“No, no resistance,” I say. “Bring it on.”

5

Flanagan leaves me with Laasya, meeting Mason and Seonu away from the van for a private discussion. I lean against the door, trying to work out what they’re saying. I have a strong feeling they’re discussing me. Paranoia maybe, but I don’t think so. Flanagan has his back to me, and Mason keeps glancing in my direction.

The scent of roses alerts me to Laasya’s sudden closeness. She’s on tiptoes, staring up to study my face as if I’m an interesting work of art.

She tilts her head to one side. “Your skin is completely smooth. Are you really twenty-six? You look younger than me, and I’m only twenty-one.”

I tear my attention away from Flanagan to peer down at the woman beside me. Her face is so close I can see a smudge on her glasses. I had Laasya at younger than twenty-one. If somebody told me she was sixteen, I’d have believed them. Her lightbrown skin is as smooth as a baby’s.

“Yeah,” I say, suppressing a sigh. I get this a lot. “I have to carry ID around with me. Even with my size, I’m mistaken for a teenager all the time.”

Laasya snorts. “Yes, I suppose you are very… Um…” She trails off, her cheeks darkening.

I throw her a teasing grin. “Very?”

Flustered, she steps back and waves an awkward hand at my torso. “You know. Well developed.”

Her choice of words makes me laugh. “Well developed, eh?”

She tuts and looks away, her face now a deep shade of puce.

I get the impression Laasya hasn’t had a lot of experience in the men department. I change the subject, not wanting to extend her discomfort. “So, this Blackriver compound. Flanagan said it’s hidden behind an industrial site. He made it sound like a concrete bunker with high walls. Is it?”

I don’t do high walls. I need things open, with easy access to the outside and the nearest door.

She glances up from inspecting the ground. “It’s not a bunker. It’s a mansion. It has a high wall, but its gardens are massive, surrounded by fields and woodland. It’s behind the industrial park and built inside a dimensional half-realm to hide it from prying eyes.”

Laasya’s matter-of-fact casualness suggests this is an everyday occurrence.

I stare at her. “Half-realm?”

She takes a deep breath. “Yes, it’s really interesting. It’s basically a—”

I raise a hand to interrupt her. “Sorry. You know what? Scratch that. I’m not thick, but no amount of words are gonna make me understand dimension-bending half-realms. It’s hidden. I get it. All I want to know is, once I’m in, how do I get out?”

Her expression turns sympathetic. “Oh. Well, you don’t. Not without the commander’s permission. There are guards at the gate, and you’d need a guide to cross over.”

I look back at Flanagan, still in deep conversation with his soldiers. He resembles a high wall himself with those wide shoulders and bulging arms. I blow out a long breath, my stomach curling into a tighter knot. I don’t do small spaces, I don’t do high walls, and I don’t do trapped. I hope Blackriver has some answers because I know for a fact Flanagan’s not letting me out till he wants to, and if we come to blows, I’m not too proud to admit he’ll bury me. As soon as I get there, I need to scout for another way to leave.