Tainted

Chapter Forty-Four

We dance together until the sky breaks dawn. Despite the set-up tents, Sani and Dem lie curled in a hollow at the base of a tree. James snores softly, and Surma sways slowly, Sailor's arms wrapped around her waist. It looks as though he's awake through sheer power of will.

"It's time," Rogue murmurs in my ear.

I rise up on my toes and nuzzle into his neck.

"No, I don't want to leave here," I say.

I feel Rogue smile against my cheek. "And why not?" he asks.

I hesitate, worrying it'll sound too silly. "I'm afraid leaving will break the spell," I say.

Rogue stops swaying and I stumble against him. He gently pushes me away until I'm face to face with him.

"I don't believe in magic," he says. "And this isn't a spell."

His fingers run down the length of my right arm, coming rest in the palm of my hand. He lifts it up, and pushes back my sleeve to kiss my bare forearm with his lips.

"Oh for the love of Gaia, can we just storm the prison already?" Sani rasps.

A searing heat blushes my cheeks and I lurch away from Rogue, his amused smile making me feel even more embarrassed.

Sani sighs, exasperated. She spins her knife around her knuckles and sheaths it in the holster by her hip.

"Well I'm heading up there. Sure would be lovely if you came too, Thief, since that's obviously the only reason why you're here." Sani checks my shoulder as she walks past.

"Whoa, hey, enough," Rogue says sharply.

Sani rounds on him. She thrusts her face in his, her eyes flashing. Every word she spews is edged with angry spit.

"She is a liability, Rogue. And so is Sailor. How could you bring them and jeopardize our entire mission?" Sani leans back to take a deep breath, before changing tack. "Rogue, this isn't just scamps mucking about, okay? There are real lives on the line, and not just ours." She draws a circle in the air around the Scout.

"What about Lev? And Mikiliav? Eisen? Prue?" Sani licks her lip. I can see her chin wobbling, and it's the most emotion I've ever seen from her. It scares me.

"Tanymede?" she says softly.

Sailor shifts beside me. I reach out and brush his hand with mine, hoping it's enough to tell him I don't think of him as a liability.

"Sani, we are doing this for them," Rogue says.

"No," Sani says, shaking her head. A tear flies free from the end of her nose. "You're doing this for you. That's why you brought Sailor and the Thief. Maybe once your heart would've been in the right place, but ever since Esmeralda died you haven't cared."

"Don't you dare bring her into this," Rogue says coldly.

Sani holds up her hands. "Gaia forbid I even mention her name. Have you tried asking Surma how's she doing now that her partner is dead? No. You haven't. You chose to keep that tent as some weird mausoleum until the little Thief decided it was pretty and so you gave it to her. What does Surma think of that, hmm?"

Sani turns to Surma, but Surma merely bows her head and clasps her hands before her.

"Surma, I—" Rogue begins, but Surma gives a quick shake of her head.

Rogue stops. He runs a hand through his hair. For once, he looks at a loss for words.

"We should...we should execute the plan before we run out time," Rogue says. Excited voice carry over the trees. It must be a morning duel Alani's called then, to beat the afternoon heat.