Elrich Saga Yellow Springs Book Two

Chapter 34 Ave Brings Bad News

Chapter 34 Ave Brings Bad News

I opened my eyes and looked up. The top of the tent is what I saw. Against my back, I could feel Crue breathing. Slow and even with a slight wheeze. He was sleeping heavily. Ave was on her way I should wake him up.

I rolled over and sat up hoping that would wake him. Nothing. So I shook him by the shoulder. He rolled away from me and snuggled deeper into the blankets. I smacked him with the flat of my palm on the side.

"Get up we've got company." Then I hit him again for good measure, not because he made me the little spoon.

"Huh? Wha?" He mumbled looking around. Seeing me hopping on one foot trying to get my boot on he sat up. The blankets fell off him. "Eri?"

"Company," I said again and left the tent. That ass, what was with him and not wearing pants to bed? I'd have to hit him again later.

Amisi found me first. She came up and did a happy bee dance in the air. She sent me all sorts of images that were hard to figure out, but I could guess what she wanted to know.

"I'm fine, I had a talk with Edomael." I left it at that. No need to get into detail when the others would be asking the same questions.

I strode past where Lotte was sitting and ignored her when she jumped up. Had she been daydreaming? How did she not hear me coming? She called to me, but I was focused on getting to the point in the rocks where Ave was waiting.

She was waiting. Was she scouting the situation or was she waiting for someone to notice her? She could have just walked up to Lotte but she hadn't. She'd chosen to stay out of sight. Why?

I rounded the corner and there she was standing by a tree. When she saw me she waved. I waved back. I mean it was the only polite thing to do when someone waves at you.

"Hey," I called.

"Who is that?" Lotte had come up behind me and had finally spotted the newcomer.

"I think the real question is how did I sneak up behind you and how did she get so close to camp without you noticing." Ok, it may have been a dick move, but she had punched me into unconsciousness. Just because I'd been mental at the time didn't mean I'd forgotten that part.

"Hey yourself, you look a bit banged up. How'd you get that huge bruise on your face." Ave came up to us and smiled.

"Friendly fire," I told her. I peeked at Lotte she was all sorts of shades of red. She had also begun coughing. It was embarrassment and chagrin. She knew I knew about the punch and she also knew I'd been right about her keeping watch. She could have killed me knocking me out when I was unstable and sending my soul out of my body. She didn't know that though so I couldn't hold a grudge for that.

Her turn on watch though was another pressing issue. I wasn't certain how long Ave had been standing around the corner, but it was certainly enough time for her to launch an attack and kill Lotte without anyone being the wiser. She probably knew that better than me, so I'd let her squirm a bit more about it.

"Captain Richard has been killed. I've been sent by Commander Tagert to bring back Captain Sturgis," Ave told both of us at the same time. She must have known Lotte was a guard by her clothes so it made sense to report the situation to the first guard she saw, but why had she waited and not approached Lotte earlier?

"Killed? Captain Richard?" Lotted went from being all over red to having the blood drain from her face. For a second I thought she might actually pass out from fluctuation of blood pressure.