Of Blood and Duty

Chapter Twenty Five • Coming Back

Yes, we have a bonus chapter! WOHO! For some reason I am on a roll right now! Let's see how long it lasts lol.

I will however say that it is very late for me at the moment and I've got work tomorrow so if I missed anything or if there's any errors - I am sorry! 

I hope you like it! 

-Loren-

"Where are the others?" He asked in a whisper. Eyes still scanning the surroundings on the bed of the forest beneath them. Nothing but shades of green and brown came into view. Apart from the men stumbling around here and there in their drunkenness. Completely oblivious that they were being watched. "They were just there." He growled in frustration as he tried his hardest to spot the parties of the group. Stunned by how skilled they were at staying unseen. Experiencing first hand was as annoying as it was impressive. There had been a whole group down there a moment ago and now he could not see one single soul. 

"Not sure. They probably noticed them before we did." Mae muttered sourly. Her tone revealing that she would get an earful from her twin later... and if she was really unlucky; her father. "Fucking shit..." She hissed and crouched even though they were covered. Loren followed her lead to avoid getting scolded for not doing it. 

"You said it was supposed to be here... running your mouth all over town that thesheee ground dwellerssss should be here somewhere." One of the men slurred and waved a finger in the air as his comrades stumbled around looking for these 'ground dwellers'. Mae stiffened when she realized that these men knew they lived under ground. She crept closer to Loren as he sat perfectly still to get a better look at the men as they kept wandering aimlessly around... but still too close for comfort. 

"They are! I saw one of them!" A wet disgusting burp, bordering on becoming vomit, followed the reply. Mae and Loren grimaced in repulsion at the same time. 

"Should we do something?" He whispered. 

Mae shook his head in his peripheral. Not letting her eyes off the men as she answered him. "No, we keep watch. Make sure they don't get too close." She mumbled. "The others are down there as well and we can't give away their positions by accident." Her tone referred to the chance of him being the reasons for things going wrong if they did. "I'm not risking anything." 

Understandable. He thought and accepted her answer. Not appreciating the assumption that he would fuck up, but knowing that she was most likely looking out for her own, and not his ego. 

Just over an hour later, they were back on the ground, joining up with the group again. The intruders had set off and been gone for a while before the coast was deemed clear. 

"Thanks for the heads up." Hagan snapped after his sister as they walked past him. Mae raised her right middle finger at her brother and stalked over to Evor without making any attempts to retaliate. 

However, Loren made sure to let his eyes do the talking when it came to Hagan. Even though Mae had not asked for it, and never would. He shouldered the job of putting her twin in place for her. Looking at him from the corners of his eyes, dislike dripping from them as his upper lip rose ever so slightly, he donned a look of being displeased that Hagan had come into his line of sight as he mouthed to him to back off. "If you know what's good for you." He whispered almost soundlessly. The threat took him by surprise, but it was quickly buried underneath a mask of false confidence. 

They found Evor standing at what appeared to be a hatch like the one back in their own territory. It was open but otherwise seemed untouched. Had they made it down there and stayed there through the whole thing?