Seduction (Curse of the Gods #3)(17)
What I really wanted to say was turn this damn cart around and take me back to Blesswood. I wanted to be there when the Abcurses returned. I wanted to know that they were okay and that none of them had caused a god-war or ended up in jail. Instead I somehow ended up in the slowest cart known to Minatsol, trundling along to what would probably be the most boring meeting known to Minatsol.
I didn’t demand they turn around, for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because it felt slightly too co-dependent, and I was not that. No way. I could totally survive without those five gods.
“For the love of Topia, Will, you’re even more scatterbrained than normal. What is going on?”
Emmy had been talking again, but I hadn’t been listening. Again. Something snapped inside of me. “They’re gone, Em, and now I’m gone. Which means no one is there if something happens. I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Cyrus!”
She was silent for a beat, before shaking her head. “That was probably the least understandable sentence you’ve ever uttered, and considering your track record ...”
She trailed off because there was really no need to finish. Before I could snap something back at her, a jar was pressed into my hands. I glanced down to find water, which I immediately chugged. I hadn’t even had time to process what I was doing before the cool liquid was sliding down my throat.
“Is she okay?” I heard Evie whisper. She had been the one to hand me the drink. I swallowed the last of the water down as Emmy replied with, “I don’t think so.”
Before another word could be said, a loud shout came from the head of the cart, and the momentum started to slow, before coming to a grinding halt. The sols were up then, excitement across their faces. Most of them had to duck their heads low to not hit the roof of the cart, and then they were exiting on the left side.
Emmy hauled me up, apparently expecting that I would be unsteady on my feet, but I managed to remain upright, so the pair moved toward the door. I followed, but my shoe got caught in a rope that had been coiled up beneath the seat. My arms flailed about as I plunged headfirst onto the floor of the cart. Well, almost. A strong set of hands caught me just before my skull crashed against the hard timber. My knees and hip still smarted from where they had clipped the wood, but I was at least glad that I wasn’t about to black out for the second time that sun-cycle. My head was already a big old mess, it didn’t need a concussion to add to it.
Rocking back onto my knees, I tilted my head up to find Dru crouched before me, his massive hands still wedged in under my arm pits.
“Careful there, dweller. Your boyfriends wouldn’t like it if you messed up that pretty face.”
Everything inside of me seized up; he filled the space completely and I was immediately wary. He hadn’t been in the cart with us. I knew that for certain. There was no way to miss a mountain-sized sol. My breathing got rapid as I asked, “Are you stalking me? Why are you always around?”
I was mostly steady on my feet now; Dru had to bend himself almost in half to fit in the small back section. “I was riding up the front of the cart, so I was just checking that everyone was off before I went in.”
Swallowing hard, I fought against the rising tide of red that was creeping through my cheeks. I knew it was happening because my face felt like it was on fire.
“Well, great … then. Good work and stuff. See you later.”
I dashed out, catching my foot on the door before practically tumbling down the small steps that had been lowered off the side. Emmy caught me with ease, and before I could do more than mumble out a thank you, she had her hand around my elbow and was yanking me across a small courtyard. The pincer grip was strong with this one.
“You need to stay away from him,” she said firmly. “He’s bad news.”
No shit. “Do I need to remind you of the three sols you’ve been hanging around?”
She visibly shuddered, and that made me feel instantly better. At least she found them as repulsive as I did. Sols were generally shiny and blessed, but those three made my skin crawl.
As my eyes adjusted to being out in the light, I took stock of what was going on. We were somewhere I recognised: the Minateurs’ council chambers and training facility.
Small pockets of people were gathered around the entrance, conversing in loud booming voices. I recognised the sols on account of their general shininess and the confident way they commanded their own space. There was a dweller or two scattered in there also: they were the ones holding bags and folders, standing in the shadows of the blessed ones.
“There’s no way they’re going to let us into this meeting.” I tried to keep my voice neutral, but my annoyance at being there just kept seeping out in everything I said. “Can one of you tell me how I got into that cart when I was passed out?” I had no idea why I hadn’t asked that earlier. For some reason, I kept waiting for one of them to mention how I got there, but they kept acting like I should already know.
Which I really didn’t.
Case in point: Emmy and Evie both stared at me, their eyebrows bunching in close as they gawked as though I had suddenly grown a second head. “What are you talking about, Will?” Emmy finally asked, her hand flying out and resting against my forehead.
I let out a little growl. “I’m not sick. Stop looking at me like that.”
“You were a little out of it when we found you in the sol’s room,” Evie chimed in. “But you were definitely not passed out. We told you that we were headed to the meeting, and you said that you’d received a message naming you the third dweller representative, and that you were supposed to come with us. Emmy didn’t believe you, but you followed us right into the cart.”