24 Dreams Of You And Me

30) Wanna Come Hunting With Me?

"You're the predator right up until you're prey."
-James Sa Corey

***

"Ah, yes." Frank said as he removed his spectacles and leaned back in his chair. "This is an ancient ritual. Some speculate its origins as Greek. I don't really know because there isn't any evidence to prove anything."

"No archives?" Levi questioned from beside Alyssa.

They were all sitting inside Frank's office as he looked up in his computer and printed a sheet out.

"Not that I know of."

Alyssa glanced at her right at Levi, then at her left towards Robb, who was looking around the office.

Frank held out the sheet and she grabbed it.

"This is everything the shamans and witches, both used for purification." Frank informed.

"Thank you, professor. This helped a lot." Robb stood up and shook the professor's hand.

"No problem, Mr Lassiter." Frank replied and nodded at Levi and Alyssa. "Mr Cahill, Miss Colt. Glad I could help. It's refreshing seeing such young people interested in history."

Once outside the office, Robb asked, "why did you say your name is Colt?"

Alyssa avoided eye contact and subsided her guilt. "We're going incognito. You had already said our names before I could stop you."

"Why?"

Levi spoke, "so they don't find us easily. Wherever we pay or talk to people, they can trace us."

"You're using credit cards?"

Alyssa nodded. "Cash is for emergencies."

Levi took the paper from Alyssa and went through it. "Hm."

"What?" Robb asked.

When Levi didn't reply, Alyssa answered, "the ritual requires the blood of an Angel and a tooth of a tiger."

"Easy." He replied.

"Not easy.. manageable, with some effort."

"I call it easy."

"That's not what I'm thinking of." Levi spoke up. "The, uh, pure silk cloth must be drenched in salt water and allowed to be dried for a whole day without any disturbance."

"So?" Robb asked.

"A whole day. I can't wait that long to get my hands on the third ingredient."

"What else do you have?"

"Remains of a witch and soil from Earth." Alyssa answered.

"Impressively good." Robb commented.

"We don't care." Levi said in the same tone.

They reached the car and Alyssa immediately opened the driver's door. "I'm driving, boys."

"Shotgun." Robb said but Levi pushed him behind.

"As if." Levi scoffed and sat in the front seat.

Robb rolled his eyes and sat in.

....

Alyssa stopped in front of a hunter shop. "Levi, go and get the tiger tooth."

"Why just me?"

Alyssa shrugged and he sighed. "Whatever."

Once Levi was gone, silence filled the car until after quite some time, Alyssa broke it.

"You said you hunt Aradia's soldiers?"