Tyen heard indrawn breaths. They must be wondering if that means I am a spy, and they’ve gone and let me into the heart of their base.
“Then you’re not welcome here.”
Tyen nodded and took a step backwards, towards the entrance. “I’ll respect your precautions, such as they are, and leave via the tunnel.”
“Wait!” Yira hurried to him and laid a hand on his arm, her gaze fierce. “Stay, Tyen. You might not agree with how things are done right now, but we’re all new at this. We’ve got to start somewhere.” She didn’t wait for a reply, but turned to the men. “You need sorcerers like Tyen. Not just because he’s strong, but because he’s smart. He invented mechanical magic. He will be useful when the battle comes.”
Tyen suppressed a shudder as he remembered Hekkirg’s adaption of his insectoids. Would the rebels expect him to do the same? Perhaps he could incorporate flaws so they concluded the insectoids weren’t as useful as they seemed.
“Rules must be followed,” Ayan told her, crossing his arms. “We have all proven we are not corrupt, many times.”
“Many? You mean you do it regularly?” Tyen shook his head in disbelief. “Even the people who leave to bring supplies?”
“Especially those,” Ceilon replied.
Tyen opened his mouth, closed it, turned and started walking away.
“Come back,” Yira said, grabbing him and hauling him to a stop. “You must all talk about this. Come to a compromise. What if Tyen opened his mind to you only once?”
“No,” Tyen said firmly.
“We all have private matters we’d rather not share,” she said. “But we are sworn to secrecy.”
“Until the Raen finds one of you, and learns everything about everyone.” Tyen looked around the group, meeting the eyes of each of the men. “If he truly can sense when people move between worlds, it’s only a matter of time before one of you is caught. When you are, the Raen won’t be learning all about my friends or where my family is, or the worlds I think might make good hiding places, or any strategy I might think could help defeat him. And most important of all, he won’t learn everything I know about mechanical magic. The only way I can be sure of that is to not let anybody read my mind.”
In the silence that followed, glances were exchanged. At first their expressions were questioning as they sought their fellows’ reactions, then a glint of rebellion passed from one to another, finally resolving into glares that fell on Ayan and Ceilon.
Well, that confirms who the temporary leaders are.
The two men, slim and stocky, regarded each other.
“He does have a point, Ayan,” Ceilon said, his expression challenging.
Ayan scowled. “But how else do we know he can be trusted?”
“The old-fashioned way. Watch and see. Loyalty proven by actions. Recommendations by people we know are trustworthy.”
“I can vouch for him,” Yira added.
Ayan looked around the group. “Perhaps we should adopt a two-tiered system. Only trusted members may attend strategy meetings. New members must earn the right.”
Ceilon nodded. “And as we already know the rest of us can be trusted, everyone here will be in the trusted group and all newcomers from now on, including Tyen, begin in the second.” He looked up at the rest of the men. “Do we all agree?”
Murmurs of assent followed.
“Disagree?”
Silence.
The two leaders turned to regard Tyen. “This means you cannot attend strategy meetings for now. Is that acceptable to you, Tyen Ironsmelter?” Ayan asked.
Tyen pretended to consider, then nodded. “It is.”
“Then if nobody objects, I welcome Tyen Ironsmelter to the rebellion,” Ceilon said. He turned to Yira. “Would you make the domestic arrangements?”
Her lips twisted. She didn’t reply, just hooked an arm in Tyen’s. “Come with me.”
The others remained silent as they walked away. Once in the larger room, Yira let out an exasperated sigh and let go of his arm.
“I don’t know who is worse, you or them,” she said.
Tyen smiled. “You think I should have let them read my mind?”
She pressed her lips together as she considered him. “No. I think you’re right. If we all know everything, everything will be discovered if the Raen catches one of us. But how else can we be sure none of the new recruits are spies?”
He shrugged. “Would it make any difference if one was? Any of the rebels in there could become an informant, willing or unwilling, between leaving here and returning. New members will only know a little about your plans, and if you–we–are sensible that’s all they will know.”