[Legacy of a Martyr #2] Liberation from the Masquerades (A Key Keepers novel)

Episode 90

We were going scouting again. Recah and Eni would be going with me this time. T and Marshall went last time, so I wanted them to have a break. I also wanted Lie, Marshall, and Duke to be in reserve for some reason. I couldn't quite explain why, but I felt like they would be needed for the next mission. Like we would complete our second mission soon.

This time, I would start from the opposite edge of our search zone. Since we knew the beacons would work, we could search without fear of getting lost or wasting time with backtracking.

Recah was holding my hand. "How do you think we'll be able to find your friend and Lie's parents?"

If I was being honest, I wasn't sure... When I set out to rescue T and Eni, I knew where I wanted to go even if I didn't know how to get there. Looking for the others was like looking for a needle in a haystack...

"We'll find them somehow." Eni smiled. "Ain didn't always know how he was gonna get us out, but he did it, anyway. I'm sure he'll get them out, too."

I put my arm around him. My little brother was such a sweet kid. I truly hoped this part of his personality would continue as he grew older. The worlds would surely lose much if that day ever came.

Like the area I went through with T and Marshall, this place seemed to be deserted at first glance. I wasn't sure if that'd remain the case as we explored farther.

There seemed to be more houses than other buildings unlike that other area.

"Would it be better to divide and conquer?" Recah asked.

I turned to Eni. "Do you know how the beacons work? I don't think I ever told you..."

"You look around somewhere. After you're done, you stick one of those half-ball looking things on something. Check on your phone that it's working right. Then when you're done, you go look somewhere else."

I nodded. That was the basic idea. "Do you have the app?"

"T put it on my phone for me after you guys and Marshall went to make sure that we had some that worked."

"I have it, too," Recah replied. "I think we all might have it, actually..."

I took a breath. "Do you want to split up then? It's up to you guys. I just wanna look around since I don't think we were able to get much done last time."

Recah squeezed my hand. "I wanna stay with you. You guys have powers, so you notice things that I don't."

"I'll be okay by myself." Eni smiled. "I wanna help you look more places. My powers help me find people, so I think I can do it."

"Be safe." I pecked my little brother on the top of his head. "Text us if you get into trouble. If that doesn't work, shoot up a signal flare. I should be able to pick up on that right away."

Eni took some beacons out of my bag and went on his way. Fire burned in his eyes. He seemed eager to search for Vanny and Lie's parents.

When I felt Recah tighten her grip, I looked over. She was biting her lip. "There's going to be a big battle soon, isn't there? Isn't that what we're waiting for?"

"There probably is. If I said I didn't think so, I'd be lying." I brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "Still, I know we'll get out of it somehow. We did survive those other battles."

My future wife was smiling, but she couldn't fool me. Her heart was racing. Her hands were trembling, too. Her mind had likely gone into a dark place. I wished I could do something for her, but all I could do was be there and not worry her by making my own worries obvious.

As far as I could tell, the area we were in was deserted. I hadn't sensed any ripples but our own. I couldn't feel Eni's anymore either since he had gone beyond the radius I could clearly read.

Her breathing had become shallow.

I picked her up and sat on an old, rusted crate I found. "Recah, sweetheart, I need you to take some deep breaths. You're getting too worked up."

They were still shaky, but her breaths slowed.

"I." She seemed to be shivering. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"It's alright." I spoke in the soft voice I often used when Eni came to me having woken from a nightmare. "I had moments like these when I was set on rescuing my siblings. I just went out of my way to do it in private when I maybe shouldn't have."

She looked up at me with big eyes that made her look younger. "You did?"

"I did. It made it feel like the world would end, but I got out of it in one piece with my siblings by my side."

She relaxed into my arms. "I don't wanna walk anymore..."

"That's fine." I set her down on the crate, so I could get in front of her.

"Are you sure?"

I smiled. "It's alright, honey. I don't think there's anyone have to worry about around here."

If I was being honest, Eni may well have been having better luck than we were. He'd gone fairly far away from us and given that we had to take a break, he was sure to have covered more ground than we did.

We went on our way after that.

The houses in this area were primarily in disrepair. It would likely be a bad idea to enter them. I was surprised the houses were still standing. Even then, it would have been nice to make sure no one was hiding in them. Still, I couldn't bring Recah into danger in good conscience. At least I had no reason to believe any of them were occupied.

In the end, Recah and I came up with absolutely nothing. Eni had better luck than us since he wandered into an area where around a dozen small families lived. He had a good time chatting with them, but they weren't able to give us any new clues. We went home after he found us as I didn't want to put Recah under any more stress today.

***

Poor Recah! Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?

~Shino out!