Angel of Storms (Millennium's Rule, #2)(58)

“So you wish to join the rebellion?” one of the men said, rising from a crate. He was shorter than Tyen by half a head, but broad in the shoulders, his arms well muscled and his skin a mottled brown.

“This is Ayan,” Ceilon told Tyen. “In charge of the security of this base.”

Tyen turned to stare at Ceilon. “This is your base?” When Ceilon didn’t deny it, Tyen looked at Ayan for confirmation. The man nodded.

“It’s rough living,” Ceilon admitted, then straightened his shoulders. “But we are willing to put up with worse if it leads to worlds being free of the Raen’s control.”

Tyen looked back at the entrance to the larger room. “As am I. But if I can find you in a day or so, so could he.”

“I left you a clue only you would understand,” Yira reminded him. “The messengers at the market know only to tell certain people to go north to the ice and they don’t know why. And I told everyone here to expect you.”

“And if someone had caught me on the way here, or read my mind and followed me?” he asked.

She frowned and looked at Ayan, who scowled and said nothing.

Tyen turned back to Ceilon. “And why are you keeping your families here?”

“We have to keep them close, in case they are used against us,” Ceilon replied stiffly.

Tyen stared at him in amazement. Has nobody thought this through? Then he had to hide his relief as he realised this meant they were no danger to the Raen. If I tell him this, will he let them fumble about for a while until they get bored and go home? A darker thought passed through his mind, then. Will that be enough to earn his help restoring Vella?

“We do have other precautions in place,” Ayan said. “To join us, you must prove you are trustworthy. You must open your mind to us.”

Tyen’s stomach sank. He couldn’t do that. Not without revealing his true reason for joining them. Not without revealing Vella. This was never going to work.

Yet the Raen expected Tyen to join them, and a man who had lived a thousand cycles and most likely outwitted countless uprisings would have guessed the rebels would require a mind-read. There must be a way around this. Even as the thought ran through his mind, he saw one that might work.

He straightened his shoulders and met Ayan’s gaze. “Of all the ridiculous things I’ve seen and heard here, that tops the list.”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “You refuse.”

“Of course.”

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.”