The Protector and the Peacemaker

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

(Granger)

Vega knelt down and picked up a small bit of dirt between his thumb and forefinger, rubbing them together with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a moment, he stood back up, allowing the dirt to fall from his hand, and turned to his companion.

"We're getting close," he announced, a definite hint of pride in his voice. "She was here less than a day ago."

Granger stood ten feet away, hands tucked into the pockets of his coat, his face as unreadable as ever.

"Good," the old man said with a nod. "We need to get this done with, before Master Mortoph becomes suspicious of us both."

"I need to get this done with, you mean," Vega corrected him. "Master Mortoph ordered me to kill the werewolf. He ordered you to retrieve me." He looked at the ground, a smug smile on his face. "And looking at things now, I'd say I'm the one closest to completing my mission."

Granger knew that Vega wanted him to point out that his mission could have been completed days ago if he had just come back with him, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Instead, he just nodded a second time.

Vega pulled a javelin from his pack and twirled it, eager to put his skills to use.

"I'm a little disappointed, though," he admitted. "One little werewolf is no match for me. Truth be told, this job is beneath me."

Granger stepped forward to join his companion and got to one knee a few inches from where Vega had done it a minute ago. He didn't pick the dirt up like the other Slayer had, he just stared at the ground for a few seconds.

"Well," he said at last, standing back up, "allow me to ease your disappointment. The werewolf isn't alone."

Vega's eyes widened beneath his sunglasses, and knelt down to examine the tracks again.

"What are you talking about, old man?" he demanded. "There are only—"

"Eight sets of tracks," Granger finished for him. "The werewolf's, and then seven others."

He watched for a few seconds as Vega scrambled around the area, searching for evidence of his partner's claim. Granger hid a smile under his beard. Vega was only a half decent tracker, while Granger was one of the best in the Slayers ranks. The signs he'd picked up of the other eight tracks would never be visible to Vega's untrained eyes.

"If I'm reading the tracks accurately," he went on, earning him an indignant glare from Vega, "then there are two humans, likely teenagers. There is some sort of giant, and two smaller humanoid monsters. A child is with them, but its tracks are so scarce that I would say it is riding one of the others. The werewolf, as you know is with them, as well as a monster with the paws of a big cat."

Those last two words caught Vega's attention. "A big cat?" he echoed, his irritation forgotten. "Travelling with a group of humans and other monsters? Then that means..."

Granger nodded. "It would seem that the werewolf Master Mortoph sent you to kill is travelling with Porter and the sphinx."

Slowly, a manic grin spread across Vega's face.

"This is perfect, old man," he exclaimed. "Not only am I carrying out Mortoph's orders to slay the werewolf, I'll also take out the traitor and the sphinx that's been causing us so much trouble!"

A glimmer of concern appeared in Granger's eyes, and Vega laughed.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle all of them on my own. In fact, this can be your excuse for not getting me back on time. I picked up the trail of more than one of our targets, and knew it was too good an opportunity to pass up. You decided to tag along with me and help out."