By the light in Dancer’s stralen eyes, Bastien knew he was lying to the girl. But he admired him for not hurting her with the truth. And he understood exactly how Thia felt. He wondered the same thing about his own parents every day. Had they seen it coming?
Worse? He knew the answer about his siblings and their families. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t purge the sight of either Quin or Lil from his mind. Nor the sound of the blaster that ended their lives.
It would haunt him forever.
Why, with all his training, couldn’t he have stopped it?
Dancer placed a kiss to Thia’s forehead. “Aksel owns enough of your soul. Don’t let him take any more from you. He’s not worth one molecule of your tears.”
She hugged him then. “Thank you. For everything.”
He nodded. “Love you, Thee.”
“You, too.” She kissed his cheek before she followed after them.
While they waited on Dancer and Sumi, Bastien siphoned the fuel from the airbee with the lowest tank into the next lowest one, knowing that it was the only hope they had of reaching what little civilization this backwater planet had.
Dancer came outside with Sumi to join them and handed Bastien a bag of additional weapons. “Did you get your things?”
He assumed Dancer meant his emergency bug-out pack. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Dancer pulled out a small handheld control, then pressed it. An instant later, the entire building blew apart.
Stunned and pissed, Bastien gaped indignantly as he watched what little he owned go up in a fierce explosion. “My porn! You Andarion bastard! You didn’t tell me you were going to blow my shit up!” There was stuff in there he would have backed up and kept!
Stuff he needed to track his uncle.
Dancer cut a dry stare toward him. “Be glad I let you get out first.”
Sighing, Bastien rolled his eyes. There was no need in attacking him over it or staying angry. It was done now and he had no place else to go. “You are Fain’s brother. Just like him … bastard. All right, so what are we doing?”
“I’m taking the four of you to the Point, then coming back for Illyse. I’ll be on the move until the others get here.” He handed Bastien one of the trackers that was set to his TD. “Give this to Thia’s father and they’ll find me.”
Bastien was confused until he realized that Illyse must be the name of the lorina they’d been traveling with. What with all the crap that had happened, he’d completely forgotten about the large black battle feline. Good thing Dancer had remembered.
Sumi moved to stand in front of Dancer. “I’m not leaving you. You’re wounded.”
“Let’s argue about this later. We need to get out of here in case some of the Boldorians are around to see the explosion.”
Bastien could tell she wanted to argue, but knew he was right. Safety first.
Sumi took the first airbee. Thia climbed on the back of hers. Bastien pulled himself on another, and Hauk took the third. Darice went to sit behind his uncle. When he wrapped his arms around Dancer’s waist, Bastien saw the satisfied smile on Dancer’s face. Obviously, the boy meant a lot to him. He patted Darice’s arms then took off.
They followed him to a small oasis at the base of Mount Grenalyn. In spite of the desert climate, it was strangely lush and green, with a rapid stream that ran through it. In the early days of his fun-filled vacation here, this had been where Bastien came for fresh water and to bathe.
At least until he’d gotten the water running through the base again. Cold though it was …
Dancer parked and helped Darice off as they joined him. When Dancer started to leave them, Sumi caught his arm and held him in place. “You are hurt and bleeding. If you think for one second that I’m going to stand here and watch you leave without those wounds being tended, you’re … even more insane than I think you are. And I will follow you.”
Laying his hand against her cheek, he stroked her chin with his thumb. “I refuse to endanger you.”
“You know, Dancer. Heroic is one thing. Moronic is quite another.” She turned his airbee off. “Now get your ass over there, soldier, and sit!” She pointed to where Bastien was standing near Thia as she unpacked supplies. “And let me see how bad you’re hurt. Then we’ll revisit this whole death quest you seem to have.”
Those orders choked Bastien as they reminded him so much of how Ember used to treat him. How much she used to love him.
Before he’d screwed up so badly.
Just change out the names and insults and it might as well be one of their old infamous arguments.
No one will ever love me like that again.
That was the hardest part about coming to terms with his current situation. And it wasn’t melancholy or moroseness. He’d never trust himself to love anyone else the way he’d loved her.
Never be that open with anyone else ever again.
That innocent, trusting part of him had gone to the graves with his family. What was left now was more animal than man. Yeah, he could pass as a sentient creature. Use the right utensil at meals. But in his heart, he knew the truth.
Bastien Cabarro was dead.