CHAPTER 4
I pressed my back against the door, thinking faster than I’d ever thought before, while he reached for a drying cloth and wrapped it low around his hips. His piercing eyes never left me.
Peri, damn her feathered hide, had somehow led me right to him, and it was now up to me to salvage the situation.
“Please, sir,” I whispered, making sure my voice was low and quivering with terror. Which wasn’t much of a stretch in my current condition. “Can you help me? I’m new to your city and men are chasing me.”
A heavy fist hit the outside of the door, making me jump for real. Without a word, Reynard stepped forward, moved me aside, and lifted the latch to pull the door open. Its heavy panels shielded me from the man who waited on the other side and gave me a great view of Reynard’s heavily muscled bicep. I was so impressed I almost forgot to be scared.
“Commander, I’m sorry to disturb you. A Bashalde girl came this way and we’re searching the rooms for her. Have you seen her?”
“Commander?” Lillith’s voice screeched in my ear. “You promised!”
“Blame Peri,” I subvocalized. “She led me here. Now shut up so I can listen.”
“What has this girl done?” Reynard’s voice was rich and deep, with a tone that implied he was used to being obeyed without question.
“She downed Furgan, and when we discovered her leaning over his body, she fled through a damaged door into the castle.”
“Furgan is dead?”
A subtle menace filled the question, and I held my breath, fear working hot sticky fingers up my spine. The man had been alive when I’d checked. If he’d since died, I didn’t know what they’d do to me. Only one thing was clear. My mission would be over before it even started. I would have failed. That prospect sent such stark terror through me that I had to fight to keep from wilting into a puddle of quivering GEP at the commander’s feet.
“No, sir. He was regaining his wits by the time the healer arrived.”
A wave of relief washed over me. Not only wouldn’t I be executed for murder, I still had a chance to complete my job.
“I see.” There was a brief hesitation. “The girl is with me. Call off the search and remain outside my door while I question her. And send someone to convey my apologies to the king. Tell him I’ve been delayed.”
“Yes, sir.”
Reynard closed the door and turned to face me, his gaze running over my body before coming to rest on my face. “Your name, girl.”
I didn’t even think about lying. Besides, I had no clue what a typical name for a Bashalde girl would be. “Echo.”
He moved to the bed where clothing was laid out and dropped the drying cloth after making sure he was facing away from me. “Did you attack Furgan?”
It took an effort to think with my attention locked on his fine backside and my stomach doing gyrations worthy of a contortionist, but I managed. Briefly, I considered telling him the man was already unconscious when I’d come across him. But if Furgan were waking up, he’d contradict that story.
I forced my gaze to a spot over his shoulder so I could concentrate. “Yes, but not deliberately. I thought I was alone and he startled me. When I turned, I accidentally hit him. I’m not sure how I managed to knock him out.”
There was a splash from the direction of his bathing tub and I glanced over just in time to see Peri pop her head out and flip to float on her back, spread wings moving her in a lazy circle. A happy gurgle issued from her chest. Apparently her protective instincts went south when the choice was me or water.
Reynard was watching her, too, one dark brow arched as he did something to fasten the tight black pants he’d pulled on. “What manner of beast is this?”
Lillith whispered frantically in my ear, and I repeated what she was telling me. “Her name is Peri. I found her washed up, nearly dead, on a beach of the eastern sea when I was last in the area. I nursed her back to health and she’s been with me ever since.”
He reached for a silky white shirt and then held it while he studied me minutely, his face without expression. Nervous under those pale blue eyes, I shifted from foot to foot and brushed my damp palms against my skirt.
“What were you doing outside the castle?”
Again Lillith prompted me. “I was looking for an establishment called the Terpsichore. I’m to work for the owner, Marcus Kent. I was told it was near the castle, but not the exact location, and I saw no one about to ask directions of.”
Suddenly I was thankful everyone had been ordered to stay inside tonight. Otherwise, my story wouldn’t have worked.
Slowly he pulled the shirt over his head and it slithered down his body, the hem hugging his slim hips. Abruptly, I forgot I was afraid. There should be a law against men like him wearing a shirt that clings to every ridge and muscle. Didn’t he know what it did to those of the female persuasion?
“You traveled without escort?” He put a black belt studded with blue stones the color of his eyes around his waist and buckled it.
