the meeting. He stood up as well and clapped so he blended in—no one could say he wasn’t making an effort.
“We can go now?” Milo said.
Dylan shook his head. “There’s a dinner. Time to get acquainted with each other. Don’t you want to get acquainted with your new friends, Milo?”
“No.”
Dylan laughed then broke it off. “Look out, the big man is heading our way.”
Kinross came to stand beside him. He shook Dylan’s hand and then Milo’s. He tried to get a sense of the man, but Kinross wasn’t giving anything away.
“Good to meet you,” Kinross said. “But I’m interested, Mr.…?”
“Call me Milo.”
“I’m interested, Milo, as to why you were chosen as the representative for Trakis Two. As you can see”—he waved a hand around the room—“most of the representatives are crew members. Except for yourself.”
“And you,” Milo felt he had to point out.
Kinross smiled, though his expression was thoughtful. “All the same, I’m interested to know why you’re here.”
Nosy bastard. “You’ll have to ask the captain that.”
“Captain Sanchez, I believe? I’m afraid I don’t know the man. And I thought I knew all the captains.”
No doubt he had a list of them as well. “I’m sure he’d be delighted to talk to you.”
Dylan coughed at that, to hide his laughter, and Kinross’s eyes sharpened.
“And you, Mr. Kinross,” Milo said, “how did you find yourself not only on the council but seemingly in charge?”
The man smiled. “Just luck, I guess.”
Milo seriously doubted this man left anything to luck.
“Now, I must talk to the rest of my guests,” Kinross said. “Please make yourselves at home.”
“Gracious, isn’t he?” Dylan said as they watched his retreating back.
“I don’t like him,” Milo replied.
“I heard you don’t like anybody.”
“Maybe…” He thought about it but was unable to come up with a name of anyone he truly liked. “I’m going to take a look about the place. See if I can find out what’s going on around here. If anyone asks, tell them I came over all faint and had to lie down.”
“Okay. I’ll have a chat with the captain of the Trakis Four. Perhaps he’ll talk about Kinross. Don’t get caught.”
“I’ll do my best.” The room was filling up. More people in uniform, probably the crew of the Trakis Four. And maybe the Trakis Five, the ship that had collected them all from their new planets and brought them here.
Kinross was across the room, deep in conversation with a man in a yellow shirt. Off to the side, a woman was watching them. He looked closer and recognized her from that morning, the scientific officer. He glanced around the room but failed to see the blonde anywhere. She hadn’t been in uniform, though, so maybe she didn’t get an invite.
He nodded to Dylan, then slipped out of the room and back into the front hallway. There was no one in sight, but he didn’t want to linger. At one end of the hall, a staircase led upward, and a number of doors exited off the hallway. He tried the closest, and it opened to his touch but led into an empty room. So did the next. The third door he tried was locked. He whispered a spell and the lock clicked open. Without his wand, his magic was limited to simple tricks and glamors, but still sufficient to unlock a door. It opened into a stairwell that led downward, underground.
If Kinross was going to hide any deep dark secrets, or any weapons, underground sounded like an excellent hiding place.
The staircase was narrow, and at the bottom another door led into a corridor, lit with a dull orange glow.
Had they dug the tunnels as they built? He didn’t think so. While the walls were smooth, excavated out of the ocher rock, the place didn’t feel as though it had been dug only days ago, but rather, as though it had existed for a long time. Maybe that was why Kinross had built here.
Up ahead, he heard voices and he went still. He turned, but there were voices behind him as well. Looking around, he could see nowhere to hide. He hurried on, the voices getting louder, until he came to a metal door with a grill. He pushed, but it was locked, and he repeated his spell and slipped into the room.
And came to an abrupt halt.
He wasn’t alone.
Chapter Seven
“I was delighted to see you again and forgot for the moment that all happiness is fleeting.”