or stopping way before that and making the rest of the way on foot.

The amphibian was noisy, making a stealth approach impossible, but it was also secure and allowed for a quick retreat.

In the end, it had been Toven's decision to choose stealth over convenience and a better retreat option.

After two of the Guardians had sped ahead to check the meeting place and take care of Pavel when he got there, Toven hooked his arms around Mia's thighs and nodded at Yamanu and the other Guardians.

As they broke into a jog, Toven made sure to stay inside the protective circle the Guardians formed around him and Mia. When they neared the junction, the two Guardians who had gone ahead communicated that they had Pavel, the area was clear, and it was okay for them to close the rest of the distance.

The five remaining Guardians climbed the surrounding trees, leaving Toven and Mia alone on the riverbank but well protected.

Toven was worried that once Jade became aware of their presence, she might flee, but there was no way around it. He needed those Guardians to watch his and Mia's backs.

When a female emerged from the thicket, he activated the portable signal disrupter William had given him and affected a bright smile. "Jade, I presume?"