Page 120 of Empire of Shadows

Ellie felt the ground begin to slide from beneath her feet.

“Mallory?” Adam echoed carefully.

Jacobs went quiet. His gaze shifted to Ellie, and he lifted a single, terribly expressive eyebrow.

Shame drained the blood from her cheeks as fear twisted her gut.

Jacobs made no further answer. He seemed entirely content to wait. The terrible silence stretched until it felt as though it must break her.

“That’s my name,” Ellie finally said. “Eleanora Mallory.”

Adam didn’t reply. His expression shuttered, locking away whatever he was really thinking.

Fear thickened in Ellie’s throat.

“But who ishe?” Dawson demanded as he waved an ineffectual hand at Adam’s imposing figure.

“This is Mr. Adam Bates of the surveyor general’s office.” Jacobs shifted his cool, impenetrable gaze to Adam. “We neglected to make proper introductions during our previous encounter.”

“Guess we did,” Adam returned thinly. “Curious how you figured that out.”

“I was informed that you had disappeared from the hotel at the same time as the girl. The conclusion was logical enough,” Jacobs returned.

“But what are we going todowith them?” Dawson protested.

The professor was sweating. Ellie wondered how much of it was the heat, and how much was his discomfort with the idea of once again being potentially party to murder.

Not that she expected his discomfort would make him do anything to stop it.

“I suppose that depends on Mr. Bates,” Jacobs said.

“Oh?” Adam replied with deceptive ease. His hand flexed near the empty sheath of his machete. “And how’s that?”

“You are the assistant surveyor general,” Jacobs elaborated. “As I understand it, you are responsible for the maps we consulted to get here. You are by far the most adept navigator we have in this camp.”

“What?” Dawson spluttered indignantly. He fumbled the pen he had been holding, dropping it to the floor.

Jacobs ignored him. His eyes were on Adam.

“Use those skills to direct us to the city, and perhaps we can avoid more… unpleasant consequences,” Jacobs said.

Ellie’s fear sharpened, growing colder. Jacobs would kill Adam without a second thought. Did Adam realize that? Would it matter if he did? He was hardly the most diplomatic personality at the best of times. Ellie could tell that he was barely refraining from attacking the man now, even with Mendez still pointing his rifle at the pair of them.

Her stomach twisted.

“I am entirely capable of reading a map!” Dawson retorted, obviously offended.

“Not as capable as he is,” Jacobs countered neatly.

“Need I remind you that this ismyexpedition?” the professor exclaimed.

Jacobs turned to look at him.

“Is it?” he asked mildly.

Dawson shut up.

“And what happens if I tell you to go straight to hell?” Adam asked.

---