Gilded Serpent Danielle Jensen (i can read with my eyes shut .TXT) 📖

“The occasional snake,” one answered. “Though they seem to be making themselves scarce with us banging around.”

“Perfect.” Pulling off her boots, belt, and vest, she glanced at Quintus. “Come on. You stink.”

Shrugging, he unbuckled his armor, tossing it aside, along with his weapons. Then he tugged his tunic over his head and, without warning, gave a loud whoop and leapt into the water. Laughing, she jumped in after him, gasping at the bite of cold. The falls had carved deep into the earth, and her ears popped as she swam down, barely reaching the bottom before the need for air demanded she return to the surface.

Quintus was floating in circles on his back, caught in the eddies. “This feels bloody good,” he said. “Can’t remember the last time I had a proper swim.”

Kicking toward the edge, Teriana climbed out to retrieve the soap she’d brought, using it to clean away the filth of travel as best she could while clothed. There wasn’t a chance she was getting naked—not when more of the Thirty-Seventh were headed this way, obviously having been granted some time for leisure. Laughing and joking, they all stripped down and jumped in the water, dunking one another and carousing as though they hadn’t a care in the world.

Quintus came up next to her, taking her soap. Holding it to his broken nose, he sniffed at it and then made a face. “Smells like girl.”

“As if you know.” She gave him a playful shove, but then regretted it when the smile fell away from his face. “Sorry. I…”

“Not you who should be sorry.” He rested his arms on the rocky edge. “I’ve been thinking about what Felix said. About you trusting me.”

Resting her own arms on the edge, Teriana waited for him to continue.

“You should know,” he finally said, “that I didn’t want to be your bodyguard again. That I planned to leave as soon as I could figure out a way to get Miki off that island. Marcus bribed me into staying. Told me if I watched your back until the Senate released you and your people, that he’d alter the Thirty-Seventh’s books to say Miki and I were dead.”

Teriana was lost for words, because everything about this was decidedly un-Marcus-like.

“I don’t want to do this anymore.” Quintus rested his chin on his arms. “I’m tired of fighting. Tired of killing. Tired of being used by a group of rich, entitled patricians who’ve never done a day of honest work in their lives. I hate them. Hate what they make us do and what they turn us into. Hate what they take from us.”

His voice cracked on the last, and Teriana reached over to grip his hand. “It’s not right that you’re not with Miki.”

A tear cut a path down his damp cheek. “Perhaps it’s justice for all that I’ve done.”

Justice. Despite having been told several times that Quintus was one of the Thirty-Seventh’s assassins, used to perform targeted kills ordered by the Senate, it always felt to her as though Gibzen and Marcus and the rest were talking about a different Quintus. One she’d never met. “If there’s anyone who deserves to face justice, it’s the men in the Senate who forced your hand.”

“They didn’t force my hand,” he answered. “They only made the choice easy. It’s not hard to do awful things when the alternative is your own suffering. Your own life. Yet after, when the guilt is heavy and your dreams are so plagued you can barely sleep for fear of facing your victims, you half-wonder if maybe the alternative was the better choice.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I am so sorry for being the reason he’s gone.”

And for withholding the truth about Hegeria’s healers from you.

Quintus scrubbed at his eyes. “It’s not your fault. And I just wanted you to know that I intend to be worthy of your trust, Teriana. I won’t desert you.”

“Neither will I.” Leaning sideways, she rested her head against his, not sure if what she was about to do was a kindness or cruelty. “When we’re all free, you and Miki find the Quincense, all right? I know of people who might be able to help him.”

He turned to look at her. “Truly?”

“On my honor,” she said. “If it’s possible, I’ll see it done.” Then she looked up at the cliff rising above them. “In the meantime, do you want to jump?”

He smiled, and for the first time, it touched his eyes. “Race you to the top?”

“Not sure that’s fair, you being injured and all.”

A laugh tore from his lips. “That’s the only thing that’s going to make it fair. For pride or coin?”

Rolling her eyes, she said, “Pride, obviously. You’ve already lost all your coin to me at cards.”

Swimming toward the falls, Teriana examined the face of the cliff, which was rugged and full of handholds, but also slick with moisture. “Go.”

Quintus leapt up, catching hold of protruding rock and using his superior strength to haul his way higher. He knew what he was doing, but still, Teriana watched him for a few minutes until she deemed he had a fair head start.

Then she started climbing.

 33MARCUS

“We’ve come across a few old campsites and a handful of trails that look to have seen recent use,” Gibzen said. “But no sign of either Arinoquians or the rumored inlanders.”

“Someone built that city,” Marcus muttered, slowly following the men he’d allocated a few hours of leisure down to the pool beneath the waterfall. Even with Quintus with her, he didn’t like Teriana being out of sight. “And I’m not surprised you’ve seen no Arinoquians. They stick to the coast.”

Gibzen nodded, scanning the surrounding jungle. “We can scout farther inland and see what we discover.”

“No.” Marcus heard splashing and laughter, and part of him wished he could strip down and join them. But his presence always put a damper on the mood of the men, kept them