“No!” Lillith yelled in my ear. “Remember, women on this planet don’t travel alone. He must be suspicious. Think fast and try to look sincere!”
I stopped blinking so my eyes would tear up, stepped forward, hands held out beseechingly, and improvised like crazy. “My father hired two men he mistakenly trusted to bring me here, but they left me near the mountains this morning with only the clothes on my back, and a skin of water to sustain me. Claiming to have business in another city, they pointed me in the right direction and then departed. I believe they were crooks, sir, only after my father’s coin. I could have been in danger from wild beasts, alone as I was.”
“You’re overacting,” Lillith told me. “Turn it down a couple of notches.”
Deliberately, I ignored her and let my bottom lip tremble.
To my surprise, one side of his mouth kicked up in a tiny smile, exposing one very dangerous dimple. Dangerous to my peace of mind, anyway. It was all I could do to keep from jumping him on the spot.
Especially when he crossed to me, stopping close enough that my skirt tangled against his legs. Putting a broad callused hand under my chin, he lifted my face to his gaze. “You are a pretty one,” he murmured. Then his voice hardened. “Too pretty to be such a good liar.”
I let out a gasp of outrage and jerked away from him. “I’m not lying!” Okay, I was, but there was no way he could know it, not for sure.
Before I could blink twice, he had my skirt up and my knife in his hand, the tip pressed against my throat. “Helpless females such as you’re pretending to be do not carry such weapons,” he said. “Now, I’ll have the truth.”
Here’s the thing. I’d only completed intensive combat training a few days ago, and Alien Affairs instructors are very thorough. Because an agent’s life depends on it, they teach us to react to a threat first and think about it later. We’re drilled repeatedly, until our responses to danger are automatic. Plus, I had no practical experience to temper my reactions.
With no conscious decision on my part, my training took over and I was moving before he finished speaking. My left hand went over his arm and slammed it downward. The move shifted the knife from my throat and numbed his muscles so he loosened his grip. I caught the knife with my right hand and swung it up in an underhand arc.
The only thing that kept me from gutting him navel to breastbone was Lillith screeching in my ear and Peri slinging water everywhere as she dived at us.
Both Reynard and I stood frozen in place, staring down at the knife pressed to his stomach, him in surprise, me in horror. It’s one thing to theoretically practice killing a human during training. It’s another thing entirely to realize you’d almost done it for real, and involuntarily at that. Especially when the human in question was one I’d been lusting after not a second before.
A small sound escaped my throat and I dropped the knife like it had turned into a poisonous insect.
Reynard stooped, scooped it up, and offered it to me hilt first. “Nicely done, girl. Who taught you to fight?”
Hesitantly, I took the weapon, lifted my skirt and returned the knife to its sheath. Peri settled watchfully on my shoulder, her eyes tinged with red. The action gave me time to get my tongue working again. It also helped that Lillith was providing me with all the answers.
“My father. He was a weapons master. As his only child and a female, he made sure I could defend myself when he was no longer able to protect me.”
Moving to the one chair in the room, he sat and pulled on a pair of black knee-high boots. “He’s dead?”
“Yes. When he sickened, he made arrangements for me to come here after he was gone, to Marcus Kent. They were friends once. I left the day after my father’s burial.”
“What of your tribe? Was there no uncle or promised husband to take you in?”
“No.” I was afraid to move, to express any emotion at all, lest I give myself away again. “The Bashalde called my father Gadjee, so we lived alone for the most part. After my mother died, her people stopped coming, except for the two men my father occasionally hired to bring supplies. I have no other close relatives.”
He stood and went to the door, opening it to speak with the soldier waiting in the hall. “Send someone to find Marcus Kent. Tell him I need to see him immediately, and don’t mention the girl. Oh, and have someone bring food.”
Scritch. I should have realized he’d send for Kent. The man would literally be walking into a trap of my making. It was just one more thing that proved I didn’t belong in this job.
Before I could slump in defeat, Lillith whispered, “Don’t worry. I’ve been repeating everything you’ve said to Marcus and he’s been feeding me your cover story. He’s waiting on the soldier sent to fetch him and knows exactly what to say.”
“You’ve talked to him? How?”
“He has an implant. The frequency was in the data Dr. Daniels gave me. And by the way, your father was named August. Marcus says the name will hold up if the commander decides to check it out.”
