Chapter Twenty-Five

 

Camina ran at the back of the group, keeping the traitorous Drops member in front of her. Pandora kept glancing back at Camina as if she expected a blade in her back at any moment. You should be worried.

The idea that her friend—no, best friend—was working with the Drops brought unending heat to her face. She wanted to smack him. Hold him down under a cold stream until he came to his senses. What was he thinking? He was the clan leader's son. Why would he risk his father's position for this girl?

Unless she'd ensorcelled him? The idea had merit. There was something about Pandora that tickled the back of Camina's neck. Something familiar that suggested the girl wasn't being level with them.

"Fucking wayhos."

That brought another head turn. Camina gave her a grin that would have curdled milk at a hundred paces, but it washed over Pandora without acknowledgement.

They passed through caverns at speed, but Camina barely noticed. Not even when they cut through a nest of cave crickets. Gossamer wings rose up around them, then flew away. Camina crushed one against her shoulder, keeping her eyes on the traitor's back the whole time.

Nothing about Pandora's appearance in the Undercity made sense. She showed up as a waitress, and on the very first day saved the life of two major clan figures and gained an invite to the Drops. No one was that lucky. Which probably meant she'd made her luck.

And now she showed up at the most opportune time when they suspected there was a larger scheme afoot? How convenient. It was planned. Maybe even Leesa was involved. They'd laid a trap for Kuma. The question was, who was behind it? If she was willing to spy against her own clan then Camina doubted she was truly loyal to Drops.

Camina would put a large pile of cash on the fact that Kuma had slept with her. She could see it in his eyes, the way he pined after her. What if it was an enchantment? Or an elixir? There were ample ways to break a person's mind, make them subservient to another.

She brooded on these ideas as they ran through the caverns, relying on Kuma's amber to keep them safe. She knew she should be keeping her senses on high alert, but Camina kept them focused on Pandora. Even though she couldn't see the vibrations of the stones like Kuma could, Camina could sense that there was something strange going on inside Pandora's body. She moved in fits and starts, sometimes making long leaps that to the visible eye were unaided by her sapphire.

What are you up to?

They ran for fifteen minutes straight, pausing occasionally to pick up their quarry. Kuma was an excellent tracker, made better by his amber, and the Blue Daggers appeared not to care if they were leaving a trail. Candy wrappers occasionally marked their passage. Camina could smell the sweetness in the air, the remnants of sugar on the interiors of the packaging.

Kuma had them slow when they caught up to the Blue Daggers. His sensing range was huge, which meant they could follow without being seen. He made the silent gestures of Undercity speak, proposing a plan to overtake them from behind, but Pandora suggested circling around and ambushing them.

Camina made angry gestures of disagreement, pointing to Kuma to confirm his plan, but they agreed with Pandora. Frustrated, Camina wanted to shake him. She'd tricked Tick as well. He seemed enamored by the Drops member.

As they cut up a side passage, intending to set an ambush, Camina sensed the change in Pandora. Her muscles were tensing at odd moments and she kept looking to Kuma. Camina was sure she was going to do something soon. They were being led into a reverse ambush. Whoever she was working for was waiting for them, and then as they were defending themselves, the Blue Daggers would come up from behind. It'd be a bloodbath.

They were about to make a right turn into a cavern so they could set up the ambush. Camina unsheathed her blade, which brought a head twitch from Pandora. As Kuma positioned them behind a wide stone pillar, Camina saw Pandora reach into an inner pocket. It was a signal, or compact weapon. Camina peeked over her shoulder. It looked like a brass button. It'd been through hard times, half-crushed, but the way Pandora caressed the slight dome had alarm bells ringing in Camina's head. She reared back her blade, determined to stop Pandora before she could press it.