doubt, it might stop her from telling the man everything.
That much made sense to him. What didn’t make sense was the fact he also felt a real concern for her safety—concern that served neither him nor his sister.
But these people would not have survived on squeamishness. Beck’s charm was calculated to relax Asha’s guard. To earn her trust. No doubt his next move would be to assess how they could best exploit her.
It might not mean they would hurt her. But then again it might. And enemy or not he wasn’t okay with that.
But as she’d chided him on Banshee, she wasn’t stupid. He’d paid close attention to her conversation with Beck. Beck had asked her a direct question about Pax’s identity, and she had evaded. This would make it much harder for her to tell the truth later. It suggested she had doubts of her own.
They followed the road through a series of car parks, over a footbridge, and onto a paved walk that rounded a lake en route to the abbey. The building was picturesque, designed to look like a castle though clearly built in more recent times. The gray granite façade included crenellations and little towers, but there was nothing defensive about the rows of large ground-floor windows.
The setting was romantic in the extreme, with the abbey reflected in the still, dark surface of the lake. Trees lined the path, twisting to bow at water’s edge, and hills loomed on all sides like silent sentries.
Visible signs of human habitation were subtle. An empty bucket left beside the path. A shirt caught in the branches of a tree. A dozen peat bricks left in a jumble on the overgrown lawn. Nothing that would have attracted attention from a Scarab. They were more concerned with actual activity on the ground. Smoke, or signs of agriculture.
As they approached the arched entry doors, propped open with stones, the cry of an infant pealed forth, stamping the silence irrevocably— here is life .
“Take the prisoners and secure them with the other one,” Beck said to the priest. “I want you to keep watch on them personally.” The priest nodded. “We’ll question them later.”
“What about the human woman?” asked Finn.
Pax noticed Asha moving subtly closer to the leader. Beck fixed the scarred man with a look so severe it made him shuffle back a step. “She’s not a prisoner, and she’s not your concern.”
“Let’s go,” the priest said to Finn.
Beck started across the section of pavement in front of the abbey, motioning Asha to follow. Her gaze flickered to Pax before she turned, and he didn’t miss the flash of uncertainty.
Good . It’ll make her careful .
* * *
Asha followed Beck around the end of a wall dividing the abbey from the lake, and they scrambled down a short, grassy slope to the main path. The asphalt walkway had been riven by time and tree roots, and rough-edged hillocks made it impossible to walk without watching the ground.
At the path’s end was a small chapel tucked in the shadow of a rocky, near-vertical slope. Constructed of stone, the structure was neat and perfectly preserved, down to its pretty arched window.
“What’s this building used for?” asked Asha.
“My quarters. No one will disturb us here.”
Beck held the door for her, but she hesitated. One corner of his lips crooked up. “You haven’t gotten over being afraid of me.”
She leveled her gaze at him. “I know almost nothing about you.”
“True enough,” he agreed with a nod. “We can talk outside if it’d make you more easy. But the weather’s taking a turn.”
Beck moved into the chapel and picked up a couple of oblong, earthy-looking bricks.
“If you come in I’ll get the fire going. It’s against the rules before dark, but with the wind and rain picking up I think we’re safe enough.”
He tossed the bricks into a stove that looked to be a recent addition. It rested next to a window, its rusted pipe fed through a broken pane, with cloth stuffed around it to keep out
That much made sense to him. What didn’t make sense was the fact he also felt a real concern for her safety—concern that served neither him nor his sister.
But these people would not have survived on squeamishness. Beck’s charm was calculated to relax Asha’s guard. To earn her trust. No doubt his next move would be to assess how they could best exploit her.
It might not mean they would hurt her. But then again it might. And enemy or not he wasn’t okay with that.
But as she’d chided him on Banshee, she wasn’t stupid. He’d paid close attention to her conversation with Beck. Beck had asked her a direct question about Pax’s identity, and she had evaded. This would make it much harder for her to tell the truth later. It suggested she had doubts of her own.
They followed the road through a series of car parks, over a footbridge, and onto a paved walk that rounded a lake en route to the abbey. The building was picturesque, designed to look like a castle though clearly built in more recent times. The gray granite façade included crenellations and little towers, but there was nothing defensive about the rows of large ground-floor windows.
The setting was romantic in the extreme, with the abbey reflected in the still, dark surface of the lake. Trees lined the path, twisting to bow at water’s edge, and hills loomed on all sides like silent sentries.
Visible signs of human habitation were subtle. An empty bucket left beside the path. A shirt caught in the branches of a tree. A dozen peat bricks left in a jumble on the overgrown lawn. Nothing that would have attracted attention from a Scarab. They were more concerned with actual activity on the ground. Smoke, or signs of agriculture.
As they approached the arched entry doors, propped open with stones, the cry of an infant pealed forth, stamping the silence irrevocably— here is life .
“Take the prisoners and secure them with the other one,” Beck said to the priest. “I want you to keep watch on them personally.” The priest nodded. “We’ll question them later.”
“What about the human woman?” asked Finn.
Pax noticed Asha moving subtly closer to the leader. Beck fixed the scarred man with a look so severe it made him shuffle back a step. “She’s not a prisoner, and she’s not your concern.”
“Let’s go,” the priest said to Finn.
Beck started across the section of pavement in front of the abbey, motioning Asha to follow. Her gaze flickered to Pax before she turned, and he didn’t miss the flash of uncertainty.
Good . It’ll make her careful .
* * *
Asha followed Beck around the end of a wall dividing the abbey from the lake, and they scrambled down a short, grassy slope to the main path. The asphalt walkway had been riven by time and tree roots, and rough-edged hillocks made it impossible to walk without watching the ground.
At the path’s end was a small chapel tucked in the shadow of a rocky, near-vertical slope. Constructed of stone, the structure was neat and perfectly preserved, down to its pretty arched window.
“What’s this building used for?” asked Asha.
“My quarters. No one will disturb us here.”
Beck held the door for her, but she hesitated. One corner of his lips crooked up. “You haven’t gotten over being afraid of me.”
She leveled her gaze at him. “I know almost nothing about you.”
“True enough,” he agreed with a nod. “We can talk outside if it’d make you more easy. But the weather’s taking a turn.”
Beck moved into the chapel and picked up a couple of oblong, earthy-looking bricks.
“If you come in I’ll get the fire going. It’s against the rules before dark, but with the wind and rain picking up I think we’re safe enough.”
He tossed the bricks into a stove that looked to be a recent addition. It rested next to a window, its rusted pipe fed through a broken pane, with cloth stuffed around it to keep out
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