Flames And Blades

Chapter Twenty Eight: Looking Back

"Guys! Listen up. We're on a mission to find Ferox today, so I'm going to give you a short list of marching orders and then send you off, okay? Warrison stage yells standing on a log the next morning, just before any of the littles are up and running. The sun isn't even up yet and Luce, Adam and Trevor are too asleep to be mad about it. He and I are the only people awake enough to be alert.

Luce, Trevor and Adam mumble, zombie-like in agreement.

"Indi and Trevor, you guys are on child observation and researching duty. Find out how or why the campsite and borders disappeared. Luce and Adam, find a way to contact any insiders from the Ab Antiquo for Ferox or anything of his description. I am going to the campsite and meeting up with a few.... Connections to deal with the wars in town."

No. No Warrison is not going to be left alone. Not after the dark look in his eyes. The look in his eyes telling me now he wants me here supervised. Fine. But I'll send Trevor with him.

"Change of plans. I'll only stay here if you take Trevor with you." He goes to argue, but I stare him down. Showing him only a slight view of what would happen if he disagrees.

"Fine. Trevor, you're with me. Indi, you're staying here- no running off again, though." His eyes give him away again. There's something else going on with him. He has someone on my team with him so he should be good. Then I'm good with it all.

"Deal. Let's head off then." I smile, shoving Trevor, lovingly in Warrison's direction. Adam and Luce dragging themselves off too.

Leaving me practically alone with literal herds of children. The sun's coming through, meaning soon the pint-sized sociopaths should be on my heels. I make a head start on making breakfast; oatmeal. While it's cooking, I think of what could possibly be the clue for anything. I look at my chipping purple nails, the shade of his hazes.

"The hazes! That's it The hazes are doing it!" If a symbol encrusted in a knife can make a haze strong enough to put a person in a multitude of dream hells, then it most certainly can cause a haze strong enough to make it look like towns and camps have never existed in the first place. I'm about to call Warrison and tell him this when a little boy, the one that never spoke, pulls on the hem of my sweater. I look down at him and smile, asking if he wants food. He just looks behind me wide-eyed, pointing. I turn to where he's pointing.

A herd of lions, a huge herd of lions to be exact. They are looking not at us, but past us. Pulling the little boy closer to me, hiding him as much as possible, I turn to what they're looking at. The Ab Antiquos are back- larger in numbers and anger now. The kids start waking up and seeing it all too. I'm still too drained from the bombs and everything before to protect them all. We're totally screwed.

I point the little back to their tents, in a stupid attempt at protections when Rori comes out of nowhere. "A little bust, Mcphee." I glare at her. She smirks.

"Don't go over exerting yourself. You'll need all that energy you have for later." Her voice is calm and motherly. I hate it.

"What are you talking about?" Everything goes a brilliant warm white. So bright I close my eyes, holding the little boy tighter to me so he doesn't get lost. When I open my eyes, the lions and Ab Antiquos are gone, leaving behind them, a very dishevelled group of Adam, Trevor, Luce and Harrison in their wake.

"What the heck happened?" Trevor asks, his mouth having been washed out by soap with enough influence of the littles.

"Rori came, saved us from a herd of lions and the Ab Antiquos - really pissed off by the way, and then told me to cool my jets 'cause I'll need my powers for later. Also, the haze is the reason the town and campsite are gone. It's becoming stronger, strong enough to hide its entire presentation." I spill out, checking all the littles and adults to see if they are okay. They are.

My crew just looks at me, jaws agape.

"Yeah. it's all a confusing mess, I know. Anyways, I've got a brother to hunt down." At this, Warrison becomes uncomfortable.

"What?" I ask, slightly angered.

"Nothing, nothing at all." He responds, too quickly. I'm about to lay one on him when a thought hits me.

One time, when the gang wars were going on, just before Ferox was kidnapped I bumped into a Lux group member trying to find my brother. They wouldn't let me past them and I almost started fighting them when their leader came, gave me Ferox and spoke to his members. "Remember boys. The legend must be protected or its twin will destroy us all. Both must be kept safe at all times and costs." I don't know which of us he meant, but it does mean that they will protect and find my brother.

"Trevor, we need to find a member of the Lux. Preferably one of a higher stance. They're the only way to save Ferox." Is all I can get out before I start working on a plan. Without checking, I know they are helping too.

All hands on deck for me, even the littles start drawing crayon diagrams of what they just saw.