"Captain Sloan, let's cut to the chase, shall we. I've watched the video of your interrogation of your mother. To be honest, your superiors never should have allowed you in her cell alone. Your blood connection was too close. They have been properly reprimanded for their mistakes." The pointed look and emphasis she placed on the word "blood" cut through my concussion fog exactly as she intended it to do.
BLOOD. That was where we had made our mistake. Everything that my mother said ran back through my head. It was MY blood that had sealed the circle. That was why my mother could break it. She could have escaped at any time. Why had she allowed herself to be caught? To what purpose? I tried to hear the subtext in her words again. Your blood is my blood.
Of course! That circle couldn’t hold her because I was the one who cast it. The Priestess was right. My commanding officer should have known it wouldn’t work. So why did they insist that I be the one to cast the circle? What were they playing at?
I clenched my fist around the railing and grit my teeth. My head hurt too much to try and make sense of anything just yet. I needed time to clear my head and somewhere to think that didn’t include clicking lizard-eyed priests.
She seemed to be reading my mind again. “Isabella, can I be frank with you?” I nodded.
“I would like you to transfer to my office for the duration of your recovery. You would work for me as a liaison if you will, to the BHL. It might give you the time you need to find some answers." She gave me a pointed look again. "Your commander has been informed of my request, but the decision is ultimately yours.” She shifted her weight and smoothed her black wool skirt over the silver trim of her knee-high dress boots. A shrug of her shoulder swung her braid forward into her waiting hands. She made a show of adjusting the leather ties at the end. I realized that it was a “tell”. It was her tell. Everyone had one. A nervous habit that would give you away every time. She was nervous about something.
I could only guess that it had something to do with the PG wanting to keep an eye on me. Maybe she was just as worried as I was about what my mother’s next move was. She had planned all of this, she must have, but why? There was no reason that I could think of.
There was no doubt in my mind that the BHL had ulterior motives behind setting me up to fail with my mother, and I was pretty sure my mother also had her reasons for allowing it. Now the Priesthood wanted something from me as well or they wouldn't be asking for me to work for them.
All I wanted was answers. There was only one way to get them, but it was going to be tricky playing both sides. Not to mention figuring out my mother. "I would be honored ma'am."
She stood up from her chair and swung her hair back over her shoulder, adjusting her cape as well in one smooth movement. "Please, we are not truly a part of the military." She waved her hand in dismissal, "You can call me Amy. It's short for Amaranth." She smiled at me warmly.
I smiled back. This was definitely going to be different from the stark regulation of the Black Heart Legions. I'd been in the military since I was barely old enough to hold a gun, Aunt Gene had made sure of it. I had no idea how to not be a soldier. Well, once more into the fray…
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