I barely caught a sigh of relief before it escaped, and then checked to make sure Reynard hadn’t noticed. He had picked up a comb and moved to stand in front of a mirror, but he was watching me in the reflection while he ran it through his hair.
Automatically, I reached for his drying cloth, folded it, and hung it on the rail at the foot of his bed, and then straightened the personal items lying on a table nearby for maximum efficiency. When that was done, I gathered the soiled clothing he’d discarded before his bath and folded them.
He was obviously dressing up for his meeting with the king. Would the people from the ship be there, too? I wanted to ask but didn’t dare. Instead I decided to take a roundabout approach and see if I could learn anything of interest.
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “I’m sorry I made you late for your meeting with the king. Will it cause you problems?”
He had given up all pretense of grooming and was still watching me in the mirror, a slight frown on his rugged face. It was only then I realized old habits had taken over and I’d been organizing his room. I forced my hands behind my back, locking my fingers together to keep them still, and faced him as he answered.
“No. The king expects his unmarried officers to join him for the evening meal once in an eightday, but my duty comes before socializing. It won’t be the first time I’ve been delayed, and undoubtedly won’t be the last.”
“Oh. You’re dressed so finely I thought maybe tonight was a special occasion.”
He arched a dark brow and shifted to lean one shoulder against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “We are always required to dress for the king’s meal.”
Before I could answer, there was a knock at the door and two women entered pushing wheeled carts. They were dressed in the drab, modest clothing the majority of Madrean women wore, and stared at me with open curiosity.
Silently they uncovered steaming dishes that filled the room with scents appetizing enough to make my mouth water. When they were done, the elder of the two turned to Reynard. “Will there be anything else, Commander?”
“Nothing. You may go.”
They dipped their heads and left, the soldier closing the door behind them. Once we were alone again, Reynard moved to the carts and filled a plate until it was heaping, then brought it to me, motioning me to sit on the sole chair.
He saw my surprise at such consideration and his mouth kicked up again. “You said you’d walked all day with only water to sustain you. I’d rather you didn’t pass out from hunger before Marcus arrives.”
“Thank you.” I took the food and dug in like I hadn’t eaten in a week, while Peri examined the carts and then lost interest in favor of drying her feathers on the arm of the chair. Even taking into consideration how long it had been since I’d filled my stomach, I was extraordinarily starved. If my brief foray into overdrive had caused this, I’d be wise to only use it in the direst of emergencies. After all, it wouldn’t do to drop dead from starvation in the midst of a crisis.
Suddenly I was feeling a lot more sympathetic toward Kiera Smith. Maybe she’d had a reason to angst after all. Being a Gertz GEP was turning out to be a bit more complicated than I’d expected.
I was swallowing the last bite of roasted fowl when there was another knock on the door. This time the soldier ushered in a slim man of average height, a bit beyond middle age. His pale blond hair, pulled back into a neat queue, was liberally streaked with white, and his deeply tanned face was creased from spending time outdoors. Dark brown eyes that mirrored fatherly concern swung from the commander to me. Then he opened his arms.
“Echo, sweetheart.”
“It’s Marcus,” Lillith told me.
Promptly, I leaped to my feet and launched myself at him, the now empty plate clattering to the floor. His arms closed around me, and he rocked us gently from side to side. And I felt strangely comforted, as though I’d finally found safe shelter when the rest of my world had turned into a swirling mass of confusion.
“I was so sorry to hear about August,” he said, just loud enough for his voice to carry to Reynard. “He was a good man. I’ll miss him.”
“Thank you,” I murmured. “He considered you his most trusted friend.” I didn’t dare look at Reynard, but I could feel him watching us with interest.
Marcus took me by the shoulders and shifted me back so he could look down at me. “Now, what’s going on here? I expected you to arrive this morning and come straight to me. Is something amiss?”
I gave him a briefer version of the tale I’d told Reynard about being dumped by two men, only without the theatrics, as well as how I’d come to be in the castle. When I was done, Marcus sighed.
“The men weren’t evil, just idiots,” he said. “Next time I see them you can be sure they’ll hear about this from me.” He turned to Reynard, keeping one arm around my shoulders. “My apologies for the disruption, Commander. August was something of a recluse and kept Echo away from people for the most part. Because of her isolation she’s a bit naive. She meant no harm. May I take her home now? I’m sure she’s exhausted from her adventure.”
