This week's picture prompt was created by Barath Ganesh from Coimbatore, India. They have some incredible art, definitely worth having a look. They call this one Floating Boat.
A return to a piece within the word count, AND another Tricky snippet. The last one was Week 257.
If you like it then, you can always grab the first book in the series: Dead Lake The second one is due out in September.
The General Guidelines can be found here.
How to create a clickable link in Blogger comments can be found on lasts week's post here.
There is also a Facebook group for Mid-Week Flash, if you fancy getting the prompt there.
Spy
‘What’s this? Why we in a boat?’
‘Safer.’
‘Safer for who? You know I don’t swim.’
‘Both of us. Now shush, this is important otherwise I wouldn’t have brought you here.’
Tricky adjusted her seat and the boat wobbled. Annie clutched the sides.
‘Watch what you’re doing or you’ll have us over!’
‘Annie, stop worrying, we’re safe. It’s not deep water; you could stand in it if you wanted. I just needed to be in another time where we couldn’t be over heard. No one can creep up on us here. What I have to tell you can ONLY be between us!’
‘So it’s not deep water?’ Annie peered over the sides. ‘Looks deep to me. And it’s so still. You can barely tell which way is up.’
Tricky beamed and looked around her. ‘I know, stunning, isn’t it? I love it. It’s amazing how some worlds look. There aren’t many places on the landmass that have areas of water this big, and none of them like this. And not with that sky!’
Tricky leaned back to admire it causing the boat to move. Annie let out a squeal.
‘Stop doing that! Just hurry up and tell me what you need to, so we can go back.’
‘This thing goes deeper that we thought. I think there’s a spy in Tumelo’s house.’
‘Do you know who?’
‘Nope. I’m not even ruling out his wife at this stage.’
‘That bad?’
‘Yep.’
‘What can I do?’
‘Use your guides. Try and find out anything you can, like who we can trust, how we can bring an end to this without chance of others knowing we are onto them.’
‘And you have no suspicions about who it could be?’
‘You know me, I’m suspicious of everyone. But Adric said something that could have ONLY been known by someone who had been in the same room as me and The Baron when I was telling him about his son. I’ve been trying to wrack my brains cuz we had more than one conversation about it, and I can’t remember exactly.’
‘Not his brother? He might have said something to him.’
‘No, Kiros was horrified when his father played that recording to him. There’s no way he would have given anything away to his brother. He knows how vital it is we keep Adric in the dark.’
‘What did Adric say?’
‘He came in all wafty like, pretending butter wouldn’t curdle in that lying mouth of his. He was all ingratiating himself with everyone, doing that silly shy, then flirtatious thing he does. Now I know what a slippery scheming turd he is, it’s like I can see straight through him.’
‘But he knows you know, right? I mean he must do after what happened?’
‘He’s pretending he doesn’t of course, because if there is a spy he must do – and I’m fairly certain there is. But I have to play along as though he doesn’t, just like he is doing. It’s a dance. He’s waiting for me to slip up – but he might just have done that himself. He said, “So tell me Tricky, you know about gemstones, what other qualities do they have? I heard someone say they could even be used to listen in, to record things?”
‘Oh! He definitely knows! Someone has told him!’
‘There’s a chance Dufray told him.’
Annie looked at Tricky, her eyes glazing over for a moment, then she refocused on her. ‘No, no he didn’t. He knows that for sure.’
‘Okay then, there is a spy.’
‘So what now?’
‘Search about, amongst your guides, amongst your feelings, in anything you receive. Help me work out who it is. We need to ‘cause otherwise it’s all for nothing.’
‘Have you shared this with Tumelo?’
‘I know, I need to, but what if … what if …’ Tricky couldn’t quite say it.
‘He’s in on it too? Yes, that would be tricky – even for you.’
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