The Survivor - Veil Walkers Book One

Chapter Three

Home, Modern Era - Astrid

ASTRID tugged Danika's quilt into place with a sigh. It wasn't a handmade one; she saved those for presents to make someone feel more at home after they had settled in. A comfortable bed would hopefully give the newcomer some distraction while they saw to more pressing matters.

Nathalie's funeral.

She stopped as the reality struck her again. Nathalie had been with them for over a thousand years. She was a master tactician and an excellent energy-wielder. Her death was yet another reminder of their reality.

Death came for everyone in the end.

The ring she wore, one of several communication jewelry choices, buzzed against her finger. She tapped it as she pulled herself from the darker thoughts and gave the pillow a final fluff.

"Astrid," she identified herself.

"Keegan's bringing Namid home. He's injured," Ming Yue said.

Astrid's breath caught. Earlier, she had felt his state of mind shift dramatically but assumed he had shifted realms to speak with one of his more fugitive spirit friends. She hadn't felt the injury, which told her that Namid was hiding things from her. Again.

"Understood," she whispered as she forced her hands to stop shaking. When he hid an injury, it meant it was bad, and if Keegan was 'bringing him home'.... She shook the thought from her mind. No, Namid wouldn't join Nathalie today. He couldn't. She wouldn't let it happen.

She projected calm as she turned to face Nanami.

Instead, she found the child watching her, holding the ornate Bible meant for Danika. "He's hurt pretty bad. You should go."

Astrid paled. She didn't know where Nanami got such information, but these out-of-the-blue statements had a habit of being true. Whatever the girl's power would be, Astrid prayed the creepy factor wouldn't follow her into puberty.

"Go to your room and play, Little Sister."

Nanami shook her head. "I know how to set up a room and Rosie will help if I need it. Tell Mama I'm here, okay?"

Astrid rewarded the girl's maturity with a smile. "Just don't climb to put anything up."

"I won't," Nanami promised, then made a shooing motion toward the door.

The healer turned toward the operations room, which was one hall over and at the far end of the compound. She swallowed down the panic and forced her steps into a reasonable pace, maintaining her dignity through the empty hallways.

It wasn't often she healed multiple teammates in one day, and it left a scar on her soul when she lost a patient. She knew Nathalie would die the moment she saw the wound, but she had given it all she had. Deza's wounds had been mild, thank Odin, but Galen's had required some tricky effort to restore him to field-duty condition. The combined experiences had drained her energy and spirit alike, but she had to keep going.

They all had to keep going.

She was always tired these days. The past year and a half had taxed her abilities, steadily dragging her down into an exhaustion that only Namid knew existed. The attacks came so frequently now, their targets felt less random. They suspected something tied them together, but had no confirmation, no way to track their source.

Her teammates hid their exhaustion, but the constant combat wore on their nerves, showed on their faces. Eyes that once sparkled now looked dim. There was less laughter, more arguing, and awkward silences where conversations should have been. They needed more bodies, more warriors. Once, she couldn't have made this walk without running into at least three other people. Today, only her steps echoed back to greet her.