Page 11 of Jude

“Tobias will hate staying here while he recovers,” said Kade.

“Sophia will insist he rests after this,” said Danni. “As will I. If he refuses, I’ll take him off active duty.”

“He needs it,” said Jude. “The guy hasn’t had a break in over three months.”

“Some of us haven’t had a break in six months,” muttered Kade.

“Only because you don’t let your team take on more responsibility,” said Jude. Kade was a true workaholic. He thrived under the pressure.

“I will when I know they’re properly trained.”

“They’re trained,” said Jude. “I’ve seen Katie and Harry in action. They know their way around codes.”

“There’s more to it than that.”

Honor rested a hand on Kade’s shoulder. “We all need some down time.” She leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Jude watched as Kade smiled and nudged Honor with his shoulder. He wanted that, as well. Someone to share confidences with and give him a reason to keep on going. Jude knew who he wanted that someone to be.

Danni raised a hand. “I’ll speak to Tobias once he’s stable and make sure he’s aware that he needs to rest. If any of us get too burned out, we put the whole operation at risk. He will understand.”

“While we’re here,” said Jude, “Octavia’s discovered something of interest when scanning the State comms channels.”

“How are things between you and Octavia?” Honor smiled at him. “Is it official yet?”

Jude narrowed his eyes. “She’s a professional.”

Honor’s smile broadened. “She is good at what she does.”

“What has she discovered?” asked Danni.

“Octavia’s accessed a hidden channel the State are using,” said Jude. “The language they’re talking in isn’t human.”

“Dinnorm?” Heath sat forward in his seat.

“That’s what I wondered,” said Jude. “Mind if I bring up the recording?”

“Go ahead,” said Danni.

Jude accessed his computer using the remote interface built into the briefing room. He opened a file and hit play. The garbled sounds he’d heard earlier filled the room.

“Could it be coded messages?” asked Heath.

“It’s not code.” Kade’s eyes were bright with interest. “At least, nothing I’ve ever heard before.”

Honor’s head was tilted, her eyes closed. “This is a language.”

“How can you be sure?” asked Danni.

Kade and Honor exchanged an amused glance.

“We know you’re both geniuses,” said Jude. “Tell us mere idiots what you’re picking up?”

“It’s a pattern,” said Honor. “Code is symbols or sounds that relate to a word or letter. But this has the cadence of speech. It’s not like your old style dot dot dot or dash dash dash in morse code. And it’s not a cipher.”

“Are we hearing Dinnorm language for the first time?” asked Heath. “When I studied cryptozoology, Dinnorms were already moving into the category of myth. None had been seen alive for over a hundred years. There are no recordings of their language.”

“Is it similar to dragon language?” asked Danni. “Do you think a dragon hybrid could decipher it?”