red sun || lee felix

ch. 14 /// mother

I led the way as we ran through the woods — I was the one who knew where Fei had set up camp. I was breathing hard, on the edge of stumbling every step I took. My brothers were close on my heels, diligent, on high alert.

The sound of newborns baying approached. Fei was speaking loudly, almost shouting.

"Where the fuck is she?"

I slowed a bit, and the rest followed suit. We peeked through the trees. Fei was yelling at Seojun, who was straight-faced and docile as always.

"We don't know where she's gone, Mrs. Ngai."

"Then where's Sam?"

"He followed her but the trail was washed away in the channel."

"Why would she cross the channel?"

"Perhaps she has family on the other side?"

Fei was pulling at her own hair. "Fuck me. That girl was a liability. I shouldn't have let her get close to Felix, he rubbed off on her."

It hit me. Lucile was gone.

I leapt through the edge of trees, calling Fei's name. Her eyes grew wide as she saw me, even wider as Chan and Haseong came to stand behind me. Her hands fisted.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she growled at me. "Why have you brought them?"

"I had a vision." I felt like the words were stuck in my throat. "The Volturi are coming."

In a split second, she was in front of me. "Do not lie to me!"

Changbin and Haseong moved forward in unison, tried to size her up. I didn't need backup. Even now, I wasn't afraid of her. I was only afraid of what might happen to her.

"You know I wouldn't lie about this. Aro and the guard are coming to kill you, and I think it's because Lucile... she left to report you."

Fei stared at me for a second, unmoved, and then abruptly spun on her heels. She walked up to a tree and slammed her fist into it, again, again, again, until the bark was stripped away.

"Seojun," she hissed, "when did the rat leave?"

He looked shaken. "H-hours ago."

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

"Sam thought he could bring her back before you noticed. Mrs. Ngai, we're not ready to carry out our plan, especially without a choreographed attack, without the blueprint of the palazzo. The newborns have barely grasped the idea of fighting on offence, we can't send them—"

"Stop talking," she ordered. "Gather the soldiers and teach them as much as you can. They must be ready."

Seojun walked off, rubbing his temples.

I approached her carefully. "Fei, it's hopeless. You can't win against them." A knot at the back of my throat made my words waver. "I saw you die. I watched Aro kill—"

"No, that won't happen. That dog-faced motherfucker will burn at my hand."

"You have to take this seriously, you have to repent if you want to—"

She gave one loud laugh, no humour in it. "Why the fuck would I do that?"

"Because you should live." Chan stepped up beside me and looked up into her eyes, earnest. "You deserve to start again, you deserve to heal."

"Please spare me your sentimentalist bullshit, Chan, you gave me enough of that a century ago."

"You should be grateful," Haseong spat. "We came here to warn you, despite what you did to us — despite what I assume you've done to Felix."