Northern Winds (Book 1 of the Zodiac Chronicles)

Prologue

The wind howls, whipping snow in every direction, erasing the lingering footsteps leading to a large gray building, barely visible save for the street lamps illuminating the path. A large man trails after these markings, shoulders back with a hand gripping his hood in place. The snow attacks the skin of his exposed face like little needles forcing their way past the surface before dissolving into droplets.

He enters the building without a second thought. It's dark. Not a single light was turned on, only the glow of the outside street lamps seeped through the window panes. The man throws his hood back, his hair, tucked into a thick wool hat. He marches along the neared hallway. Hushed voices echo down the hall, growing louder and louder with each step. At the very end of the hall, he reaches the only open door.

He pushes it enough to reveal himself to a room full of uniformed soldiers, all gathered together surrounded by burning candles. There's a certain stuffiness to the room. The kind that reeks of mildew with a hint of nicotine that clings to the nearest fabric it can latch onto.

"Glad you could make it Lieutenant Darrell." Said a large man, Colonel Davis, stood in the center of the room, looming over a table containing stacks of folders.

"With all due respect sir, why have you summoned us in the middle of the night?" Darrell stated. The soldiers around him gave him incredulous looks, as if he somehow committed a crime by asking a simple question, but they were all young. Still fresh from their training compared to the Colonel and himself, who were well in their forties and had been working together for just over a decade.

"Please, shut the door." Darrell complied, as the Colonel continued after hearing the faint click of the door closing. "The capital has sent urgent information, pertaining to an ongoing investigation since the uprising."

The room was silent, waiting for him to explain more. Colonel Davis rolled out a map of Gavaria, filled with various colored dots with an index on the side referencing numbered documents. He nodded to a soldier to his left who proceeded to take the stack of folders and hand them out to everyone in the room.

"The investigation began 15 years ago, capturing all who were involved, dead or alive. However, there are rumors that another uprising could begin again and a few select individuals could be key figures in this second uprising and that's where we come in." He points at the northernmost section of the map. "Every region has this folder of suspects, regardless of if they have committed a crime or not, they must be apprehended and brought into our custody."

The soldiers were scanning each file carefully, trying to ingrain every detail into their minds, except for Darrell. He glanced at each document, some showing individuals from the western or southern regions of the country that he found to be pointless to them, until he stopped.

The file pictured a girl with a mess of curly brown hair and eyes as blue as the sky a minute before it became engulfed in darkness. She was one of them. A soldier under the communications division. She was young, only nineteen but her composure was more like that of a war veteran.

Reason for suspicion: Daughter of previous Zodiac - Leo

"As you can see, one of our own is a prime suspect in this investigation which is why I called this meeting so late with just the select few of us." Colonel Davis explained.

A young man with black hair and a scowl raised his hand before speaking, "Sir, if I may ask, how was she even allowed to be a soldier if we've been aware of this information for so long?" Colonel Davis sighed, already having anticipated this question. "It's like that old saying, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. The idea behind this was that we would be able to keep a close eye on her at all times. She has been nothing but a model citizen and a fine soldier as you well know. I am a firm believer that the faults of our parents shouldn't reflect on a child. However, orders from the capital are required to be executed." He paused, observing the crowd before him.

"We have no confirmation on if she possesses any powers, nor do we have any evidence leading us to believe she is involved with anyone in the new uprising which is why I want to detain her with the most respect as possible. Next time any of you see her, I want her escorted to my office at once. Should she show any sign of hostility, you have permission to detain her as you see fit. Are we all on the same page?" He questioned. "Yes sir!" roared the room in complete unison.

"You are all dismissed." The soldiers surrounding him stood, saluted, and saw themselves out of the room. Darrell still lingered, locking eyes with Colonel Davis, "Except you." he said. The two men waited until the last soldier left and shut the door behind him.

"Which one is coming to test her powers?" Darrell questioned as he pulled a chair out for him to sit in.

"They haven't told me yet, but we'll know soon enough." The Colonel pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit it with the flame of the nearest candle. "You were part of the case that involved her mother, weren't you." He took a drag of the cigarette and gently exhaled a puff of smoke.

"I was in charge of arranging her and her sister's rehoming." Lieutenant Darrell looked Colonel Davis in the eyes. "You're going to make me rehome her sister again." He guessed.

"Her sister is too young to be interrogated, I don't believe they will come after her until she is legally an adult. It would be better if we made arrangements so as not to repeat what happened with their parents. She may be a teenager but she is still a child." Colonel Davis blew another puff of smoke.

"I'll see to it first thing in the morning." Lieutenant Davis confirmed. They sat in an eerie silence, only the crack of the candles and the weeping sound of the wind passing the building could be heard.

"History is about to repeat itself." Colonel Davis' voice was but a whisper, staring at the nub of his cigarette mournfully. "And we're a little too old for it this time."