CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Twenty-Eight

[Kindle's PoV]

Faye and I made plans to feel out the Order's loyalties when Lydia would be away in Nox. We also made tentative plans to get her in the same room as Seraphim—tentative, because I still wasn't convinced it was the wisest or safest course of action.

Sure she insisted Seraphim could never hurt her, and I agreed. But it wasn't really Seraphim we'd be dealing with. And before that, we'd have to get past Jakoby and the others loyal to Lydia who guarded Seraphim's room whenever Lydia made her regular trips back to Nox.

It was a lot to think about, and we didn't have much time left to figure it out.

I was ready to leave Loftwood for the day, but Faye wanted to stay a while longer to catch up with her friend. Though I wanted her to walk back to the manor with me, she insisted it was fine for me to head back alone. I relented, so long as she would stay the night with Carmen. I didn't want her walking alone in a luminous infested forest late at night. Faye agreed, and so I left the shop.

We'd talked longer than I thought. When I exited to the uncomfortably empty streets, the sun was already starting to dip.

Across the street in front of the pub, a rowdy group of luminous knights stared and wolf-whistled. I followed their line of sight to Inari, who casually leaned against the side of Carmen's shop, picking at her nails and ignoring the knights.

Without a word I removed my cloak and pushed it into her arms.

"It doesn't bother me, you know," she said. "I deal with worse on the job."

"It bothers me."

Inari rolled her eyes, but tied the cloak on anyway.

Some of the knights booed. I bit my cheek to keep from roasting them where they stood.

"Why didn't you just come in?" I asked as Nar and I walked through Loftwood's gate to wear my horse was tied.

Inari pouted back playfully. "I wasn't invited."

"I hope you weren't out there for long."

"Nah," she shrugged. "I did a little hunting, gathered some interesting seeds for Em—Heavens Kindle, relax your damn shoulders. Those cretins weren't a concern, I mean it."

I rolled my shoulders and attempted to devise some sort of witty comeback, but all thought vanished when I caught sight of dark smoke rising not far ahead.

"What do you think that is?" Inari asked, sniffing the air.

I shook my head and turned my attention firmly back to the task of untying my horse. "I don't know, but I don't have time to investigate. It's getting late. Lydia will be looking for me soon."

"Oh, let the flea eat her damn heart out." Inari grabbed my arm and tugged me in the direction of the smoke.

I growled but allowed Inari to drag me through the forest just outside Loftwood's gate. Despite my protests I was still somewhat curious. And if the smoke came from a threat to the Order, it would be important to know about. As we got closer, the sounds of struggle and panic became clear, and I picked up speed. Soon I was the one dragging Inari.

We came upon a small clearing where a little two story thatched-roof house sat burning. Flames poured from every window and devoured the walls. Thick smoke curled into the sky.

Several luminous soldiers stood by. Watching, doing nothing. One even seemed to be laughing as an angel woman shrieked and pulled at his armor, sobbing and begging. A shifter man laid battered and motionless in the grass not far away.