Both Cassie and Griffin regarded him with surprise.
“Surely, you’re overstating the obstacles,” the scrivener objected. “After all, this is the twenty-first century.”
“Last time I checked, it still snowed in the twenty-first century,” the paladin countered. “Blizzards can spring up out of nowhere around Kailash. The roads could be blocked before we even get there. Or worse, we could get to the mountain and get snowed in after we found the artifact. It might take weeks to dig our way out again.”
His negative reaction left his teammates flummoxed.
“What are you saying? You think we should wait until spring like the riddle says?” Cassie asked incredulously.
Erik stood up and glanced from one to the other. “No, I’m not saying that. You should go. Both of you. I just won’t be going with you.”
Cassie jumped to her feet. “Are you crazy? We need you to pull this off!”
The paladin sighed with exasperation. “That’s the thing. You don’t.”
Cassie and Griffin exchanged baffled glances.
Erik continued. “Griffin, you’ve got the biggest brain in the Arkana. You’re the go-to-guy for figuring out puzzles. Cassie’s the pythia. She’s got the woo-woo side of the operation down cold. You need both those skills to get the job done.”
“We still need security back-up,” the pythia insisted.
“Remind me again who saved us all back in Africa?” the paladin asked sardonically. “That was your doing, toots. Not mine. And when we were in Spain, Griffin tackled Hunt and took a bullet while I was off somewhere spraining my ankle. I’d say you both know how to take care of yourselves.”
“So, you’re ready to leave us high and dry because you haven’t had a chance to play action hero guy lately?” Cassie challenged.
“I’m not gonna leave you high and dry,” Erik protested hotly. “I’ll get a security team to meet you in Kathmandu, and they can help with the retrieval the rest of the way.”
“And just what will you be doing while we’re at Mount Kailash battling blizzards and dodging the Nephilim?” Griffin’s tone was sarcastic.
“Something useful. Something only I can do.” The paladin abruptly turned on his heel and strode back to the hotel.
“Where are you going?” Cassie called after him.
He paused and looked over his shoulder. “To pack. I’ll be catching the next plane back to Chicago.”
Too shocked to move, his teammates watched him retreat across the lawn. They made no effort to stop him.
After he’d disappeared, Cassie spun to face Griffin. “What just happened here?”
The scrivener pensively gazed off into the darkness. “You’ll recall our chat about Erik’s odd behavior when we were in Karachi?”
Cassie nodded mutely.
“Unless I’m much mistaken, we’ve just heard the sound of the other shoe dropping.”
Chapter 28—Timing Is Everything
Cassie tapped gently on Erik’s hotel room door. No sound came from the other side. She hesitated, wondering if he would let her in. She had a key card of her own and was about to use it when he answered.
“I thought it might be you,” the paladin murmured. He swung the door wide to allow her to enter before retreating to the interior of the room. Clothes were heaped in the middle of the bed, waiting to be folded and packed.
He picked up a shirt and shook out the wrinkles. “My mind’s made up, in case you came here to talk me out of going.”
She pulled up a chair beside the bed and sat down, watching him silently as he continued rooting through his belongings. “Didn’t come here for that,” she remarked curtly.
Intrigued, he paused to gaze at her. “So, what did you come here for?”
She shrugged. “I’ve got a theory. I thought I’d run it past you.”
He placed a shirt into his duffel bag and then picked up a crumpled pair of jeans. “I’m all ears,” he said, smoothing out the pants legs before folding them.
She slid back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling as she gathered her thoughts. “I’ve been feeling this coming for a while now. I knew something was bothering you, but I didn’t know what.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. “I’m not interested in whatever name you have for it. I’m not even going to ask what you think you can do back at the vault that’s more important than this. None of that matters.” She paused. “What really interests me is the timing of it all.”
He stopped sorting and peered at her. “Timing?”
“Yeah,” she continued conversationally. “Why have a meltdown tonight instead of last week or the week before that?”
“I already told you,” he muttered. “Twiddling my thumbs while we wait out a blizzard is a bad use of Arkana resources. My skills on this mission are replaceable. Yours aren’t. I can do more good back at the vault.”
Cassie nodded. “That’s a good reason. And it sounds really noble too when you say it out loud, but that’s not why you’re leaving.”
He impatiently stuffed a half-folded tee shirt into his bag. “Then what else would it be?”
“Fear,” she answered softly, turning to stare him full in the face.
His expression went blank. “Fear?” he repeated skeptically. “Of what?”
“Of us,” she replied simply. “Oh, you’re not afraid of any of the usual things—flying bullets, steep cliffs, armed smugglers. You could shrug all that off and never break stride. No. What really has you scared is the idea
