Page 247

I knew that probably meant he agreed with what I’d said.

Chapter44

Awkward

We didn’t end up back in the bullpen, or the mess hall.

It didn’t feel any less public, despite that fact.

I was a little blown away by just howmanypeople Balidor wanted on this, and how many eyes andaleimihe wanted staring at me and Revik’s light.

They didn’t put Revik and me in jump seats or anything, which, I don’t know, might have made it better, might have made it worse. We all sat around a metal table, a smaller version of what lived in the bullpen. Balidor brought us down to the same interrogation room behind the lower hold security station that we’d used before.

Revik and I sat next to one another, facing the rest of the almost-full table.

I knew why Balidor picked this spot. The room had its own construct, in addition to being housed inside the denser security construct.

Still, the whole set-up already felt like an interrogation.

Or a trial.

“Esteemed Bridge?” Balidor motioned at the area above my head. “If you would not mind? I’m afraid your blocking skills are better than the infiltration skills of the majority of your team.”

He said the words in his most polite voice.

I glanced at Revik. Revik met my gaze, his expression grim.

He knew exactly what I was reluctant to show them.

Realizing that made me realize something else. Revik had been lurking behind my shields along with me. He might even have been reinforcing them.

I turned towards Balidor, still stalling.

“What do you want us to do?” I asked. “Just open our light? Focus on that…” I bit my lip, fumbling for words as I made a vague, flowing gesture. “Err… compulsion thing? Or the structures I replaced in his light? What?”

Balidor glanced at Tarsi, then at Kali.

Kali looked at Uye, who looked uncomfortable, too. In fact, he looked more than anything like he didn’t want to be there at all.

Tarsi kept her eyes on mine.

I could tell she was scanning me, whatever my blocking might be doing to the rest of them. After a pause, and without Tarsi ever looking away from my light, Balidor nodded in her and Kali’s direction, as if in agreement to something one or both of them said.

“Yes,” he said, looking back at me. “Yes, Esteemed Bridge. If you could open your light to the rest of us, then concentrate your attentions on the…” He fumbled for words as well, making a similar gesture to the one I’d made. “…The, ah… sensations the two of you are experiencing, that would be best.”

“We need to see where it’s coming from,” Tarsi added, her clear eyes shifting to Revik’s. “We need to know if it’s only from the two of you, or––”

“––Or elsewhere,” Revik muttered, glancing at me.

Impulsively, I reached for him, wrapping my fingers around his.

I gave a last glance around the table.

I knew Revik wasn’t thrilled with Balidor’s decision to include a few of the people there.

Jorag, for one.

Balidor invited Jorag and a few of the other multi-war Rebels partly to participate as resonance builders in the event this ended up being about Menlim. Wreg and Jorag were the obvious choices, given they had the longest-running connections to both rebellions. Jorag was recruited the same year Revik officially joined.