Winter (Erityian Tribes Novella, #4)

07 : Snowstorm

"Lady Winter," said Reya. "They are ready."

"I'll be there in a minute."

She nodded and quietly walked away. A second after, Dalan came in, bringing a gust inside my office.

"You seem fond of them," he commented as he turned his head toward the door.

I shrugged. "They are useful," I said.

It had been two years since we recruited Faye and Reya. At first, everyone wanted to punish them for what Flame Spectre had done but the elders and I managed to convince them that they would be an asset to us. It turned out that was easy. Those two showed their sincerity and earned the trust of our warriors.

"Any news about Isaz and Hale?" I asked.

Dalan shook his head and I sighed in return. Those two had not submitted any report for the past few weeks. Hale was still quietly protecting his sister while tracking the movements of the powerful gangs in the East. Meanwhile, Isaz brought a terrible news on his last report. Leo died several years ago. He just learned it last month when someone from the black market recognized his name.

"Losing Leo means years of delay," Dalan commented.

"Yeah. He must have created a lot of weapons but we don't know where he stored it."

"Isaz must be tracking that child."

If I remembered correctly, Leo said he left the child, Minerva's daughter, in an orphanage and would get her again once he's ready. Maybe the kid was adopted by him, I don't know, but I hope he didn't break his promise. Minerva meant a lot to the Huntres and I wanted to honor her by making her daughter safe.

"Let's go, Lady."

I draped my fur coat over my shoulders and followed him outside. Warriors bowed and parted as we passed by. Looking over the training grounds, I saw some children were being thrown by a cyclone while others were trapped in water prisons. That brought back some unpleasant memories.

The mirage covering and protecting the village dissipated as we went out of the boundary. Along with Dalan, two Hunters marched with me, concealing their weapons between their clothes and bodies. Meanwhile, I had to wear a cloak to hide my eyes and face.

According to our shadows, Gerald couldn't get out of White Division because Flame Spectre was pressuring his wife to keep an eye on him. He had information about them but he was stuck in his house and dojo, gangs and officers constantly monitoring his movements.

Initially, Isaz didn't want me to proceed but I insisted. I was sheltered in that village long enough. I wanted to see the world and I wanted to know what I could do with this power. Also, Krystal . . .

We couldn't board the train so we opted to walk. It would take us about two days assuming we wouldn't have any hindrances along the way.

"My Lady," Dalan whispered.

I didn't notice the Hunters who were leading the way came to a halt. There was a commotion going on but before I could see anything, Dalan pulled me away.

"There might be some Flame Spectre members," he muttered after we hid behind a rundown house. "We should be careful."

Faye and Reya scouted the crowd and after some time, they returned to us.

"Only humdrums," Reya reported.

"We can proceed," added Faye.

The four of us pushed through the crowd, trying to be as natural as possible, but one of the leaders, I suppose, said something that made some look at our direction.