While I did my best to look all tuckered out, Reynard straightened and clasped his hands behind his back. “Of course. She’ll be living with you?”
“Yes, and working at the Terpsichore to earn her keep.”
I was? News to me. But I didn’t think it was the time to argue. And at the moment, I was busy worrying about Peri. She was watching Marcus’s arm where it rested on my shoulders and emoting a great deal of resentment.
Friend, I sent her. But you’re my favorite.
She gurgled happily and her feathers settled. Silly creature. And now that I thought about it, why hadn’t she resented it when Reynard touched me?
“Just one more question, if you will, and then you may go.” Reynard’s voice yanked my attention away from Peri and focused it on him. Marcus nodded his consent and Reynard continued.
“She said her father was a weapons master. Whom did he work for?”
Marcus smiled. “He was teacher to Lowden, chief of the Bashalde.”
“He was that August?” Reynard’s gaze swung to me, a speculative look on his face. “I hadn’t realized he had a child.”
“Very few know. Echo was born shortly after August and his wife vanished into the desert.”
“I see. Then you’ll be pleased to know that Lowden and the Bashalde will arrive here tomorrow for the yearly gathering to renew their treaty with the king. I’m sure he’ll want to honor the daughter of his old teacher.”
Me, Miss Happy-To-Be-a-GEP, suddenly had a past so convoluted it would confuse a Natural. I decided that silence was the better part of valor and looked to Marcus for a response.
“I’ll see to it that she’s introduced,” he told Reynard.
“They’ll camp outside the city as usual, and the gathering will begin on the day after tomorrow. It would be my pleasure to escort both of you.”
“And it will be our honor to accept.” Marcus gave a slight bow. “Now, we really should be going.”
Reynard went to the door and opened it, then spoke to the soldier waiting in the hall. “Escort them out of the castle, please, and then return here.”
“Yes, Commander.” He held out my cloak and pouch. “These were found outside near where Furgan was felled.”
Reynard took them and turned to me. “Yours?”
I nodded. “I dropped them while fleeing your men.” And there was no doubt in my mind they’d been thoroughly searched. Good thing I’d finished off that Zip Bar.
Moving away from Marcus, I draped the cloak over my arm and settled the pouch strap on my shoulder before calling Peri to roost. “Thank you for your hospitality, Commander. The meal was much appreciated.”
“You’re welcome. I look forward to seeing you dance.”
What? Hold the phone, here. Who said anything about dancing? “Lillith, what in Zin’s name is he talking about?”
“Marcus’s tavern. It’s named after Terpsichore, the goddess of dance.”
Now wasn’t this just dandy? I go from being a respected employee of the Department of Protocol, to a job I’m horrible at with the Bureau of Alien Affairs, and abruptly I’m demoted yet again. Only this time I get to be a glorified stripper. Whoopee. What was next? Cleaning outdoor toilets? By hand? Without a shovel?
Sure I’d danced in my previous job, but that was different. Mostly because I’d always had a partner and hadn’t been dancing alone to entertain large groups of men. That dancing had been personal recreation, even if it was part of the job.
In lieu of addressing Reynard’s comment, I moved into the hall, Marcus beside me. Reynard followed us as far as the doorway and then paused, his gaze on Marcus.
“I’ll be watching, Kent.”
Again Marcus gave him a short bow. “I would expect nothing less, Commander.” He took my arm and steered me down the hall behind our escort. When we were almost to the end of the passage, I looked over my shoulder.
Reynard was still watching, his manly form limned in the light spilling from his room. Was he really staring at the sway of my hips? A thrill tingled through my stomach and shot straight to my chest. Before I thought about the consequences, I lifted my hand and sent him a small good-bye wave.
He returned it right before we went to the left and I lost sight of him. I faced forward again just as Lillith spoke to me.
“Marcus said to tell you that if you have questions, ask them through me. He says it’s not safe to speak aloud until you’re in his home.”
“Great. Ask him what Reynard meant by that last statement.”
There was a pause before she responded. “The commander is either attracted to you, or suspicious. Marcus thinks it’s a bit of both. There’s also a third reason. As I mentioned before, men here outnumber the women by a good margin, so in their culture women are protected at all costs. Rape and abuse are almost unheard of, and the penalty for either is a very painful death. It’s a matter not only of honor, but of preserving a rare and precious commodity necessary for the continuation of their race. By confirming your story and taking you in, Marcus has declared himself your guardian, and it’s an unusual arrangement considering you aren’t related to him. The commander was serving notice that he wouldn’t tolerate any licentious behavior toward you on Marcus’s part. In other words, he’s decided its part of his duty to make sure you’re protected, even from your guardian.”
