SAGE (under edit)

Chapter Nine

'Leah, have you still got tabs on Rhun and Chase?' Theo called, his words laboured as he ran alongside Leon.

'I do,' Leah assured. 'They're s-several leagues ahead of us, but not so f-far that I can't track them.'

Leon was mildly impressed with Chase's speed. He was certainly fast, but the fact that he was keeping up with Rhun who was running at breakneck speed to track the Shadow Soldiers – and, as a tracker, Rhun was fast – proved just how much of a motivator determination and sheer stubbornness could be.

But Rhun was like a hound, having picked up the trail and took off to follow the Shadow Soldiers before Leon, Chase and Leah met up with them on the outskirts. Theo, as co-captain of the squad, hadn't exactly given permission for Rhun to go off on his own, nor had he exactly given permission for Chase to take off after him, but Chase and Rhun had been unconcerned about waiting for orders if it risked losing the Shadow Soldiers again.

Leah, fortunately, could keep track of Rhun and Chase by monitoring their Kyra markers,

To Leon, Theo said, a little breathlessly, 'I should be penalising them, you know.'

'Probably,' Leon agreed, keeping his eyes on the trees they ran through. 'But they have the right intentions.'

'The Renark wouldn't see it that way.'

Perhaps, if it were any other Soldier, Leon might have agreed. The Renark didn't tolerate disobedience, even minor infractions, and Chase has been subject to her punishment once before, but Leon had no doubt that if it meant saving Sage, the Renark would overlook a bit of disobedience from Rhun and Chase.

Leon glanced at the sky, catching sight of the sun's location in the corner of his eye, to confirm they were heading mostly north. It was rumoured that the Shadow Soldiers had bases, places to hide, scattered throughout the north of Zone so it made sense that it was the direction they were heading now, but if they took Sage to close to The Palms then the Crest Soldiers would be restricted in where they could go. The Palms and Lion Crest held grudges toward one another, so Crest Soldiers couldn't enter The Palms territory without a lot of bureaucratic crap happening first.

'They've stopped!' Leah declared. 'Up ahead.'

The group slowed, and even Leon was grateful for the chance to catch his breath. Despite having Kyra to fuel his endurance, they were all running on little sleep and food ever since leaving Lion Crest. It was starting to catch up with him.

Through the trees Leon spotted a two-storey house, ringed heavily by trees and shrubbery. It wasn't unusual to find houses nestled in the forestry just beyond the outskirts of a nearby town, especially in the unmarked territory. Normally they were owned by those with criminal affiliations, or who were rich enough to want privacy but also hired rogue Soldiers as security.

'Oh,' Leah whispered, just as they found Rhun and Chase standing in the backyard with no Shadow Soldiers in sight.

Rhun looked back to them, his face grim. 'We're too late. It's empty.'

Leon's chest tightened, though a part of him suspected they would be. He looked to Chase and found his shoulders taught, hands balled into fists at his side.

'I'm going to search the perimeter for tracks,' Rhun declared, separating from the group.

Leon swept his gaze over to Leah, seeing her disheartened expression, and then to Theo who met his gaze in return. 'We should search the house,' said Leon.

Theo nodded. 'I'll let Raven and Calin know of our location,' he added, retrieving his radio from the pouch hanging from his belt.

Leon walked past Chase, gently resting his hand on his shoulder to encourage him to walk as well. 'Come on, maybe we'll find something.'