The Scent of the Monster _ Aita's Children

Chapter XVII _ A gift for Selene

Lucas had been driving for over an hour. They headed north, toward the mountains, where the sun had set quicker behind the peaks. As usual, they avoided toll roads, passing through mountain villages. But it had been several kilometers since they saw a house, and Selene was growing restless.

Lucas was silent, a cigarette in his mouth, one hand tightly gripping the wheel, and his eyes fixed on the dark road. He seemed calm. But that was Lucas's secret: he always seemed calm. So you never knew when he might strike.

Had he figured something out? Maybe he had followed her to school. Selene reflexively felt inside her jacket to check if Amedeo's note was still there or if the pirate had found it while searching her pockets. Then she remembered she had it with her that very morning.

"Calm down, Selene – she admonished herself – Nothing happened. Stay quiet and still, and everything will be fine."

Lucas seemed to read her mind: "Are you worried?"

Selene tried to dissimulate: "About what?"

"Raoul," clarified the pirate.

Selene frowned: "I'm as worried as I was before. Why?"

Lucas took another drag of his cigarette, filling the car with fresh smoke.

"Just asking."

"Are you worried? – the girl dared to ask.

"The situation is different. When we started this hunt, Raoul was simply caught in a nasty predicament. As unusual as the case was, it seemed like normal business to me. Wolves do shady things, and we hunt them."

He took another drag of his cigarette as he turned onto a dirt road on the left without signaling. They began to weave through the trees, and the only light source was their car's headlights.

"But now it's clear that this is a conspiracy. A big one. I don't know if Raoul brought it on himself, maybe he got involved with the wrong people, we all make mistakes... but whether it was his fault or just bad luck, I feel sorry for him. He's a good kid, and he didn't deserve this."

If Selene hadn't been worried for her safety, she might have felt touched: Lucas wasn't one for affectionate confessions. In fact, Selene couldn't recall ever hearing him say a kind word about Raoul or anyone else. But all this only heightened her unease because it made Lucas seem more unusual than usual.

When the pirate began to slow down, turning off the low beams and keeping only the parking lights on, Selene tensed. They were in the middle of nowhere. Lucas pulled over and turned off the engine; then Selene heard the sound of the But stream flowing nearby, confirming that if anyone screamed, no one would hear.

Lucas got out without saying a word. Selene did the same.

The old hunter walked into the darkness with a springy step, and the girl made sure to walk beside him. She didn't want to follow him like a puppy on a leash.

In Lucas's hand, Freya's blade gleamed. The hunter must have retrieved the axe right after the encounter with Tecla, as promised. He held it by the neck, almost as if he wanted to strangle it. Selene sniffed the air, but she only smelled resin and moss, nothing that could prepare her or hint at why they were there. The only foreign scent in that environment was Lucas's nitroglycerin-like smell.

Finally, Selene stopped. She waited for the pirate to do the same, turning to face her.

"Lucas, what are we doing up here?"

The mentor registered her suspicion. He didn't answer. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the hunter's card. He raised it high and whistled.