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Looking back at me, Balidor sighed.

I saw the caginess return to his eyes and light. He focused past me a third time, probably watching Dalejem, assuming he hadn’t disappeared from view entirely by then.

“‘Dor.” My voice was more exasperated than angry that time, even a little hurt. “Are you really not going to tell me? I’ve all but ordered you to… Revik, too. That fucker, Dalejem, told me more than either of you, and he didn’t tell me much. What the hell is this about? Are you really going to buck the chain of command on this?”

“Are you giving me an order, Esteemed Bridge?”

“Would it make any difference?” I asked, nearly incredulous as I watched his face.

Balidor hesitated.

In that pause, I heard the boat returning to the dock. Jorag, who was at the wheel of the thing, waved at me from a hundred yards out, his teeth flashing in a grin out of the dark once he saw us both standing there. I felt relief on him, even from this far away, and realized no one probably told him why I hadn’t gone back to the ship with Revik.

Exhaling, I looked back at Balidor.

Balidor and Revik were two of the most chain-of-command people I knew. If they were willing to cut me out of obviously important developments, lie to me, withhold information, collude with people I didn’t know…

Well, maybe I wasn’t really in command at all.

“Alyson?no.”

The words were sharp enough to make me look at him.

When I turned, Balidor had flushed.

Horror touched his light gray eyes.

“Ofcourseyou are in command.” His voice was hard, unambiguous. “There is no question about that. None. Nor will there be.”

I let out a humorless grunt. I didn’t answer him, though.

“Allie.” Seeing something in my face, he shifted his tone, until I could hear what bordered on submission is his words. “Esteemed Bridge. Certain areas of security have always trumped chain of command in cases like this. We did the same for Vash, as head of the Council. It is true of human monarchs. Even the Presidents of your previous country had such limitations placed upon them. It has been true for leaders since the beginning of time. It is true for you, as well.”

I gave him a harder look. “You’re seriously going to try and convince me this is a security call of some kind?”

“Itisa security call,” Balidor said earnestly. “Absolutely.” When I shook my head, clicking at him, he touched my arm, his light still submissive. “Allie… Esteemed Bridge. Please. Don’t read more into this than it is. You do not have to worry about the people around you. We are loyal. All of us. More than you can possibly know.”

I nodded, but I’m sure he could feel the noncommittal sentiment behind it.

I didn’t want a promise of fealty.

Truthfully, that didn’t mean shit to me.

I didn’t need to be in charge, not in that way.

Being cut out was something else, however.

I wasn’t about to go on some stint of faction-creation and assessment in our leadership team to try and determine on my own where the decisions were coming from?or to try and find out what they weren’t telling me.

I admit, the fact that it even crossed my mind bothered me, though.

When I felt another pulse of worry leave Balidor’s light, I faced him directly.

“I thought we were done with this, ‘Dori,” I said.

“Done with what, Esteemed Bridge?” Balidor asked, wary.

I just looked at him for a moment, then shrugged, speaking openly.