Chapter 57

 

RENEE FLEW US to a military base and the personnel drove us to the nearest town. When we got there I was pretty keen on breakfast ’cause I was now running on fumes.

Renee checked us into a motel and we headed to the diner for something to ease my grumbling stomach. I wasn’t sure what the waitress thought of us. Renee was covered in a layer of dust, her shirt ripped to reveal a black lace bra. Her knees were muddy and she had a purple cheek and dried blood on her jaw.

I was in suit pants and a shirt, the sleeve on my arm had ripped off at one point. One side of my boot had been scuffed beyond recognition.

The waitress seemed pretty unfazed and took our order. Either it was too early for her to care or she’d seen a lot of weird folk.

“So what happens now?” I asked. I was sure CIG would have some kind of protocol.

“While Ursula gets treated, the only thing left for us to do is to make it back to base.” She studied her menu. “I thought we could head to Oppidum.”

I didn’t know how far that was but it sounded like a road trip. I loved the idea. I rubbed my hand over my face, stifling a yawn. “I meant with the kids.”

Renee cricked her neck to the side and let out a sigh of relief when it cracked. “They’ll get checked out in our medical facility and then debriefed before being placed into a protection program.”

“Is that safe?”

Renee met my eyes. She looked pretty beat herself. “You think we’d do it if it wasn’t?”

“What about Miroslav?” I was worried about him. “What if they all get separated?”

“They won’t.” She reached across the table and took my hand. “They’ll be just fine now.”

I picked up my menu and keys clattered onto the work top. “Hey, somebody must have left them.” I motioned to the waitress. “These ain’t ours.”

“Sure they are.” The lady looked at me like I was dumb. “Some guy in a suit dropped them off and said they were for a giant and dusty.” She gave us a cheeky smile. “You two fit that and then some.”

I couldn’t argue with that. Renee looked dusty to the point she was three shades darker all over.

“Aeron, how do you cope with feeling so much all the time?” Renee rubbed a hand over her brow. “The waitress has aching feet. My feet hurt enough by themselves without me having her pain too.”

I smiled at the lady as she delivered our food. “Sometimes if you don’t block it out, it gets overwhelming. You can be a bit . . . unstable then.”

“So how do you?”

I leaned over and clasped the necklace glinting at me in the morning sun. “Armor. It kinda helps if you believe.”

“I do . . .” She bit her lip. “I mean . . . in theory . . .”

I could see her battling her logic as she watched me rub my thumb over the necklace.

“Maybe a bit . . .” She met my eyes and sighed. “Sometimes . . . It’s not easy.”

I smiled. “Then you got to work on visualizing it.”

“Will you teach me?” She gave me a shy smile. “It’s just that I have this because you helped me and I think it’s so I can learn how to see more of what’s in front of me.”

Having Renee ask me to share something with her felt like a warm hug after all the uncertainty I’d felt. “Sure you don’t mind sharing?”

She smiled. “With you, never . . . well . . . in theory.”

I chuckled and tucked into my bacon. “Good, ’cause I’d love to.”