Page 72 of Fallen Thorns
Another victim?
“I’ll keep it safe and see what we can do with it.” Mars then turned and we continued our full circle of the main pool.
As I said,this turned out to be a rather uneventful evening. Except for a few areas where a vampire scent still lingered — a couple of changing room cubicles and the raised balcony floor that surrounded the pool — we found nothing else that would have been of use to us. Not even a group of human squatters that I’d prepared myself for.
After hours of the two of us scouring the buildings from top to bottom, mildly dissatisfied with our lack of findings, we found it a safe enough time to call it a day and returned to what I described in my head as ‘the surface’, despite us already being above ground level.
Mars slipped on the way out, catching their leg on a piece of metal and laughing that it was a good job they couldn’t catch human infections. We quickly bandaged up the wound and continued out into the moonlight, Mars staying ahead of me the entire time.
Just before weexited back out into the open air, through whatever possession I felt, I turned back around to face the building, just for the hint of a second. It’s something I screamed at horror movies for, vowed I’d never do my entire life, and yet I did it anyway.
In the dim and groggy light, I could have sworn I saw the flash of something large disappearing behind the wall. A gentle gust of wind, the flap of fabric.
Wings.
He’s here.
ChapterEighteen
Early December gave us some of the coldest days yet. This particular evening was significantly icier than the last, yet the city always looked so cozy once the sun had set. The orange lamps cast the bridges aglow while crowds still bustled around well after the shops had closed.
It had been a couple of weeks since my first patrol, and our unsuccessful searches were beginning to feel rather tedious. While I’d accepted the fact we’d be unlikely to find anything, likely ever, I refused to admit defeat.
For my fifth patrol, running on about twenty hours of sleep for the entire week, we waited once again until midnight rolled around and we would, like always, be out until the sun rose. My previous university schedule and routine had slowly been disregarded, much to my dismay. But this was important, I had to remind myself. Necessary, regardless of… everything I was sacrificing.
“Are you warm enough?” Mars asked me, answering their own question with a deep shiver and rubbing their hands together before folding them tightly into their puffer jacket.
“Enough,” I replied, wrapping my deep green, woollen trench around myself. I had my thickest scarf doubly wrapped around my neck and three pairs of socks shoved into my winter boots. A little excessive possibly, but my nose was already threatening to drop clean off my face.
We waited for Marianne outside the cathedral as planned. I took in its grandeur as I passed between the gravestones, pacing back and forth to keep my limbs from seizing up entirely. I’d still not been inside, though I vowed to change that once all this had died down and life returned to normal. If that was even possible.
I spotted a mildly overdressed Georgian era figure approaching from the bottom of the lane. Marianne had seemingly taken to the theatrics again.So much for being discrete.The red velvet frock coat she wore most definitely could not have been hers in those days. If my history knowledge taught me one thing it was that women were never allowed to be practical — in any sense — which made her wearing the coat now feel so…right.
“You got a dagger sheathed in thy thigh, madame?” Mars joked, bouncing on their toes for warmth.
“Yes. Two,” came the deadpan response.
“Good.” Mars then looked at me, biting their cheek with wide eyes.
“Where do you want us then?” I asked, bringing the seriousness back to the conversation.
“Anywhere and everywhere.” Marianne neatened out her trousers with heavy handed brushes. “I’ve got plenty of Thorns on general watch tonight so for you two, I would suggest going back to the area you heard the voice again and the surrounding river area. Pay close attention to any and every sound. It’s been a suspiciously long time since this creature made itself known to you, and though I doubt thisthingwould be stupid enough to stay in one place, given what has happened thus far, it is clearly constantly aware of whereweare. In fact, it is likely not too far from us right now.”
A chill rushed down my spine. I hadn’t prepared for this.
“I have no idea if it will show itself, or if it intends to show itself at all, but the best we can do is stay aware of its existence, always. Stick together. Communicate. And Arlo,” Marianne’s eyes found mine as I looked up from the ground, “if you getanysense at all that something isoffor that you are being watched or anything of the sort, tell Mars and then youcall me.”
“And the other threats?”
“Like I said, I have people on that job already.”
I nodded, thinking myself a fool for not listening properly.
Mars nudged me to get started, and I crossed my arms tightly against the cold.
“And guys…”
We both turned back to our leader.
