Moirai (9 page)

“Just showing Adelaide how to use the Bo Staff.” I
glanced behind me as Hazel came into the training facility.

“I hear Aidan's making her a set of nunchucks next.”
Hazel grabbed a Bo Staff, gesturing for Adelaide to try with her.

I put mine down and walked towards the wall, grabbing a
cup of water. “You're not serious?” Aidan hadn't mentioned it to me. Probably
because he knew I'd be against it.

Hazel laughed and her eyes widened as Adelaide seemed to
be quick on her feet and even quicker with her arms using the weapon in hand.
“You're good,” she commented to Adelaide. “She might actually be ready for it.
Can you believe that? She hasn't even been enhanced and she's brilliant.”

My eyes widened as I stalked to the center of the room,
stopping their interaction. “Enhanced?” I shook my head. “You will not do that
to my daughter!”

Hazel's voice dropped. “She's not technically your
daughter.” It was a slap in the face. Something I knew but I treated Adelaide
as if she were, because to me she was family. Nothing would change that. Not
even one person’s opinion would make me think less of Adelaide. Hazel sighed,
knowing she'd hit a nerve. “I'm sorry.” She put the Bo Staff down and Adelaide
used it to her advantage, managing to knock Hazel on her back. Adelaide put a
foot on Hazel's chest, keeping her pinned down.

“Don't ever say that to Olivia again,” Adelaide demanded
with a fierce intensity. “She saved my life and took me in. More than I can say
about you.” She waited a moment before she moved her stick away along with her
foot.

A part of me knew I should have reprimanded Adelaide for
her actions. I didn't though. Hazel rolled over, stood up, and walked out.

The next two days I let Maya teach Adelaide self-defense.
I thought it was best if I took a step back: I still had so much to learn.
Heading over to the gymnasium, I opened the heavy metal door, hearing a loud
creak. “Adelaide?” I called. The lights were off, the room empty. I walked
further inside, flipping on the electricity as I had a look around. “Adelaide?”
I tried again, hoping I'd find her. She was supposed to stay with Maya until I
came to pick her up. I couldn't believe she'd just up and disappear. Heading
out of the gymnasium, I searched the recruit training facility. The cafeteria
was empty, as were the sleeping quarters. “Adelaide?” My feet pattered quicker
against the hall as I checked every corner and crevice, including the bathroom.
She was nowhere in sight. I knew she had to be somewhere. Shadow wasn't that
big of a town and I could trust all the residents. Where could she have disappeared
to? I headed back the way I came, through the gymnasium, shutting off the
lights as I stepped outside and shivered. The wind whistled and I glanced up,
glad the skies were clear of any drones. “Adelaide?” I tried again, walking
along the crunched path where vehicles had traveled between the recruit center
and town. It took no time at all to spot Maya talking to Collins. “Hey!” I
jogged over towards her. “Have you seen Adelaide?” I caught my breath, feeling
my heart slam into my chest. “She wasn't in the gymnasium.”

“Oh, I told her she was done for today.” Maya shrugged,
as if it were no big deal to let a six-year-old run free in town.

“Where'd she go?” I glanced around, running a hand
through my hair.

Maya turned around on her heels, having a look around. “I
can't remember. Did you check home?”

“I just came from there.” I shook my head. “She's not at
the recruit center; I don't know where she'd be without me. It's not like
there's a playground around here.” I knew it was a cheap shot but it was the truth.
Adelaide had only what was made specifically for her, the town wasn't set up
for kids.

Collins glanced at Maya. “How about I help you look for
her?” he offered. I knew he was trying to be helpful but I didn't think he'd
have any more ideas than I did where to look for her. “Did you try Cate's
house?”

My stomach flopped. “No.” I knew I should be relieved. If
she was visiting Cate and considered her a friend, at least she'd be safe. I
felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought that Adelaide would prefer Cate over
me. No, I couldn't think that way.

“Let's try there first,” the Chancellor suggested,
offering a warm smile as he gently took my elbow, leading me away from Maya.

