The Lonely Thoughts of a Snail in Soil

To Hunt a Hero

Chapter 4: To Hunt a Hero

Scrying coffee, or tea for that matter, is a common form of divination among the Hidden. One sip gives you a small glimpse into the future. However, there is a strong chance that that sip may be wrong. Best to drink the entire cup.

--Excerpt from 'The Guide to the Realm of the Hidden.'

Hannah

Friday had arrived. The week had gone by dreadfully slowly and terribly fast all at once. Hannah could barely stand it. She was so nervous she barely slept at all, and that was saying something, as she loved sleep. Now that Friday morning had come, she found herself wondering in front of the light portal building, waiting for her friends to arrive.

Hopefully this isn't a waste. We need to succeed. More now than ever. Oh mother, how did you face challenges without fear? Or shame? I wish I could ask. Instead, I must hope that Kam can hear my prayers.

For pray she did.

She looked at her ticket. It would actually take about three jumps to get to Lake City, but that shouldn't take more than a few hours. Light portals were very efficient, it's just that lines sometimes happened, and you'd have to wait a bit.

The sun was covered by clouds, and a small chill came through, giving her goosebumps. She was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of one of Valiant's swords, bright and gleaming, along with jeans. Her backpack was snug against her back, filled with her items.

"Damn, it's way too early," Lilly said, walking up with her wings out, giving them a flap or two to stretch. "I hate this."

"Think of it as a big game of Where's Waldo?"

"That dumb human game? No thank you."

Hannah sniffed, then looked around. "We could grab some coffee before we leave. The one scrying cafe is open. Maybe they can tell us what might happen."

"No, I'd rather be surprised."

"Why are we being surprised?" Bill asked, showing up in a black long sleeve shirt and khakis. His backpack was less full, so maybe he thought we wouldn't be gone as long. "But I heard something about coffee."

"Later," Lilly said, adorning a tight white shirt and holed jeans with one to many belts. "We're going to be late. The next portal leaves in twenty minutes."

Everyone agreed. Hannah went up to the tall stone building that mimicked a human office, however the inside was much much larger.

Their portal was on the second floor. The first stop would be in North Dakota. They got there in a few minutes, even while the morning air still lingered for the senses to feel. This time though, while they waited for their next portal, Hannah would get a coffee.

They sat on a bench while waiting for their portal time. Hannah sipped on the vanilla latte, feeling it warm her body up. Ice magi loved the cold, but feeling warm every now and again never hurt anyone.

"Next we'll be arriving in Green Bay," Lilly said. She checked off one location off the ticket. "Then Chicago, then finally Lake City. We could do some sight seeing. I've heard East Chicago City has a bunch of shopping centers."

"On the way back," Bill said. "When there's less on the line."

Hannah released a large breath, but everyone could see it since it was chilled. Sometimes she wished that didn't happen. How awkward.

"Nervous?"

The magi nodded. "Look at us. We just got out of high school, and now we're trying to recruit a supposed legend out of myth to aid us. How crazy is that?"