Human Bait

Chapter 44: Why Look Over Shoulders

I pressed my palms against the door behind me for stability, energy sapped by the whirring of my brain. "Which Sentry was creating that Plan B?"

Serigg's chest deflated with her sigh. "Your mother refused to explain her conjectures until she was certain. And two days after she told me, she became one of the first Implanted."

I swallowed. "Stogg told me my mother was Implanted at a Southie conference... a meeting of the greatest minds. The Noble Forces wanted to cripple the South by eliminating those most likely to figure out the truth."

Serigg tilted her head. "Maybe."

"What do you mean, maybe?"

"Maybe Lazora was Implanted because she attended the conference. Or maybe the conference was chosen because Lazora was there."

"You think the Noble Forces wanted to eliminate her?"

"I think the Noble Forces were following someone else's advice."

"Who?"

"The Sentry who created the Implant."

A clap of thunder rattled the metal bucket near my feet. Goosebumps swept over my scalp like ice water, trickling down my neck and back. My voice dropped to a stilted whisper. 

"So that's why you said I'm in danger—because the remaining five Sentries are all here in the Refuge."

She hesitated. "Yes, though it's possible the Implant creator was Arakko. He was always standoffish, missing our team meetings, avoiding our questions, and disappearing for large chunks of time. He reminded me..." She twisted the drooping side of her lower lips between her fingers, skirting my gaze without meeting it. "He reminded me of Rekkan. Little interest in or regard for humanity. I'm not even sure why he joined the Seven Sentries."

The analytical part of my mind succumbed to the defensive part. "Rekkan nearly died to save humanity."

"To save humanity? Or to save you?"

My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. Do you think I abandoned my fortress so I could save the fucking world? But even if Rekkan only traveled to the Headquarters to protect me, he was the one who suggested we join the Refuge to prevent war. He didn't do that just for me... did he?

Finally, I said, "It wasn't Arakko."

"How do you know?"

I hesitated, wondering whether to tell her about the purple dots, the strange behavior, and about Stogg's warning. On the one hand, if I wanted to stop the Head Chef before anyone else turned into a braindead freedom-lover, I needed all the help I could get. But on the other hand, there were only five Sentries here at the Refuge. Ivogg was teaching me to cook and teaching everyone to co-exist. Zhina was a voice of reason with a passion for equality. Uzmed appeared genuine in his efforts to train me. Mekkar was the closest thing Rekkan had to a father.

The fifth was Serigg.

Knuckles rapped on the door. Serigg snatched a broom hanging on the wall and pressed it into my hands.

"Here it is, dear!" Her painfully-loud voice made me flinch, her mouth too close to my ear as she twisted the doorknob. "Don't know why it took so long to find, but I knew it would be here in—"

As the door cracked open, her voice squeaked and died.

Mekkar stood before us, thumbs in his pockets and lip trapped between his teeth.

"Mekkar?" Serigg's voice sounded strangely tender—unprotected. "What are you doing here?"

He scratched the back of his neck, eyes fixed on her knees. "Hope you don't mind the intrusion." His weak mumble sounded anything but hopeful. "I was looking for Zafaru. Just realized I forgot to ask for my keycard back!" His awkward chuckle grated through the empty hallway. "Anyway, you obviously aren't sharing secrets here or anything."