Hunted by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #3)(34)

“Thank you.” Annia sniffled one more time, then gave the soldier a brilliant smile that had him blushing all over again. That blush crept all the way down his neck and disappeared beneath the neckline of his undershirt as Annia pulled off her sopping-wet top, leaving her standing there in nothing but pants and a white bra.

“So, is there really a dungeon around here?” Annia asked as she slowly slipped the soldier’s shirt on, taking her time in adjusting the fabric around her shoulders, which were far too slim for the garment. “Or was that other soldier just making things up?”

“Not a dungeon, exactly,” the soldier said, his eyes glued to the rounded flesh swelling over the cups of Annia’s bra. “But we do use the old mineshaft to hold prisoners, and you could say that’s kind of like a dungeon.”

“Oh really?” Annia’s dark eyes widened, her mouth forming a small ‘o’ of shock. “So the soldier wasn’t lying, I could be sent there?” She slipped the bottom button of the shirt through its hole as she spoke.

“I’m sure the captain wouldn’t actually send you down there,” the soldier assured her. “He wouldn’t want you there with those vile mages.”

“Mages?” Annia gasped.

The soldier stood up a little straighter, looking chagrined. “I think I’ve said too much.”

“That’s incredible!” Annia pressed a fluttering hand against her exposed bosom, and I had to admire how cleverly she directed the soldier’s attention back to her body. “I had no idea this camp was so hardcore. I know the Resistance is fighting against the mages, but I didn’t know we’d grown so strong that we could actually capture some of them.”

The soldier’s chest seemed to swell with pride at that. “Yeah, well, we had a pretty good plan –”

The door swung open, and Sergeant Brun stepped in. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he saw Annia standing there with the soldier’s shirt only halfway buttoned. “Private Gilliam, what is the meaning of this!”

“Sir!” The private snapped to attention, his cheeks coloring once more, and I nearly snickered at the abject mortification in his pretty blue eyes. “I apologize, but the recruit here spilled water all over her shirt. I didn’t think it was appropriate for her to be in a wet t-shirt, so I offered her my shirt to wear.”

“And you think this is appropriate instead?” Sergeant Brun asked, swinging his baleful gaze toward Annia again. She’d hastily buttoned up her shirt and stood there with her hands behind her back and her head bowed, looking sheepish.

“I’m so sorry, sergeant,” Annia said meekly. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to get Private Gilliam in trouble. He was just trying to help.”

“I’m sure he was,” Sergeant Brun said dryly. “But I can’t have Private Gilliam on duty wearing only his undershirt. Go fetch another shirt from your quarters and change, and then hurry back here and give the private his shirt back.”

“Yes sir.” Annia saluted.

“And don’t let this happen again. I don’t need you distracting my soldiers with your charms.” His eyes narrowed.

“It won’t, sir,” Annia assured him.

“Women,” Brun muttered under his breath. It sounded like a curse. “Get going.”

He stalked out of the mess hall, and Annia winked at me before following him outside. Guess we knew our next destination now – the mineshaft. But how were we supposed to get there when we had watchers following us around at all times?





12





“Man, that was exhausting,” Annia groaned as she collapsed onto her cot. “I’ve never had to cook for so many people in my life.”

“No kidding,” I agreed, sitting down heavily on the edge of my own cot so I could pull off my boots. Annia hadn’t even bothered taking her own shoes off – she lay sprawled out on her bed, eyes closed as the light from the lantern flickered across her face. “At least the job gives us full access to the pantry.”

“Which you happily raided.” Annia snorted. “I swear I don’t understand how you eat so much, Naya. I’d look like a balloon if I packed in the amount of food you did this afternoon.”

“Yeah, it’s a real blessing having a food bill three times the size of yours.” I rolled my eyes as I stretched out onto my cot. “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, you know.”

“I do know.” Annia opened her eyes as she rolled onto her side to face me. “I was just trying to lighten things up a bit. You’ve been pretty down in the dumps recently. Is it because of the dead end with the Chief Mage’s necklace?” she asked, keeping her voice low in case someone outside was listening.

“That’s a big part of it, yeah.” Folding my arms beneath my head, I stared up at the ceiling, tracing the old wooden beams through the darkness. “I thought for sure we were gonna find him at the other end of this necklace, so it’s pretty discouraging that the plan didn’t work out.”

“True, but at least we know the Chief Mage is in this area, right? We never would have been able to narrow it down that far without your charm.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Reaching beneath my shirt, I pulled out the two serapha charms and gazed at them. They blazed to life instantly beneath my scrutiny, like two tiny stars clutched in the palm of my hand, and a rush of longing hit me, so intense it was painful. “It’s just…I want him to be here. With me.”