Free Dragon: Allie's War Book Nine by JC Andrijeski Page A

couldn’t get straight answers out of him. I also found myself defending him, more often than not. To Wreg. Jon. Loki. Chinja.
    Even Chandre.
    He’d been spending a hell of a lot of time locked up in private meetings with Tarsi and Balidor, which was part of it.
    I knew Wreg was a little offended at being cut out of those meetings. I pointed out that I hadn’t been invited either, but that didn’t seem to reassure Wreg much…or Yumi, for that matter, who also seemed vaguely offended about the same thing.
    I knew they all wanted to help Revik figure out whatever was wrong with his light, in terms of the trigger Menlim put there. I also understood why Revik kept that list short. We couldn’t afford to let anyone in who might end up being that mole.
    Even so, it was hard not to react when I felt some of our closest friends taking Revik’s secrecy thing personally. I knew it wasn’t personal, but it was getting harder and harder to convince anyone else of that. Revik was just paranoid, and cautious…and well, paranoid. But convincing Wreg and Chandre there wasn’t more to it hadn’t been easy.
    Now with Feigran talking about inner circle moles, that paranoia would only get worse. Moreover, I could already feel Wreg putting two and two together and wondering if Revik trusted him as much as he’d always assumed.
    And yeah, that hurt.
    I couldn’t see how it could be helped, though. I knew all of that shit would get worse before it got better, too.
    What do you think? I sent to Revik.
    I felt him let out a disbelieving sound. What do I think? I think there’s a mole, Alyson. We knew that. Now it’s confirmed. It doesn’t change shit. He paused briefly, then added, And don’t worry about Wreg.
    I nodded, but didn’t really feel it.
    Biting my lip again, I glanced back at the virtual horizon, watching the clouds.
    You don’t think this is some kind of game, then? I sent. With Feigran, I mean.
    No. And it would be irrelevant, even if it was, Revik sent. His thoughts remained hard. How the fuck could he know those things, Allie, without a mole?
    I swear I could hear his accent even through the Barrier. It always tended to get stronger when he was angry or upset about something.
    I stayed silent though, listening to him.
    … Even if Terry’s fucking with us, Revik added. He still knows things he shouldn’t. He’s given us enough evidence and from a wide enough time span that the implications are pretty hard to dispute. Anyway, it’s irrelevant, like I said. Them leaking the facts to us deliberately doesn’t make those facts not true.
    I nodded, my jaw hardening a little more. What if he got all of that off us? While we were in Dubai? I pressed. Is that possible?
    Again, I felt Revik shake his head.
    No, he sent. I didn’t even know some of that stuff back then. Are you saying Menlim or Terry hacked Balidor while we were in Dubai? Balidor wasn’t even in the Dreng construct, Allie…and if they can hack ‘Dori we’ve got a fuck of a lot bigger problems than a mole.
    I pressed my lips together, not answering.
    Even so, I looked down at Feigran, wishing I could read him better.
    The next time Revik spoke, his thoughts felt subdued.
    I’m sorry, he sent.
    I sighed but felt a flicker of relief.
    What’s up with you? I sent. Seriously. Are you okay?
    Not really. He took a breath; I almost heard that, too. I felt him hesitate somewhere in that breath, right before his thoughts turned harder again. Did you really send Chan down to the front lines? To that wall, where the humans are detonating suicide bombs?
    I paused on that, momentarily confused.
    Yeah, I sent. So?
    I felt a ripple of irritation off his light. I wish you’d talked to me first.
    Sorry, I began, still taken aback, but recovering enough to realize he was right, that I hadn’t checked with him at all. I figured she fell under me and ‘Dori now, because of––
    Okay. Right. I get it. Can we talk about it later, Allie?
    Still reacting a bit, I