I heard it first: the loud high-pitched scream of a
child. It was Adelaide. No doubt in my mind. I took off running in the
direction of the sound, west. Her screams didn't diminish in the slightest.
“Adelaide!” I called, hearing the ear-piecing scream of a child. She sounded
afraid. My heart pounded and my nerves wrestled with me. There was nothing I
had to be frightened of. Adelaide was okay, she was screaming, right? That had
to be a good sign?

“Olivia!” Her voice answered me with another shrill
scream as I tore through tall grasses, running towards the stream where I'd
been just before our last council meeting. I could hear Collins lag behind me,
trailing in my footsteps. He wasn't far but he wasn't as fast either.

“I'm coming,” I answered, my knees lifting higher as I
stopped dead in my tracks, finding a bloody corpse. I glanced up, seeing
Adelaide bent over the body, her clothes covered in blood. Her cheeks flushed
and eyes filled with tears.

“He's dead!” She wailed as I bent down to pick her up,
trying my best to shield her from what she'd seen, though I knew it was too
late.

I could hear Collins’ muttered curse as he finally caught
up, seeing the disfigured corpse. “This isn't good,” he rasped, glancing from
me to the little girl. “Take her home, get her cleaned up. We're having an
emergency meeting this afternoon,” he announced. “There's an outlaw near
Shadow.”

I carried Adelaide all the way back to town and home. I
locked the doors, something we'd never done, and helped her trembling body up
the stairs and into the shower. I turned on the faucet, making sure it wasn't
too hot before leaving the bathroom while she stripped down to shower and wash
the blood away. Glancing down at my own clothes, caked in blood from carrying
Adelaide, I sighed and took a quick shower of my own.

It wasn't long before Adelaide was downstairs, curled up
on the sofa, snuggling into a pillow I'd brought down for her. Her eyes were
heavy and after the morning’s events, she was exhausted. I heard a knock on the
door and quietly walked to the front, having a look before opening it to
Joshua. “Hey,” I smiled weakly, throwing my arms around him.

I felt his warm embrace and closed my eyes for the
briefest of moments. “I heard what happened,” he whispered. I nodded faintly,
pulling back to secure the lock on the door behind him as he took off his coat.

“Adelaide's asleep on the couch right now. She's showered
and cleaned up. Collins is planning on having an emergency council meeting this
afternoon.”

Joshua nodded. “I know. I ran into him outside. In about
an hour, everyone's getting together to figure out how to handle this
situation.” I studied his features, his face hardened.

“What is it?” I asked.

“I'm not thrilled with leaving Adelaide on her own while
we're at the meeting. How long do you think she'll sleep?” Joshua asked,
glancing towards the living room.

I had no idea. I shook my head. “Maybe we could ask Taron
to watch her? Just while we're at the council meeting.” He wasn't my first
choice to look after Adelaide but my first six or seven options were all
involved with the council.

Joshua nodded slowly. “That could work. It'll only be an
hour. Hopefully, Adelaide won't even wake up while we're gone.”

I left Joshua with Adelaide while I ran down Taron and
asked him to keep an eye on her for a little while. He seemed a little hesitant
to be around a child, but after I assured him she'd likely sleep the entire
time, he agreed to it. Joshua and I locked up the house as we headed together
for the council meeting. I reached for his hand, giving it a tentative squeeze.

“Nervous?” He asked, glancing down at our adjoined hands.

“I'm not sure nervous is the right word. Stressed? Yes.”
I nodded vigorously. “I don't think I'll sleep until we find whoever killed
that man out by the river.”

Joshua glanced at me as we headed inside. “Do you know
what Adelaide was doing out there on her own?”

I shook my head no. It didn't seem a good time to ask her
either. Walking into the council room, I took my respective seat at the table.
Joshua sat beside me, our hands no longer entwined as I tapped my fingers over
the wooden surface, a nervous habit I couldn't consider breaking at a time like
this.

Chancellor Collins stepped into the room last and took a
seat at the head of the table. “Thank you all for meeting on such short
notice.” He looked frazzled, dismayed by what had occurred only a few short
hours ago. “By now, most of you know we have a killer just outside of our town,
an outlaw. It worries me that not only one man but two have found our town. We
would have suspected the two were working together, except one was brutally
murdered.”

Cate frowned, her face looking slightly disgusted. “It
doesn't mean they still weren't working together. Maybe one of them turned on
the other?”

