The Rebels of Gold (Loom Saga #3)(48)
“There are plenty of people who can help organize defenses. I want to protect you.”
“There are not plenty of people, and in fact there are precious few Revos left. Furthermore, I can protect myself. Despite the tattoo on my cheek, I am no Raven.”
“I know that better than anyone, but it doesn’t mean you couldn’t use someone’s help.”
“The Dragons won’t attack for three days. By that point I will be long on my way to Ter.4. I’ll be nothing more than a speck on the map; no Dragon will find me and no Fenthri would attack me.” Florence was fairly confident that at this point she had solidified her reputation as one of the deadliest people on all of Loom. How many others could challenge the Dragon King himself at gunpoint? Of course, that was a decision Florence had yet to fully unpack now that the initial fight-or-flight response had left her. Her hands had a tremble since the Vicar Tribunal.
“Florence, why won’t you let me help you?” Shannra rounded the table. She rested a gentle hand on Florence’s shoulder.
She moved away subtly from the offending touch, using the opportunity to stretch for a high jar and shake Shannra’s hand free. But her distractions were growing limited, and soon she would be forced to focus on the other woman in the room.
“Do you want to help me? Or do you want to help me because Louie asked you to?” Well, there it was. The question was out and there was no taking it back.
“What kind of question is that?” Shannra almost seemed offended. She walked around the table to position herself between Florence and a narrow set of shelves she had been clearing. “Do you think I have been at your side this whole time because of Louie?”
Florence thought about it for a long moment. Was this woman nothing more than a pawn in the greater scheme? And if she was, why did it matter to Florence? “Have you not been?”
“Five Guilds! That’s all you think of me, isn’t it?” She seemed torn between laughter and anger. It was a combination that fit her. Light and dark. Happiness and sorrow. Anger and joy. Shannra was all of it wrapped into one.
“I don’t know what to think of you,” Florence answered honestly, at last looking her in the eye.
“Florence.” The woman’s whole demeanor changed. “Yes, Louie asked me to come here. I told you that from the beginning. I’ve never kept my affiliation with him a secret.” Shannra shook her head. “And I have no doubt that he asked me specifically because he knew I could be of help to you, because he knew you would want to learn from me. But Louie has been here for weeks now, and I spend more time at your side than with him or any of his other . . . employees. It doesn’t matter how I came to you; it matters what we do going forward.”
She wanted to believe it was all true. Shannra’s silver eyes shone brightly in the fading light of the day. Florence wanted to believe they hid no secrets, that there was nothing within them that could even be the seed of a lie. But she wasn’t sure—couldn’t be sure, maybe ever.
Still, arguing with the woman would do her no good. If her suspicions were founded, Shannra would never admit to them. If they were unfounded, she only risked alienating a friend. Was it better to risk having a false companion than having no companion at all?
“Even still.” Florence sighed softly and let go of the argument. Her focus had to be on other places, her energy devoted to more important things than unpacking the true depths of her feelings for the silvery beauty. “You are far more useful to me getting a head start on fortifying the Ravens’ Guild and the Underground than offering protection I won’t use and don’t actually need. I will not be long behind you; all of Ter.0 will be on the move in two days’ time and I will be out with the last of them. All this is for only a day’s difference.”
It seemed like Shannra was going to put up one more fight, and Florence braced herself for whatever the argument may be. The truth was, neither of them owed the other anything.
“Do me one favor.” Shannra paused and reached for Florence a second time. This time, she didn’t move away. “Okay, two favors . . . One, don’t store this powder on the edge of the box. Rattle it too much and it could go.”
“Really? But I thought that was why we cut it with sulfur?”
“We did. We cut it enough to prevent it from being a danger when mixed with other chemicals for canisters. But the whole thing in a jar? It’s a rather pointless risk.” Shannra took the jar and nestled it between some of the others toward the center of the box. For good measure, she even wedged in some leftover rags around the various vessels.
“Okay, and this other favor?”
“Seek me out when you arrive at Ter.4?” Shannra gave a small, delicate smile.
If she was being honest with herself, Florence had planned to do so immediately anyway. “I think I can manage that.”
“I’ll take this ahead for you.” Shannra started for the door with the box still in her arms, speaking over her shoulder, “Think of it as collateral, to make sure you come looking for me.”
“Collateral? It looks a lot like theft.” Florence leaned against the table.
“Well, as you so aptly pointed out, I am on Louie’s payroll. Who really knows when I may decide to just up and steal something?” Shannra gave a small wink and left the room with a satisfied swing of her hips.