Page 77 of Crown of Tides and Fury

“Dinnae fash,” Wickham whispered, as I preceded him through the door. “I planted a wee thought in the captain’s head. I’m the Governor of Texas, don’t ye know it?”

As we tramped through oven-temperature buildings, it wasn’t me who got the whistles. Looking at some of the expressions of the incarcerated women we passed, I wondered if the mere sight of Wickham Muir was enough to make their year. And he wasn’t even wearing a kilt.

They all stared openly. No one pretended to be immune. We moved so fast no one had time to question why he was given the hero’s treatment.

When we reached the cafeteria, one of the female guards fainted. No one bothered to break her fall. Because all eyes were on us—or rather, Wickham—few even noticed she'd gone down. I wasn't about to stop and see if she was all right. My hand was still wrapped around Wickham's belt, and he wasn't taking a step without me.

Captain Sweaty Shirt stopped us in the doorway between the mess hall and the kitchen. "Rinky Moore! Gitcher butt out here, nah!"

There was whispering in the kitchen, then a murmuring behind us. I wouldn't have been surprised if the prisoners revolted just to get their hands on my friend for a minute or two. I don't know what the punishment would be, but I bet a lot of them were thinking that it would be totally worth it.

A female guard escorted a woman to us who looked a little older than I was and a head shorter. She had curly black hair held back with a sweaty fabric band and covered with a gauzy cap. Her brown skin glowed beneath a sheen of perspiration. She peeled her gloves off as she drew near, then her raisin brown eyes flew wide, and she stopped. Despite her escort trying to drag her upright, she tucked a leg behind her and bent in a deep curtsy. "Grandfather."

"Roberta, is it?"

"Rinky, sir."

"All right, Rinky it is. Would ye like to go somewhere a wee bit cooler?"

She grinned in answer.

"Captain," he turned us to face the mess hall. "Tell me what ye keep up there." He pointed to the top of the far wall, where a guard stood, gun in hand. Everyone in the cafeteria followed his pointing finger. And the cafeteria fell away, to be replaced by Engineering. Unfortunately, we had one more person than Wickham had counted on--the female guard who still clung to Rinky's arm.

"Easy, now," Wickham told her. "Looks like the heat has become too much. Come, let me find ye a chair..." He peeled her hand from Rinky and he and the guard disappeared. When he popped back a few seconds later, he shook his head. "How can they stand that heat? It was cruel to take her back to it."

"Cruel?" Rinky Moore's eyes lit with glee. Her cheeks glistened with sweat. "Don't feel sorry for any of them. At least they get breaks in an air-conditioned room. We get..." She shook her head. "Will I have to go back? Please tell me I won’t have to go back!"

Wickham's nose wrinkled. "Only if ye refuse to bathe on the regular, like." He nodded at the doorway. "Assign her a room. Find her some clothes, then bring her to the study, aye?"

The woman headed for the door. I hung back and lowered my voice. "You’re not worried she'll run away?"

"She's not a criminal, lass. She's been fighting for our world much longer than we have."

Rinky turned back, surprised. "What are you? An Eco-terrorist wizard?"

He shook his head and led her out the door. "We only terrorize a few Fae, lass. But first things first. Let's remove a layer of Texas off ye, get ye a tasty meal, and introduce ye to the others."

She hesitated in the hallway. "But what will you ask of me in return?"

"Not much."

A total lie.

30

Last The Best Of All The Game

Itook Rinky to the girls wing of the house and pointed out a couple of bedrooms she could choose from. Without a second’s thought, she picked the one with the windows facing the outer yard and not the veranda and backyard.

“After prison, courtyards have lost their luster.”

Her accent was slightly British, but I didn’t bother her with questions. Instead, I asked if she’d leave her bedroom door unlocked while she showered.

She looked horrified.

I laughed. “Just so I can bring you some clothes. I’ll leave them on the bed.”

"Lennon? Where are we?"

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