Alterant (Belador #2)(37)

“I can’t hand Brina that kind of trust.”

She understood, but Tristan needed to know all the possible pitfalls if the Alterants he shielded remained on the loose. “If I don’t return with those three, the Tribunal is going to turn VIPER loose to hunt down and kill all Alterants on sight. No chance to plead their cases. No chance for real freedom.”

Tristan grew still at the news of all Alterants being hunted.

“You may not like being here, but if they’re out in the world on their own, they’re vulnerable.”

“And you think they’ll be safe walking into VIPER?” he asked with no small amount of sarcasm.

“I’ll be perfectly honest, Tristan. If any of the Alterants have killed an innocent human, they have to pay the price, but if they killed in self-defense, that’s a different story. With so many Alterants shifting everywhere in the past twenty-four hours, me, you and those three may be the only ones who have a chance to survive.” And if this worked out, Evalle wouldn’t be dragged in every time an Alterant committed a crime.

“What do the Alterants that are changing look like?”

She lifted her shoulders. “I guess like us. I haven’t seen any of them . . . which reminds me. Why were your eyes black earlier when you were, uh, shifted?”

“Think it has to do with being in here. I thought black eyes were normal as a beast, because I’d always seen my eyes that way in water reflections, but they stayed green constantly once I left here the last time. Now they’re back to black when I shift in here.”

“Oh.” That wasn’t helpful.

Tristan nodded to himself and stared off into the jungle as if he pondered what she’d told him. “Gods and goddesses are sneaks,” he said under his breath. He glanced at her. “You sure if you return the three Alterants they’ll let you walk away?”

His question surprised her, especially since he’d asked in a civil tone lacking ridicule.

She answered carefully. “That’s what the Tribunal told me, but I’m not walking away unless those three do, too. Convincing them to come in with me would beat them having to live with targets on their backs. And as soon as I return with them I’ll lobby for you to plead your case.”

She swatted a fat mosquito drawing enough blood off her midriff to feed four normal-sized mosquitoes back home. That was saying something, because Georgia grew hefty insects.

“I don’t know. What exactly did the Tribunal say?”

“Let me think,” she grumbled. She hadn’t taken dictation, for crying out loud. “The Tribunal said, ‘Let the one who returns the three escaped Alterants to VIPER be cleared of prior transgressions.’”

Tristan listened, interest growing visibly in his face until he finally said in a lighter tone, “Sounds like you’re right. I know where the others are. Help me get out of here and I’ll show you.”

Help him escape so she’d have to recapture four Alterants? Was he crazy? Well, maybe. Who wouldn’t be after living out here alone all this time, but still . . . she hadn’t lost her mind. “I can’t do that, Tristan.”

“Okay.” He stood up with what was left of the bananas and dropped the bunch where he’d been sitting. “That should hold you for a while.” He pointed past her. “North is that way.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am. The last time I trusted someone’s offer of freedom, it backfired.”

“That was the Kujoo, not me.”

“Why should I believe someone who sent me back?” He strolled away, pausing in stride to pick up her dagger.

“Tristan!” Evalle pounded the ground, then jumped to her feet and stepped tentatively inside his area. “Tristan. Come back and talk to me.”

Blond hair disappeared into a wide swath of green.

She slammed her fist into the palm of her hand. If she lost him now, could she find him again?

Not a chance.

Evalle raced after him, shoving branches out of her way, and picked up his tracks. Energy inside his prison bogged her down once more, as if she swam against a current. When she’d followed him a hundred yards deep into the middle of nowhere, his tracks disappeared. Pausing to look up, she heard a rattle of noise off to her right, caught a glimpse of blond hair and took off again.

After a couple of hours of trying to catch Tristan every time she’d chase a glimpse of him moving through the jungle, she finally lost him for good. She ended up wandering back into the original clearing where they’d talked.

The bananas he’d left had been hung on a broken branch since she’d last seen them. As a peace offering?

Maybe that meant he would come back.

In the meantime, she was still hungry and reached for the only food in sight.

Monkeys chattered and shook the trees overhead, drawing her gaze up and up. The noise increased, but they didn’t seem upset. They were just making a racket.

When soft footsteps raced toward her, she realized too late why the monkeys were raising a ruckus.

Evalle yanked her arm down and turned to meet her opponent, but not fast enough to get out of the way.

Tristan raced forward, grabbed her against him and leaped airborne for fifteen feet, propelled like a human missile. He yelled a curse. They hit the ground as one big thud in a tangle of arms and legs.