Page 54 of The White Dragon Revealed

But all George said was, “You’re quite pretty.”

“Yes.” Kaila tossed her hair back. “Yes, I am. But you don’t know who I am.”

“You’re, uhm, an actress or something?” George cocked his head to the side.

“He doesn’t get out much. Or watch TV or the internet,” Stevie burst out. “That’s Queen Kaila, you idiot! She’s another Dragon Shifter. The aquamarine one called Lana.”

“Oh!” George’s eyes grew large though Valerius was pretty sure that the Snake Shifter didn’t know Lana and Kaila from any of the other Dragon Shifters. “That still doesn’t explain what you two are doing bustingin here!”

“They thought you were torturing me!” Stevie cackled. “I was being rescued by Dragons!”

George stuck a finger in Stevie’s face who pushed it away. “You are a reprobate who needs to get back to mopping!”

“All of you,quiet!” Valerius growled.

As they had bickered, he had been using the video equipment to focus on the Faith. His gaze flickered over the dozens of white robed figures looking for… what? Guilt on their faces? A bomb strapped to their bodies? Maybe a little bit of both.

“What are you looking at?” George asked.

“The Faith,” Valerius growled and spun around to the Snake Shifter. He pointed at the white robed figures. “How didtheyget down here? Marban specifically knew they were not to be let in.”

George’s mouth opened and shut. Stevie answered for him, “It's impossible to keep them out.”

“What do you mean?” Kaila asked.

“Even if you keep the ones wearing white out, there are countless people who aren't wearing the robes,” Stevie pointed out. “There were probably people in security who were Faith and let them in.”

George gave an uncomfortable shrug. “Faith is above even Marban. You know how they look at Swarm Shifters. Self-hatred is a sad thing.”

Valerius gritted his teeth and went back to scanning the video feeds. Kaila came up beside him. She studied the video feeds with him, biting her lower lip, as she too looked for some kind of evidence that one of these Faith members--or more--were up to no good.

“Why are you worried about the Faith? I mean other than the bad songs and stuff.” Stevie shuddered at the memory of their songs.

Valerius ignored the boy. Even if he had the time, he had no inclination to scare a child about the Faith. Maybe they were wrong and the Faith wasn’t behind the bombings or maybe onlysomeof them were. He doubted a boy like Stevie would keep his mouth shut and it would cause a panic.

“We’ll never get there from here,” Kaila remarked as she took over one of the cameras and panned it over the now, much more packedarea around the Stairs than even when they had made their way over. “Not without causing a commotion.”

“And we do not want that,” Valerius murmured.

Valerius panned one of the cameras to the news crews that were clustered around the Stairs as that gave them the best view of everything happening to prove his point. It wouldn’t just be the people in the Below who would see him and Kaila “attacking” the Faith but people all over the world.

There was a hiss and spitting sound before Marban’s voice came over the radio, “Attention, Security, you are tostopthe Faith and turn them back from the Below. Do you hear me? Stop the Faith! Be aware that they may have explosives.”

George and Stevie looked at Valerius and Kaila with open mouths.

“E-explosives?” Stevie squeaked. “Is the Faith behind the bombings?”

“We need to get to them. Fast! How can we do this?” Valerius demanded to know.

“There are back passageways. We can take you,” George said as he stood up stiff-legged from his rolling chair. He looked a bit in shock. Was he a member of the Faith? Like Stevie had said, anyone could be a believer. They didn’t have to wear white and sing bad songs.

This was a mistake. Creating any sort of planned event where thousands of people would gather…

“Take us. Now,” Valerius said.

“I’ll come too! I know the way better than George!” Stevie offered, just as eager to be in on the action as to leave his mopping duties.

“No, you will not, child,” Kaila said as she thrust the mop handle back into the boy’s hands.

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