The Sixth | Ekko

Chapter Three

Months passed and the two groups hadn't crossed paths since that night. The all-female group had eased off on disrupting Daunter's shimmer convoys.

This made the Firelights' job easier, but it also planted a great sense of unease in Ekko. They couldn't have completely disappeared. Were they planning something? Or did Daunter manage to eliminate them himself?

One night, Ekko was scouting the area surrounding the Lanes with Zuke, a tall but slim, dark-haired Firelight recruited a few years back. They circled opposite ways until eventually they would meet each other again.

"You see anything?" Ekko asked after stepping off his board and onto a tiled roof of an apartment building.

Zuke followed suit, holding his board to his side.

"Suspicious activity a few buildings down from where the Last Drop used to be."

Ekko raised an eyebrow. The Lanes was no stranger to odd behaviours. Drug trades and petty theft often occurred in the undercity. Labelling something as suspicious would mean it ranged outside of these areas.

"Go on."

"Bunch of people wearing cloaks in an alley, and some fat guy."

Ekko's interest peaked at the mention of cloaks. "How many?"

Zuke thought back and shrugged. "Like, five maybe?"

Ekko nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Take me to them."

Zuke mounted his board, Ekko doing the same. They both took off, Zuke taking the lead. He led Ekko to a roof a few buildings down to ensure they wouldn't be spotted—especially given the green lights that streaked the air when they road their boards.

Both men slid their boards onto their backs and looked at one another, seeming to communicate without words before they darting off. They scaled the roofs of the buildings, getting closer to the alleyway where Zuke had spotted the cloaked group.

As soon as Ekko spotted them, he recognized the leader by her long, dark brown hair.

"It's them..." whispered Ekko, his tone full of spite and eyes never straying from the woman. He'd been bested by her twice, and she still had his mask, despite not wearing it on her person this time.

Zuke nodded and listened carefully. From their distance, it was a little tricky to hear what the group was discussing with the fat man.

They watched as the cloaked women lifted a lid of one of the barrels hidden in a crate. Both men were instantly able to identify what was inside of the barrel. The liquid was a glowing, swirling purple. Shimmer.

The long-haired leader sealed the barrel once more and one of the other members lifted the cover of the crate before dropping it in place, closing it.

"Meet... back... same spot... four hours..."

They were able to hear bits and pieces of the conversation, and it wasn't very difficult to fit them together and recognize what they were saying.

The fat man responded with something they couldn't hear, and then nodded his farewell.

Zuke and Ekko watched as the fat man walked off, leaving behind the group. The leader hopped up onto the crate, sitting crossed legged. Her casualness irritated Ekko further. His gaze flickered over to Zuke and then gestured with his head to follow him.

Ekko led him away from the alley, and then once far enough away instructed Zuke to follow him back to the Firelight hideout.

Ekko and Zuke entered, Zuke dismounting his board as they passed through the entrance.