Under One Banner

Chapter 33

After James and Aryanna had left the camp, an awkward silence fell over Sheridan and Rayne. 

“Is everything alright?” Rayne asked after a moment. 

Sheridan looked up with a frown. “What do you mean?” 

“You have been acting strangely. Especially since we have rescued James,” Rayne said. 

Sheridan didn’t answer for many moments, not looking at her. 

“What is going on?” she asked.

Sheridan looked at her, his gaze slightly hostile. 

“You are going to have to tell someone, you know Aryanna is going to ask, if she has a problem you are going to say that she is biased towards James. You might as well talk to me, you can’t say I have a bias. I know James as well as you do,” she said. 

Sheridan nodded. “ I guess you’re right,” he said. But still didn’t answer her question. 

“So, what is the problem?” she asked again. 

“I don’t know,” he said. 

Rayne looked at him, an eyebrow raised. “Your behavior towards James suggests otherwise,” she argued. “I don’t know James either, and as such I am not the same with him. But you are downright hostile towards him, has he done something to you for you to treat him like this?” she asked. 

Sheridan shrugged. “No, not directly, but because of him, Finley is gone, and I resent that he is here and Finley is not.”

Rayne’s eyes rested gently on him, but he continued. 

“And I still don’t directly trust him, who knows how deep this could be? He could be still under Adonis’s control. Maybe some of that brainwashing stuck with him? He may be very good at hiding it, even from Aryanna,” he said. 

Rayne sighed inwardly, realizing that Sheridan had not taken anything to heart from their last conversation on the topic of James. She still nodded outwardly. “First of all, you can’t take your grief out on James, it is not his fault he was captured along with all the others in the encampment he was housed in. He had no control over that at all. As for him still be brainwashed, he would have to be very good at faking everything. If that were the case I do not think he would have told you Adonis’s plans. And Aryanna would probably be able to  pick up on him faking it, she has known him for years,” Rayne said. 

Sheridan shrugged. “Maybe, we don’t know how far Adonis went.” 

Rayne nodded. “You could be right, but don’t treat him so badly based on a hunch, I understand wanting to have a slight distrust. But you are going over a bit,” she said gently. 

Sheridan looked down, his head bobbing a bit in a slight nod. 

“Are there no other reasons?” Rayne asked.

Sheridan’s head came up abruptly, the frown deepening, wondering what she knew. 

“What are you getting at?” he snapped. He looked over as Kalya stirred. He made a face and moved over closer to Rayne, so he wouldn’t wake Kalya. 

Rayne smiled slightly. “Anything with Aryanna?” she asked. 

Sheridan  glared at her. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Why not? Obviously you are angry with James about more than just Finley being gone. You are jealous of their relationship. Jealous that James has known her longer, am I right?” Rayne asked probingly. 

Sheridan shrugged then nodded slightly. “Yes, I guess that is also part of my anger against him,” he paused. “Not very fair for James. Neither of us can make Aryanna choose.”