Bloodfeather

Chapter Five

Last time I had been in the city it was loud and bustling with people. There had been a fair going on and Kail had bought me the most beautiful necklace. My hand went automatically up to my throat, even though I knew it wasn't there. I wondered what had happened to it. Where once had been a bustling city was now an almost ghost town. There were hardly any people out, and those who were out seemed eager to leave. It was like they could tell something was up, and wanted no part of it. They had undoubtedly seen things, and told people, but were too afraid to tell the people who could help. I could feel the fear in the air. The FBI had tried to keep things normal, but some things they couldn't do. Without the help of the flower Fae, the plants in the town were all dying, and everything felt wrong.

"I don't like this." I told Kail. He nodded his agreement.

"It's too quiet, isn't it?"

"It's not just that. It feels wrong. Life is no longer dominant in this town, which isn't right considering who close the Fae mansion is. Why would Maelene let this happen? The humans don't know exactly what's wrong, but they know something's up. Why would she risk them finding out?" I whispered, afraid to talk any louder. I had no way of knowing if Maelene could hear me. I knew the city was a neutral zone, but that didn't mean her spies weren't lurking.

"She doesn't care anymore, Avery. Life is no longer her path." Kail informed me. I shivered. Maelene no longer allied herself with Life? The knowledge scared me. The power of Death magic, or necromancy, was not something you messed with. It was serious magic that demanded a high price for its use.

"Phillip, can you get some more blankets and the like? As well as anything else you need. Jenny and Abe, you're on medical and clothes. Avery and I will get the food. Meet back here in an hour. Don't be late, or we'll leave without you. It's not safe for us to hang around for any longer than we have to." Kail was very much in charge of this operation, I could tell. He pulled a wad of cash out of his pocket and divided it among us.

"Kay. See you later." Abe said, pulling Jenny off behind him. Phillip shook his head.

"You really think it's a wise idea to send them off together?" he asked Kail, his eyebrow raised.

"Yes. They're a good team, and between the two of them can fend off any attack." Kail defended his choice. Phillip shrugged.

"You're the boss." He said. Kail nodded.

"Now we split up." He said reluctantly. I could tell that although he had done this many times, he still didn't like the idea of splitting up. I wondered how many people he had lost on these runs. Phillip headed off in the opposite direction to Jenny and Abe, leaving Kail and I alone.

"So. What now?" I asked. Kail gave a wry smile.

"Now I find enough food for the camp while keeping an eye on you." He said. I raised an eyebrow.

"You say that as though it'll be difficult."

"You do remember that you let yourself be captured then you killed yourself in the span of a few hours. You think my job's an easy one?" he asked me. I shrugged.

"Fair enough."I conceded. Kail grinned properly.

"Come on. There's a supermarket just around the corner." He grabbed my hand and pulled me after him, much as Abe had pulled Jenny. I liked the way his hand felt in mine: warm and calloused and rough from his time outdoors.

We walked into the supermarket and Kail handed me a piece of paper. I looked down at it and saw that it had a list of a bunch of foods. I glanced up at Kail.

"What's this for?" I asked. He held up his own piece of paper, with different items listed on it in his messy handwriting.

"I don't want to split up, but it's only a supermarket and we can do this faster if we split the work." He explained. I nodded.