Collins nodded. “It's a possibility, but the body was
mutilated.” He cleared his throat trying to keep himself composed. “I can't
fathom how we were found or even if we were. This man we found was on the
outreach of town. Our community was barely visible but it's possible we've been
spotted.”

Aidan spoke up, “Do you think the government is coming to
destroy us?”

Collins sighed, “I don't believe that's the case, at this
point. We know there are outlaws, men who were banished from cities in Cabal.
It's not unfeasible to think one may have found his way to Shadow.”

Joshua's face was hard. “But there were two men, Chancellor.”

Collins agreed. “Yes, and that's why we need to take
action, to ensure no more will follow. We need to send a message, a strong one,
and protect our town.”

“How?” I asked, feeling as though I already knew the
answer.

The Chancellor cleared his throat. “We're going to send a
team out to hunt down and kill whoever's out there. Do I have any objections?”

The room was eerily silent.

“Good,” Collins continued. “I need two sets of patrols.
One to head west and the other to protect Shadow. The last thing we need to do
is send our best soldiers away from town, leaving ourselves vulnerable.” His
eyes landed on Joshua and myself. “We're down two members already. I'm not
crazy about putting either of you on patrol but we need the extra manpower
right now.”

“I'm fine with it.” I knew it would be a good first
assignment. There'd be plenty of council members to back me up and it would
involve real hands-on fighting, not training. There was something to be said
about truly experiencing a situation and not just planning for one. I could
feel the anticipation bubbling beneath my skin, itching to tear its way out.

Collins glanced at Joshua, waiting for his answer.

“I'd prefer to be on patrol in Shadow, if I get a
choice.” His answer surprised me.

“We can do that,” Collins quickly agreed. “Olivia, Cate,
Aidan, and Maya: I want you to go west and track the outlaw. Joshua, Elsa,
Hazel, and I will stay and keep Shadow safe.”

I glanced at Joshua, seeing the steely look on his face.
He didn't look pleased that Collins had chosen me to accompany the others
beyond the town’s border. “What are our instructions if we find the outlaw?” I
needed to know we had permission to kill him, if necessary.

“We don't take prisoners, Olivia,” Collins remarked.
“It's evident that whoever is out there is a brutal, merciless killer. Do
whatever is necessary to protect yourselves, each other, and this town. Come
back with the body and we'll burn it. Dead or alive.”

Joshua looked slightly pale. I ignored him. For once, I
couldn't disagree with Collins’ decision. I'd seen the deceased in the grass
just outside of town. Adelaide had been covered in blood; I hadn't even asked
her if she'd witnessed what happened. Now, I wish I had. Our town was bathed in
the shadows, kept in secret from outsiders. I wasn't always in agreement with
their methods but this time I didn't stray from Collins’ decision. I'd seen
what one outlaw was capable of and didn't want havoc wreaked on Shadow.

The four of us wasted no time in strapping on gear and
heading out together just past the edge of town. The few times I'd ventured
west, it was always alone and without telling anyone where I was going. It felt
strange, particularly with Cate at my side, Maya leading the pack and Aidan in
the rear. Maya was the most skilled of the four of us, having been our
instructor during training, and also an incredibly skilled tracker. I directed
her to where the body had been. The grass was brown and dead, smashed to the
ground and coated in red. Clearly, the body had been here. I hoped Collins and
the others had provided a proper burial.

Cate glanced around, shifting the bow she carried over
her shoulder uncomfortably, letting out a sigh as she shuffled her feet. I
couldn't tell if she didn't like being out here away from Shadow or the fact that
a crazed outlaw killing people was on the loose. “Which way?” She sounded
bored, distracted.

Maya examined the dormant winter grass, noting footprints
leading north. “This way.” She gestured.

“Any idea how far he could have gotten?” I asked, patting
my hip, feeling the dagger sheathed at my side. In all my training, I'd
succeeded best at hand-to-hand combat. I had no idea why. I was smaller in size
than most of the guys and had far less experience fighting. It didn't matter
though: something with the Mindonsiphan had made me special. It had enhanced my
ability to fight, or so Maya had once explained to me.