Emerge: The Captive: (Book 3)(51)
“That doesn’t give him a license to react the way he does.”
“It doesn’t?”
“I’ve given him no reason not to trust me,” Sasha said.
“You haven’t?” The mother gave her a knowing smile. “When you missed your target, what were you doing to give Jayesh cause to react so harshly?”
I was deceiving him.
“He doesn’t know you missed the shot on purpose,” Mother Raghavan said. “The dear boy is not that perceptive. He is simply worried about what it will mean for you if you cannot meet the Senate’s expectations. It is his responsibility to make you a success.”
“I need to fail at this, mother. I am not ready to become a Chola assassin.” If we ever get through the training.
“And have you given it a moment’s consideration that Jayesh might agree with you? That he might not want to be the one to turn you into an assassin? That he might see you as an innocent girl he doesn’t want to corrupt?”
“No.” Sasha sighed.
“Have you considered that he is waiting for you to give him your trust? That he might be on your side in this mess?”
“No.” Sasha suddenly felt exactly like the child she was.
“You fear if you show him what you are truly capable of that he will betray that knowledge to the Senate and they will continue to demand your services even though you are not yet Proven.”
“Yes.” Sasha nodded. “I can’t risk it. I don’t want my life to belong to the Senate before I’ve even had a chance to live it.”
“A valid fear. But you are holding Jayesh accountable for a betrayal he hasn’t yet committed.”
“You are right.” Sasha laughed. “You usually are.”
“Come now.” The mother hugged her. “I’m not suggesting you reveal all of your deepest secrets to a man you’ve only just met. I’m simply suggesting that you meet him halfway. Isn’t that what you expect of him?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Sasha nodded again. The mother was right. How could she expect Jayesh to trust her if she was the one deceiving him at every possible turn?
“You will dust yourself off and try again, yes?”
“Yes, mother. I will.”
~~~
CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
Quinn: Fall
Atlanta, Georgia
“What do we know about the Scholar?” Livia demanded, staring at each member of her team in turn. They were few. Just Livia, Michael and Ryan, Quinn and Santi, and a woman named Selena.
They each were there for a reason, but Quinn and Santi seemed to be the only ones who would rather not be. The rest of the group ignored them as they sat at the edge of the room, trying not to get in the way. It was early evening and Livia planned to leave the following day, but they still didn’t know where they were going.
“He was last seen in Vi?a Del Mar along the coast of Chile,” Selena offered. “But he’s been on the move. Spotted in different parts of the world. Cape Town, South Africa; Nigeria, Egypt and the Sudan.” Selena scanned through her notes. “He’s randomly showed up in rural Scotland and all across Eastern Europe. Then he had a really good time in the cafes of Amsterdam for a few days before heading off to the Philippines, Brazil, and back to Egypt, Indonesia, New Zealand and finally ended up in Sydney, Australia, just a few days ago.” Selena let her notes fall to the table.
“Any idea where he is headed next?” Livia asked.
“No. But I would love the opportunity to collect his gift.” Selena rubbed her hands together eagerly. “Can you imagine all that knowledge? I’ll make a fortune!” Selena’s gift allowed her take a gift from one Immortal and bestow it to someone else—usually the highest bidder.
“His gifts would melt your brain,” Livia said. “Try it and I’ll snap you like a twig.” She gestured for her team to join her around the conference table inlaid with a map of the world in black onyx against a sea of white marble.
“We need to know where he’ll show up next,” Livia continued. “He and the queen will have a rally point. We need to figure out where that is.”
“Where and when was she captured?” Ryan asked.
“She was taken somewhere in Africa in 259 BCE, and spent some time in a Coalition prison in Carthage before my father liberated her in 30 BCE. She’s had no contact with the Scholar in all of that time, but a credible source says they intend to ‘go back where it all began,’” Livia said. “But the start of what?” She glanced around the room, looking for answers.
“They would have needed a rally point that would stand the test of time,” Michael said. “Maybe they meant the beginning of civilization? Somewhere in Mesopotamia?”
“Or did she mean the beginning of Indriell? It is believed Indriell was located near Egypt,” Ryan offered.
Quinn listened as they threw out different suggestions. All useless. There was something to be said for his education. He knew volumes more than they did on the subject of Immortal history. He just wasn’t sure if he should help them or let them hang themselves with their own ignorance. But he desperately needed this chance to get out of Sterling Tower. Nothing else mattered beyond this opportunity to escape with Santi. If a queen of Indriell still lived, he didn’t want to be responsible for her capture. But if it got him out of Soma, it could be worth the risk.