Page 46 of The White Dragon's Dilemma

“There’s another bomb!”Tilly’s voice rose up from the back seat.

“Tilly?Oh, my God, you took Tilly with you on some spying mission on Humans First?”Ellen was now on Valerius’ other side.He adjusted the phone again to capture all three of them.

“Tilly stayed in the car, Mom!With me!”Caden protested.

Tilly added.“I didn’t want to, but Caden made me.”

“Thank the Spirits for small favors,” Ellen muttered.

“Where is this bomb?And tell me you are returning to High Reach,” Valerius stated flatly.

That guilty look that he knew so well flashed across Caden’s face.“Uhm, I could tell you that, but--”

“People are already lining up on the streets for King Anwar’s arrival.The bomb is somewhere along the route!”Rose called out also from the back seat.“We have to find it!”

Valerius barked, “Simi!Ngoye!”

But there was really no need for him to call for his two Claw Captains as both of them had been at the throne room doors and were already speaking into their earpieces and striding towards him, having anticipated what he needed.

“We have relayed this information to all Claw,” Simi said smartly as he stood at attention in front of Valerius.

“We will start clearing the parade path,” Ngoye stated.

“No!No!”Caden cried shrilly.“If they see the Claw clearing people out they’ll realize that they’ve been discovered! They might then just detonate the bomb early!Way before we can find it!”

“Caden is right,” Valerius stated and tightened his hand dangerously around the phone.

His blood was up.Another bomb in his city.Yet more innocents were at risk.Humans First taking advantage of the chaos that the Faith had started to sew.Little did Humans First realize that they were playing directly into the Faith’s hands.Deaths would draw the Spirits.Times where heroism or cowardice or anything that defined a person’s core was exposed were prime moments when Spirits joined with their human counterparts.

The Faith really have figured it out, but in the worst possible way, Valerius realized.

“Rose, Wally, do you have any information where the bomb is?”Valerius demanded.

Again, Chione was checking her phone as if waiting on some message.He frowned, but focused on Caden and the others in the wildly bouncing car.He was truly getting car sick just watching this.

“No, just that it was on the parade route and would add some Shifter-lovers to the body count,” Wally answered with his disgust not hidden in his voice.“To think that Landry could be a part of this! I knew she was prejudiced, but I thought it was simply because she didn’t have exposure to Shifters.”Wally banged his hand on the steering wheel.“But after she knew about Caden and me and seemed so sincere…” Wally shook his head violently.The few tufts of hair remaining on his head stood up on end.“I’ve been disappointed before in people, but this really takes the cake.”

“Don’t give up on her yet,” Chione said.Her expression was twisted with pain.“Just… just don’t give up.”

“Why shouldn’t they, Chione?”Valerius asked her.

Chione gazed at him mutely then finally got out, “Because I asked her to stay in.”

“What?!”Caden gasped.

Valerius stared at his Councillor.“You did?”

Chione nodded.“When I went to have her released from prison, we talked.Just because the Faith were behind the other bombings that didn’t mean Humans First wasn’t a threat.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”He asked her.

“Why didn’t you tellme?”Caden echoed.

“Because she didn’t formally agree.She said she would think about it,” Chione answered.“I was looking to see if she left me any messages.I thought… I thought maybe she was on our side.Maybe sheis.”

“But you’ve gotten no communications from her?”Valerius asked.

She shook her head.“No, not yet. And I can’t risk reaching out to her if she’s with Humans First right now.”

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