Page 232 of Seer Prophet

“There is one other consideration. You will lose whatever intelligence your husband has managed to obtain for us off that connection,”Balidor reminded me.

I grunted, giving Revik a look. I smiled for real when I saw him roll his eyes, showing his dismissal of Balidor’s words.

“Yeah,” I said, looking back at the organic speaker. “Intelligence that’s probably being tampered with. If not fed to us outright.”

There was another silence.

I couldn’t feel anything through the tank’s walls. Even so, I definitely got the impression Balidor had others with him now, that they were consulting amongst themselves.

Another voice rose, one that made me wince.

“What does the Illustrious Sword think?”Kali asked.

I looked at Revik. He returned my stare, his mouth set in a hard line.

Then he smiled, shaking his head and clicking softly.

“I will do whatever the Esteemed Bridge thinks is best,” he said, facing the speaker. His words turned more brusque, more military. “If you want my opinion apart from that, I’m afraid I don’t have one. Not in relation to the specific procedure she’s proposing. Truthfully, I can’t see what she’s seeing. Therefore, I don’t know exactly what that procedure entails, although I understand the theory. As I said, I will defer to her judgment.”

He paused, his voice and expression darkening,

“I agree with her that Dubai is significantly more risky with me connected to Shadow’s construct.” He gave me a flat look. “If the group decided the risk of using me was too high, I would be forced to bow out of the ground op altogether, and provide tactical support via the remote infiltration team. Which means my wife would be doing the same.”

He paused a second time, his voice harder.

“If any of you, including the Esteemed Bridge herself, thinks there is even a remote chance of her going in there without me, let me correct that assumption right now. I’m quite sure my wife knows this, but it bears repeating… I’m willing to go toveryextreme lengths to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

Hearing the open threat in his words, I smiled.

“Such a bully,” I murmured, tugging Lily’s hair. “Isn’t he, baby? Big, bad wolf.”

Lily giggled, leaning her head and back into my chest as she looked at Revik. He lifted an eyebrow, but his eyes didn’t move, not even when he looked at her.

Exhaling, I spoke to Revik directly, looking only at him.

“You’re okay with her light being interdependent with ours?” I quieted my voice, though I knew the speakers would pick it up. “Even before Dubai?”

Revik’s expression grew more thoughtful.

I saw him look at Lily, his clear eyes conflicted.

Then he shook his head, but not in a no, at least not to my question.

“Versus her being dependent on Shadow?” Smiling humorlessly, he sat up on the couch, weaving his fingers together where he held them between his knees, arms balanced on his thighs. “Yes. I’m okay with it. Especially if Kali says Lily’s not safe on the ship. If you’re sure you can pull it off, I say do it.”

He grunted, combing a hand through his hair. “Anyway, it’s not as if things are likely to be significantlymoresafe for us later. These aren’t safe times, wife.”

The silence on the line deepened.

Kali spoke again.

“Are you going to try it in there, first?”she asked.

I realized she was speaking to me. Thinking, I looked around the four walls of the tank and nodded, more decisively than I felt.

“Yes. I think in here is better.” I hesitated, then looked at Revik, feeling a sharper flicker of nerves. “If anything seems to be going wrong, I’m going to have to stop,” I said, worry leaking into my voice. “We’ll have to reassess from there. There’s some chance we’ll have to rush Lily out of the tank, if I can’t rebuild the structures Shadow removed fast enough.”

“Do you want us to join you in there? Tarsi and me?”Balidor asked through the speakers.“Kali? Any of us?”

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