Well, that certainly gave me the warm snuggies. All except the suspicious part. I’d have to be real careful around Reynard. And I had no doubt I’d see him again soon.
Another thought occurred to me as the soldier led us to an outside door. “What if this August person shows up alive and well, and denies I’m his daughter?”
“He won’t. Marcus was on the original exploration team that discovered Madrea, and has been here ever since. He came to know August well. The man died nearly a cycle ago. After he left Lowden’s service, he wed a Bashalde woman and had a daughter. Enough people knew about her, including Lowden, that the commander can verify the information. What no one but Marcus knows is that the child died of a fever when she was five cycles old, along with her mother. After that, August became even more reclusive. Marcus was his only contact with people, and only because Marcus insisted on taking him supplies, so the story will stand up.”
“He came up with all this on the spur of the moment?” By now, we were outside and Marcus was heading down a dark street leading toward the front of the castle, our escort left behind at the castle. Peri abandoned my shoulder and flitted busily from flower to flower.
There was another pause before Lillith answered. “No, he says Dr. Daniels contacted him about you several days ago. He had time to consider all aspects of your cover, and this was the one he settled on as most believable, especially since he knows you only recently finished your combat training.”
I arched a brow as we turned down another street. “What does that have to do with my cover story?”
“He knows how agents are trained. It was only a matter of time before you reacted violently to something or someone the way you did the commander. Women on this world aren’t trained to fight. August’s daughter would probably be the one exception. Apparently, he wasn’t too fond of rules.”
“Okay, Marcus is obviously a genius.” From the corners of my eyes, I saw him smile.
“He thanks you, and says you’ve reached his home.”
Taking my arm again, he steered me up a rock walkway to a door bordered on both sides with flowers, opened it, and ushered me inside. Peri zipped in right before he closed the door, and then she began to explore the dark house. When I opened my mouth to speak, he put a finger to his lips and moved to a small chest resting on a shelf. Its wooden sides were adorned with stones, and he pushed one of them in like it was an on/off button.
“There, we can talk now.”
Outside the window the moon was full, and in its bluish light I eyed the chest with interest. Other than its ornate style there was nothing unusual about it. “What did you do?”
“Activated the motion detectors I’ve placed strategically around the yard. If anyone gets close enough to overhear our conversation, a light on the box will blink.”
He moved around the room, lifting opaque covers from transparent containers. Immediately, a soft white-gold glow filled the interior of the house.
Curious about the sunstones, I moved closer to a lamp and studied it while we continued our conversation. “Aren’t you afraid someone will discover the motion detectors?” The glow made it difficult to be certain, but it looked like the container was full of shinning pebbles. Gingerly, I touched it with one finger, surprised to find it cool even though I’d read about the phenomenon in the data files.
“Since the bases look like ordinary rocks and most people on this world haven’t a clue what technology can do, no.”
He took two glasses from beside the chest and poured wine while I abandoned the sunstones and looked around the room. It was good sized and contained both a sitting area and kitchen. There was a large fireplace in one wall and several wooden chairs with padded seats facing it, a low table between them.
On the other side of the room there was a table with four chairs and lots of shelving for food and dishes. In the back, two doors led to other rooms and a third outside. All in all it looked snug and cozy.
“Sit.” Marcus gestured toward a chair as he handed me one of the glasses. “I’ll show you your room after we chat. It’s small, I’m afraid, but should do for now. The privy is out back.”
I stared at him suspiciously as I deposited my bag and cloak near the door and took a seat. “I don’t have to clean it out, do I?”
“The privy?” He chuckled as he took the other seat. “No. It’s not up to Alpha Centauri standards, I’m sure, but the Madreans do have rudimentary plumbing. Basic hygiene is all that’s called for since I hire a housekeeper for the rest of the cleaning. The Terpsichore has its own kitchens and a wonderful cook, so I rarely eat at home.”
“That’s good. The housekeeper, I mean.” I took a sip of wine. Not bad for a domestic. “Where is your tavern?”
Peri landed on the mantel and began examining the items displayed there.
