Something was really bothering him.
When Marcus sat down, the scroll rolled toward him. It had a red ribbon tied around it holding it shut. Marcus picked it up and held it out. “So what brings you here at this time of night? Having problems sleeping?”
Again, Bannon bit his bottom lip and shook his head. He lifted a hand, gesturing toward the rolled parchment, and said, “I was drawing that. It’s for you.”
“Oh.” He looked at the scroll and grabbed the end of the ribbon.
“But don’t open it yet,” Bannon said quickly, sounding almost panicked. “Wait for Patrick.” He took a deep breath, then smiled when Marcus raised a brow at him. But it was a hesitant smile.
This will never do. Marcus liked the kid and hated to see him upset. Setting the scroll aside, he pushed up from the bed and crossed to the other chair, pulled it closer to Bannon, then sat down. He caught Bannon’s hands between his, and they were as cold as ice cubes. Rubbing them, Marcus stared at the top of Bannon’s head, until Bannon glanced up at him.
Those green eyes looked haunted.
“You’re nervous about getting home. Afraid we won’t be able to.”
“That’s not….” He shook his head. “That too, but I need to tell you and Patrick something. Something I should have told you already, but I didn’t know how to.”
He looked so despondent, Marcus wanted to hug him. He wished Patrick would hurry up. “Well, whatever it is, you can tell us now, all right?”
Bannon nodded.
Marcus patted his hands. They were finally starting to warm up some. “In the meantime, try not to worry about getting home. We will get there.”
“I can’t help it. I’m worried about breaking into the base. Did Ciaran talk to you?”
He nodded. “He did. And I think it’s a good idea to postpone the raid and see if your captain comes back for you.”
“She will, I know she will, but can you make some sort of signal for when the shuttle enters the atmosphere?”
Marcus thought about it for a moment. He still didn’t trust anyone in the IN, but Bannon did, and Marcus trusted him. It shouldn’t be too hard to make some sort of beacon that the shuttle could see. “I think so.”
“Maybe a flare?”
“I doubt a flare would be strong enough, but I think I have enough stuff here to make a light of sorts.” It would mean one less fragger charger, but he agreed with Bannon. If they went into the base, men were going to die. He didn’t want that either, even if Patrick was all for it.
“If we do have to go into the base….” Bannon shook his head.
“We’ll be okay. We have fraggers now, and if you’d ever seen Patrick swing a sword….” The image of Patrick in battle flitted through his brain, and Marcus grinned, even though he too would like to avoid it if possible. He let go of Bannon’s hand and sat back. “It’s terrifying, but also a thing of beauty.”
For the first time, genuine amusement lit Bannon’s face. “I can imagine. He’s pretty fierce.” His gaze drifted off, and his expression turned serene. “Ciaran too.”
Marcus smiled. He’d thought from the beginning that there was a spark between Bannon and Ciaran. He was happy to know he was correct. Ciaran deserved to be happy and Bannon too. He was a good kid. “Yes, he is. Patrick taught him everything he knows about—”
The door opened with a lot of fuss and a lot of noise. Patrick barged in, loud enough to wake the entire castle. He was like a one-man whirlwind—a clank of his sword here, a bang of his boots there.
“Speaking of Patrick….”
“Marcus?” Lumbering in with his sword and scabbard in one hand and his boots in the other, Patrick closed the door with a bump of his hip and a rather loud slam.
Marcus looked up at Bannon and said, “Do you know anyone who would like to trade for some Regelence Breakfast Blend?”
Bannon chuckled. “You’d do no such thing.”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t, but tea makes a lot less commotion.”
“Oh, hello, Bannon.” Patrick furrowed his brow, tossed his sword on the bed, and dropped his boots where he stood. “You have tea?” he asked hopefully.
The look of longing was too much for Marcus, and he burst out laughing, Bannon joining in only a second behind.
Patrick frowned at them, and that made them laugh even harder.
“Sorry, Patrick. No tea. I’d have already shared it with the two of you if