Basil nods, but still doesn’t make to move. He sniffles, then runs a finger absently along the steel bar at the foot of my bedframe. “A lot of them are waiting, I think.” I stand, knowing my time is up. I know I shouldn’t be impatient, but I am, and I can’t help myself. My words to him are curt, almost cruel. “Waiting for what? Enough mystery. Just tell me so I can be off.” Basil looks up, his large brown eyes still locked on mine. He has a rare look of annoyance on his face, as if I’m too thickheaded to understand what he’s saying. “To see which side you take, of course.”
