Page 32 of Conflicted Fate
Upon closer inspection, it turned out I was right. Therewasa hole, but it was very cleverly concealed so that unless someone approached from the correct direction, it would be effectively hidden.
I entered the hole, which turned out to be an old mineshaft concealed by the boulder. Kiel was there, waiting for me, having already shifted back and donned a robe from the stack near the entrance. He was holding out another for me.
“Seems a bit obvious, doesn’t it?” I asked, pointing at the crate containing the robes. “Like, if anyone comes in, they’ll know someone’s using it.”
Kiel nodded. “True. The farmer who owns all the land around here is sympathetic to our cause. So, we don’t have to worry about trespassers. But you’re right. We should probably move it back out of sight.”
He closed and lifted the trunk, carrying it with us as we walked into the mineshaft. Not long after we rounded the first corner, two people came hurrying up the tool-made tunnel carrying lit torches.
“Clive!” I cried, running forward to embrace my best friend.
“Damn, it’s good to see you again,” he said as we briefly gave each other a squeeze.
“You, too,” I said, looking at Andi with a smile and nod. She wasn’t much into hugging, so I didn’t bother trying.
Kiel exchanged a firm handshake with both, and then the pair led us deeper into the tunnel, walking side by side ahead of us.
As we walked and took a left into a large cavern, Clive was busy explaining what they had done with the place and where everything was. I listened with half an ear. Not just because I was distracted by my upcoming talk with Gare, but also because Clive wasn’t really speaking to Kiel and me. He was talking to Andi.
And, I noted with watchful eyes, she was mostly talking back to him. Which was only natural. They’d spent weeks there getting the place set up, sending out very discreet word to other members of the rebellion and getting people settled.
But …
“Hey, guys,” Gare said, walking into the room as if nothing were wrong.
To him, it wasn’t. But my blood turned to ice, and my breath froze in my chest as I forgot how to breathe. Everything was suddenly a reality.
I waited until greetings were exchange, then I jerked my head at Gare, hoping it didn’t look as forced and stiff as it felt.
“Hey, can we talk?” I croaked, filled with nerves.
“Sure?” he said with a frown. “What’s up?”
“Alone?” I said, looking at one of the cavern’s exits.
“Okay.” He followed my gaze, and I, after a very brief hesitation that definitely was not because my legs momentarily refused to work, went after him.
Chapter Seventeen
We walked for longer than was necessary to get out of earshot of the others. I needed the time to compose myself and bring my heartbeat down, try to find some spit to keep my throat from turning into the Maccrean Desert and somehow figure out what I should actually say.
“This isn’t going to be a good talk,” Gare said, broaching the near silence. “Is it?”
The only other noise was the flickering flame from the torch he held in his right hand. I eyed the stick with the flaming wooden rag on one end a little nervously. It would make an excellent weapon.
“No,” I managed to get out.
“Did something bad happen?” he asked.
I nodded, thankful for the leading questions. But I couldn’t continue letting him do the probing. It was on me. I had to tell him the truth. A truth I should have told him on the barge last time I saw him right after it happened.
“Yes,” I added. “Yes, something did. But it happened before we parted ways.”
Gare frowned warily. “It did? Why am I just now finding out about it?”
I sighed. “Because I was a coward, Gare. I didn’t have the courage to tell you.”
“What?” I could see from how his eyes focused that he was starting to realize it was directly related to him.
