Brath was bristling in his beard, tapping his fingers on his waist as he tried to contain whatever was going to inevitably come out. “Why are we even doing this?” he blurted. “If it’s as simple as picking something up, they should be sending someone else.”
Jollies’ eyes went wide as she stared at Brath. “What? Do you think this is beneath us?”
The gnome started to pace, trying to burn off nervous energy or irritation. “No, I don’t think this is beneath us. I’m just saying, the Nest has people pick up packages all the time. Some of them are pretty damn important. Why the hell are we suddenly delivery boys?”
Alex had been wondering the same thing, going in circles in her head. There were good reasons for either argument. If the weapon was that powerful and dangerous, Boundless should definitely be escorting it. Something that important couldn’t be left to just anyone to take care of.
But Boundless wasn’t the most qualified for the job even if that was the case. Why wasn’t Myrddin here personally? If this thing could get rid of the Dark One once and for all, shouldn’t he be retrieving it?
On the flip side, if there were defenses that could easily be disabled by Vardis, why didn’t the Nest send one of the other platoons? Theoretically, anyone could do this job.
Alex didn’t have the answers, and she didn’t pretend to. “Look, I don’t know. We have our orders. That’s all I can say.”
Gill cleared his throat as he checked over his shoulder again. “Maybe we should begin to question those orders?” he asked softly.
The members of Boundless seemed caught off-guard by Gill’s words. It was not that it hadn’t been thought of before. No one expected it to be Gill to say it, though. But he wasn’t finished. “There are things going on that we don’t understand. And it’s our lives at stake. I refuse to be a pawn.”
Alex could understand why he felt that way. It was how she’d felt when she’d realized Myrddin was keeping her in the dark, but things were different now. Or were they? “How does everyone else feel about this?”
Jollies and Jim, who had not spoken, exchanged glances, perhaps trying to figure out who was going to agree or disagree with Brath and Gill. Naturally, the pixie couldn’t contain herself. “I don’t like it,” she blurted. “We never know what’s going on. Ever. Why are they keeping us out of the loop?”
Jim countered, “That’s the way the military works. They don’t explain everything to every soldier. Do you know how much time that would waste? My dad was telling me that the amount of direct contact and intel was more than he ever had back when he was serving.”
Brath glared at Jim and spat, “So your father was happy being a pawn in events he didn’t understand?”
Jim’s face darkened as he clenched his jaws and his fists. “My dad is a great man. If you think you can talk about him—”
“I don’t understand why humans have the desire to follow someone and never ask any questions. Are you all that stupid? Just because there’s someone telling us that we have to do something, it doesn’t mean we should. We don’t have any idea what’s going on half the time. They tell us to go kill this, get that, but we don’t know why.”
Jim squared up with Brath, both of them looking as if they were ready to draw their weapons. “You think Myrddin is pulling some double-agent crap?” Jaws growled. “You think we’re all in some stupid-ass conspiracy or some shit?”
Brath stepped up to Jim, looking intimidating despite only coming up to Jim’s waist. “I’m saying if you can’t see that some of this doesn’t make sense, you’re either blind or an idiot!”
Gill stepped between the two and pushed them away from each other. “Everyone needs to calm down,” he said. “All of us. This isn’t the time or the place.”
Both Brath and Jim looked like they could have punched Gill in the face, but they both backed down.
Alex knew she should step in, but she didn’t know what to say. She wanted to back Jim, but she agreed with Brath. It felt like they needed to start questioning what was going on, but choosing a side right now wouldn’t help anyone. Boundless needed to be a team.
“So, we all have problems with what’s going on, right?” Alex cut in. “That’s not changing what we’re doing—”
Brath was still staring daggers at Jim, but he eased up as he turned his attention to her. “Alex, I’ll be straight up with you. I didn’t like you when I met you, but you’re a good leader. One of the best I’ve ever seen. And I’ll follow you. But you need to know, I want to trust you. And if you’re just doing whatever you’re told without asking questions, how can I do that?”
For the first time since Alex had met Brath, she could see the vulnerability in his eyes. He was scared. Terrified. And she could see why. She just wasn’t sure what to make of it. Instead of asking Gill, who she knew would give an answer that was mired in coolness and logic, she turned to Jollies, and asked, “What do you think?”
The pixie glanced at the different members of Boundless, no doubt trying to take emotional cues from them. When she couldn’t find anything, the color of her skin shifted to a near-translucent hue, showcasing her veins and vital organs. “We’re following you, Alex. Not Myrddin,” she said softly.
The rest of Boundless remained silent, each of them going through what their various statements meant.
Alex was also silent, trying to grasp the loyalty Boundless was giving her. “Fine. If that’s the case, we’re doing
