Ikelos (The Ephemeral: Book 2)

Chapter 1

I sat on the wooden steps of the lodge, looking out over the calm, silver pond.  The waterfall at the west end of the oasis had become a paralyzed sheet of ice—robbed of motion, stuck in time—and I missed its guttural roar.

A gentle breeze blew fresh powder from the tips of the pine trees, and the snowflakes twirled to the ground like a soldier's ashen remains on a battlefield. It made me wonder if all things so innocuous and pristine would be tainted by my dance with death and bloodshed, or if someday, snow would just be snow again.

A group of young men and women passed me by, kicking up tiny pebbles as they walked, snickering and shoving each other playfully. Amongst them, I recognized a few of my hometown peers and a handful of Siren's followers—refugees who'd chosen to stay and fight, and the misfits who'd offered them food and shelter.

They made their way over to the array of canvas tents pitched in the middle of camp, shouting something about lunch to the other soldiers. Several enthusiastic exclamations followed, and a pleased smile tugged at my lips.

After Holly, the federal army encircled the innermost districts of our nation and began building the same defense system they'd once used on the Rim. And then, with the Command's hesitant approval, Rover and Siren had merged forces, and the archer's hidden campground had become the Interior Company's new military base.

Now, over two months into cohabitation, the two groups had grown close, their prejudices fading along with any lingering resistance. Granted, the battalion already fought together as a single entity; the Rim troops had yet to see Siren's crew in action. And while Tom's enlightened bunch did their best to bring the remaining federates up to speed—paving the way for a unified front—the army was slow to accept so many women into their world of war. And I knew from personal experience that a gulley this wide would take time to traverse.

I heard footsteps behind me, pattering over cold, lifeless soil.

"Kingsley," Jo said, and I turned to face the Herculean woman bundled in wool and leather scraps. She tugged her cap down over her pink ears and shaven head, her expression grim. "We need you in the cabin."

I slowly rose to my feet. "What is it?"

"Siren caught a Pan in the woods playing I-spy and wrangled him in for questioning." She jerked her thumb at the tree line. "Burroughs wants you there."

Unsettled, I followed her to the outskirts of Siren's base, struggling to dulcify the dread in my gut. I knew we had scouts for a reason, but to think that our enemy was out there in the Range just...watching us did nothing to quell my anxiousness.

What information had the demons obtained thus far?  What devious plan had they concocted?

Was my brother at the forefront of their task force?

Did I even want to know?

We reached the old cabin at the edge of the woods where Siren, Rover, and Burroughs often met to discuss sensitive and confidential information. The building was rustic and creaky and, in my expert opinion, most definitely haunted.