Page 43 of Taurus's Quest
“Aren’t you bringing our supplies?”
“I don’t need much, and the pack will just get in the way if there’s a fight.”
“Should I leave mine, too?”
“You going to turn warrior astronomer on me?”
“No!”
“Then keep it,” he replied with a smile. “Chances are Tower packed yours with snacks.”
“As if I could eat.”
“A monster fight or two will leave us with an appetite.”
“That is such a guy thing to say,” she muttered.
“Time to head inside, honey. I’ll take the lead so you don’t have to deal with any nasty surprises, but be sure to follow directly in my footsteps. Don’t touch anything, either.”
“Why?”
“Because we don’t know if we should expect booby traps. Just because our diary friend didn’t mention any doesn’t mean we won’t encounter some.”
“This just keeps getting better and better,” she grumbled.
“Don’t worry. Compared to some missions I’ve done, this will be a piece of cake. Let’s go find those plans.” He stepped into the tunnel and didn’t need to look to know Circe followed at his heels.
Two strides in and the door shut with a thud, leading to her huffing a panicked, “Are we locked in?”
“Doubtful. Remember, our diary writer managed to get in and out.” Could be he’d left something in the doorframe to wedge it, though. In retrospect, Taurus probably should have used his pack as a doorstop. Oops.
“And if you’re wrong?”
He reached for the power within, the one linking him to his constellation before replying. “If shit goes sideways, I can starbeam us out. Here, you take the flashlight so I can don the sexist thing you’ve ever seen.” A headlamp that fitted over his lush mane of hair and shone a beam from his forehead.
Circe bit her lip. “Now that’s a look.”
“No mocking,” he chided teasingly. “This keeps my hands free for battle.”
“I really wish you’d stop talking like a fight is a foregone conclusion. Maybe nothing will notice us and we can snag the plans and escape.”
“Oh, honey. We both know that’s not going to happen. There are creatures in here.”
“How can you tell?
“Call it my Zodiac sense for danger. We are not alone.”
“In that case, shouldn’t we be quiet?”
“Nope.”
“But won’t that alert these creatures you sense?”
“Yup.”
She abruptly halted, and so did he, half turning to see her crinkled brow. “Isn’t that a bad thing?”
“Not if it brings them rushing. I’d much rather face a foe barreling at us than sneak around and startle one out of hiding.”
