Gio had felt the disturbance in Aunt M for days but had thought little of it, what with the strange mechling massacre she figured he had some sort of resonance with that. Did mechlings worry?
But now it was making her teeth ache. So as soon as Ryke left, she called him to her.
Face to face, or face to whatever Aunt M’s head was, she could read it better. “What have you done, Aunt M. Someone gave you a secret order?”
The one advantage of being human was this weird rapport humans had with mechlings. She could tease almost anything out of them, make them do things, although it felt like an obscenity with Aunt M. She was so close to being sentient.
“What is it?”
“I... I have several secret orders. Which would you like to hear? The one from the king’s advisor or the one from Ryke?”
Fuck. “Uhhh, both? Start with the king’s advisor, and however did he manage to do that? I thought Ryke had hidden down here.”
“I contacted the king’s advisor. It was my duty once I understood Ryke was not truly representing the king.”
Made sense, no matter how disturbing it was. “I see. Go on.”
“He told me to inform him of any plans Ryke made and to make sure I met with him tomorrow.”
“Gyle wants you?”
“Yes. And you, I believe. I told him of your portal magic powers, as the Mekkers term the pretty green light you made when asleep. It was so big.” He indicated a six-inch circle with his forelimbs. “Gyle also told me not to tell Ryke if you did this again while I watched.”
“What the fuck?” Holy...yeah a lot of what the fucks. She scrambled to make sense of this. “And did I?”
“Yes. Twice when you fell asleep.”
Curses swam through her brain. She had a form of portal magic and Ryke hadn’t mentioned it? She turned and went to a chair, sat then rubbed her hands over her face, thinking. They knew! She was in deep shit.
Panic tried to run though her screaming but she managed it, told herself over and over that tomorrow she would get loose from here and run.
She’d been too complacent for too long.
“Did Ryke tell Gyle about this magic I do?”
“No.”
And why hadn’t he? This was getting way too complicated.
“Okay...okay. Tell me Ryke’s secrets.”
The list of preparations – the packs, the dye for her hair, the food – it stunned her until she figured out he was aiming to leave the swathe and go out onto the land. Maybe to be this prophet they thought he was. Leaving was exactly what she wished for, though minus Ryke. She still wasn’t sure if him not telling her about the portal magic was a betrayal. Now that she knew it, she could figure out how to train herself.
If this was truly that. She stared at her hands, turned them over. Why? Why her?
Drette had somehow communicated it to her? She shook her head. Later. Figure this out later. Now was not the time. Leave the swathe first. Verifying her ability and improving it would likely take weeks, or days, to unravel.
“He plans to dye your hair tonight. The black gloves will cover your nails.”
“I want you to show me the packs and the clothes...and find a good knife for me to put into my coat. Maybe a couple. Do not tell Ryke of this! Secret.”
She wasn’t brilliant at knife fighting but could hit things at a small distance with a throw, providing the knife was well balanced. As Aunt M’s eyeball would attest to.
She’d swear Aunt M groaned.
“Another secret? Of course.”
Being what she was, human, her command would surpass any the others had given, or she was fairly sure it would.
“And...don’t tell the others I asked this of you. Okay? Can you do this?”
“I can, Gio. Yes.”
Hmmm. Give Aunt M any more secrets and the poor thing might explode from all the command loops going around in his brain. She still hadn’t decided if Aunt M was a she a he or an it. It seemed plain wrong. Though these robots didn’t have genders either. And she was worrying about a transgender robot at this fucking time?
What the hell?
“Good.” Then she left to shower.
At some stage, she thought she heard a small ding that might’ve been a screen coming on and after she’d dressed, she went to find Aunt M to ask what it was. Except Aunt M was gone. She searched the entire residence and couldn’t find her.
When Ryke returned she was waiting inside the door to speak to him. He let his coat slide from his shoulders and placed it on the hook on the wall, beside a table. He unholstered his gun and slung it up there too. Why was he carrying that in the Underdeck?
“I have something to tell you.”
He held up one finger. “Wait.” Then he picked her up, sat her on the table, and kissed her long and beautifully, leaving her breathless and stunned. His hands were on her shoulders as he looked at her.
“Now say. What is it?”
Brain restarting from scrambled sex-babe mode, she reassessed her potential words.
She couldn’t tell him of the secrets, of Gyle. Or wouldn’t, but Aunt M disappearing seemed possibly bad, though not for her, for Aunt M.
“Aunt M left the house, for no reason. At least, I can’t find her anywhere.”
Consternation showed clearly in the wrinkling of his forehead – though maybe that was because she’d become far too familiar with Ryke’s body language.