Night In A Waste Land (Hell Theory #2) - Lauren Gilley Page 0,8
have been a naïve face. “Because they’re innocent.”
He pulled Rose tighter against him; she protested with a full-body twitch, but didn’t try to wriggle free. “I thought you guys didn’t go in for that. We’re all sinners. Nobody’s innocent, right?”
The conduit cocked her head. “Humankind will always be full of sin. It’s the very nature of humanity. That doesn’t mean all humans deserve to die. You are created, after all, in His image.”
“You were here to stop him?” Rose asked. He really shouldn’t let her, but he didn’t protest. “You were going to let all those people upstairs go?”
“Yes.”
“And we’re supposed to believe you?” Lance asked. “That you’re different from the others?”
“I am different.” A challenge, now. “I won’t harm you.”
Rose still had her arm free, and she twirled the dagger. The conduit’s gaze followed it – not exactly frightened, now, but not indifferent.
“Stick her and let’s be done with it,” Gavin suggested.
Lance ignored him, his thoughts spinning. They’d never before encountered a conduit who was willing to speak with them like this. Who professed humanity’s innocence. And maybe it was a ploy, but it was the first time it had been used, and there was something distinctly less eerie about this one.
“In a minute,” he said, “I’m going to radio for backup, and others like us are gonna come and transport these people out of here.”
“They won’t have to,” the conduit said. “The threat is passed.” She nodded toward the slumped, very human body that lay on the floor between them.
“Because you aren’t a threat to them?”
“I just told you I wasn’t.”
Lance dragged Rose back another few paces – and turned her loose. He caught her shoulder, though, and gripped until she glanced up to meet his gaze. “What do you think? Is she telling the truth?”
For a moment, she looked startled that he’d asked. A quick flash, there and gone again. Then her expression smoothed, and she glanced toward the conduit; scrutinized her.
The conduit stared back.
“I think she is,” Rose said after a long moment. “And if she isn’t” – she brandished the dagger – “I’ll take care of her.”
~*~
Captain Bedlam did a lot of shouting.
“Your first fucking day!” she fumed at Rose, who stood impassive, boots still caked in mud, hands folded demurely in front of her. There was nothing demure about her expression, though; there was nothing about it alive, really. If her eyes had glowed a little, Lance would have thought she was the conduit they’d brought back from the field. “And not only do you operate without orders, refuse to stand down when your superior tells you to, but you engage hand-to-hand with a fucking conduit with a fucking knife!”
She sucked in a breath, still pacing behind her desk, and Lance knew it was only a pause, that she was gearing up for her next assault.
But Rose – brave, stupid Rose – said, “It’s not an ordinary knife, ma’am.”
Bedlam whirled on her. “What did you say?”
The knife in question lay on the desk, glittering beneath even the dull, energy-conserving lamps mounted to the walls. Rose gestured toward it with two fingers. “It’s not a pocket knife, ma’am. And it was forged in hell. It’s a dagger that has the power to expel an angel from a conduit.”
Bedlam blinked at her a moment, dumbfounded – no one ever contradicted her. When her scowl returned, Lance could tell she struggled to contain her curiosity. “I don’t care what the fuck it does. You went off book, and, judging by this little bit of insubordination, you’ve not even learned why that was a problem. You are dismissed, Sir Rose. You’ll be lucky if I don’t take your wings.”
Rose nodded, and though her gaze lingered a moment too long on the dagger – wanting to take it back – she turned and slipped silently from the room.
“And you.” Bedlam whirled on Lance the moment the door was shut. “You lost your last young one yesterday and you’re letting this one go Rambo on a room full of conduits?”
Lance took care to ensure that his exhale was not a sigh. “Technically–”
“Don’t you technically me.”
“There were two conduits in the room – it wasn’t a room full of them. And they were fighting with one another. To be fair, none of us have ever seen anything like that. We were momentarily shocked. Greer reacted on instinct, and it’s my fault that I didn’t prevent her actions. If you want to blame anyone for it, blame me.”