the spy? She gave Underborn a quizzical look. "Why do you care if there's a spy?"
"If your people see one of my agents inside Maximus's camp bring Justin outside, they'll likely take video with an all-seeing eye and send it up the chain. The Templar spy will see my person and report them to Maximus who will likely torture them until they reveal the identities of my other insiders." He shrugged. "I have spent considerable time and resources putting my agents into place, and can't afford to withdraw any of them at this stage of the game."
"They're just resources to you, aren't they?"
"We're all resources to someone, Miss Borathen." He smiled. "Just ask your father."
Much as she wanted to punch the man in the mouth for his mocking smile, she couldn't disagree. Thomas Borathen had trained her to be a resource more than a daughter. Rather than a father, he'd always been her commanding officer. Had he ever held her as a child and spun her around in his arms, a smile on his face, a gleam in his eye? Had he ever kissed her and told her he loved her no matter what she wanted to do with her life?
The cruel but true answer was no. Any time he'd been proud of her was for her advancement in the Templars. For her fighting prowess. He'd been all too quick to have her mind wiped when she'd stepped out of line and fallen in love with Justin.
Why, then, had her heart ached when she'd thought he was dead? And why had it nearly flown away when she found him alive?
Damn her traitorous heart.
"Do you have any idea who the traitor might be?" she asked.
"I'm afraid not. However, this person is likely close to Commander Salazar or your father. He or she would have to be to gather timely information."
That left very few people. Elyssa's mother, Leia, and her brother, Michael were the two closest to her father. Even so, he rarely told anyone what his plans were until it was nearly time to execute them. As for Christian, she knew Beck was now a top advisor. But who else? "I think I know where to start," she said.
Underborn nodded. "Good. But you'll need to hurry." He checked a pocket watch. "You have five hours until the operation." The assassin withdrew a disposable arcphone and handed it to her. "You can reach me with this once you've succeeded. Don't try to trace the number. It's magically encrypted.
Elyssa took the thin rectangular device. "What if I can't find the traitor in five hours?"
"I said five hours until the operation, Miss Borathen. You have four hours to find the mole."
"Just four hours? Why?"
"Because, young lady, if you don't find them, I will scrub the mission."
Chapter 13
My head throbbed. Every heartbeat sent a dagger straight into my brain. I'd had a horrible hangover before. In fact, the day I'd started down the disastrous road of incubus puberty had been the day of my first and, so far, last hangover. Seriously, one had been enough to make me swear off drinking for life.
"Nyuh," I croaked through chapped lips and a parched throat.
"You are alive," said my roommate in his usual monotone voice.
"Water." My voice rasped like sand across pebbles.
"The guard installed a watering device for you."
I blinked the crust out of my eyes and saw a metal tube just above my face, a drop of water hanging at its tip. I craned my neck up, lips grasping for the precious drop, but couldn't reach it. The droplet hung at the tip of the metal tube, suspended as though by black magic, torturing me with its close but unreachable proximity. As a last resort, I stuck my tongue out. It touched the tip. Sweet water trickled into my dry throat.
Laying back and panting with the effort, I savored the tiny drop. It didn't sate me by any stretch of the imagination, though. I forced my head back up, though the tight strap around my neck choked me. Lapping at the tube with my tongue, I released another trickle of water, but soon had to lean back to rest my throat and neck.
After repeating the process more times than I could remember, I finally conquered some of my thirst. I longed to close my lips around that tube and draw a long gulp of water down my parched throat. No matter how hard I tried, only my tongue could reach it. As I lay gasping from my