“It’s the big building on the other side of this house. Normally, it would be lit up and busy, but since the king ordered everyone to stay inside we closed for the night.”
I leaned back in the chair, relaxing completely for the first time since Lillith had dumped me on this planet. “Do you know why he issued the order?”
He rolled his glass between his hands. “I imagine it had something to do with the ship that landed behind the castle.”
“Lillith said three men and two young girls debarked, and that one of the girls appeared to be drugged.”
A frown marred his previously friendly face and I suddenly realized he could be a very dangerous man if crossed.
“Braxus.” He nearly spit the word.
“I beg your pardon? Who or what is Braxus? There was no mention of anyone by that name in the files.”
“He’s the king’s brother. I’m not surprised the Federation doesn’t know about him. I suspect most Madreans have forgotten he exists. He was born with a skeletal deformity and prefers to stay out of sight and work behind the scenes. For the last month, though, ships have been landing on a regular basis. Since the king eschews all things Federation as well as any technology that requires an energy source other than human or animal power, I knew it had to be Braxus’s doing. In spite of his appearance, the man is extremely intelligent and spends most of his time reading. So usually the king allows black marketeers to bring in books for his brother. Normally that only happens once every few months, and yet lately, the rate of landings has increased drastically. I know something is going on, but haven’t been able to find out what.”
He lifted a hand to rub his forehead. “Now that I know about the Sumantti, there’s only one conclusion I can reach. Braxus has the crystal and he’s bringing in female children with psi ability to try and use it.”
When my heart started pounding in reaction, I knew he’d hit the nail on the head. I didn’t even need to ask why the man was using children. The answer was obvious. Children would be easier to control than an adult female with psi abilities.
“They’ll die,” I blurted out. “Anyone who tries to use the stone without first being prepared by the crystals will die. Oh, Zin. There’s no telling how many he’s already killed if numerous ships have been arriving. Why is the king allowing him to do this?”
“That’s something we’ll have to find out.” Marcus’s face was downright grim. “I think it’s time we discussed your mission. Dr. Daniels gave me the pertinent parts, but I’d like to hear what you know about the Sumantti.”
I snorted. “That should take all of two seconds.” After I repeated everything Kiera Smith had told me, and explained about the Imadei, he nodded.
“You have no idea how to use the Imadei?”
“No, not even a tiny clue. I’ve tried holding it and concentrating, but so far that hasn’t worked.”
“May I see it?”
Oddly enough, I was reluctant to take it out. Since that seemed rather silly, I shrugged. “Sure.” I tugged the stone from under my top, slid the chain over my head, and held it in my palm where he could see it.
I expected him to reach for the stone, but he didn’t. He leaned over the chair arm and gazed into the inky depths for what seemed liked ten minutes. And the longer he stared, the more my head ached.
Abruptly, I couldn’t take any more. I curled my fingers around the Imadei, hiding it from his view, and with the other hand massaged my temple.
Marcus blinked like a man coming out of a trance, and then frowned. “Put it back on and never let anyone see it again. And if you value your life, don’t allow it to be touched unless you trust the person implicitly. For better or worse, the stone is linked to you now, and until you learn to control it, rough handling of the Imadei could either kill you or destroy your mind.”
I stared at him as my headache eased. “How do you know that?”
“When you’ve lived as long as I have, you pick things up here and there.”
Abruptly, my internal radar went on high alert. “Exactly how old are you?”
“Six hundred and twenty-eight cycles.”
My mouth gaped and I had trouble forming a sentence for a second. “You’re a super GEP.”
He smiled and shook his head. “Not on the same level as Kiera Smith, or you, apparently. But Gertz wasn’t the first to experiment with GEP DNA. He just took it further than most.”
If he was that old, how long could I expect to live? My brain spun even though I was still in shock. “What are your abilities?”
“Extremely good health and a long life.”
“No psi abilities?”
“None whatsoever.” He hesitated and then shrugged. “What I have is an innate skill at deductive reasoning and all those years of experience to draw from. Sometimes that’s enough for intuitive leaps in logic that others might miss. But there’s one thing I know that doesn’t have to be guessed at. Braxus has to be stopped, and you’re the only one who can do it.”
So much for not cleaning out the privy. Because if solving this problem depended on me alone, we were up to our eyeballs in shit with no shovel in sight.