I crawled
laboriously over to the edge of the pillar and stuck my head over the edge. I
felt Bas’s hands on my shoulders making sure that I wouldn’t tip forward. Below
us Sloan was standing with his feet apart talking loudly to three people that
were shimmering with unearthly light.
One of them was
a woman, I could tell from this height because her hair was braided into a
thick rope that rested over her shoulder. The person next to her was too small
to be anything other than a child or a dwarf. I remembered what Audrey had said
about some of the Sun Soldiers being children and I gasped. I hadn’t believed
her at the time, but there was proof standing right below me that the Sun
picked its army because of their simplicity of mind.
The third
person was a man, but that was all I could tell from this point of view. Sloan
raised his voice another octave and was waving his hands around as if
describing something to the trio. I slid backwards and rested my head on the
surface of the pillar.
“I can’t
believe it, but I don’t think he’s told them that we’re up here” I breathed
out.
“He’s covering
for us” Bas said.
“Why?”
“There’s one
thing about Sloan that you don’t know and that’s despite his vileness he’s as
loyal as a dog. I’ve saved his life numerous times, and I have no doubt that he
hates me for it, but he has never forgotten it.”
“I never knew
that” I frowned, “I thought you said he had resented you from the moment the
darkness entered you and not him.”
“He did, but he
still wanted power even if it was association with it and not possession. I
think if the chance presented itself and he could take the darkness from me he
would, all loyalty forgotten.”
“But he wouldn’t
give you up to the Sun Soldiers?”