Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Haru completely agreed. He had been about to step in, but his handling wouldn’t have been as neat and tidy as Jules’s. The young man was proving to be quite useful.
They ran for several more blocks, Jules leading them to a town house in a slightly roundabout fashion to make sure they weren’t being followed. By the time they entered the tall, narrow brick building from a rear door, the sun had been set for more than an hour.
“Jules! We were getting worried!” They were met at the door by a group of people—two women and two men. The youngest of the women threw herself at Jules, wrapping her long, skinny arms around his neck so that she was nearly hanging on him.
“Case, we’re safe. No one was harmed,” Jules replied with a ragged chuckle as he untangled from the woman.
“Did you have any trouble?” an older man with short salt-and-pepper hair and a heavily wrinkled face inquired.
“Nothing too bad.”
“Have the others arrived yet?” Tyche cut in before anyone else could ask Jules more questions.
A middle-aged woman with short, curly hair shook her head. “Sorry, no. You’re the first to arrive.”
Jules rested a hand on Tyche’s shoulder. “I’m sure they’re fine. They’re probably less than an hour behind us. Let me introduce you to the key members of the team.”
Tyche glanced over his shoulder at Haru, and the dragon forced a reassuring smile he didn’t feel. He wasn’t sure if Yesuntei’s powers affected Tyche the same way they had him, but it was best not to let Tyche succumb to dark thoughts and worries about Shey.
Motioning at the woman who’d greeted him first, Jules started, “This is Case. She handles a lot of our logistics of moving supplies and people from other places into Bellcairn.” He lifted his hand and pointed to the older man. “That’s Quill. He’s former Damardor military, and he’s working out our overall plan for getting someone into the government building.” He moved to the woman next to him. “This is Hayden. She’s an experienced protestor and rabble-rouser, as she likes to put it. She’ll be our boots on the ground for mobilizing the crowds during the flag-raising ceremony.” He nodded to the other young man who looked to be in his midtwenties. He stood at the rear of the group in what looked like the kitchen. “Back there, that’s Nigel. He’s the king of intelligence. He’s the one who has gotten his hands on the chancellor’s official itinerary and other security plans for when Feng is in town.”
Haru cocked his head and smiled at Jules. “How do you fit into this group?”
Jules’s easy expression seemed to wobble, but Case jumped in without missing a beat. “Jules has been with our group for only a year, but he’s been helping me a lot with logistics and procurement. If we need it, Jules has found ways to wheel and deal so that we have it.”
“You’ve got to be exhausted and hungry,” Quill broke in. He raised a hand and motioned for them to follow him deeper into the house. “We’ve got some rooms prepared for you. You can relax for a bit while we fix something to eat. It won’t be anything fancy.”
They passed through a kitchen, which was chaotic with stacks of boxed and canned food. No, it wouldn’t be anything fancy, but considering the state of Bellcairn, Haru was sure they were lucky to have food at all.
“Simple fare is fine. We need some rest while we wait for the others,” Haru murmured. As they left the kitchen, they followed Quill down a narrow hallway, passing what appeared to be a dining room overflowing with laptops and stacks of paper. The living room was next, and it was filled with stacks of signs, all with catchy protest slogans in bright colors.
In the main foyer, Quill paused with his hand on the banister next to a set of stairs leading to the second floor. He glanced at Jules. “I’ve put you in the blue bedroom on the third floor. Case and Hayden are sharing the other bedroom on the third floor. Nigel and I have one bedroom on the second floor, but we’ve been crashing most nights on the couch or in a chair.”
Quill led them up the stairs and pointed out the two rooms that had been put aside for them, leaving it to Haru and Tyche to figure out how to double up. Not that there was anything to discuss. Haru selected the room closest to the stairs and the front door, happy to act as the first layer of defense should someone try to attack their haven.
He stepped inside and closed the door but didn’t move, as he listened to the footsteps of the others as Quill returned to the first floor and Tyche crossed to the bedroom he would share with Shey. His own room was plain but pleasant, with white walls and a single window that was covered with thick curtains. There was a bed that was far too small to fit both him and Adrian comfortably, but that meant they would have to lie cuddled together through the night.